Cougar Connect

Dear Kennedy Community,

It was great to see so many students with their family members at last week's Honor Breakfast; thank you for supporting our Kennedy students!

If your student was unable to attend the breakfast, we will make sure they get their certificate and t-shirt this week.

Speaking of supporting Kennedy students, I am super excited to announce that you can purchase tickets to our spring musical, The Addams Family Young@Part! Wednesday Addams has grown up and fallen in love with a young man from a respectable family whom her parents have never met. Now, Gomez Addams must do something he’s never done before– keep a secret from his beloved wife, Morticia. Everything will change for the whole family on the fateful night they host a dinner for Wednesday’s “normal” boyfriend and his parents. Our students have been working diligently to bring us a wonderful performance. The shows will be on Friday, April 26, 2024, @ 7 pm, Saturday, April 27, 2024, @ 3 pm, Saturday, April 27, 2024, @ 7 pm, and Sunday, April 28, 2024, @ 1:30 pm. Tickets will sell out, so don't delay.

• Get your tickets now and share the link with friends and family (http://kennedydrama.ticketleap.com/addams/)

• In order to choose your own seats you must make your purchase on a desktop. If you purchase tickets on a phone, it will assign you the best available seats

• Performances will be April 26-28, 2024 at the McKinley Auditorium

• Advertise a business in our program

• Last year, over 700 attendees saw ads in our program. Program Ad donations provide support for the drama program. Direct your favorite businesses to this form to submit the details for your ad. Payment is through the Kennedy PTO store. Thank you for your support!

Spring Music Concert

Support Kennedy Music students on Wednesday, April 17th at 7:00 pm in the Kennedy gym. The doors will open at 6:30 pm We need your support! Please click on this Sign Up Genius link to sign up to support our music program. Please view the flyer below for additional details.

Here are the rest of the important updates for this week:

Super-Minimum Day on Thursday, April 4

RCSD Teachers have professional development on Thursday, so Kennedy students will be dismissed at 12:00 pm. Wednesday will be a regular day (periods 1-7) and Thursday will be a super-minimum day schedule (periods 1-7). Breakfast will be served before school and lunch will be served at recess/break time. Our public transportation, samTrans, will arrive at 2:00 pm on Thursday.

Minimum Day on Friday, April 5

Students will be dismissed at 1:50 pm on Friday due to spring break the following week. samTrans will arrive at its normal Friday time--3:20 pm.

April Principal's Coffee Changed to Thursday, April 18

I am rescheduling my April Principal's Coffee. We will meet on Thursday, April 18.

Spring Break: No School April 8-12

There will be no school from April 8-12 due to spring break. Students return to school on Monday, April 15.

Open House Changed from April 2 to May 29

Please note the change for Kennedy's Open House. We have moved our Open House to Wednesday, May 29 from 6:00 to 7:30 pm. More details to follow in May.

Support Kennedy: Dine Out at Panda Express on Wednesday, April 3

Panda Express is located at:

1023 El Camino Real. Redwood City CA 94063 (650) 216 - 6890

Please review the flyer below for more details!

National Arab American Heritage Month

April is National Arab American Heritage Month. At Kennedy, we will highlight key Arab American figures, include our Arab American students in announcements, update our bulletin boards to reflect Arab Americans, and celebrate Arab culture through food (a cooking lesson and a catered meal).

April Family Podcast

We're back with our April family podcast! Click here to listen to the podcast and to learn more about April's Family Challenge. Congrats to our winner for March: Anna W. in 7th-grade!

April's Family Challenge: Celebrate Earth Day together by participating in activities that promote sustainability and appreciation for our planet. Take a picture of your family riding bikes, recycling, composting, picking up trash, using reusable water bottles, or reusing items. Then, email the photo to kennedyfc@rcsdk8.net.

Art Club Field Trip Tuesday, April 2

Our Art Club will travel to San Francisco's de Young Museum on Tuesday with their club advisers, Mrs. Morales and Mrs. Segal. This will be an all-day field trip.

ELPAC Testing Continues

If your student currently has an English Language Development class, they will complete the ELPAC assessment this week in their ELD classes. Our goal is for our multilingual learners who have not been reclassified as English proficient to reclassify before they get to high school.

