Kennedy Middle School Update

Greetings Crusader Families,

I hope you all had a safe and happy January. We had a wonderful January here at KMS! Our FBLA team won second place at Regionals and we came home with multiple first place medals from our first Forensics meet. Our boys basketball team ended with a winning record and our wrestlers had a wonderful season. Our volleyball team is just starting and looking great. Our Math Counts Club, Young Writer’s Club, Mid-Town Acapella, Science Club, AV Club, Best Buddies, Student Council, Key Club, and Ski/Snowboard Club all met this month and are doing terrific things. There is a lot to get involved in, Crusaders. Reach out to your teacher, counselor or me to ask how you can get involved, too!

Happy Groundhog’s Day!

Sincerely,

Jessica Gieryn

KMS Principal

262-253-3452

jgieryn@gsdwi.org

• February 14th - Valentine's Day

• February 16th - NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS

• February 27th - KMS PTA Meeting

8th Grade ELA

My name is Reagan Crist, and I am the new 8th grade ELA teacher. In my free time, I enjoy running and horseback riding with my family. I'm really excited to be here and work with all the wonderful staff and students!

Parents and community members, on Wednesday, March 6th, Junior Achievement (JA) and Kennedy Middle School will be hosting a Career Day for seventh grade students. Career Day provides students the opportunity to learn about a variety of careers in an engaging and hands-on environment. Speakers will present a brief overview of their career (approximately 30 minutes) to up to three groups of students in a classroom setting.

See the flyer above for additional details, or click HERE. If interested, please complete this form by Thursday, February 8th.

8th Grade High School Course Selection:

Any 8th graders who did not register for classes next year at the high school should contact their high school counselor to make their selections.

A-F - Elizabeth Mueller

emueller@gsdwi.org

G-L - Caryn Hernandez

chernandez@gsdwi.org

M-Sch - Perry Benz

pbenz@gsdwi.org

Sci-Z - Susan Bast

sbast@gsdwi.org

8th Grade Promotion 2024 - SAVE THE DATE

NEW DATE: Thursday, June 6th, 2024

NEW TIME: 6 PM

NEW LOCATION: GHS Fieldhouse

Please note: 8th graders will not be required to report to school on the half day (6/7/24)

Watch your email, the monthly KMS newsletter, and the KMS website for more information on the evening's event.

We look forward to celebrating your 8th Graders!

UPDATES - For more information about exciting activities and athletics at KMS, see the following links: KMS Activities, KMS Athletics.

• Volleyball is in full swing. See the KMS Athletics link above for schedules.
• Key Club Meeting on February 13th from 2:45 - 3:45 in the GAC
• Key Club will be selling suckers to raise money for the American Heart Association on Feb 14th (and 15th, if we don't sell out). We will be coming to your classroom during SAS or IDR, so bring money to help support our cause. Suckers will cost $1 each.
• Join us at Science Club every other Wednesday! At Science club we have fun learning through experiments, challenges, inventions, and current events! We meet in Ms. Schilling's room E-7 from 2:45-3:45pm. If you have any questions please see Ms. Schilling or Ms. Betanzos.
• Mathcounts will meet Monday, February 5th and Monday, February 19th from 3:00 - 3:45 in Mrs. Rohde's Room E3.
• AV Club meets Tuesday and Thursdays from 2:45-4pm in room G141

• Responsible care of Chromebooks is an integral part of life at KMS. Please ensure students are plugging their Chromebooks in to charge overnight and bringing them fully charged to school each morning. This will help set everyone up for success each and every day at KMS!
• Having issues with Skyward? Parents and students can now use the email skywardsupport@gsdwi.org for any issues related to skyward access or login, etc... These emails go straight to our Skyward-knowledgeable staff!

Good thing it's a leap year and we get a bonus day in February because there's a lot to take advantage of in our school library. February is Black History Month and our library will be celebrating by displaying and promoting its rich collection of resources with our students. Throughout the month we'll be encouraging students to expand their understanding of the many African American groundbreakers and the historical events that have helped shape our country.

The library is looking forward to playing matchmaker this month by encouraging students to fall in love with a new book through its "Blind Date" with a book reading promotion. Students will find a display of Valentine themed wrapped books in the library with only personal ads describing the book written on them. Students will not be able to "judge the book by its cover" but, instead, be encouraged to find a book that matches their interests. Students who complete their date (book) and share their experience by submitting a brief book review will have chances to win Valentine treat bags throughout the month.

