Cougar Connect

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Dear Kennedy Community,

Happy September! Last month, teachers and staff reviewed policies, procedures, and behavioral expectations for our Kennedy Cougars. Students thrive when they know what is expected of them. Our teachers and staff will continue to revisit and review Kennedy norms and PBIS expectations throughout the year. Teachers did a wonderful job cultivating classroom culture through community-building activities, games, and other relationship-building activities. This month, we will begin the Wayfinder SEL curriculum in homeroom led by the Kennedy administration.

We are also excited about our September focus: Heritage and Belonging. Our theme for September is "Somos Kennedy: Celebrating Hispanic Cultures." Teachers are working together to make sure lessons are culturally responsive to our students' needs, and they are making sure students have the opportunity to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 - October 15). We encourage all Kennedy families to make plans to join us on Friday, October 3, for our fall family carnival sponsored by our PTO!

Here are a few updates for this week:

i-Ready Assessment

This week, Kennedy students will also take the RCSD i-Ready assessment; we had to pivot last week, so i-Ready will start this Wednesday. Students will take the reading and math assessments so that we can have a baseline of their current reading and math levels. Students will then review their CAASPP and i-Ready levels and set SMART goals to determine how they can achieve five percent growth this school year. This information will be shared with families at Goal Setting Conferences the week of September 15. Please ensure your students are present at school every day, especially when assessments are administered.

Principal's Coffee

My first Principal's Coffee of the year will be this Friday, September 5, at 8:45 a.m. in the Kennedy Library.

School Site Council Nominations

Please scroll down to learn more about School Site Council nominations.

PTO Updates

Be sure to read updates from our Kennedy PTO. Thank you for joining us at our Ice Cream Social last Wednesday!

Homework Help

Homework Help will begin on Monday, September 8 in the Kennedy Library. Homework Help will be on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays from 3:15-4:15 in the Kennedy Library.

Attendance Contact

When attendance concerns arise, please email Jessica Perez. She will update your student's attendance.

Make Up Work

It is common for elementary school teachers to either excuse work for students or prepare packets for them when they are absent from school. At Kennedy, teachers require at least three days' notice to prepare assignments for students. Our teachers can have up to 190 students, making it challenging to prepare separate assignments with little notice. When questions arise about assignments, parents and guardians should email teachers directly. Teachers can discuss their assignments and address any questions.

The Kennedy office is open from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Phone Contact: (650) 482-2409

Principal: Chandra Leonardo cleonardo@rcsdk8.net

Assistant Principal: Dr. Shanna Laney slaney@rcsdk8.net

Assistant Principal: Enrique Pin epin@rcsdk8.net

Office Manager: Liz Avalos lmavalos@rcsdk8.net

Office Assistant (Attendance): Jessica Perez jpperez@rcsdk8.net

Office Assistant (Student Records, Student Health): Maritza Gutierrez mggutierrez@rcsdk8.net

Have a great week!

Chandra Leonardo

Principal

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🏀Redwood City PRCS Basketball Registration August 1-October 30🏀

🍁SEPTEMBER: Heritage & Belonging

Somos Kennedy: Celebrating Hispanic Cultures

• Labor Day ~No School Sept. 1
• ELAC Information Meeting Sept. 4 Room 101 5:30-6:30 p.m.
• Principal’s Coffee Sept. 5 Library 8:45-9:45 a.m.
• Back to School Night Sept. 11 Campus 6:00-7:15 p.m.
• 8th Grade High School Info Night Sept. 11 Gym 7:15-8:15 p.m.
• Minimum Day Sept. 12 8:30 a.m.-1:50 p.m.
• Fall Goal Setting Conferences Sept. 15-19 Campus 1:00-3:15 p.m.
• Super Minimum Days Sep. 15-19 Campus 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
• ELAC Meeting Sept. 17 Library/Zoom 6:00-7:00 p.m.
• Food Distribution Day for Families Sept.18 Blacktop 2:30-4:00 p.m.
• Picture Day Sept. 23 Gym 8:30 a.m.-3:15 p.m.
• PTO Meeting Sept. 23 Room 101/Zoom 7:00-8:30 p.m.
• School Site Council Sept. 24 Library/Zoom 5:00-6:00 p.m.
• Planning Day~No School Sept. 29

Save the date for Kennedy’s Fall Carnival, Friday, October 3rd, 5-9 pm!

Enjoy games, music, food, and celebrate our community. Volunteers needed!

Sign up here!

Ice Cream Social Recap

Thank you to everyone who joined us last week for our Ice Cream social. Many families made their contribution and signed up to volunteer or played Bingo. Our raffle winner will be contacted soon. Here are the key materials shared.

PTO overview Slides and Flyer

Volunteers Needed!

We will be capturing all volunteer opportunities here.

Here is a list of our Leadership opportunities, or complete this form to let us know how you can help!

Direct Drive Kickoff! Our Direct Drive has begun with the goal of raising $75K towards our total annual goal of $245k. Please join your Kennedy Community in contributing to raising crucial funds for our students. We ask each family to contribute $500 or an amount comfortable for them. Our community goal is 100% participation. More details here!

PTO Monthly Meeting

Our next PTO Meeting is Tuesday, September 23, from 7-8:30 p.m. in the Kennedy Library. Please join us in person!

If not possible, then our Zoom Meeting Link is: https://zoom.us/j/94614875671

Meeting ID: 946 1487 5671

Have an idea or a question? Email info@kennedycougarsPTO.org

Don’t forget to check out our website: https://kennedycougarspto.org/

After September 2, students and staff may see a facility dog on campus named Atka. This is an approved facility dog and will be utilized only for the Adapted PE class. Adapted PE teacher, Joh Landsdown, is responsible for taking care of and cleaning up after the dog while on campus. If needed, please remind your students of the following general information, rules, and expectations around animals on campus:

• Facility dogs are working dogs with important jobs that help care for people in various ways. They are not pets, and they undergo extensive specialized training to learn how to perform their jobs.

• Because facility dogs aren't pets, we are not allowed to touch or feed them. We also want to avoid saying or doing anything that might distract them from their job. Thank you for your support!

Please notify Mrs. Leonardo immediately if your student is concerned about working with dogs or has an allergy, so we can arrange an alternative schedule for Atka during that time.