Dear Kennedy Community,
We had an excellent turnout at our first fall carnival last week! The pozole was delicious, our Kennedy advanced band played wonderfully, and families enjoyed socializing with one another. We had many Kennedy and RCSD families join us in the gymnasium for our High School Fair. Thank you for supporting our school! Thank you to our Parent Teacher Organization and Community School Coordinator, Cynthia Cardona, for organizing both events.
This week, students can purchase Halloween Dance tickets at lunch for $5. Student Leadership will also sell Halloween Candy Grams for $2 at lunch. Students will also get to decorate pumpkins at lunchtime; homeroom classes are competing with one another for this contest. We also will have Spirit Week this week. Each day, students are encouraged to dress up. The homeroom class with the most participation this week will win 500 points for their advisory class.
Let's join together and support our students by dining out at Corner Table on Thursday, October 24, from 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Mention Kennedy for online and in-person orders. Review the flyer below for the details. Thank you to Melinda M. for ensuring we have monthly dine-out fundraisers for our school.
Don't forget! Trimester one will end on November 8. Please check PowerSchool for the most up-to-date information about your student's grades. Students have daily math and reading homework. If students tell you they do not have homework, please ask them to show you their finished assignments. Parents, guardians, and caregivers should check PowerSchool at least once per week to make sure their students are keeping up with assignments. Connect with individual teachers with questions about grades and assignments.
Saturday School
Kennedy admin will host Saturday School on October 26 to provide students with additional targeted support and intervention for any behavior and/or attendance concerns. We will contact families by this afternoon if your student is required to attend Saturday School.
Dress Code Reminder
Crocs, sandals, Uggs, and open-toe sandals are not allowed at Kennedy. You may receive a phone call to bring appropriate shoes if your student isn't wearing the appropriate shoes. Please make sure your students wear PE-appropriate shoes each day. Thank you!
Attendance
Students need to be at school every day. If students are ill, parents and caregivers should notify Jessica Perez (jpperez@rcsdk8.net), leave a message on the attendance line voicemail 650-482-2409, or use the School Arrivals app to submit the absence.
Please schedule doctor's appointments after school and vacations during scheduled school vacations.
When your student misses school, they miss valuable instruction. It can be difficult to make up assignments for seven different classes, so students become overwhelmed.
Students need to be on time for school. We will be reaching out to families of students who are late to school to determine what supports are needed to ensure students get to school on time. If you need support, please reach out to us.
Parent, Student, & School Compact
Our School Site Council recently reviewed and approved our 2024-25 compact. Please take some time to review the compact with your student. Click here. After reviewing the compact, please complete and submit this form by Friday, November 1.
The Kennedy Office is open Monday-Friday from 7:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Liz Avalos, Office Manager: lmavalos@rcsdk8.net
Maritza Gutierrez, Office Assistant (student records, medical notices): mggutierrez@rcsdk8.net
Jessica Perez, Office Assistant (attendance, independent study): jpperez@rcsdk8.net
Have a great week!
Mrs. Leonardo
Our school district has launched the Budget Renewal Initiative in preparation for necessary budget adjustments for the 2025-26 school year. These changes are prompted by the upcoming expiration of one-time federal and state funds that supported additional student services in the aftermath of the pandemic.
The district is committed to a transparent and community-driven process and is seeking input from the entire community.
To gather feedback, RCSD is inviting all families and staff members to participate in a district-wide survey. The input collected will help guide discussions and recommendations that will be presented to the Board of Trustees in December.
Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts by completing this survey.
Your voice is important to prioritize student services!
8TH-GRADE FAMILIES: We have raised almost $10,000, which is still far from our $27,500 goal to cover all of the 8th-grade activities. The Class of 2025 hoodie is included with your contribution - If you have submitted an order for a hoodie, please make sure also to submit your $100! We are at risk of canceling our graduation field trip to Great America if we don’t raise enough funds.
IMPORTANT! Orders for hoodies will close Friday, October 11, but we are extending the contribution deadline to next Friday, October 18.
