Kennedy Cougars

Dear Kennedy families and caregivers,

I hope everyone has had a nice start to the school year. It's truly amazing to think we are already at the halfway point of trimester one. I have lots to share with you, so I will get right to it:

Introducing Kennedy's New Advisory Program

We are excited to announce the implementation of a new advisory program at Kennedy Middle School, which will provide our students with dedicated time for social-emotional learning and community building. Beginning October 25th, all students will participate in a 20-minute advisory block once per cycle (every D day) in small groups of 8-10 students with a faculty advisor.

What is an Advisory Program?
An advisory program is a structured time during the school day when students meet with a designated faculty member and a small group of their peers. The purpose of this time is to:

• Foster meaningful relationships between students and teachers
• Develop students' social-emotional skills, such as self-awareness, empathy, and decision-making
• Create a sense of community and belonging within the school

What Will Happen During Advisory?
During the 20-minute advisory block, students will engage in a variety of activities, including:

• Discussions and lessons focused on social-emotional learning topics
• Team-building exercises and ice breakers to promote connection
• Goal-setting and reflection on academic and personal progress
• Peer mentoring and support

The advisory curriculum will be tailored to the unique needs and developmental stages of middle school students.

Why is Advisory Important?
Research shows that social-emotional learning is just as critical to a student's success as academic achievement. By providing dedicated time for SEL, we aim to support the overall well-being of our students and prepare them with the skills needed to navigate the challenges of adolescence.

We are excited to launch this new program and look forward to partnering with families to ensure the success of all our students. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to us.

Viewing Grade 5 comments and grade 6 - 8 progress reports:

Step 1: Log in to your PowerSchool Parent Portal

Step 2: From the left side menu, click on “Grades and Attendance.”

Step 3: For Grades 6-8. Once the portal is open, the grades for all classes will show under the Term column.

Step 4: For Grade 5 Comments, click on the Grade you see next to the class listed. There may be a tab that says, “Standards Grades” that you may need to click to open the grading/comment area.

Lost and Found:

Please take some time to check out the ever growing lost and found area in the front hallway of Kennedy. Anything that is not claimed will eventually be donated.

What's new from Natick 180:

Multiple Pathways to Recovery Event - Wed. Oct. 16th (flyer attached)

This interactive event includes a panel discussion on several different pathways to recovery, followed by a Narcan training and resource sharing. Here is the registration link.

QPR Suicide Prevention Training - Wed. Oct. 23rd (flyer attached)

This training teaches community members on how to recognize and respond to the signs of suicide in loved ones. Attendees will leave better equipped to support those in their lives. Here is the registration link

Check out the infographics below.

Clubs information:

For the full list of clubs and the days they will be held, please check out the link HERE.

Late bus information:

Please note that late buses are not completely predictable for student arrival home. The buses have been picking up at Kennedy later than usual (3:30 - 3:45 or later) and, depending on the number of students on the bus, can delay your child arriving home significantly (4:30 or later). The late bus route information can be found HERE.

Kennedy Fall Athletics Update:

There's been some great sports going on here at Kennedy. Check out the update below:

Cross Country

Kennedy Girls lost to Wilson 24-41

Kennedy Boys defeated Wilson 25-31

Girls Volleyball

Kennedy defeated Wellesley 2-1

Kennedy defeated Needham 3-0

Field Hockey

Kennedy tied Wilson 0-0

Go Cougars!

Laps at Lunch information:

Please consider volunteering at Laps at Lunch. We are looking for help during all 4 lunches, grades 5 - 8. Please follow this LINK for information on how to volunteer. Thank you VERY MUCH for your consideration. We could not do this without our parent/caregiver volunteers.

Parent Teacher conference requests:

Please note that teachers are filling parent teacher requests as quickly as they possibly can. Your patience while they schedule a time is much appreciated. As always, if teachers have a concern, they will reach out quickly to schedule a meeting.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. Enjoy the beautiful fall foliage.