We will continue to send out important reminders to families this week to make sure we have your support as your students take this important test.

Please make sure:

• your student is at school and on time each day.

• your student brings a fully charged Chromebook to school each day.

• your student goes to bed by 9:00 pm each night.

• your student turns off all technology (cell phones, video games, laptops, tablets) 30 minutes to one hour before going to sleep.

• your student eats breakfast before coming to school. If your family needs support with providing healthy breakfast items for your family, please contact our Kennedy Family Center kennedyfc@rcsdk8.net. We also understand some families are observing Ramadan, so students will not be eating breakfast. We will reach out to families directly to find out how we can support students during this time.

• you encourage your student to take this assessment seriously and try their best.

Physical Fitness Test for 7th-Grade Students

Seventh graders in Mr. Murillo and Mr. Vozaites's PE classes will participate in the California State Physical Fitness test. The testing window will open on March 25. Our goal is to assess every Kennedy seventh grader by Friday, April 5.

The Physical Fitness test (PFT) is required by the California Department of Education and administered to every 5th and 7th-grade student.

Fitness areas to be tested:

Aerobic Capacity - Pacer, One-Mile Run, OR Walk Test

Abdominal Strengths and Endurance: Curl-Up

Trunk Extensor Strength and Flexibility: Trunk Lift

Upper body Strength and Flexibility - Push-up, Modified Pull-Up, OR Flexed-Arm Hang

Flexibility - Back-Saver Sit and Reach OR Shoulder Stretch

School Site Council Meeting Update

Thank you to our School Site Council members for beginning our site's needs assessment. We are analyzing data to determine how to close the achievement gap at Kennedy. We will continue this work in April and May. Here are the minutes from the meeting.

Middle School Bilingual Attainment Award

Our 8th-grade Spanish and Mandarin Immersion students will have the opportunity to earn the Middle School Bilingual Attainment Award.

The RCSD Middle School Bilingual Attainment Award is designed to set a standard for high-level biliteracy attainment for our Multilingual Learners. It will be awarded at the end of eighth grade during our promotion ceremony with the hope that students will continue their language study at the high school level. Below are the RCSD criteria:

• Attain age-appropriate proficiency in English Language Arts on the state testing system (CAASPP/SBAC) or local assessments (iReady). Students must be at grade level or above in iReady reading.

• Demonstrate proficiency in the target measured by i-Ready (test will be taken in May with more details to follow). Students must meet at least 6th-grade level in the target language to qualify.

• Meet the criteria for Redesignated Fluent English Proficient (RFEP) for students who are English learners (if applicable).

• Create and deliver an oral presentation in the target language identifying the importance of cultural understanding and explaining why being culturally respectful is a benefit in the 21st Century.

Maestro Alfredo and Cao Laoshi will administer the oral presentations and reading assessments. We will notify families about the date.

If you are interested in having your student participate, please fill out this Google Form by April 26th, 2024. Google Form: click here.

Yearbook Update

• Kennedy uses Treering to create and sell our yearbooks.

• Yearbooks can be purchased online by clicking this link.

• If you are asked for a school code, please use Kennedy's code: 1015926081674110.

• The yearbook price before taxes is $38.29.

• Yearbooks will ship to Kennedy. We will then distribute the yearbooks to students in late May or the first week of June.

• If you want to create a custom page for your student, custom pages are due by April 11, 2024. You can use this link to learn how to create a custom page.

Tutoring and Academic Support Opportunities

Students can get drop-in math support on Mondays and Wednesdays with Ms. Le, Mrs. Figueroa, and Ms. Paz in room 533.

Students can reach out to individual teachers to schedule a time to meet during teacher office hours.

Students with IEPs and identified learning disabilities can get targeted intervention and support from

College Advising Prep (CAP). Please reach out to Michelle Fryer Phan for additional information at mfryerphan@rcsdk8.net.

We also partner with Healthy Cities Tutoring. Students can get individual support from a volunteer once a week. Please contact our Kennedy Family Center for more information about Healthy Cities Tutoring kennedyfc@rcsdk8.net.

