Cougar Connect

Dear Kennedy Families,

Welcome to a brand new school year! My name is Chandra Leonardo, and I am your Kennedy Cougar's principal. I hope you are having a restful and enjoyable summer. As we gear up for another exciting year at Kennedy, I wanted to share a brief update about upcoming events at Kennedy.

This summer, I had the incredible opportunity to spend 14 days exploring the beautiful country of Italy with my family. We journeyed through the ancient streets of Rome, admired the artistic wonders of Florence, soaked up the sun in Forte dei Marmi, and experienced the stunning landscapes of Sardinia. It was an unforgettable experience that brought us closer together and allowed us to create memories that will last a lifetime.

As a wife and mother of a spirited three-year-old, I understand the joys and challenges of balancing family life with the demands of the school year. My son continues to keep me on my toes; the time we spent together in Italy reminded me of the importance of cherishing every moment and embracing new experiences with an open heart.

I am excited to welcome our returning students and families back to school, and I extend a warm greeting to those of you who are new to our community. This year promises to be filled with learning, growth, and countless opportunities for our students to shine and experience academic growth.

Dr. Shanna Laney has been a valued member of the RCSD community for four years, serving as both the Director of COVID Response and Assistant Principal. Over the past two years, she has been dedicated to the Roosevelt Community and is honored to join the Kennedy Middle School staff for the 2024-2025 school year.

With over 24 years of experience in education, Dr. Laney's background includes teaching Spanish and AVID at the high school level, as well as instructing 2nd grade bilingual students and 3rd-5th grade newcomers. Her leadership roles have been diverse, ranging from WASC Coordinator and Small Learning Community Coordinator to English Learning Specialist. Since 2012, she has held various administrative positions and earned both her Master’s and Doctorate in Educational Leadership, with a focus on Multilingual Learners.

Dr. Laney is deeply committed to fostering leadership skills among her students, aiming to cultivate their abilities to lead with confidence and integrity. As a servant leader, she prioritizes the needs of her students and colleagues, striving to empower and support them in their personal and professional growth. Her extensive experience, passion, and dedication to educational excellence make Dr. Laney a valued asset to Kennedy Middle School.

In her free time, she loves walking on the beach, spending time with family, and traveling. This summer, she and her son enjoyed a trip to Napa to explore the region's beautiful vineyards and enjoy quality time together.

Ellen Spencer will join Kennedy as a substitute administrator.

Mrs. Spencer served as a teacher for 12 years in elementary and middle schools before contributing to more comprehensive student achievement as a K-8 principal for 16 years. In that capacity, she guided private, public, urban, and rural schools, such as Beechwood School, a private school in Menlo Park, and public schools in the Ravenswood, La Honda-Pescadero, and Oakland school districts. She was the coordinator for the English language program for two years at the Berlin British School in Germany. She was also involved with mentoring and coaching at the San Mateo County Office of Education as a BTSA (Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment) Support Provider for teachers and in the coaching program (Act II) for aspiring principals. Mrs. Spencer is most proud of her term as principal at the James Flood Science and Technology Magnet School due to its staff, students, and the community effort in Ravenswood that led to the award as a California Distinguished School. Excellence was the expectation for everyone.

Since retiring, Mrs. Spencer has been supervising new teachers at Notre Dame de Namur University. She feels strongly about providing school support and has designed workshops and materials to help teachers, principals, and support staff develop grade-level teams to design instruction and programs that encourage, support, and expect excellence from each other and their students. She is the proud mother of two children and two wonderful grandchildren and is looking forward to the arrival of a new one in September.

Mrs. Spencer is also excited about her upcoming role with the Kennedy School family. She is looking forward to contributing her expertise and experience with Kennedy staff, students, and families.

Cynthia Valente will be Kennedy's Student Services Coordinator. She will work closely with students and their families in an effort to support the social, emotional, and behavioral well-being of Kennedy students. Ms. Valente will also oversee student discipline processes, ensuring fair and consistent enforcement of school policies and procedures.

Ms. Valente was born and raised in Redwood City. For the past six years, she has worked for the Boys and Girls Club of the Peninsula in various roles and, most recently, as a Site Director in Daly City. Ms. Valente started as a Middle School Academic Advisor at Hoover School. After three years, she transferred to Kennedy to launch BGCP in 2020. In less than a year, Ms. Valente built relationships with students, teachers, families, and the community. As the new Student Services Coordinator, she is excited to return and be a resource to everyone. Ms. Valente looks forward to meeting everyone and giving back to the community.

