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Cougar Connect
Week of April 15, 2024
Principal's Message
Dear Kennedy Community,
I hope your students were able to get a week of rest and relaxation. I am looking forward to greeting everyone at school today! We have about nine weeks of school left, so encourage your students to finish the year strong!
Panorama Survey
This is an important time of year for all schools in our district. In the fall, you supported Kennedy by taking the fall Panorama Survey. Now, I need your support with completing the spring survey. The results of the survey allow our School Site Council, ELAC, and admin teams to figure out what we are doing well as a school and what areas we need to improve upon. Please take some time this week to take the survey. The survey opens today, Monday, April 15. Your students will take the survey in their PE classes this week. The survey should take 15 to 20 minutes to complete, and the survey window closes Friday, April 26. Your responses are anonymous.
Family Survey Link: https://surveys.panoramaed.com/redwood/spring24family/surveys
Kennedy Color Run
The Kennedy Color Run is back! This is a great opportunity for our students to have fun while also allowing us to fundraise for our school. Please be sure to read all of the details about the Color Run below.
Spring Concert Wednesday, April 17, 7:00 pm
This week, we have our Spring Music Concert. I hope you can support our music students in the Kennedy Gym at 7:00 pm on Wednesday, April 17. Please invite your neighbors, friends, and family to join us. There is a $5 suggested donation, and you can donate here: www.kennedycougarspto.org/donate. All proceeds will go to our music program.
Our music students will also perform at Great America this Saturday, April 20. Thank you, Mr. Balogh, for seeking opportunities for our students to showcase their talents.
Principal's Coffee Thursday, April 18
My April Principal's Coffee will be held this Thursday, April 18 at 8:45 am in the Kennedy Library. I hope to see you this week!
Spring Musical: The Addams Family Young@Part:
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!
ELPAC Make-Up Testing This Week
If your student did not finish the ELPAC test before spring break, they will need to finish this assessment this week. Students will test in the library with Mr. Bosnich.
SBAC Bootcamp
I will reach out to families of students who nearly met grade-level standards in ELA and math last school year on the state test and invite them to Kennedy's SBAC Bootcamp on Saturday, April 27 from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm.
The purpose of this Saturday session is to review our state test with students and give them additional support they may need to achieve grade-level success on this year's state test.
Mrs. Pilkenton and I will teach 6th-grade students, Ms. Le and Ms. Coyle will teach 7th-grade students, and Ms. Hernandez and Ms. Cullum will teach 8th-grade students.
This is a great opportunity for your students, and I am excited to start this initiative at Kennedy this school year.
State Testing (CAASPP/SBAC) Begins April 30
Please note: state testing begins the week of April 29. Your student must be present at school every day during testing. Students will take the state test in the morning and we will have a modified schedule. I will discuss this at my Principal's Coffee. Please schedule all appointments after school hours. We want every Kennedy student to be present for this important test. Thank you!
Mandarin Speech Contest
Ms. Cao and I are delighted to share wonderful news with you! Congratulations to our students for their exceptional engagement and remarkable achievements at the 48th CLTAC (Chinese Language Teachers Association of California) Mandarin Speech Contest held at Lowell High School in San Francisco on April 13, 2024. With over 300 students from 34 schools, encompassing public, private, and charter schools, delivering their Mandarin speeches to judges, our eight Kennedy Middle School Mandarin Immersion program students demonstrated their diligent efforts and unwavering commitment, resulting in four awards!
Winners from Kennedy Middle School:
2nd Place: Derek C. - 7th grade
3rd Place: Adrian C.Z. - 6th grade
Honorable Award: Ryan S.- 6th grade
Honorable Award: Raphael H.- 6th grade
Ms. Cao states, "I am sincerely appreciative of our students' hard work and dedication, acknowledging the substantial time they devoted to this endeavor. Furthermore, I am grateful for the enthusiasm shown by our parents in encouraging our students to participate and providing them with tremendous support! We extend our heartfelt gratitude to your steadfast commitment and dedication to nurturing such an outstanding MI program at Kennedy Middle School. I aspire to inspire more students to join us next year!"
I've included photos below.
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 Friday 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
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
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.
