Parent and Community Update

It's that time of the year again when our K - 5 grade students have the opportunity to join us for Family STEM Night on Thursday, March 6 from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. at Kennett Middle School. Join us for a wonderful evening of exciting STEM presentations and activities that will expand interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Community partners, teachers, and administrators are hosting this wonderful event created for families to enjoy together. Get a "swag bag" (first 500 visitors), collect stickers, and get a raffle ticket to win cool prizes. There will be free books in honor of Read Across America Week (while supplies last), and snacks, too. Park at the middle school or take advantage of our special shuttle buses that will operate from the high school.

Families are invited to bring canned goods to benefit Kennett Area Community Service (KACS) and be entered into a raffle for a $50 gift certificate to GIANT markets. Kennett Education Foundation will also be present, collecting donations for their wonderful programs benefiting our students, teachers, and District. Join us on Thursday, March 6 at 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. for an evening of fun, learning, and community. No tickets or registration necessary. The Sky's The Limit for our KCSD students and STEM learning!

Watch our promotional video in English and Spanish (in same video).

The Entry Plan activities and report are complete. If you haven't reviewed the report, please do so by clicking the link below. We would like to hear from you about how the experience went. Could you take a moment to complete the assessment below and tell us what you think?

Attendance in school is required by law and is essential for student success. The Board requires that students attend school every day it is in session, except for valid reasons such as illness, family emergencies, or medical appointments. Regular attendance positively impacts student achievement—academically, socially, and emotionally. When a child is ill, please make sure to follow protocols for reporting absence. Feel free to download these special reminder flyers detailing the process for reporting absences. You can also go to our Attendance section of kcsd.org for more information.

We are nearly two-thirds through this school year, but it is never too late to verify your contact information in the Skyward Family Access Portal. Please take the time to revisit your contact information and emergency contact information, including email, phone, and text preferences. If you haven't opted in to text messaging, please do so by texting "Y" to 67587. You must use the same mobile device number that you recorded in your Skyward Account to sign up.

While we finalize the elementary school websites in March, we have rich content for you to explore at our District, high school, middle school, and kindergarten websites. We continue to grow sections for library, counseling, and other important areas, too. In the meantime, we invite you to explore some areas at the District site that can be helpful to you.

Want to review the latest budget for KCSD? Need information on real estate taxes or Homestead/Farmstead Exclusions? Want to know where to send a check? Everything you need to know about the financial information and obligations can be found at the Business section of kcsd.org. Click below to explore the information provided at our website.

Does your student have an Individualized Education Plan (IEP)? Join us at the Kennett High School Library on Thursday, March 20 from 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. for a special training session that will include an exploration of the sections of the IEP and a discussion about your role as an IEP team member. You will have the opportunity to learn with other KCSD families who have IEPs and ask questions, too. Spanish interpretation will be provided. Simply register at the link below to attend.

We are excited to announce that the Kennett Consolidated School District will be piloting two Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) screeners—the DESSA by Aperture and the SSIS by Pearson—during the Spring 2025 semester. The adoption of an SEL screener is critical to the development of our Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) framework as we take steps to address the needs of the whole child, moving beyond a sole focus on academics.

This pilot will involve staff-only administration for Kindergarten, First Grade, and Fifth Grade, while Eighth and Ninth Grades will include both student and staff administration during designated classes. Additional communication will be sent to parents and guardians of Eighth and Ninth Grade students over the next week. We believe that actively engaging staff and students in the evaluation process is essential to ensuring we select the best screener to meet our students' needs.

Thank you for your continued support as we strive to enhance our educational practices and ensure that every child receives the support they need to succeed. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Casandra Jones, Director of Pupil Services & Supports, at cljones@kcsd.org.

As we continue to explore new ways to help everyone access our meetings, we wanted to remind you that you may watch our Board of School Director and Committee Meetings on our YouTube channel live or anytime. If you need closed captioning in English or any other language, we have shared a tutorial on the Board section of our website under the heading "Watch Our Meetings Live On YouTube." Check it out and watch meetings in the captioned language of your choice.

The KHS choir will be heading to Harrisburg! On March 6th, our talented students will be performing in the capitol rotunda as part of Music in our Schools Month. This is an incredible honor for both our students and the talented members of our music department across our District.

To celebrate the impact music has in our schools, you are invited to a musical celebration on Monday, March 10 at 6:30 p.m. at Kennett High School . “Music on Parade” will feature our bands with performers from each school and level: elementary through high school. Join us!

