Cougar Connect

Dear Kennedy Community,

And just like that, our first week of school is finished. Thank you to all families for your support!

Students and staff are still getting used to our longer lunch blocks (40 minutes!) and our bell schedule. Some of our 6th-graders kept asking, "When is lunch over?"

Warm weather will continue this week, so please make sure your student brings a water bottle to school. We are also encouraging students to stay out of the sun when possible.

Our first PTO-sponsored dine-out event is this Wednesday at Chipotle in Downtown Redwood City. Information is listed below.

I look forward to connecting with you this Thursday at our first social of the year. I'll send out a midweek update with additional details.

Mark your calendars: Back to School Night (BTSN) is Tuesday, September 5 at 6:00 pm. We will host an 8th-grade high school information session from 7:15 to 8:15 following BTSN.

Please email me if you have any questions or concerns.

See you soon!

Mrs. Leonardo

Monday, Tuesday, and Friday: students will attend periods 1-7.

Wednesday Block Day Schedule: students will attend periods 1, 3, 5, & 7.

Thursday Block Day: students will attend periods 2, 4, & 6.

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, & Friday Dismissal: students will be dismissed at 3:15 pm.

Thursday Minimum Day Dismissal: 1:50 pm.

Kennedy Bell Schedule

Our first school event will be this Thursday from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. Families will be able to socialize from 6:00 to 7:00 pm. Then, the following information sessions will take place:

6th-Grade Meet and Greet: Our 6th-grade families can meet and greet one another from 6:00 to 7:00 pm on the Kennedy blacktop area.

7th-Grade Grand Canyon and Yosemite Information: Kennedy Gym from 7:00-8:00 pm

This school year our 7th-graders will go to the Grand Canyon in May. Next year they will go to Yosemite. The reason Yosemite is included in this year's information session is so families can learn about the cost of the trip. We book the trip this school year for the following school year.

8th-Grade Activities Information: Kennedy Library from 7:00-8:00 pm

Our eighth-graders have a lot to look forward to this school year. Please join us in the library to learn about all the events leading up to 8th-grade graduation.

If your student is enrolled in our after-school enrichment program, BGCP, they have specific areas to meet in order to sign in to the program. BGCP student pick-up is at the BGCP office located on the corner of Connecticut and Washington Avenue.

6th-Graders: Please meet in the B-Quad.

7th and 8th-Graders: Please meet under the lunch shelter near the gym.

BGCP is still receiving applications, but students are being placed on a waitlist.

If you are interested in enrolling your student in Boys and Girls Club, please sign up here.

Email: kennedy@bgcp.org

Call or text: (650) 804-9045

Students attending Siena Youth Center's after-school program will meet in front of the school at dismissal on Monday! We are looking forward to partnering with Siena Youth Center again this year.

Kennedy gates open at 8:00 am. Students need to be dropped off in the main front parking lot and enter the black gates near the end of the driveway and drop-off zone.

Campus supervisors begin supervising students at 8:00 am. Students will not be allowed to enter campus before 8:00 am without supervision. Students should refrain from loitering in groups in front of the school and near our neighbors' yards.

As you drop off your students, please be aware of students crossing the street. Please remind your students to walk their bikes and scooters on sidewalks. Please refrain from pulling in and out of neighbors' driveways.

White-painted curbs along Goodwin, Connecticut, Maddux, and Washington Avenues are also drop-off zones. Please be aware of the bus loading zones. Avoid parking in the bus zone on Goodwin Avenue near the school office. Avoid parking in the SamTrans loading zone on Washington Avenue. Kennedy staff will ask drivers to move if they are parked in loading zones before buses arrive.

Our campus supervisor, Moe Montoya, is back, so we have added Washington Avenue as an entry point in the morning.

At dismissal, students can exit from any unlocked gate. If you are picking up your student, be sure to tell them where you plan to pick them up.

Students can lock bikes and scooters in the bike rack. The bike rack closes at 8:30 am. Skateboards can be left in the school office and picked up after school.

Students should practice bicycle, skateboard, and scooter safety while traveling to and from school. Bicycles, skateboards, and scooters should not be ridden on campus. Kennedy staff will ask students to walk all bikes, skateboards, and scooters until they exit the campus.

Please wear a helmet!

Public transportation is provided through SamTrans. Route 79 is for Kennedy students only. In the mornings, students are dropped off by 8:15 am. In the afternoons, students are picked up by 3:25 pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. On Thursday afternoons, students are picked up by 2:00 pm.

The SamTrans bus stop is located on Washington Avenue near the Boys and Girls Club entrance. Kennedy staff will guide students to the bus stop and monitor them after school until SamTrans arrives.

The SamTrans bus schedule can be accessed on page 10 of the Maze Day packet. Click here to view.

The 2023 - 2024 Youth Unlimited Bus Passes will activate starting September 1, 2023, and expire August 31, 2024.

If you need assistance with bus passes, please contact Maria in our Kennedy Family Center. You can also contact Maria if you need assistance with Redwood City School District bus transportation. Maria can be reached here: 650-482-2409 ext. 2110 or msegundo@rcsdk8.net.

• The Redwood City School District has been sending out reminders to complete the First Day of School registration packet. These forms are digital.
• We need 100% of all Kennedy families to complete these forms by August 16th.
• The First Day of School packet includes emergency contact information, parent permission forms, state funding for district services, and district policies.
• This school year, the Student Benefit Form is embedded in the First Day of School Packet. Completing this form is very important for our school as it will determine funding for our after-school program. The Student Benefit Form determines resources and services for our students in a variety of areas in addition to children having access to healthy and nutritious meals at school. Depending on the number of families who complete the survey, it will determine several other services and resources such as school library services, school funding, internet access, and teacher grants.
• If you need assistance, please contact the Kennedy office 650-482-2409.