7th-Grade Executive Council Thursday at lunch in room 314
Art Club Thursday during 7th/8th grade lunch in room 527
Jazz Club Thursday morning before school in room 312
GSA Kennedy Skittles Thursday during 7th/8th grade lunch in room 315
GSA Kennedy Skittles Thursday during 6th-grade lunch in room 102
Chess Club Thursday during 7th/8th grade lunch in the library
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
Have a great week!
Mrs. Leonardo
Kennedy Color Run
Fundraising for the Kennedy Color Run starts today! You should have already received an email with a link to your student’s personal fundraising page. You can also find it by searching for your student’s name on our main fundraising page: https://app.99pledges.com/fund/kennedycolorrun2024.
Share the link to your student’s personal fundraising page with friends and family because students will receive 1 ticket for every $25 raised from now through May 5. Students can enter these tickets into the prize draw of their choice at the Color Run on May 10. This is the only way to earn raffle tickets!! We’ve got some awesome prizes this year:
MacBook Air Laptop (Apple M2 Chip, 8 GB) & 3 years Applecare+ coverage
Apple iPad (9th Generation, 10.2 inch screen, 64 GB) & 2 years Applecare+ coverage
Nintendo Switch OLED (The Legend of Zelda theme) & The Legend of Zelda Games (Tears of the Kingdom & Breath of the Wild)
Beats Studio Pro Wireless Bluetooth Headphones
$50 Cinemark gift card (x2)
$50 Pizza My Heart gift card (x2)
$25 Pizza My Heart gift card & $25 Starbucks gift card
$50 Starbucks gift card
$100 Target gift card
$100 Amazon gift card
$100 Visa gift card
$100 GameStop gift card
Admin for the Day
New this year: guaranteed prizes for hitting fundraising goals!
Every grade that hits their combined grade-level goal of $8,500 will be able to wear Crocs to school.
Every student who raises at least $250 will get In-N-Out delivered to the school for lunch.
Every student who raises at least $500 will also get an ice cream party at school.
The dates for all of these will be announced.
Fundraising will continue through May 12. The top 2 students who raise the most by then will also get prizes: $100 Amazon gift card for 1st / $50 Amazon gift card for 2nd!
For more information, to sign up to volunteer, and to see a highlight video from last year’s Color Run, please visit: https://kennedycougarspto.org/color-run.
Mandarin Speech Contest
Art Club Goes to the de Young Museum
Parent Engagment Opportunities
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:
Cost: Free
Workshop Series Funded by:
Taft Elementary School
Contact: 408-351-6482 or
These workshops will also be presented in Spanish.
7th-Grade Grand Canyon Trip Updates
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.
Addams Family Play Rehearsal
Rehearsal Reminders for April
This week’s schedule: We have rehearsal on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday for the cast and crew. See the FAQs to help clarify when your actor is needed. Make sure to bring a snack, water, scripts, and pencils to rehearsal.
Parent Meeting: Please join us at the end of rehearsal on Tuesday for a parent meeting. The meeting will start promptly at 5:50 pm. Please arrive by 5:45 pm. This will help us all prepare for Tech and Performance Week.
For Families: Costume requirements, Shout-outs, and Program Ads, Tickets Tickets Tickets, Get your tickets, Volunteer Sign-up and more…
Please read the musical newsletter for dates and times.
Important resources:
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
Cell Phone Reminders
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.
PTO Calendar
PTO Corner
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
Donate to Kennedy
Join WhatsApp
High School Information for 8th-Graders
High School Event Updates
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.
Kennedy Family Center Updates
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
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
Sports Updates
Soccer Games
Wednesday, April 17 4:15 pm: Kennedy Green vs. Kennedy White @ Kennedy Field
Wednesday, April 17 5:30 pm: Kennedy Gold vs. McKinley @ Kennedy Field
Girls' Soccer Game:
Thursday, April 18 5:30 pm: Kennedy vs. Hoover @ Kennedy Field
Go, Kennedy Cougars! Game Schedule
Library Updates
What's Happening in the Kennedy Library?
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.
Student & Family Handbook
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.
Kennedy's Amazon Wishlist
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!
Upcoming Events
APRIL
*CAASPP/SBAC Testing Begins This Month!
- Spring Concert Dress Rehearsal April 17 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.
Kennedy Middle School
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