In her free time, Ms. Valente enjoys hiking, exploring new coffee shops, and spending time with friends and family.

• The Redwood City School District has been sending out reminders to complete the First Day of School registration packet. These forms are digital.
  

• Please check your email to find the registration packet.

• We need 100% of all Kennedy families to complete these forms by August 14th.

• The First Day of School packet includes emergency contact information, parent permission forms, state funding for district services, and district policies.

• The Student Benefit Form is embedded in the First Day of School Packet. Completing this form is very important for our school as it will determine funding for our after-school program. The Student Benefit Form determines resources and services for our students in a variety of areas, in addition to children having access to healthy and nutritious meals at school. Depending on the number of families who complete the survey, it will determine several other services and resources, such as school library services, school funding, internet access, and teacher grants.

• If you need assistance, we will be available at Maze Day to assist families. Maze Day dates are listed below.

We are still working on student schedules. Some schedules were visible on PowerSchool this summer. Student schedules have been revised and changed numerous times this summer. What was visible on PowerSchool may be inaccurate. For the most up to date schedule, please pick up your students' schedule at Maze Day.

Kennedy is a cell phone-free zone for students. We want students' cell phones turned off and placed in backpacks during the school day. We encourage parents to send messages to students through the school office to minimize distractions and disruptions throughout the day. We also strongly

recommend that parents and guardians monitor students' cell phones, tablets, and social media use. In fact, we recommend students not have any access to social media. How Social Media Affects Your Teen’s Mental Health: A Parent’s Guide

Our cell phone policy is as follows:

1st Time Offense: Student phone is turned into the office. The student can pick up the phone at the end of the school day.

2nd Time Offense: The student's phone is turned into the office. A parent or guardian can pick up the phone after school. The phone will be held in the office until an adult can pick it up.

3rd Time Offense: Student must turn in their phone to the office each day, OR the phone can remain at home. Students can pick up their phone after school. We are currently exploring the idea of using Safe Pouches at Kennedy. Read more about Safe Pouches here.

• 6th-Grade Orientation Wednesday, August 7, 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Please note the time change. Previous information sent in the spring listed an earlier time frame. We will send more details to 6th-grade families later this week.

• 6th-Grade Maze Day Wednesday, August 7, 1:00-3:00 p.m.

• 6th-8th Grades Maze Day Wednesday, August 7, 5:00-7:00 p.m.

• 6th-8th Grades Maze Day Thursday, August 8, 4:00-7:00 p.m.

• First Day of School Wednesday, August 14, 8:30-1:50 p.m.

• Picture Day Tuesday, September 10

• Back to School Night (BTSN) Thursday, September 12, 6:00-7:15 p.m.

• We will be dismissed at 3:15 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays this school year.
  

• Minimum day dismissal will be Thursdays at 1:50 p.m.

• Student Goal-Setting Conferences will be held Monday, September 30, through Friday, October 4. More details will be included in the September newsletters.

• School is in session on Monday, November 25, and Tuesday, November 26.

• This school year, we return to two bell schedules. Our 6th-grade students will have separate brunch and lunch breaks from our 7th and 8th-grade students.

• Get involved with the Kennedy Parent Teacher Organization (PTO). The PTO meets on the last Tuesday of each month via Zoom. Learn more about the PTO here: https://kennedycougarspto.org/

• Join the English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC). We will meet on the last Wednesday of the month. More details to follow.

• Join the School Site Council (SSC). We will meet on the last Wednesday of the month. More details to follow.

• Attend monthly Principal Coffee meetings (the first Thursday of every month in the Kennedy Library).

• Read the weekly Cougar Connect newsletters.

• Review your student’s grades on PowerSchool with them (more details about this in future newsletters).

• Make your student charges their school-issued Chromebook every night. Make sure they bring their Chromebook to school every day.

• Limit screen usage after 8:00 p.m. We will also be working to only use screens as needed during the school day.

• Encourage your student to read for pleasure. Reading is vital to a student’s academic success.

I will send a digital Maze Day packet next Monday. It will include our instructional calendar, our calendar of events, the SamTrans bus schedule, and other important information. Hard copies of the packet will be available on Maze Day.

Please enjoy the remaining days of summer! I look forward to working with you this school year.

Yours in partnership,

Mrs. Leonardo

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.

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