Kennedy Sunday Newsletter

Dear Kennedy Parents and Community,

Welcome back from Thanksgiving break! I hope everyone had a restful and enjoyable time with family and friends. As we return to school, it’s important to remember that we have just three short weeks left in the first semester.

Because this is an important time of the year and one that could be strife with academic stress, I want to make our community aware of some key strategies that our students can use to manage stress at the end of the semester.

The first is to prioritize self-care by ensuring adequate sleep to maintain energy levels, eating nutritious meals to fuel our bodies, and exercising to release stress. At home, parents can encourage adequate sleep, nutritious meals, and regular physical activity.

Secondly, students can work to develop time management and organization skills by creating a schedule, breaking down tasks, and prioritizing effectively. To help our students manage their time effectively, parents can help them create a daily or weekly schedule, break down large tasks into smaller ones, and prioritize important assignments.

Thirdly, students can seek support by using Kennedy's tutoring resources and developing study groups to help collaborate with classmates to review material and share strategies. To help our students succeed academically, parents can encourage them to take advantage of our on-campus tutoring. Tutoring is available Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays 2:30pm - 5:00pm in the Library.

Finally, it is a good idea during times of stress, especially academic stress, to practice mindfulness and positive thinking by focusing on things we are thankful for, avoiding negative self-criticism, and taking short breaks. At home, parents can encourage students to practice gratitude, positive self-talk, and mindfulness techniques like deep breathing.

For our Senior parents, I want to make you aware that the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) for the 2025-26 school year is now open. I encourage EVERY student to complete the FAFSA even if they don't know what their post-secondary plans are or if they think they don't qualify. Filling out the FAFSA opens doors to grants and scholarships, eligibility for institutional aid, and work-study opportunities. Completing the FAFSA is an essential step in securing your student’s educational future and ensuring that they have options at their disposal. Fun fact - Students who complete the FAFSA are 84% more likely to enroll in college.

Additionally, I also want to encourage seniors to apply to the John F. Kennedy Scholarship Foundation scholarship. Often when we apply for a scholarship we are competing against a lot of people and our chances to have our application standout and be noticed is diminished by the number of applicants. The John F. Kennedy Scholarship Foundation Scholarship is ONLY open to John F. Kennedy High School students graduating May 2025, have attended JFK for one year, and plan to attend a post-secondary school full-time in 2025-2026. Scholarship winners will be recognized at a dinner on April 26th, 2025. Information was shared with all seniors (and their parents) through Parent Square right before Thanksgiving Break.

Let's finish the first semester strong, Irish!

Sincerely,

Poppy Hill-Bonales

Proud Principal, Kennedy High School

Home of the Fighting Irish