Second-grade students celebrated the 100th day of school (February 13th) with a unique teamwork challenge; stacking 100 cups without speaking! Through silent collaboration, creativity, and problem-solving, students successfully completed the task, reinforcing the power of teamwork in a fun and engaging way.

Our youngest students and their teachers and principal celebrated their 100 days with an "old fashioned" celebration by dressing up as centenarians. Check out the fabulous transformations at Mary D. Lang Kindergarten Center!

Throughout the month of February, 4th and 5th grade classes at New Garden participated in activities that highlighted the African-American culture. In Mrs. Hamill’s 4th grade class, her students did research biographies and learned about famous African Americans which resulted in a fabulous biography banner. In 5th grade, each student read a book on a famous African American, completed a short comprehension check activity and then created a pennant. This pennant is beautifully displayed in the main hallway and outside of Mr. Harris’s class.

KMS students and teachers have been participating in a Battle of the Homerooms trivia competition to honor Black History Month. Without using technology, a question is posed on the morning announcements about Black history. Questions cover a range of topics, and all center on the contributions of Black individuals to society. Each homeroom writes down their answer and sends it to the office for tallying. The homeroom in each grade with the most points at the end of the competition will win a prize.

Bancroft celebrated Kindness week February 10th - February 14th with morning announcements focused on kindness and a kindness activity in their buddy classrooms. Emma Termini, NCC, School Counselor also shared some advice for parents for this month of caring and love.

Their Tip of the Month: From Emma

In addition to focusing on kindness for others this month, we are also going to focus on having kindness and self-compassion for ourselves. Do you have a child who is hard on themselves or has a difficult time recovering after making a mistake? Helping your child develop self-compassion is an important tool in your toolbox. How can you do this?

• Model making mistakes. This normalizes that everyone makes mistakes. You can do this by talking through a mistake you made out loud and modeling positive self-talk in the process.
• Encourage your child to talk to themselves like they talk to their friend. Ask your child, “What would you say to your friend if they were in this situation?”
• Create a list of positive affirmations together.

Sample Positive Affirmations:

• “Everyone makes mistakes.”
• “Mistakes are a sign of learning.”
• “I am not perfect and that’s okay!”
• “I can do hard things.”

On Monday, February 10, Mr. Dean Ivory, Supervisor of Innovative Programs, presented an update on the Future Ready Initiative, which he has led since August 2024. Joining him were Kennett High School Principal Dr. Lorenzo DeAngelis and a few students who have benefited from the program in the 2024-2025 school year.

Kennett's Future Ready Initiative focuses on developing student leadership and creating real-world learning opportunities. It combines programs of study, work-based learning, dual enrollment, credential attainment, and service learning. Students can develop entrepreneurship and leadership skills, as well as earn industry credentials or certifications through internships and special programs.

Read the full article at the KHS website by clicking the link below and clicking on the Future Ready Initiative Article.

On Friday, April 4, 2025, After-The- Bell will be holding their annual spring fundraiser, Discover Your Destiny, at the Delaware Museum of Nature and Science on Route 52 in Wilmington, DE. They invite you to explore the museum while enjoying cocktails, live music, and delicious fare.

After-The-Bell’s mission is to provide a safe, enriching, after-school program of recreational, social, and academic skill-developing activities for Kennett Middle School students. The program is overseen by the Kennett After-School Association which supervises a small staff along with community volunteers. After-The-Bell is provided free of charge to students, their families, taxpayers and the school district.

Secure tickets, including for Teachers and Staff, as well as explore sponsorship opportunities, by clicking the link below.

Dust off your dancing shoes and join us for an evening of food, dancing & FUN! Our Annual Spring Soirée is back with all your party favorites—live music by The Late Ambitions, delicious fare from Gia Bella Catering and a curated silent auction—in a new venue: The Greathouse at Loch Nairn Farm! Tickets go on sale March 7th.

Mark your calendars for May 2, 2025 from 7 p.m. - 10 p.m. at The Greathouse at Loch Nairn Farm, 514 McCue Road, Avondale, PA 19311

We had an amazing time last year, and we're excited to do it all over again! Watch our brave and enthusiastic teachers take on the world-famous Harlem Wizards! All funds raised will go to supporting Mini-THON, a student-led initiative raising money to fight pediatric cancer.

• Date: Saturday, April 5, 2025
• Time: Game Starts at 6:30pm/Doors Open at 5:30pm
• Location: Kennett High School-Reynolds Gym

Ticket Information: Friends and Family can purchase tickets by using the link below. Volunteers do not need to purchase tickets. Check out the flyer for more information.