Kennedy Cougars

Happy Friday, Kennedy Families!

As we head into the final days of October, there is plenty happening both in and out of school! We hope our students and families enjoy a fun and safe Halloween weekend and some memorable trick-or-treating. Below are some of the awesome costumes around school today! Don't forget that Daylight Saving Time ends this weekend, so we’ll be turning our clocks back an hour on Sunday. Veterans Day is also quickly approaching, with a school holiday just around the corner. Lots to look forward to in the coming days.

Late Bus Information:

Reviewing late bus procedures with your child is an important step in ensuring a safe trip home. We ask that families take time to review these expectations before their child boards a late bus for the first time.

In the afternoon, transportation for students participating in after-school activities is consolidated into just three late buses. It is critical that families review their child’s assigned late bus number and stop to ensure they arrive home safely. We strongly recommend physically showing your child where their late bus stop is and walking through how they will get from the stop to your home. Please remember that late bus stops are typically different from students’ regular morning and afternoon bus stops, so this is an important conversation to have ahead of time.

All Kennedy bus stops (including late buses) and the order in which they are made can be found at this LINK. Late buses 2, 14, and 25 are listed along the bottom of the spreadsheet, on the far right.

Most importantly, please remind your child that their bus driver is a trusted adult and is there to help them get home safely. If a student accidentally boards the wrong bus, misses their stop, does not recognize their stop, or experiences any other difficulty while riding the bus, they should immediately go to the front of the bus and ask the driver for help. Our drivers are there to support every student and will help any child who needs assistance.

If you need to communicate with someone regarding your child’s regular or late bus transportation, please use the following contact information to reach someone:

• Kennedy Middle School Main Office (7:00 AM–3:30 PM): (508) 647-6650

• Natick Transportation Department (7:30 AM–4:00 PM): (508) 647-6497

• Connolly Bus Company (after 4:00 PM): (508) 652-8262

Thank you for taking the time to review these procedures with your child. Working together, we can help ensure that every student knows where they are going, feels comfortable asking for help, and gets home safely.

Upcoming Theater Performance at Kennedy Middle School:

What happens when Hickory Dickory Dock decides not to run up the clock? Chaos ensues in Gooseville as all of the beloved nursery rhyme characters find themselves scrambling to set things right in order to save the day and ensure the 100th Annual Peter Pumpkin Eater Harvest Festival goes on as planned. Mother Goose must help guide the mischievous Itsy Bitsy Spider, the often distracted Jack, and quite contrary Mary and a host of other lovable characters in a race against time. This “fanciful family farce” is a high paced comedic show with plenty of witty wordplay, action and great lessons on friendship and community. This new play is one for the whole family!

• Friday November 20th at 7:00pm
• Saturday November 21st at 7:00pm
• Sunday November 22nd at 2:00pm

Tickets: $10 available at the door or in the Kennedy Office the week prior to the show!

*This is not a drop off event. All students should be accompanied by an adult.*

A note from the Kennedy Clinic:

As we enter flu season, we would like to remind everyone of the important role we all play in keeping our school community healthy. Flu and other respiratory illnesses can spread easily so a few simple precautions can make a big difference.

Please help us prevent the spread of illness by:

• Keeping sick children home from school. If your child is feeling unwell, especially with a fever, vomiting, or significant respiratory symptoms, please allow them time to rest and recover before returning to school. They should be fever-free for 24 hours (without medication) before returning to school. Click here for more information on when to keep your child home.

• Avoiding social gatherings when children are sick. Parties, sleepovers, playdates, and other gatherings can easily spread illness. Even when children are disappointed to miss out, staying home when sick helps protect others.

• Encouraging good hygiene. Frequent handwashing, covering coughs and sneezes, and avoiding touching the face can help reduce the spread of germs.

• Getting vaccinated: Staying up to date on recommended vaccinations against respiratory illnesses is a key step in protecting children and the community from severe sickness.

We understand that missing school and social activities can be disappointing, especially when children are looking forward to spending time with friends. However, choosing to stay home when sick is a thoughtful way to care for our community and help prevent further illness.

Thank you for your partnership in keeping our students, staff, and families healthy this flu season!

~ Your KMS Nurses

Makeup Picture Day is scheduled for Thursday, November 19th!

If your child was absent or missed our original Picture Day, we will have a Makeup Picture Day on Thursday, November 19th. This is a great opportunity for students who were not photographed during our original picture day to have their school picture taken. Please mark your calendar for Thursday, November 19th and watch for additional information regarding picture ordering and any forms that may be needed.

