Cougar Pride

100 days of amazing learning are in the books at Kennedy! Thank you for your patience with the construction and face lift of our front entrance awning. Everything is almost complete.

We are so excited that we are in the month of February and gearing up for a fantastic testing season this Spring. In addition to testing season beginning, we are also celebrating National Kindness Week and Black History Month. Be on the look out for several family engagement activities for students and families this semester.

We are committed to strengthening our home to school connection. If you are interested in volunteering or being a field trip chaperone at Kennedy, please contact Mrs. Perez (Family Center Liaison) for more details.

The district process takes approximately 3-4 weeks to complete. Please submit your application now to avoid delays. Volunteer information and application are included in the link below. Please make sure that you use your complete government name. Remember that all chaperones must be cleared through the district which includes a background check and campus training and orientation. You cannot serve as a chaperone unless you are a cleared district volunteer.

Thank you for your support and we look forward to seeing you on campus.

https://www.aliefisd.net/o/aisd/page/volunteers-in-public-schools

Spring testing days for 3rd and 4th grade students are listed below. You may begin preparing and discussing with your child the upcoming dates to reduce testing anxiety and encourage them to perform their absolute best during these times. There will be no visitors permitted on testing days. Thank you for your continued support.

• February 7: Reading Interim Assessment
• February 9: STAAR Field Test
• February 13: Math Interim Assessment
• April 9: ELAR STAAR Assessment
• April 23: MATH STAAR Assessment

School attendance is very important and Kennedy Elementary is striving to meet and beat Gold Performance with 97% Average Daily Attendance (ADA) this year. Morning announcements begin at 7:50am. The tardy bell rings at 7:55 AM and the instructional day begins at this time. Once the tardy bell rings, all students should be in their classroom and ready for learning.

Our goal is to ensure that every student attends school regularly. We realize some absences are unavoidable, however excessive tardies and absences can cause students to fall behind academically.

This spring semester, we are leveling up with our prizes! We will celebrate our monthly winners with a delicious pizza party. Congratulations to our January Attendance Winners! These classes have won a pizza party. Be sure that your child is at school, on time every day!

January Class Winners :

K - ADESUYI 95.16%

1ST - SEALES 95.94%

2ND - DURAN 96.11%

3RD - DEANDA 94.93%

4TH - MACHADO 94.99%

Classrooms will not have a party as this is a normal instructional day. Students are able to bring Valentine's Day cards to exchange with all classmates during our designated time. If you are choosing for your child to participate, please be sure that students bring a card for everyone in the class. We want to showcase kindness and include all students. (no cupcakes or cakes allowed)

February:

1: Character Trait Kindness- Wear Read

Progress Reports go home

7: Reading Interim Assessment (3rd and 4th grade) - No Visitors

8: National Counselor's Day (Mrs. Tse)

9: STAAR Field Test (3rd and 4th grade) - No Visitors

12-16: Kindness Week

13:Math Interim Assessment #2 (3rd and 4th grade) - No Visitors

19: Student Holiday (No School)

22: Progress Reports go home

23: Go Texan Day

We want to make sure you have the steps on how to academically support your child at home. Below are a few ways in which you can support your child and create a love for learning.

1. Read, read, and read to your child for at least 15 minutes every day. Take turns reading with your child — you read one page, they read the next — or establish a family reading time when everyone reads their own book.
2. Encourage them to express their opinion, talk about their feelings, and make good choices. This will build their confidence to participate in school discussions and activities. Be sure to establish parameters for their choices, since you don't want to criticize their decisions.
3. Help them develop hobbies and interests, and ensure they have the tools they need to pursue them.
4. Provide your child with play opportunities that support different kinds of learning styles — from listening and visual learning to sorting and sequencing. Stock your closet with supplies that will encourage him/her to be creative and express himself.
5. Point out the new things you learn with enthusiasm. Discuss the different ways you find new information, showing him/her that learning is both fun and challenging.
6. Reaching out to your child's teacher is another way in which you can continue to bridge the gap between school and home. They have a wealth of resources that will assist you with activities for home.

Do you want to celebrate your child's birthday in a special way? Well, we have the answer just for you!

You can have your child's name displayed on the school marquee for $10. Messages will be posted for the duration of 1 school day. Submissions and $10 cash must be paid one week in advance for message to be displayed. Late submissions will not be accepted.

If you are interested, please stop by the front office to complete the marquee form and make payment. (cash only)

February is our Kindness month! Kindness Week is the week of February 12th, be on the lookout for the flyer. Our Annual Kids Helping Kids Sock Drive held by our KINDNESS Club is happening now and will end on Friday, February 16th. All packs of new socks can be dropped off at the front office or brought to school by your children to be turned into their teachers. Every donation makes a difference. We appreciate your Kindness and generosity!

Deeper Look Into Our Monthly Character Trait:

The dictionary defines Kindness as: “the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate,” but it is so much more than that! The definition we are using in class is:

Kindness:

The choice to act with words, gifts, or actions to bring appreciation, positivity, and encouragement to others and yourself. Kindness is a choice that we get to make every day to bring good things into our lives and the world. Those good things can look like more than just some kind words; Kindness is given through our actions and our encouragement and our attitude and our gifts.

Conversation Starters

• What does Kindness look like in our home? What does it look like in our neighborhood? What does Kindness look like in our extended family, our faith or spiritual practices, our community centers, our sports teams, etc.?
• Why is it important to show Kindness to people who aren’t kind to you?
• What acts of Kindness have others shown you lately and how did you respond? How did it make you feel? How does random acts of Kindness help you grow?

Questions You Could Ask

• What does Kindness look like in our home? What does it look like in our neighborhood? What does Kindness look like in our extended family, our faith or spiritual practices, our community centers, our sports teams, etc.?
• Why is it important to show Kindness to people who aren’t kind to you?
• What acts of Kindness have others shown you lately and how did you respond? How did it make you feel? How does random acts of Kindness help you grow?

Activity

Work as a family to assemble a few Kindness Kits to keep in your car to give out when you see a person struggling with homelessness. Let your children help decide what you’ll put in them. Some suggestions include a bottle of water, a pair of socks, a pack of gum or some mints, lip balm, a toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, soap, and/or deodorant.

Help us spread kindness by challenging your children and family members to do a random act of kindness each day.

In our previous newsletters, we learned the definition of what is considered bullying and discussed the difference between bullying and conflict.

Bullying includes all three of the following:

• The person is hurting or harming you with their words or behavior on purpose
• It happens repeatedly
• and you feel that the person has more power than you

We have also discussed what to do if you are being bullied, reporting bullying, the difference between reporting and tattling. This time we will talk about when should you immediately report bullying?

WHEN SHOULD I IMMEDIATELY REPORT BULLYING?

When should you report bullying? You can report bullying anytime. However, there are some times when you need to report bullying to an adult immediately. Report bullying immediately when:

· Someone isn’t safe.

· You’ve tried to refuse it, but the bullying continues.

If you feel bullied, decide how to handle it. Stand up to the bully if it is safe. Ignore the bully or walk away if it doesn’t feel safe to stand up to him or her. Go to an adult and report the bullying.

Every child is unique and has their own way of responding to situations. That is why it is important for parents and guardians to understand bullying to create a meaningful dialogue and identify when a child needs help.

Follow us on Social Media for the latest news!

Website: https://kennedy.aliefisd.net/o/kes

Location: 10200 Huntington Place Drive, Houston, TX, USA
Phone: 281-983-8338
Facebook: facebook.com/KennedyCougs
Twitter: @kennedycougs