Cougar Connect

Dear Kennedy Community,

Thank you for successful Goal-Setting Conferences! We appreciate your support in your student's continued success.

Principal's Coffee

This week, I will host my second Principal's Coffee in the Kennedy Library beginning at 8:45 a.m. Please join me!

Fall Carnival & High School Fair for 8th-Graders

We will have our first fall carnival next Tuesday, October 15, on the Kennedy Blacktop from 5:00-8:00 p.m. We will also have our High School Fair in the Kennedy Gymnasium at the same time! This will be a great time for our community to gather together. We will have food trucks, games and prizes, a pozole bar, and more! A $5 donation is suggested for entrance. Join us!

8th-Graders: Order Your Sweatshirt!

8TH GRADERS - ORDER YOUR CLASS OF 2025 HOODIE TODAY! Please fill out this Google Form by Friday, October 11, so we have an accurate count and know what sizes to order! If you have questions, please reach out to krissie.h.rice@gmail.com.

Student Leadership Update

Our Student Leadership students are preparing an assembly for Hispanic Heritage Month this Wednesday, so we are looking forward to seeing what they have prepared for their peers this week.

PowerSchool Support

Beginning October 7th, we will have PowerSchool support for families provided by our Family Center staff. Learn how to access your student's grades and communicate with their teachers. Sign up by clicking this link.

Request for Recyclables

Our 8th-grade science teacher, Ms. Campagna, needs recyclables for her upcoming science units. This year, students are learning about force and motion, magnetic fields, light waves, and the relationship between the Earth, moon, and the sun. Instead of throwing these items into the recycling or trash bins, Ms. Campagna requests the following:

-- cardboard toilet paper tubes

-- cardboard paper towel tubes

-- cardboard wrapping paper tubes

-- large cardboard boxes

-- tape, ribbon, thread

-- any clean and dry hard plastic containers and lids (peanut butter jars, frosting cans, milk jugs, etc.)

Ms. Campagna is also looking for leftover crafting supplies and any unused balloons, chopsticks, and/or straws. If you have any of these items, please bring them to the office labeled for Ms. Campagna. We will have the items delivered to her classroom.

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.

No School: Monday, October 14

There will be no school on Monday, October 14, in observance of Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

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

8TH GRADERS - ORDER YOUR CLASS OF 2025 HOODIE TODAY! Please fill out this Google Form by Friday, October 11 so we have an accurate count and know what sizes to order! If you have questions, please reach out to krissie.h.rice@gmail.com.

• 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

• 7/8th-Grade Lunch Bunch Wednesdays Room 207
• Environmental Club 7/8th Grade Lunch Thursdays Room 535
• 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
• Rock Band Club Wednesdays After School Room 314
  
• Book Club in the Kennedy Library Dates/Times TBD
• Board Game Club Thursdays in the Kennedy Library
• Video Game Club 6th Grade Lunch Thursdays Room 102

• Hispanic/Latine Club 7/8th Grade Lunch Thursdays Room 315

• Fantasy Leagues Thursdays at Lunch Room 104

• Calligraphy/Cursive Writing Club 6th Grade Lunch Fridays Room 423

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.

This fall, we are moving through a process of deciding what services will continue in our school and across the school district. The upcoming budget reductions, which will be implemented in 2025-26, are due to additional COVID recovery one-time funds coming to an end next summer. The RCSD community will be a part of this process, and you are invited to participate.

Follow this Process and Provide Your Feedback

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:

Google Slide Presentation

Zoom Recording

Link to sign up to audition for the play HERE. Deadline is October 17th

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

We're excited to announce the start of a NEW mural at Kennedy, right outside the school office. Kennedy students will help design the mural alongside local artist Jose Castro (see his website here) beginning Monday September 23rd, with painting scheduled to begin in mid-October. Please help us fund this project by clicking here, scheduled to cost over $8,000. Many thanks to the Redwood City Arts Commission, Hassett Hardware on Woodside Road, and the Kennedy PTO for supporting this mural!

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.

Students and staff will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15-October 15. Our student leadership class is planning a variety of events for students to participate in.

This week, Student Leadership will host an assembly on Wednesday. Then, we will have piñatas on Friday!

6th-Grade Volleyball

• Mon. 10/7 Kennedy Cougars White vs. Clifford 4:00 p.m. in the MIT Gym
• Thurs. 10/10 Kennedy Cougars Green vs. Kennedy Cougars White 4:45 p.m. in the Kennedy Gym

7th-Grade Volleyball

• Mon. 10/7 Kennedy Cougars Green vs. Clifford 4:00 p.m. in the Kennedy Gym
• Mon. 10/7 Kennedy Cougars White vs. Roy Cloud 4:45 p.m. in the Kennedy Gym
• Thurs. 10/10 Kennedy Cougard White vs. Kennedy Cougars Green 4:45 p.m in the Kennedy Gym

8th-Grade Volleyball

• Mon. 10/7 Kennedy Cougars White vs. KIPP 5:30 p.m. in the MIT Gym
• Mon. 10/7 Kennedy Cougars White vs. Roy Cloud 5:30 p.m. in the Kennedy Gym

• Thurs. 10/10 Kennedy Cougars White vs. Hoover 5:30 p.m. in the MIT Gym

• Thurs. 10/10 Kennedy Cougars Green vs. McKinley 6:15 p.m. in the MIT Gym

6th-8th Grade(s) Flag Football

• Wed 10/9 Kennedy Cougars Green vs. Charles Armstrong 4:00 p.m. at the Hawes Field

  
  

Game schedules can be found here.

LET'S GO, KENNEDY COUGARS!

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:

1. Read their independent reading books.

2. Practice reading or math i-Ready or Khan Academy lessons.

3. Review notes from classes to make sure they understand their lessons.

4. Create flashcards for key vocabulary terms and review them.

5. Clean out or organize their backpacks, binders, and folders.

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.

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

We had a few anonymous Kennedy community members purchase Kleenex and glue sticks for staff. Thank you! We appreciate you thinking of our teachers.

Kennedy's Amazon Wishlist

OCTOBER

• Principal’s Coffee Oct. 10 Library 8:45-9:45 a.m.
• Indigenous Peoples’ Day ~ No School Oct. 14 All Day
• Picture Day Make-up Oct. 15 Gym 8:30 a.m.-3:15 p.m.
• Cougar Carnival Oct. 15 Blacktop 5:00-7:00 p.m.
• High School Fair Oct. 15 Gym 6:00-7:00 p.m.
• School Site Council Oct. 16 Zoom 5:00-6:00 p.m.
• PTO Meeting Oct. 22 Library/Zoom 7:00-8:30 p.m.
• Halloween Dance Oct. 25 Gym 6:00-8:00 p.m.

🏀Redwood City PRCS Basketball Registration August 1-October 30🏀

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.

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