KMS Newsletter

Dear Members of the KMS Community,

Help Us Make a Difference in Our Community!

The KMS Community Service Club is hosting a Canned/Non-Perishable Food and Toiletry Drive from October 20 through December 19 to support individuals and families in need throughout our community.

All donations will benefit the East Bay Food Pantry and help stock our new food pantry right here at KMS!

Items Needed:

We welcome donations of canned goods, non-perishable food items, and toiletries, including:

• Food: Mac and cheese, ramen noodles, peanut butter, tuna, healthy snacks, and canned goods of all kinds.
• Toiletries: Toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, shampoo, deodorant, feminine hygiene products, shaving cream, mouthwash, hand sanitizer, and razors.
• Other essentials: Backpacks and other everyday necessities.

Homeroom Challenge!

Let's make giving a little more fun! The homeroom that collects the most donations will win a pizza party! There will be two winning homerooms:

• One winner will be selected before Thanksgiving.
• One winner will be selected before winter holiday break.

Where to Donate

Please bring all donations to Mr. Grifka in Room 248.

Every donation, big or small, makes a difference. Thank you for your generosity and for helping us support those in need in our community!

Together, we can make a difference!

The first quarter is coming to a close on November 5, 2026. We remind our students that they should be making arrangements with their teachers to be sure that they are currently up to date with all assignments. Report cards will be published in the parent portal on Friday, November13.

Respectfully,

Dennis Morrell, Principal

The new KMS Innovation Hub is a collaborative Design Studio and Makerspace that empowers students to explore, create, problem-solve, and bring their ideas to life through hands-on learning. The space will be open to teachers across all grade levels as a shared resource for collaboration, innovation, and interdisciplinary learning. It’s a space where teachers can bring their students and a place for students to independently explore.

The goal is to move learning beyond traditional classroom experiences by giving students opportunities to design, experiment, build, troubleshoot, and apply their knowledge in meaningful ways. This space will encourage creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and real-world problem-solving while supporting teachers in developing engaging, project-based learning experiences across the curriculum.

The studio will feature a variety of tools and learning stations, including Cricut machines, 3D printers, hydroponics towers, forensics stations, green screens, color poster printers, electronic manipulation stations, robotics stations and a whole lot more.

The idea is for students to become designers, creators, and problem-solvers—not just consumers of technology. Ultimately, this will be more than a room filled with technology. It will be a shared innovation hub where curiosity drives learning, ideas become reality, and students and teachers learn alongside one another.

An important part of the vision is to build a connection between the KMS Innovation Hub and the high school's Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs. By exposing students to a variety of tools, technologies, and hands-on experiences, we can help them discover new interests, recognize their strengths, and begin exploring potential career pathways. The Innovation Hub can serve as an early stepping stone, sparking curiosity about fields such as engineering, manufacturing, robotics, digital media, agriculture, health sciences, and other career opportunities offered through CTE. It also creates opportunities for collaboration between middle school and high school teachers, helping students see how the skills they develop today can connect to future learning and careers.

If you have completed the BWRSD volunteer process and have been approved to be a volunteer, please review the information below in order to sign up for the Fall 2026 Book Fair. Book Fair volunteer choices: decorate and set up the Book Fair; make book recommendations and help students with their choices; facilitate students adding to the KMS Library Wish List; ring up purchases. The Book Fair is located in KMS Library. Questions or more information - please contact Teacher-Librarian Nicole Galipeau (nicole.galipeau@bwrsd.org)

Here's the sign up form. Thanks in advance for your help!

https://bit.ly/26BKFRVolunteerSignUp

October 20- December 19 Community Svs Food Drive

October 26- Annual Pumpkin Decorating Contest-details below

October 26-30- KMS Book Fair

November 3- Election Day

November 5 - Community Flu Clinic 4pm

November 10- Picture Retake Day

November 11- Veteran's Day

November 16- Color Run Fundraiser Kicks Off

November 24- Color Run Day

November 25-27 Thanksgiving Break

Wednesday Word of the Day:

Auspicious. A word that indicates that success is likely. Ex. Her first novel was an auspicious debut.

Dad Joke Thursday

Q. What do you call a pile of cats?

A. A meow-tain.

Trivia Friday:

Q. What country has the most islands in the world?

A. Sweden (with over 267,000!)

Lunch Program Links http://www.bwrsd.org/departments1/business-finance-office/lunch-program

To put money on a student's account: www.myschoolbucks.com

Note that ALL families should complete an online application for meal benefits.

Online applications are now available https://www.myschoolapps.com/

• All students being dismissed should be sent in with a note the day of their dismissal and the main office will provide them with a dismissal note. Students will be ready for dismissal at the designated time. Please do not call ahead to have your child dismissed unless it's an emergency. We will call your child down when you arrive.

  Students are only dismissed to parents or guardians. The exceptions are as follows:

  • A student is dismissed by the nurse or administrator who has made contact with the parent/guardian to verify who will be picking up.
  • A note is sent in with the student that they are being dismissed early and the pickup person is on the emergency contact list or the parent/guardian is picking up. Students should bring the notes to the attendance clerk in the main office.
  • If there is an emergency and we cannot reach the parent/guardian, we will use the emergency contact. We will always leave a message with the parents/guardians.
  • All early dismissals must be completed by 1:45 since we begin the dismissal process at 1:50.

I have linked the district's cell phone policy for students. Note that at KMS the expectation for all students is that cell phones and smart watches must be secured in their locker. The hierarchy of consequences can be found in the Student/Family Handbook on our website.

Attention Students, Parents and Guardians: If a chromebook is left at home during the school day, the student will call a parent or guardian to have their CB dropped off at school. We do not have extra chromebooks available for students to borrow if they have forgotten theirs at home. Loaners are provided to students whose CB may be under repair.

Chromebook insurance is available for purchase. The purchase is well worth it and will cover most repairs for your student's Chromebook.

Please note ALL classrooms at KMS are Peanut/Tree Nut Free. Our Cafeteria does have designated Peanut/Tree Nut free tables for students with allergies.

Cartwheel

Cartwheel is a virtual mental health care provider and partners with school districts to deliver virtual mental health care to students and families. information and documents linked below. Please reach out to our guidance office for more details at 401-245-2010, ext 2010.