Kennedy Cougars

Dear Kennedy Families and Caregivers,

WOW...it sure has been cold outside this week. On very chilly days we cancel laps. I know the students love to go outside, but they often don't wear jackets outside at laps and their safety in this weather is our utmost concern. Today it was close to 30 degrees so we did get outside for laps. Please encourage students to wear jackets to lunch if their intention is to go outside.

This week, Natick Public Schools hosted a successful parent engagement event, bringing together families and the English Learner (EL) department heads. Attendees had the opportunity to learn more about the English language learning programs at Natick Public Schools and explore resources to support their families. The event also provided a space for parents to share their thoughts and feedback as we work to build a stronger community through the English Parent Advisory Council.

BIG SHOUT out to our KMS PTO for providing lunch, snacks and drinks to our teachers and staff running parent teacher conferences last week. The food was delicious and gave us just what we needed for the day. THANK YOU! 🍕

8th to 9th grade transition information:

PowerSchool portal opens for elective course selection - 1/31 at 3pm - 2/14 at 8pm

Grade 8 students choose 3 electives and 3 alternates in PowerSchool and review teacher recommendations for core academic classes.

Middle School Counselor Course Selection Review - 2/3/25 - 3/7/25

Middle School Counselors check in with 8th graders for course selection review.

Override Forms and Course Selection change requests due to NHS Guidance Office - 4/4/25

Student Request for Override of Faculty Recommendation forms and Course Selection Change Requests due to NHS Guidance Office.

Step Up Night Program - 4/30/25 at 6:30pm

8th-grade students and parents learn about NHS activities, clubs and sports.

Freshman Orientation @ NHS - Date to be determined

One day event at Natick High to prepare 9th graders for the start of school. RSVPs for the event will be sent later in the school year.

Schedules are made available in PowerSchool in late August.

Kennedy Athletics Update:

It's been a great week on the court here at Kennedy. Check it out:

• Kennedy Girls Basketball defeats Weston 51-15
• Kennedy Boys Basketball defeats Weston 66-46
• Kennedy Girls Basketball defeats Needham 43-8
• Kennedy Boys Basketball defeats Needham 56-54

It's a COUGAR SWEEP! 🏀

Kennedy Club 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.

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.

Don't forget to donate to the Kennedy Coat Drive. We are accepting gently used jackets and coats until next week. All help is greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Jodie Cohen

Proud Principal of Kennedy

"Courage over Comfort"

~Brene Brown

Twitter - @KennedyMSNatick

Instagram - @KennedyMSNatick

website - kennedy.natickps.org

Visit the FY26 Potential Budget Override dedicated webpage to keep up to date to stay informed today and throughout the weeks ahead.

Sign-up for alerts and receive updates on meeting notices, financial documents & more.

• Go to: https://www.natickma.gov/list.aspx?ListID=550 to receive regular updates. (Scroll down to the bottom of the webpage.)
  

Submit "Q&A Tool" questions & receive official responses from Town & NPS staff. (Responses will be published weekly, see the FY26 Potential Budget Override dedicated webpage for details.)

FY26 Budget Override | Natick, MA - Official Website

www.natickma.gov

The next School-Town FY26 Potential Budget Override: Public Forums will be held on 2/11 and 3/12.

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:

• Grades 5 & 7 Band Concert: Tuesday, January 28, 6:30 - 8:30pm

• Grades 6 & 8 Band Concert: Thursday, January 30, 6:30 - 8:30pm
• February 3rd, Faculty meeting day, no after school clubs this day
• February 5th, Staff Professional Development Day: Dismissal at 11:30am

3 - Directions to view grade reports and ROSPs:

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

VIEWING ROSP (Grade 5) AND GRADE REPORT (Gr. 6-8) DIRECTIONS

For your convenience, here is a link to the Kennedy Trimester Schedule 2024 - 2025

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