Finally, the library will be wrapping up its Battle season! Students competing in our 2024 Battle of the Books competition will compete in their second round battles the week of Feb. 5th and four teams will advance to our school championship battle the following week. The top team will represent KMS and compete in the state battle the week of Feb.19th. Best of luck to all of our Battle teams!

Hold on to every best moment of this school year by ordering a yearbook. Our final date to pre-order yearbooks online will be February 29th. Use the following link to order from our KMS Yearbook Store...https://jostensyearbooks.com/?REF=A09296230

• The “All School Dance” Committee has started meeting and planning. If you’d like to help plan the dance, please contact Chris Martinelli c.mart74@yahoo.com

• The 8th grade dance committee will start planning soon. If you’d like to help plan the dance, please contact Caryn Pawlak or Barb Pierce caryn76@gmail.com gtownklw@gmail.com

• Watch for a Spirit Wear sale in March and 8th Grade Promotion sign sale in March.

• Our next booster night will be Wednesday, March 20 at Chipotle in Menomonee Falls from 5-9 pm. Watch for details as the date gets closer!

• Our February meeting will be Tuesday, February 27 at 7 pm in the GAC and via zoom. We’d love to have you join us!

The PTA membership is lower than usual this year, please consider supporting us:

https://kms-gtown.memberhub.com/store?limit=21&live=true

On February 26th, Kennedy Middle School will participate in the NAEP test, the National Assessment for Educational Progress. This test is administered by the US Department of Education and is used as a national measurement of educational achievement. A randomized sampling of our 8th graders have been chosen to participate in the test, and KMS is honored to be selected as a participant.

Students who are attending after school sporting events, without a parent, need to report to the designated location immediately after school. Students are encouraged to quietly work on homework or other academic tasks during this time. If students have completed all their school work they are allowed to quietly socialize with their peers. If students do not want to stay after school but would still like to attend the sporting event, they will need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

During the sporting event, students are expected to sit in the student section which is supervised by KMS staff. Students will not be allowed to sit in other areas of the gym unless they are accompanied by an adult. Spectators are not allowed to sit on the players side of the gym. If a student is attending a sporting event with an adult that is not their guardian or parent, that individual is responsible for supervising that student during the event.

Cell Phone Use - We are aware that students will need access to their cell phones during these events for a variety of reasons including but not limited communication with parents when they are to be picked up, change in plans, and or for emergencies. Students' cell phones should be stored in their backpacks, which will be placed next to the bleachers, and if they need to use them they will be allowed to with the supervision of a KMS staff member. Students are allowed to come to the Gold Office throughout the day to contact parents so that plans can be made or clarified. If students are not following cell phone expectations or using their cell phones in inappropriate ways, KMS supervisors do have the right to confiscate the phones and give them to parents when the student is picked up. Students who are not following expectations for after school sporting events will meet with KMS administrators and their participation in future sporting events will be discussed.

Students who receive school-based consequences (such as an in-school suspension) during the day may not be allowed to attend after school events for that day.

Please be kind and efficient while dropping off your child in the morning. Pull all the way through the circle (by the bike rack) before dropping off. Remind your child to be ready to exit the car upon drop off so other families are not waiting too long. Be kind and courteous, thank you!

Calling all artists and art fans! March is Youth Art Month!

The annual Germantown School District ART SHOW begins March 4th at the Germantown public library! Artists of all ages are featured; From Kindergarten students to High School Seniors!

Opening night is Monday, March 4th from 5:30-6:30pm at the Germantown Library. The GSD K-12 Art Teachers will be in attendance! Don't miss out! It only runs through March 21st!

Hope to see you there!

If you're looking for a fun and rewarding career working with middle school students, KMS is looking to add to their awesome team! Our current open positions are:

• Special Education Aide
• Building Substitute Teacher

Click on the links above to learn more!

Principal: Jessica Gieryn

Assistant Principal: Brandon Kohl

Website: https://www.gsdwi.org/o/kennedy
Location: N118 W15860 Williams Drive Germantown, Wisconsin 53022
Phone: 262-253-3450
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KennedyGSDWI