TO CONTRIBUTE ONLINE TO 8TH-GRADE ACTIVITIES:
https://app.99pledges.com/fund/kennedycougarsclassof2025
8TH-GRADE ACTIVITIES CONTRIBUTION INSTRUCTIONS & FORM:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/12HkyLyULf8lgt8O-oH8elnNHDn85toToRaxKxLR9aLg/edit?usp=sharing
TO ORDER THE CLASS OF 2025 HOODIE:
- Intramurals Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays at lunch--sign up for soccer by Friday, Sept. 27
- Wellness Club 7/8th Grade Lunch Mondays Room 207
- Anime Club 7/8th Grade Lunch Mondays Room 314
- Photojournalism Club Mondays Room 532
- Calligraphy/Cursive Writing Club 7/8th Grade Lunch Mondays Room 318
- 6th-Grade Lunch Bunch 6th Grade Lunch Tuesdays and Fridays Room 207
- Chess Club 7/8th Grade Lunch Tuesdays Room 535
- Video Game Club 7/8th Grade Lunch Tuesdays Room 314
- GSA Skittles 7/8th Grade Lunch Tuesdays Room 315
- Italian Club Tuesdays After School Room 318
- Art Club 6th Grade Lunch Tuesdays Room 104
- Art Club 7th/8th Grade Lunch Tuesdays Room 526
- Badminton Club 7th/8th Grade Lunch Tuesdays and Wednesdays in the Gym
- 7/8th-Grade Lunch Bunch Wednesdays Room 207
- Book Club in the Kennedy Library Dates/Times TBD
- Board Game Club Thursdays in the Kennedy Library
- Origami Club Thursdays 6th Grade lunch in B-8
- Video Game Club 6th Grade Lunch Thursdays Room 102
- Environmental Club 7/8th Grade Lunch Thursdays Room 535
Hispanic/Latine Club 7/8th Grade Lunch Thursdays Room 315
Fantasy Leagues Thursdays at Lunch Room 104
We encourage every Kennedy student to join and participate in at least one club this school year. Clubs are a great way to make connections, make friends, and create a joyful school environment. Clubs are created by students for students. Students need to find a teacher to advise their club. Clubs generally meet once a week. Students need to listen to the morning announcements for updates.
Thank you for joining us for information about our school musical, Legally Blonde: The Musical Jr. If you were unable to attend the meeting, see the information below:
Link to sign up for tech crew HERE Deadline Feb. 1st
Hello, Kennedy Community!
Are you looking for ways to volunteer for our school? The PTO needs help with the Teacher Appreciation Team, Student Birthday Celebrations and Fundraising Team. If you’re interested in helping, reach out to info@kennedycougarspto.org
Remember that our Direct Drive is going on and our students depend on our community’s financial help to make their middle school experience the best it can be! We suggest a $500 donation per family. Payments can be made manageable by choosing to donate $50 a month through the school year! Click here to donate: PTO Direct Drive
Kind regards,
Jess Bryski
KMS PTO President
Students can get help with homework and assignments on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays after school in the Kennedy Library from 3:15-4:15 p.m. If students are enrolled in the Boys and Girls Club after school program, they need to sign in first.
Students must be actively working on assignments. Students should not come to Homework Help to hang out or be off task.
We look forward to helping students succeed!
Students can also get support with Tutor.com. This is a free virtual service available to all students. Students can access Tutor.com through Clever using their Chromebooks. Find the logo that looks like th icon to the left. We will teach students about Tutor.com after Goal-Setting Conferences during homeroom.
Brainfuse is one of the most experienced online tutoring companies in the nation. HelpNow is a unique tutoring, homework help, and studying suite designed to assist patrons of all ages succeed. This is a service provided through Redwood City Public Library. Students can access Brainfuse by finding the Redwood City Public Library icon on Clever on their Chromebook. They should look for the icon like the one pictured on the right.
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:
Read their independent reading books.
Practice reading or math i-Ready or Khan Academy lessons.
Review notes from classes to make sure they understand their lessons.
Create flashcards for key vocabulary terms and review them.
Clean out or organize their backpacks, binders, and folders.
We appreciate you thinking of our teachers.
Thank you, Molly, for tape, Chromebook charger, pencil sharpener, and headphones!
Thank you, Krissie, for the pencil sharpener and the binder paper!
Kennedy Middle School
Website: https://www.rcsdk8.net/kennedy
Location: 2521 Goodwin Avenue, Redwood City, CA, USA
Phone: 650.482.2409
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kennedymiddleschool