A Message from Mrs. Leonardo
Dear Kennedy Community,
Happy New Year! I hope you had a peaceful and restful time with your families during winter break. My family and I spent time in Hawaii from Christmas Day through New Year's Day. We had an enjoyable time.
School resumes tomorrow: Tuesday, January 9. We will have a regular day schedule tomorrow. Listed below is our schedule for the week ahead.
Principal's Coffee Rescheduled
Our monthly Principal's Coffee will be moved to Thursday, January 25th. We will not have a Principal's Coffee this Thursday.
Schedule for this Week:
Tuesday, January 9th: School resumes; regular day bell schedule
Wednesday, January 10th: Regular day bell schedule; no block day
Thursday, January 11th: Super-minimum day schedule due to staff development
No School Monday, January 15
No school on Monday, January 15 due to Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Schoolwide Expectations:
I am including a picture and link to our Kennedy compact and schoolwide expectations (see below). We will review these expectations with students and staff this week, and we need your support in making sure your students understand our expectations.
As we return to school, please make sure your students follow our school dress code, come to school on time each day with a fully charged Chromebook, and treat peers and adults with respect.
Please make sure your students know that cell phones are not allowed to be used during the school day. They should be turned off and placed securely in backpacks. If your student has access to social media, please be sure to review their social media accounts on a routine basis.
Our school environment needs to be a safe and joyful place for all students to learn, and we need your support. Thank you!
Teen Talk for 7th-Grade Students
Mrs. Figueroa and Ms. Paz’s 7th-grade science students will begin Teen Talk lessons beginning Tuesday, January 16 through Friday, January 26. Notification letters were sent home with students in December.
If you have any questions about the topics to be covered in this course or wish to review the curriculum materials, please visit the Kennedy office or contact Health Connected at parents@health-connected.org. We have the curriculum in our office for families to review.
Families may also visit www.health-connected.org or www.lets-talk.how for more information and resources for families to start or continue these important conversations.
California state law allows families to remove their students from this instruction. If you do NOT
want your student to participate in Teen Talk, please send a written note or email to your
Mrs. Figueroa or Ms. Paz.
Mrs. Figueroa: ifigueroa@rcsdk8.net
Ms. Paz: ppaz@rcsdk8.net
Teen Talk Parent/Guardian Notification Letter (English/Spanish)
A Reminder for 8th-Grade Families
Please remember to register your student for Sequoia Union High School District. We are working with SUHSD to have a registration night on January 17 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm where families can get support with online registration. I will send out additional information later this week. Your future ninth-graders will be unable to get their schedules until the online registration is finished. The deadline is February 1. Please make this a priority. bit.ly/SUHSD-OLR
I have updated the high school information session in the newsletter. Sequoia and Woodside events this week and next week, so make sure to read the information.
Please be reminded that your 8th-grade students were given a letter in November that explained Kennedy's expectations for students to participate in 8th-grade activities and the promotion ceremony. The letter was supposed to be read by students and their families. Then, a signed acknowledgment form was to be submitted by December 1. We will reach out to families this week if we do not have this signed form on file.
Attendance Letters
Michelle Fryer Phan has been communicating with families regarding school attendance. Letters are automatically sent from RCSD to families of students who have multiple absences--whether excused or unexcused.
Please understand that, due to RCSD mandates, we were told that we are unable to suppress or withhold these attendance letters. They are standard practice across all schools within our district and are intended to support, not alarm, our families. The goal is to encourage consistent attendance, which is crucial for continuous learning and development.
If you receive an attendance letter and have any concerns or believe there has been an error, please do not hesitate to contact Michelle (mfryerphan@rcsdk8.net). We are here to support you and ensure accurate records of your child’s attendance.
Please note that we can only update attendance during the week of the absence due to California requirements. Please check PowerSchool weekly, and if you find any errors in attendance, please email Tatyana Tafoya (ttafoya@rcsdk8.net).
I am also reminding teachers to take accurate attendance and reminding students to be on time for class.
Reminders About Fast Food Deliveries
Please refrain from sending fast food deliveries via DoorDash, UberEats, etc. to students. If food is delivered, students can pick it up in the office after school. We have too many students coming to the office to eat with friends and this is against our lunch policy. Thank you for your support with this.
Student Clubs Meeting This Week
Math Homework Support after school on Mondays and Wednesdays in room 534
Book Club after school on Tuesday in the library
6th-Grade Student Council Reps Tuesday at lunch in room 103
Italian Club Tuesday after school in room 318
Makerspace and Robotics Club during 6th-grade lunch in room 104
Wellness Club Tuesday during 7th/8th grade lunch in room 636
K-Pop Club Wednesday during 7th/8th grade lunch in room 208
Rock Band Club after school on Wednesday in room 314
Chess Club during 6th grade lunch in the library.
7th-Grade Executive Council Thursday at lunch in room 314
Art Club Thursday during 7th/8th grade lunch in room 527
Jazz Club Thursday morning before school in room 312
Photography Club Thursday during 6th-grade lunch in room 425
GSA Kennedy Skittles Thursday during 7th/8th grade lunch in room 315
GSA Kennedy Skittles Thursday during 6th-grade lunch in room 102
Chess Club Thursday during 7th/8th grade lunch in the library
K-Pop Club Thursday at 6th-grade lunch in room B-9
6th-Grade Lunch Bunch Friday during 6th-grade lunch in room B-6
Environmental Club Friday during 7th/8th grade lunch in room 535
Anime Club Friday during 6th-grade lunch in room B-7
See you soon!
Mrs. Leonardo
Cell Phone Reminders
Cell phones are to be turned off and placed in backpacks from the time students get on campus until they exit the campus. If you need to get a hold of your student, please avoid texting or calling during the school day. Please call the office and let us know you would like to speak to your student and we can have them come to the office and call you directly.
We have too many students using and accessing their cell phones during the school day in order to use social media. This is a waste of instructional time.
If your student is caught using their cell phone during the school day, they will be required to check their phone in and out of the office before and after school each day.
We need your continued support with this rule, so we thank you in advance for your help.
GrowFit MultiSports Camps
Russ Nuffer of GrowFit MultiSports Camps in Redwood City has agreed to donate 5% of registration fees for camps back to our KMS PTO. This is an on-going offer throughout the school year using the code.
GrowFit is located at Sports House in Redwood City. Check out the winter camps available for students by clicking here. This is a great offer, so don't miss out!
Kennedy Family Center Updates
Padres de Kennedy 2023 WhatsApp Group
Cynthia Cardona, Community School Coordinator ccardona@rcsdk8.net
Maria Segundo, Admin Assistant msegundo@rcsdk8.net
Kathryn Lige, Lead Mental Health Counselor klige@rcsdk8.net
Contact the Kennedy Family Center by phone: (650) 482-2110
What's Happening in the Kennedy Library?
Book Club has started! We meet on Tuesdays after school. If you are interested in joining, come by the library to sign up or sign up here.
Get more details from Ms. Cooper and the awesome Kennedy Library by visiting the Kennedy Library Website.
Kennedy's Amazon Wishlist
We are incredibly grateful for your support! Thank you!
Our wishlist contains items requested by teachers at Kennedy. It now contains items we need for our STEAM and art electives.
Thank you to the Bowen family for purchasing Lego sets for our STEAM classes!
Kennedy Middle School
Email: cleonardo@rcsdk8.net
Website: https://kennedy.rcsdk8.net
Location: 2521 Goodwin Avenue, Redwood City, CA, USA
Phone: 650.482.2409
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kennedymiddleschool