Kennedy Middle School Update

Greetings Crusader Families,

Welcome to 2024! I hope you all had a great holiday week and are enjoying the wonder of a brand new year.

As you may have seen in a Skyward email in December, we are transitioning from paper to on-line course selection for our KMS Coordinated Arts classes. To make this happen, 6th and 7th grade parents and guardians must log into the Parent Portal of Skyward, click on online forms, and select the Course Selection Form. This will give you and your child access to Course Information and a Course Selection practice worksheet. In the form is also a link to the course descriptions and course fees. Please discuss the Coordinated Arts options with your child, check the box in the form this has been completed, and fill in the worksheet together. Students should print the completed worksheet at home, or at school, by January 15, 2024. Students will be logging into their Skyward account at school to select the classes you have discussed and numbered on the worksheet. See dates and times below.

6th grade (selecting for 7th grade) - 1/17 12:15pm

7th grade (selecting for 8th grade) - 1/18 11:45am

Makeup Date - 1/23 12:45pm

Please reach out to Student Services with questions about Coordinated Arts courses, Skyward, or On-Line Course Selection links. skarrels@gsdwi.org 262 572-7326.

Wishing you the very best in 2024!

Jessica Gieryn

KMS Principal

262-253-3452

jgieryn@gsdwi.org

• January 2nd - First day back from Winter Break

• January 15th - MLK Jr. Day NO SCHOOL

• January 19th - End of Quarter 2/Semester 1

• January 22nd - Teacher Workday NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS

8th Grade G-Talks: January 9th & 10th, 2024

Time slots are filling up fast, if you haven’t selected a conference time, please select yours today!

Sign-up here: G-Talks Conference Sign-up Form

CONFERENCE DATES & INFORMATION:

• Tuesday, January 9th, 2024 - Becky Wittemann will be available for a 30-minute conference between 2:35-6PM

• Wednesday, January 10th, 2024 - Deni Topitzes will be available for a 30-minute conference between 2:35-6PM

***Conferences will be held in the Gold Activity Center, on BOTH nights, and students should bring their CHROMEBOOK!

KMS School Counselors lead 30-minute sessions where 8th graders share their plan for their educational goals, academic success, and career development with their parents and guardians. Please visit the G-talks tab on the KMS website for more information G-Talks - KMS Webpage

If you have any questions, please reach out to Stacie Karrels in Student Services, skarrels@gsdwi.org, or 262-502-7326.

8th grade families, we look forward to seeing you at the G-talk meetings!!

7th Grade Career Fair: WE WANT YOU! Save the Date - Wednesday, March 6th from 7:15 - 9:30 am.

Parents/Guardians,

On Wednesday, March 6th, Junior Achievement (JA) will be hosting a Career Day for all our 7th-grade students. JA would like to invite you to participate in this Career Day. We are currently looking for individuals who would like to make a difference by talking to our 7th-grade students about their career in 3- 30 minute sessions. The time commitment on March 6th is from 7:15 am to 9:30 am.

We would love for you to join us in this educational experience, please see the attached flyer for all the details. If you are interested in presenting, please click on this link to register - Career Fair Registration

2024-25 Student Coordinated Arts Course Scheduling:

For the 2024-2025 school year, students will be selecting their coordinated arts classes via Skyward. For additional information and required next steps, parents, please log into the Parent Portal of Skyward click on Online Forms and select the Course Selection Form.

In the Course Selection Form link, you will find the process instructions, the link to the KMS practice worksheet, and the link to the online course descriptions.

• 6th Grade students course selection day will be January 17, during 4th block.

• 7th Grade students selection day will be January 18, during 4th block.

Students will be required to bring in their COMPLETED course selection practice worksheet to their SAS/IDR teacher, prior to selecting classes.

Any questions, please reach out to Student Services, 262-502-7326, to be connected to your students’ counselor.

UPDATES - For more information about exciting activities and athletics at KMS, see the following links: KMS Activities, KMS Athletics.

• Boys Basketball and Wrestling is in full swing! click on the link above for game and practice schedules.
  
• Key Club Meeting on January 23rd from 2:45 - 3:45 in the GAC
• Thank you KMS students and families for all of your donations to Friends, Inc. Key club collected 15 boxes of items! We appreciate your generosity!
• Join us at Science Club every other Wednesday! At Science club we have fun learning through experiments, challenges, inventions, and current events! We meet in Ms. Schilling's room E-7 from 2:45-3:45pm. If you have any questions please see Ms. Schilling or Ms. Betanzos.
• AV Club meets Tuesday and Thursdays from 2:45-4pm in room G141
• Mathcounts will meet on Monday, January 8th and 29th from 2:45 - 3:45 in Mrs. Rohde's Room, E3

• Responsible care of Chromebooks is an integral part of life at KMS. Please ensure students are plugging their Chromebooks in to charge overnight and bringing them fully charged to school each morning. This will help set everyone up for success each and every day at KMS!

The library would like to thank all of our parent volunteers that offered their time and services this past December to make our Winter Book Fair a success. Thank you for donating your time to support and encourage a life-long love of reading among our students. Lot's of books were purchased and selected to boost our classroom reading collections as well. We couldn't do it without you and are looking forward to hosting another book fair in May.