Regards,

Jodie Cohen

Proud Principal of Kennedy

"The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall."

~ Nelson Mandela

Twitter - @KennedyMSNatick

Instagram - @KennedyMSNatick

website - kennedy.natickps.org

1 - Kennedy Middle School Student Handbook

Here is a link to our newly updated Kennedy Student Handbook. Please take some time to review this handbook with your students. It is chock full of helpful information about our school policies and procedures for students and caregivers.

2 - UPCOMING SCHOOL EVENTS for your calendar:

• Mon, October 14th - No school - Indigenous People's Day holiday
• Wed, October 23rd - PD Half Day - school ends at 11:30, bagged lunches available.

• Fri, Nov 1 - No School - Diwali

• Tues, Nov 5 - No School - Professional Development Day

• Mon, Nov 11 - No School - Veterans Day Holiday

• Wed, Nov 20 - Early Release Day - PD Half Day

• Wed, Nov 27 - Early Release Day - Thanksgiving break - dismissal at 11:30

• Thur, Nov 28 - No School

• Fri, Nov 29 - No School

3 - Directions to view grade reports and ROSPs:

Below are the links to directions to access grade reports and ROSPs in PowerSchool.

Viewing Standards-Based Grades in Parent Portal for MS Grade 5

Viewing Student Grades in the PowerSchool Public Portal - grades 6-12

For your convenience, here is a link to the Kennedy Trimester Schedule 2023 - 2024

4 - Drop off and pick up important reminders:

I want to share an important reminder of the rules for driving around the Kennedy Middle School property. These driving regulations are in place to provide a safe environment for all our students as they arrive and leave school. Please follow these guidelines when dropping off or picking up at school:

• ALL drop off during the morning before school and ALL pick up in the afternoon after school will be done around the back of the school at the cafeteria entrance. Please wait in line and only pass other vehicles when a faculty member signals that it is safe to do so.
• Parents/caregivers MUST NOT drop off children in the front parking lot at the beginning of the day. This significantly prohibits faculty the ability to park quickly and enter the building to be ready for your children each day.
• Parents/caregivers MUST NOT wait for their children in the front faculty parking lot next to the buses at end of day dismissal. We understand that everyone is in a rush and it is hard to wait in the pick up line, but ALL PICK UP after school is done IN THE BACK OF THE BUILDING.
• When picking students up following after school activities (clubs, extra help from teachers, music lessons, etc.), please be aware that the late buses also board students in the back of the building. It is imperative that cars DO NOT PASS while students are boarding the late buses. This is a huge safety concern. Because most teachers are helping students after school, we do not have many staff available outside during the boarding process to ensure the rules are being followed. We are counting on you to help with this process. If you are in the line after the buses start boarding you MUST wait until the students are done boarding (usually takes at most 5 minutes) and leave the property before driving around any buses.

The safety of our Kennedy students is our first priority. By following these simple rules, you will help us keep our student and staff community safe while they are traveling to and from school every day. Thank you for adhering to these guidelines.

5 - Dismissal from School Information:

Here is a link to the dismissal policy found on our Kennedy website. Please read for a refresher of the guidelines.

Paper is an online, on-demand tutoring service that provides students with around the clock academic support. Visit their FAQ site for more info: https://paper.co/faqs. All students using the Paper online tutoring program must login via Classlink https://launchpad.classlink.com/natickps.

Our Kennedy Middle School PTO works hard behind the scenes to support our school in a variety of ways. Check out their website for more information about all PTO sponsored events.

Natick Public Schools does not discriminate in employment nor its educational programs, services, and activities based on race, creed, color, age, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, physical and intellectual differences, immigration status, homeless status, or any other basis prohibited by law. Please be aware all electronic communication to and from Natick Public Schools is public record and subject to public disclosure per Massachusetts General Law Chapter 66, Section 10.

• Title I: Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990
• Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990
• Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
• Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972
• MGL, Ch.76, Section 5: Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 76, Section 5