Missing Assignment Study Hall (MASH) will be held this Wednesday after school in the Kennedy Library for any student who is currently earning an overall D+, D, D-, or F in any class. We will have time dedicated to support students with missing assignments, test corrections, essays, etc. Our Kennedy admin team will support students during this time. Students will meet in the library after school from 3:15 to 4:15 pm.

Reminders for 8th-grade Families

• Students will take their class photo on Thursday, April 4 at 10:00 am. Our photographer, Ronnie Guinto, will make the photo available for purchase on his website after the photo is taken. We will take the photo on the Kennedy field during 3rd and 4th periods on Thursday.

• Elective course sheets for SUHSD are now past due. Students should turn in their signed forms to the office as soon as possible.

• Please be reminded that your 8th-grade students were given a letter in November that explained Kennedy's expectations for students to participate in 8th-grade activities and the promotion ceremony. The letter was supposed to be read by students and their families. Then, a signed acknowledgment form was to be submitted by December 1. 8th-Grade Letter

• Our 8th-grade Promotion Ceremony is Tuesday, June 11, 2024, at 6:00 pm on the Kennedy field.

• A cumulative GPA of 2.0 is required to participate in all 8th-grade activities and the ceremony. Please be sure to check your student's grades each week.

• Please refer to this newsletter with information from the 8th-grade information night.

Student Clubs Meeting This Week

• Intramural Basketball continues this week on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays.

• Math Homework Support after school on Mondays and Wednesdays in room 534

• Book Club after school on Monday

• Writing Club during 7th/8th grade lunch in room 318

• 6th-Grade Gaming Club Monday at lunch in room 102

• 6th-Grade Student Council Reps Tuesday at lunch in room 103

• Italian Club after school in room 318 on Tuesday

• Makerspace and Robotics Club Tuesday during 6th-grade lunch in room 104

• Wellness Club Tuesday during 7th/8th grade lunch in room 636

• 7th & 8th-Grade Lunch Bunch Wednesday during 7th/8th grade lunch in room 636

• K-Pop Club Wednesday during 7th/8th grade lunch in room 208

• Rock Band Club after school on Wednesday in room 314

• Chess Club Wednesday during 6th-grade lunch in the library

• D&D Wednesday during 6th-grade lunch in room 102

• Missing Assignment Study Hall after school in the Kennedy Library on Wednesday 3:15 to 4:15 pm.

• CANCELLED 7th-Grade Executive Council Thursday at lunch in room 314

• CANCELLED Art Club Thursday during 7th/8th grade lunch in room 527

• Jazz Club Thursday morning before school in room 312

• CANCELLED GSA Kennedy Skittles Thursday during 7th/8th grade lunch in room 315

• CANCELLED GSA Kennedy Skittles Thursday during 6th-grade lunch in room 102

• CANCELLED Chess Club Thursday during 7th/8th grade lunch in the library

• CANCELLED K-Pop Club Thursday at 6th-grade lunch in room B-9

• 6th-Grade Lunch Bunch Friday during 6th-grade lunch in room B-6

• Environmental Club Friday during 7th/8th grade lunch in room 535

• Anime Club Friday during 6th-grade lunch in room B-7

• Cooking Club for Group 3 Friday after school in room 107.

Have a great week!

Mrs. Leonardo

Our Kennedy Environmental Club won Redwood City's Climate Action Video Contest. Congratulations! We will celebrate with our students on May 6 at City Hall in Downtown Redwood City.

View the winning video here.

Hello BGCP Families,

Here are important updates regarding our schedule.

Student Walkers:

Student walkers will now sign themselves out at 5:45 PM each day.

Pick-up Policy:

We’ve noticed that students are being picked up at various times throughout the program. Many of these pick-ups are occurring last minute and without any prior communication. Our program has many components that we want to ensure students can experience. Currently, the number of pick-ups is conflicting with the activities our team takes time to prepare for our students. We understand that students have other commitments after school. However, our goal is to provide the best student experience in the program. This cannot occur if students are NOT present in our program.