January also kicks off our "battle season" in the library. Our Round One Battle of the Books competitions for participating students will take place in the library on January 3rd (6th grade), 4th (7th grade) and 5th (8th grade) during 4th block. Good luck to all of our Battle of the Books participants but most importantly we hope you enjoyed the round one books and have a ton of fun at the round one battles! Round two books are also NOW AVAILABLE for checkout in our library, online (ebook/audiobooks) through our reading app, Sora, and at the Germantown Public Library as well. Round two competitions are currently scheduled to take place the week of February 5th.

Hold on to every best moment of this school year by ordering a yearbook. Use the following link to order from our KMS Yearbook Store...https://jostensyearbooks.com/?REF=A09296230

KMS Ski and Snowboard Club is ready to hit the slopes! We are excited to see more than 140 members on the hill!

Future outings: Thursday, January 4th, Wednesday, January 10th, and Wednesday, January 17th.

Kennedy Middle School Families, the American Heart Challenge™ is coming! It’s time to CELEBRATE heart health with the Heart Heroes!

Our school will be participating in our service-learning program, the American Heart Challenge January 18 & 19 during their PE class!

You can help by collecting donations to help support the American Heart Association!

Get started NOW:

1. Download the AHA Schools APP and Register.

(click on the preferred play store below)

1. Click “Send a Message” and TEXT 10 Friends and Family asking for support.

2. Be a Heart Hero and Complete Finn’s Mission and learn TWO lifesaving skills as a family TONIGHT!

or REGISTER HERE and Click “Sign Up”

NFL Bonus: The American Heart Association is excited to extend our work with the NFL to support improving health outcomes at home and beyond through the Hands-Only CPR education. Students that complete the Finn’s Mission learning module will earn an entry for Two tickets to Super Bowl LIX in 2025 and your school will be entered to receive a $10,000 fitness equipment makeover for every 18 completed Finn’s Mission.

Thank you for being part of the Kids Heart Challenge, supporting our school and the American Heart Association. Together, we are providing hope and making a difference.

Sincerely,

KMS PE

A lot of things happening for PTA the rest of this year! Here's a look:

• Our next meeting is Tuesday, January 24 at 7 pm in the GAC.

• To join or donate to PTA: https://kms-gtown.memberhub.com/store?limit=21&live=true

• Our next booster night is in 2 weeks: Come to Cafe Zupas for a house-made meal and KMS PTA will earn up to 25% back! Mark your calendars and order your favorites on Tuesday, January 16 from 4pm-9pm. Showing your support has never been so simple.

• Also mark your calendar now for the Chipotle booster coming on March 20 from 5-9 pm.

• Our next Spirit Wear sale will be in March! Also, for 8th grade families, watch for sign sale in March.

Dances!

• Mark your calendar for Friday, April 5 for the all school dance! More details to follow in the coming months.

• Note that the 8th Grade dance is on Wednesday, June 5.

This December and January, our administrative team reviewed behavior trends in each grade level and went into all SAS classes to review expectations for our students. Topics included following directions, keeping hands to self, avoiding physical aggression, appropriate language at school, and appropriate use of technology. Please discuss with your student the importance of following the KMS Way and what they can do to contribute to a positive learning environment at KMS.

THE KMS WAY
Be Safe

Be Respectful

Be Responsible

Students who are attending after school sporting events, without a parent, need to report to the designated location immediately after school. Students are encouraged to quietly work on homework or other academic tasks during this time. If students have completed all their school work they are allowed to quietly socialize with their peers. If students do not want to stay after school but would still like to attend the sporting event, they will need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

During the sporting event, students are expected to sit in the student section which is supervised by KMS staff. Students will not be allowed to sit in other areas of the gym unless they are accompanied by an adult. Spectators are not allowed to sit on the players side of the gym. If a student is attending a sporting event with an adult that is not their guardian or parent, that individual is responsible for supervising that student during the event.

Cell Phone Use - We are aware that students will need access to their cell phones during these events for a variety of reasons including but not limited communication with parents when they are to be picked up, change in plans, and or for emergencies. Students' cell phones should be stored in their backpacks, which will be placed next to the bleachers, and if they need to use them they will be allowed to with the supervision of a KMS staff member. Students are allowed to come to the Gold Office throughout the day to contact parents so that plans can be made or clarified. If students are not following cell phone expectations or using their cell phones in inappropriate ways, KMS supervisors do have the right to confiscate the phones and give them to parents when the student is picked up. Students who are not following expectations for after school sporting events will meet with KMS administrators and their participation in future sporting events will be discussed.

Students who receive school-based consequences (such as an in-school suspension) during the day may not be allowed to attend after school events for that day.

Please be kind and efficient while dropping off your child in the morning. Pull all the way through the circle (by the bike rack) before dropping off. Remind your child to be ready to exit the car upon drop off so other families are not waiting too long. Be kind and courteous, thank you!

Is your child looking for something fun to do on Monday, January 22nd? Look no further than Germantown Youth Futures' annual trip to the Kalahari Water Park. See the attached flyer for all the details and a QR code to register. Don't delay, registration closes Friday, January 12th!

If you're looking for a fun and rewarding career working with middle school students, KMS is looking to add to their awesome team! Our current open positions are:

• Special Education Aide
• Building Substitute Teacher

Click on the links above to learn more!

Principal: Jessica Gieryn

Assistant Principal: Brandon Kohl

Website: https://www.gsdwi.org/o/kennedy
Location: N118 W15860 Williams Drive Germantown, Wisconsin 53022
Phone: 262-253-3450
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KennedyGSDWI