Kennedy Athletics

Let's check out what's been happening on the fields, the track, and the courts recently:

• Kennedy Field Hockey defeated Needham 7-0

• Kennedy Field Hockey defeated Ashland 1-0
• Kennedy Field Hockey defeated Wellesley 4-0
• Kennedy Field Hockey defeated Needham 2-0

Congrats to the Kennedy Field Hockey team for going UNDEFEATED (10-0) for the first time in school history!

• Kennedy Girls Volleyball defeated Needham 3-0
• Kennedy Girls Volleyball defeated Weston 3-0
• Kennedy Girls Volleyball defeated Wilson 3-0
• Kennedy Girls Volleyball defeated Wellesley 3-0

Congrats to the Kennedy Girls Volleyball team for a great season! (9-1)

• Boys & Girls Cross Country defeated Brown MS 27-44
• Boys Cross Country defeated Wellesley 15-53
• Boys Cross Country lost to Wilson 40-45
• Boys Cross Country tied Day MS 45-45
• Boys Cross Country defeated Rivers 18-53
• Girls Cross Country defeated Wellesley 24-32
• Girls Cross Country lost to Wilson 55-69
• Girls Cross Country lost to Day MS 29-69
• Girls Cross Country defeated Rivers 17-42

Congrats to the Boys & Girls Cross Country teams on a fantastic season!

There will be a Kennedy Wrestling Informational meeting for 5th, 6th, 7th & 8th graders on Wednesday November 4th at 6:30pm, use the code: wrestling. You must log in with a Natick student account. Any questions please email Mr. Lyth or Mr. Jungschaffer.

*Kennedy Winter Athletics Registration will open on November 1st on Arbiter.io

• Boys & Girls Basketball (7th & 8th Grade) (Interscholastic and Intramural Teams)
• Wrestling (Grades 5th-8th)

For more information go to the Kennedy Athletics Website. Any question please email Mr. Lyth dlyth@natickps.org

There will be a Kennedy Basketball informational meeting for 7th & 8th graders on Monday November 2nd at 6pm on google meet, use the code: basketball. You must log in with a Natick student account. Any questions please email Mr. Lyth or Mr. Gallivan.

PLEASE NOTE: Kennedy Winter Athletics Registration will open on November 1st on Arbiter.io

• Boys & Girls Basketball (7th & 8th Grade) (Interscholastic and Intramural Teams)
• Wrestling (Grades 5th-8th)

Any question please email Mr. Lyth dlyth@natickps.org

Reminder About the Staff Parking Lot
We kindly ask parents and caregivers not to use the staff parking lot in the front of the school for student drop-off or pick-up. When cars enter the lot during these busy times, it blocks staff from accessing their parking spaces and, more importantly, creates an unsafe situation for students. This area is not monitored for student arrival, and moving vehicles pose risks we want to avoid. Please help us maintain a smooth and safe start and end to the school day by using the designated family drop-off and pick-up locations only. We truly appreciate your cooperation in keeping all of our students safe.

Bus Safety Reminder

We want to ensure that all students travel to and from school safely each day. To help us do this, students must ride only the bus they are officially assigned. Riding the correct bus helps us account for every child, maintain consistent routes, and avoid overcrowding.

Additionally, ALL grades 5 and 6 students should sit in the front of the bus and let the grades 7 and 8 students sit in the back.

Thank you for partnering with us to keep all students safe and ensure our transportation system runs smoothly!

A Friendly Reminder for Drop-Off and Pick-Up 🚗
For the safety of all our students and families, please drive slowly and stop at all crosswalks during drop-off and pick-up. Taking a few extra seconds to follow these precautions helps ensure that everyone—students, staff, and drivers—stays safe. Your careful driving makes a big difference in keeping our Kennedy community protected!

Kennedy FAQ's page on Website:

Here is the LINK to frequently asked questions on the Kennedy Website.

Laps at Lunch sign ups:

KMS loves our Laps volunteers. You make it possible for our students to get outside to talk and walk with their friends after lunch. The volunteering investment for Laps is minimal, but the student impact is huge!! If you're able to volunteer or would like more information, please contact Hilary Gidelson or Esther Cohen at kennedylaps@gmail.com, or sign up at the link HERE.

Regards,

Jodie Cohen

Proud Principal of Kennedy

Instagram - @KennedyMSNatick

website - kennedy.natickps.org

1 - 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.

2 - UPCOMING SCHOOL EVENTS for your calendar

• Oct 30 - Halloween day at Kennedy
• Nov 2 - Election Day - voting in Kennedy Gym
• Nov 11 - Veterans Day - no school
• Nov 25 - Early Release Day - 11:30am dismissal
• Nov 26 & 27 - Thanksgiving Holiday - 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 ROSP (Grade 5) AND GRADE REPORT (Gr. 6-8) DIRECTIONS

For your convenience, here is a link to the Kennedy Trimester Schedule 2026-2027

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.

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.

Use this form to report a bullying incident.