Our program runs until 5:50 PM each day. We ask that students attend the program until the dismissal time. We currently provide a free program and want to continue to do so. To continue to provide free programming, we need students to attend until the end of the day. The funding we receive requires strong attendance from our students and the support of our families.

We will continue to uphold those requests for families who set up specific accommodations. We will need students to attend the full day of the program that our families committed to. Lastly, we will begin to request documentation of appointments. This will support with clearing any early dismissal for which students are getting picked up before the end of the program.

New Program Schedule:

Quarter 4 begins Monday, March 25th. We’ve provided the new program schedule for you to reference. Want to highlight that our homework block (Power Hour) will now occur at the beginning of the program day. This decision was made to align with the other academic after-school offerings that are occurring on campus – office hours, Math Club, tutoring, etc.

As always please reach out with any questions you may have. Here is our office number for you to call or text, 650-804-9045. Communication is key and our goal is to providea high-quality program for our students while keeping safety at the forefront. Thank you!

Who Should Attend:

Parents, guardians, and caring adults of children in any age group

Location:

Flex Room

Taft Elementary School

903 Tenth Avenue

Redwood City, CA 94063

Sign up here:

tinyurl.com/Taft-PC-SP

Cost: Free

Workshop Series Funded by:

Taft Elementary School

Contact: 408-351-6482 or

info@projectcornerstone.org

These workshops will also be presented in Spanish.

Learn strategies for adults to protect & empower youth so they are prepared to face bullying with more confidence. Topics include:

• Dealing with relational aggression - including shunning and exclusion
• Reducing 'tattling' and increasing 'telling' - & how to tell the difference!
• How to assess whether & when to intervene in issues between kids

Questions about this workshop? Contact: Patrinia Redd, predd@rcsdk8.net, (650) 482-2252

Tuesday, April 2 6:00-7:00 pm

Join Zoom Meeting: bit.ly/42GZbRE

Meeting ID: 897 9291 7077

Passcode: 172620

There are no important updates as of now. However, if you have any questions about payment, please email Maestro Alfredo: aoropeza@rcsdk8.net.

For Payments By Check:

• Make your check payable to JFKMSEEF.
• Write your child’s name in the memo line and “GCT”
• Hand deliver the check to JFKMSEEF, 1943 Kentucky Ave., Redwood City, CA 94061 OR
• Drop in the JFKMSEEF Dropbox in the Kennedy School office.

For Payments By ZELLE:
Make payment to John F Kennedy Middle School Expeditionary Education Foundation (or JFKMSEEF) as a recipient. Our account uses our email
address: kennedygrandcanyon@gmail.com PLEASE NOTE YOUR CHILD’S FIRST AND LAST NAMES IN THE MEMO.

Please review the information and email Maestro Alfredo (aoropeza@rcsdk8.net) if you have any questions or concerns.

• Rehearsal this Week: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 3:30pm-6:00pm
• Thursday 12:30pm-6:00pm

Important resources:

Full Schedule

All Newsletters

Please read the parent newsletters sent to your email for more details. Kennedy administration will not have any additional information. Email Ms. Rosenbloom or Kennedy PTO for any questions or concerns: srosenbloom@rcsdk8.net or drama@kennedycougarspto.org

Want to join the TECH CREW for Kennedy's production of The Addams Family? Sign up here!

Rehearsals start in late March.

Tech rehearsal is 4/20-4/25 and the shows are April 26-28, 2024.

All students are welcome!

https://forms.gle/PKF5WcbJuaTq37MG8

Cell phones are to be turned off and placed in backpacks from the time students get on campus until they exit the campus. If you need to get a hold of your student, please avoid texting or calling during the school day. Please call the office and let us know you would like to speak to your student and we can have them come to the office and call you directly.

We have too many students using and accessing their cell phones during the school day in order to use social media. This is a waste of instructional time.

If your student is caught using their cell phone during the school day, they will be required to check their phone in and out of the office before and after school each day.

We need your continued support with this rule, so we thank you in advance for your help.

The Kennedy school calendar is now on the PTO website and has been updated with school events and activities for the year! You can add it to your personal calendar by going to https://kennedycougarspto.org/calendar and clicking the +Google Calendar button on the bottom right of the calendar.

