Cougar Connect

Dear Kennedy Community,

Thank you for attending our first major school event of the year--Back to School Night! I was able to meet new families, and I enjoyed seeing familiar faces.

Here is my Back to School Night presentation.

Here is Kennedy's Back to School Night Directory. If you were unable to attend, you can find teachers' presentations and review them.

Here are updates for the week ahead:

6th-Grade Canoe Field Trips--Mrs. Virnich & Mr. Wright

Mr. Wright's first and second periods and Mrs. Virnich's first period science classes will have a new date for the canoe field trips. The trips have been postponed. Families will get the new dates once we have them on the calendar. Thank you for understanding.

School Site Council Meeting Wednesday, September 18 5:00 p.m.

Our first School Site Council meeting of the year is this Wednesday. The meeting is virtual (Google Meet). The proposed agenda can be found here.

English Learner Advisory Committee Thursday, September 19 5:00 p.m.

Our first ELAC meeting is this Thursday. If your student is an English learner, please join us. Students with ELD have Mrs. LaPaglia, Mrs. Sanchez, Ms. Olinares, Ms. Tulabing, Ms. Capozzi, Mr. Llanza, or Ms. Camara for ELD. The meeting is virtual. An email reminder will be sent to families on Tuesday.

8th-Grade Updates

Here is the presentation given on Thursday evening after Back to School Night. Please pay close attention to dates.

High School Shadow Programs & Informational Event Links 2024-2025: click here.

Please scroll down for the 8th-grade section for any additional high school updates.

Purchase Sweatshirts

8TH GRADERS - ORDER YOUR CLASS OF 2025 HOODIE TODAY! Please fill out this Google Form by Friday, October 11 so we have an accurate count and know what sizes to order! If you have questions, please reach out to krissie.h.rice@gmail.com.

i-Ready Assessment

The i-Ready math assessment begins this week. Students should bring fully charged laptops to school. They should take the assessment seriously and try their best.

Sports Practices

Please scroll down to the sports section for updates.

Share Feedback with the New School Meal Director: Sept 25 @ 8 p.m.

Come meet the new director of Child Nutrition Services, Richie Wilim, and hear about what changes he has already started and what’s to come. It is also a great place to share feedback with him about what your priorities are and what you've been hearing from your students. Do your students have strong opinions about the new pizza? Do you hope to see more scratch cooking? Have you noticed the online menu doesn't always match what's served at school? This is all great feedback for Richie. Meeting details are below, or you can add the meeting to your calendar by clicking this link: https://calendar.app.google/hSu5yUctHUgAtWAc7

This event is hosted by the Healthy School Meals Coalition. Sign up for our email list here.

Here is the meeting info:

Topic: Healthy School Meals Coalition Meeting
Time: Sep 25, 2024 08:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89134491032?pwd=TlgxMuxxgP6ROEApd1vO0aD4YfK8VA.1
Meeting ID: 891 3449 1032
Passcode: 519643

The Kennedy office is open from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Phone Contact: (650) 482-2409

Office Manager: Liz Avalos lmavalos@rcsdk8.net

Office Assistant (Attendance): Jessica Perez jpperez@rcsdk8.net

Office Assistant (Student Records, Student Health): Maritza Gutierrez mggutierrez@rcsdk8.net

Have a great week!

Chandra Leonardo

Principal

Students and staff will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15-October 15. Our student leadership class is planning a variety of events for students to participate in.

Are you looking for an easy volunteer opportunity that makes a real difference? Then why not consider being a Los Ayudantes (The Helpers) tutor and make a difference in the lives of English Learner students at Kennedy? At the direction of Mrs. LaPaglia, you will work one-on-one with students, helping them read articles, books, and other texts. You’ll also help the students think deeply about the subject matter, making personal connections to the text. Most rewardingly, however, you can become an important, trusted adult and mentor in the students' lives when you make this commitment to tutor them throughout the remainder of the school year. You can volunteer once a week or more! Training is provided, and you can shadow one of our volunteers before you decide to volunteer. For more information and to volunteer, visit our website, http://www.losayudantes.org.