The only immediate changes we will make to students' schedules are if they are missing a class or if they have the same class twice. Please give us up to 10 days to assess class numbers before allowing changes to electives or other schedule requests. We will email students and give them directions about this process in our morning announcements.

In order to make our handbook for students and families more accessible, we have digitized it. Please know that the information in the handbook will be continually updated to ensure families are informed. Students will receive planners during the second week of school, and included in the planner is the student handbook.

Click to view and save the Kennedy Student & Family Handbook.

Teachers will begin inviting families to Google Classroom over the next two weeks. We encourage all families to get connected with Google Classroom so that you may see your students' assignments. We will host a Parent Information session in the coming weeks where you can learn how to navigate Google Classroom, PowerSchool, Amplify, CPM, and other important tools for you to monitor your students' success.

We are very thankful for the support from our Kennedy parents. Without your monetary support, we would not be able to fund our fine arts, music, and STEAM programs. There are several ways to donate to the PTO. Please click this link to learn about all of the ways to support our Kennedy Cougars.

Direct Drive 2023-24 Click here

The Organization of Parents and Teachers (PTO) of the Kennedy Intermediate School (KMS) is dedicated to supporting and improving the educational experiences of Kennedy students through donations and volunteering.

What do we support?

Some programs we support include school dances, lunchtime activities, physical education, music, STEAM, art, drama, maker space, & 8th-grade celebration activities. We work closely with the KMS administration to help determine what programs and activities to support.

How can I volunteer?

Everyone (parents or guardians, teachers, and staff of Kennedy Middle School) is automatically a member and is encouraged to attend our monthly meetings. Please join us on the last Tuesday of the month, via Zoom from 7-8:30 pm, starting on August 29, 2023. Find more details and opportunities at: www.kennedycougarspto.org

How can I donate?

PayPal (click here)

CreditCard via Online Store (click here)

Donation Form (click here)

Mark your calendars! Our first PTO-sponsored Dine-Out event will be Wednesday, August 23 from 5:00 to 9:00 pm at Chipotle in Downtown Redwood City.

The Kennedy school calendar is now on the PTO website and has been updated with school events and activities for the year! You can add it to your personal calendar by going to https://kennedycougarspto.org/calendar and clicking the +Google Calendar button on the bottom right of the calendar.

It's time to join Kennedy team sports! Registration for fall sports is now open. Click on the link below to register for volleyball or flag football.

Fall Sports: Sign Up Here

Below is the list of sports available for students in the fall:

- School Volleyball League

- School Flag Football League

- Tennis

- Run Club

- Watersports

- Skate Clinic

- Basketball Clinic

Contact Michael Smith (After School Sports Coordinator) at 650-780-7254 or msmith@redwoodcity.org for additional information.

All forms should be submitted at Red Morton offices.

We heard your inquiries about parenting classes and workshops. Please fill out this form to help us gather more feedback.

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

Thank you to the following families who purchased items off of our Kennedy Wishlist. Our student aides are still opening boxes, so we will make sure to include those items in next week's Cougar Connect.

We have several new teachers who do not have very many classroom supplies, so these items will be distributed to their classrooms.

Thank you, Katie Goetz, for purchasing pencils, whiteboard erasers, and dry-erase pockets.

Thank you, Tyler White & Robert Paresi, for the classroom set of crayons, highlighters, scissors, and ballpoint pens.

Thank you, Diane Stow, for the sentence strips, filler paper, and multicolored dot stickers.

Thank you, Kristina Cohen, for the x-y axis whiteboards.

Thank you, Steve O., for the filler paper, pencils, highlighters, and whiteboard erasers.

I will continuously update our Kennedy Amazon wishlist based on classroom needs.

Kennedy's Amazon Wishlist

Attend a San Francisco Giants baseball game and help raise money for Kennedy Middle School!

$5 of every ticket purchased will go directly back to Kennedy.

Please use this link: https://fevo.me/giantsschoolfundraiser3

Please use this code: Kennedy

**Please note: SF Giants has a very strict no-resale policy for these tickets. Any resold tickets using school promo codes may be subject to termination of the school promo program.**

We need Kennedy parents and teachers to join Kennedy's

English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC) and School Site Council (SSC).

Our first meeting will be Wednesday, August 30 at 5:00 pm in the Kennedy Library. Please email Mrs. Leonardo for more details. More information will be communicated in the next week.

• 6th-8th Grade Social Aug. 24, 6:00-8:00 pm Kennedy Blacktop
• 7th-Grade Grand Canyon Info Meeting Aug. 24, Kennedy Gym 7:00-8:00 pm
• 7th Grade Yosemite Trip Info Meeting Aug. 24, Kennedy Gym 7:00-8:00 pm
• 8th-Grade Activities Info Meeting Aug. 24, Kennedy Library 7:00-8:00 pm
  
• PTO Meeting Aug. 29 Zoom, 7:00 pm (link will be available soon)
• Site Council & ELAC Aug. 30 Kennedy Library 5:00-6:00 pm
• Principal's Coffee Sept. 7, Kennedy Library 8:45-10 am
• Kennedy Food Distribution Sept. 19, Kennedy Gym 9:00-10:30 am

Click here to view the most up-to-date version of the Kennedy Calendar of Events.

There have been a few edits since Maze Day. These edits were made to fix typographical errors and the location of the 7th-grade Yosemite Info meeting. This meeting will be held at the same time as the Grand Canyon Info meeting in the gym. Seventh-graders will actually go to Yosemite next year, so this meeting is just to prepare families for fundraising and to answer any questions about the trip.

With a commitment to excellence, Kennedy Middle School engages, encourages, and empowers students in challenging and creative learning opportunities while preparing them for their futures in high school and beyond.

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