Hello, Kennedy Community!

As we head toward spring and the final trimester of this school year, keep those donations coming! Remember no amount is too small and all funds directly support KMS students, faculty, and staff. If you are able, DONATE HERE! Donate – KMS PTO

Don’t forget to follow the KMS PTO on Instagram and Facebook, @KennedyCougarsPTO.

Check out www.kennedycougarspto.org for more info.

Kind regards,

Jess Bryski

Please check the High School Shadow Programs & Informational Event Links document.

• TIDE and Woodside posted their shadowing request links.
• Carlmont posted links for campus tours and the Chat with a Carlmont Student event.
• Sequoia will open the shadowing request link on 9/13/23.
• Menlo-Atherton will open the shadowing request link within the next ten days.

High School Information Website

February Family Challenge Winner: Juan Jose

March Family Challenge Winner: Anna W.

Click here to listen to this month's podcast for April.

April's Family Challenge: Celebrate Earth Day together by participating in activities that promote sustainability and appreciation for our plant. Take a picture of your family riding bikes, recycling, composting, picking up trash, using reusable water bottles, or reusing items. Then, email the photo to kennedyfc@rcsdk8.net.

Padres de Kennedy 2023 WhatsApp Group

If you prefer to receive information in Spanish and by text, click on the link to join the Kennedy Family Center's WhatsApp group “Padres de Kennedy 2023"! You will receive updated Kennedy Middle School information in Spanish and reminders of our school events.

https://chat.whatsapp.com/KOQ9MIJsmY9DDyFX8FFord

Cynthia Cardona, Community School Coordinator ccardona@rcsdk8.net

Maria Segundo, Admin Assistant msegundo@rcsdk8.net

Kathryn Lige, Lead Mental Health Counselor klige@rcsdk8.net

Contact the Kennedy Family Center by phone: (650) 482-2110

Boys' Soccer Games:

Wednesday, April 3 4:15 pm: Kennedy White vs. Kennedy Gold @ Kennedy Field

Wednesday, April 3 5:30 pm: Kennedy Green vs. Garfield @ Kennedy Field

Girls' Soccer Game:

Thursday, April 4 5:30 pm: Kennedy vs. Hoover @ Kennedy Field

Go, Kennedy Cougars! Game Schedule

Book Club has started! We meet on Mondays after school until the Addams Family Musical is finished. If you are interested in joining, come by the library to sign up or sign up here.

Get more details from Ms. Cooper and the awesome Kennedy Library by visiting the Kennedy Library Website.

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. Students received planners during the fourth week of school, and included in the planner is the student handbook.

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

We are incredibly grateful for your support! Thank you!

Our wishlist contains items requested by teachers at Kennedy. It now contains items we need for our STEAM and art electives.

We received some anonymous donations of books, supplies for STEAM, and Kleenex. Thank you!

Kennedy's Amazon Wishlist

APRIL

*CAASPP/SBAC Testing Begins This Month!

• Super Minimum Day (Staff Development) April 4 8:30 am-12:00 pm
• Minimum Day April 5 8:30 am-1:50 pm
• Spring Break ~ No School April 8-12
• Spring Concert Dress Rehearsal April 16 Gym 8:30 am-3:00 pm
• Spring Concert April 17 Gym 6:00-8:00 pm
• Principal’s Coffee April 18 Library 8:45-9:45 am
• PTO Meeting April 23 Zoom 7:05-8:30 pm
• Site Council April 24 Zoom 5:00-6:00 pm
• ELAC April 25 Library 5:00-6:00 pm
• Summer Opportunities for 8th-Graders April 25 Library 6:00-7:00 pm
• Addams Family Musical April 26 MIT Auditorium 7:00pm
• Addams Family Musical April 27 MIT Auditorium 3:00 & 7:00 pm
• Addams Family Musical April 28 MIT Auditorium 1:30pm

State Testing Window Opens April 29-May 17

Click here to view the most up-to-date version of the Kennedy Calendar of Events.

Open House has been changed from Tuesday, April 2 to Wednesday, May 29. This has been updated on the Calendar of Events.

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