8th-Grade Kennedy White

Practices this week:

• Mon (9/16), Tues (9/17), Weds (9/18): 5pm - 7pm
• Thurs (9/19): 4pm - 6pm
• Fri (9/20): 3:30pm - 5pm

These were the updates emailed to Mrs. Leonardo as of Sunday, September 15th at 10:30 p.m.

Your students should have homework Monday through Friday. Our English language arts and math teachers will assign homework nightly. Here are the general homework guidelines for each grade level:

6th Grade: 30-45 minutes

7th Grade: 45-60 minutes

8th Grade: 60-75 minutes

These times may vary depending on the assignments and projects, but students should have some math or reading assignment each night. If your student says they do not have homework, please make sure they show you their assignments in Google Classroom. You can also check PowerSchool for grades. If your student says they finished their assignments at school, make them show you their finished work.

If students are finished with their assignments, they can still:

1. Read their independent reading books.

2. Practice reading or math i-Ready or Khan Academy lessons.

3. Review notes from classes to make sure they understand their lessons.

4. Create flashcards for key vocabulary terms and review them.

5. Clean out or organize their backpacks, binders, and folders.

We are very thankful for the support from our Kennedy parents. Without your monetary support, we would not be able to fund our fine arts, music, and STEAM programs. There are several ways to donate to the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO). Please click this link to learn about all of the ways to support our Kennedy Cougars.

Our direct drive goal is $50,000. Without these funds, we won't be able to support the programs and activities that our community values. We need your financial help to continue to support the programs listed below that benefit all students and families. In order to provide these resources, we must raise $50,000. We suggest all families make a minimum financial contribution of $500 per family for the 2024-2025 school year.

To contribute and support our Direct Drive 2024-25:

PayPal (click here)

CreditCard via Online Store (click here)

Donation Form (click here)

What do we support?

Working closely with the KMS administration, PTO Direct Drive funds support: Music / STEAM / Art / Drama / Maker Space / School dances / Lunchtime activities / Physical education / 8th-grade celebration activities.

For more details about our Direct Drive Click here.

The PTO is dedicated to supporting and improving the educational experiences of Kennedy students through donations and volunteering.

How can I volunteer?

Everyone (parents or guardians, teachers, and staff of Kennedy Middle School) is automatically a member and is encouraged to attend our monthly meetings. Please join us at our first PTO meeting on Tuesday, August 20th in the Kennedy Library or on Zoom (link to be sent next week). Find more details and opportunities at: www.kennedycougarspto.org

How can I donate?

PayPal (click here)

CreditCard via Online Store (click here)

Donation Form (click here)

Thank you!

In order to make our handbook for students and families more accessible, we have digitized it. Please know that the information in the handbook will be continually updated to ensure families are informed.

Click to view and save the Kennedy Student & Family Handbook.

We had a few anonymous Kennedy community members purchase Kleenex and glue sticks for staff. Thank you! We appreciate you thinking of our teachers.

Thank you, John and Tracey Lee, for donating pencils and glue sticks to our teachers!

Kennedy's Amazon Wishlist

SEPTEMBER

• School Site Council Sept. 18 Library/Zoom 5:00-6:00 p.m.
• ELAC Sept. 19 Library/Zoom 5:00-6:00 p.m.
• PTO Meeting Sept. 24 Library/Zoom 7:00-8:30 p.m.
• Staff Development ~ No School Sept. 30 All Day
• Fall Goal Setting Conferences Sept. 30-Oct. 4 Campus 1:00-3:15 p.m.
• i-Ready District Assessment in ELA-Math Sept. 4-30

With a commitment to excellence, Kennedy Middle School engages, encourages, and empowers students in challenging and creative learning opportunities while preparing them for their futures in high school and beyond.

Website: https://www.rcsdk8.net/kennedy
Location: 2521 Goodwin Avenue, Redwood City, CA, USA
Phone: 650.482.2409
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kennedymiddleschool