Cougar Connect
Week of June 1, 2026
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Dear Kennedy Community:
As we come to the end of another school year, I want to take a moment to thank you for the trust, support, and partnership you have shown throughout the year. It has been a privilege to serve the Kennedy community, and I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to work alongside such dedicated students, families, staff, and community members.
This year brought many reasons to celebrate. I am proud of the work we have done together to strengthen our school culture and climate, increase students’ sense of belonging, expand our social-emotional learning supports, and continue reducing chronic absenteeism. Most importantly, I am proud of the relationships we have built and the ways our students have grown academically, socially, and emotionally.
Thank you to everyone who joined us for Open House last week. It was wonderful to see our classrooms filled with families celebrating student learning, creativity, and achievement. Events like Open House remind us that education is most powerful when schools and families work together.
This newsletter is especially meaningful to me because it marks the conclusion of my third year as principal at Kennedy and my final newsletter before taking a leave of absence to spend time with my son. Serving as your principal has been one of the greatest honors of my professional career. Over the past three years, I have had the privilege of witnessing our students overcome challenges, discover their strengths, support one another, and grow into confident young people. I will always be grateful for the opportunity to have been part of their journey.
As I step away, I am pleased to share that Dr. Rangel Fernandez will serve as Kennedy’s next principal. I know he is committed to supporting students and families, and I am confident the Kennedy community will continue to thrive under his leadership.
Over the summer, I encourage students to read, stay curious, spend time with family and friends, and take advantage of opportunities to learn and grow. On Friday, I will send details about summer reading, math practice, and school supply lists for the 2026-27 school year. We look forward to welcoming students back on August 12 refreshed and ready for another successful school year.
Thank you again for allowing me the privilege of serving as principal. Kennedy will always hold a special place in my heart, and I will carry the memories and relationships from these past three years with me wherever I go.
Wishing you and your family a wonderful, restful summer.
Warmly,
Chandra Leonardo
Principal
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We will celebrate student positive behavior and good grades during trimester three on Tuesday, June 2nd with all students. We will provide inflatable games for students to play and use. You can see some of the options by viewing this link: https://www.partywith630.com/category/inflatable_sports_games/
For students to use these inflatable games, we need parent/guardian permission. If you do NOT want your student to access these inflatable games, please fill out the form below. If we do not hear back from you, we will assume your student has permission to participate and use the inflatable games. Please fill out this form by 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, June 2nd if you do NOT want your student to use the inflatable games.
Our final School Site Council meeting of the year was last week. Thank you to Mr. Balogh, Mrs. Virnich, Whitney Glockner-Black, Jim Smith, and Ms. Robles for your support over the last two years!
All student Chromebooks must be turned in on Friday, May 29. Kennedy 7th and 8th grade students will turn in Chromebooks during their science classes on Friday.
All Chromebooks must be turned in with a charger. Chromebook issues must be reported at the time of return.
Kennedy Middle School
Website: https://www.rcsdk8.net/kennedy
Location: 2521 Goodwin Avenue, Redwood City, CA, USA
Phone: 650.482.2409
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kennedymiddleschool