KES Family Newsletter

It’s hard to believe we’ve already reached February! We hope our families are finding ways to embrace and enjoy the winter season. While Michigan winters can certainly be chilly, February brings plenty of warmth to KES through exciting events and opportunities for our school community. Be sure to continue reading our family newsletters throughout the school year to stay informed about upcoming events and important information.

As we continue into the second semester, our KES staff is using winter assessment data to guide instruction and best support all students. We value partnering with families in this process and want to ensure you are informed about your child’s progress.

On January 16th, Acadience and NWEA reports were sent home with students. These reports reflect your child’s growth from fall to winter and help guide our instructional planning moving forward.

Families may receive the following reports:

Acadience Report
This report highlights your child’s progress in key reading skills. In the lower grades, this includes skills such as letter sounds and phoneme segmentation, while upper grades focus on reading fluency, accuracy, and comprehension.
NWEA Report
This report shows your child’s growth in Reading and Math from fall to winter and provides insight into their progress on grade-level concepts.
Individualized Reading Improvement Plan (IRIP)
Students in grades K–4 who require additional support in specific reading skills may also receive an IRIP. IRIPs will be sent home on Friday, February 6th. This plan outlines your child’s strengths, areas of need, spring growth goals, and the strategies or interventions we will use to support their learning. If your child receives an IRIP, please review it, sign it, and return the signature page.

If you have any questions about your child’s reports or would like guidance on how to best support learning at home, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s homeroom teacher. Thank you for your continued partnership and support!

Get ready for a fun night out in support of KES! Our amazing parent group, Kingston Connected, is hosting Trivia Night to benefit KES students and staff. Kingston Connected continually looks for ways to give back to our school community, from providing teachers with extra classroom supply funds each year, to sponsoring special events like Cozy Movie Day, to purchasing needed items throughout the building. Their dedication helps make KES the best it can be for our kids!

Trivia Night will take place at Beagio’s Event Center on Saturday, February 21, 2026, and promises an evening of friendly competition, silent auction and raffle prizes, and great entertainment. Doors open at 5:30 PM, the pizza line opens at 6:00 PM, and trivia fun begins shortly after.

We are still looking for teams and would love to see even more KES families and Kingston community members come out to show their support. If you’re interested in registering a team, please reach out to Danielle Pomaville at dpomaville@kingstonk12.org or Cassy Calahan at cassycalahan@gmail.com to get signed up.

Be sure to check out the attached graphic for additional details. We hope to see you there!

KES students had a great time kicking off our Kids Heart Challenge at the assembly on January 30th! Throughout the month of February, students will continue learning how to keep their hearts healthy through movement, kindness, rest, and knowing when to ask for help, all while supporting the important work of the American Heart Association.

Families are encouraged to participate by signing up for the Kids Heart Challenge using the free AHA Schools app (available for Apple and Android) or by visiting Kids Heart Challenge – Kingston Elementary.

Students receive a free wristband just for signing up, and families can help us work toward our exciting goal of having 100% of KES families learn the lifesaving skill of Hands-Only CPR. It only takes a few minutes to learn and can make a big difference in an emergency.

By participating and raising funds, students help KES earn gift certificates for physical activity and recess equipment that support the health and wellness of our entire school community. Thank you for helping us create a community of lifesavers!

We’re excited to share that the KES Playground Committee is planning and facilitating a Beef Raffle to help raise funds for important playground upgrades, including new features that will make the playground fully handicap accessible so every child can play and enjoy the space together. A huge thank-you to the Ruggles Family for generously donating the beef and supporting this project. Raffle tickets are available for purchase in the KES or KHS front office, and the drawing will take place at halftime of the Snowcoming basketball game on Friday, February 6. So be sure to get your tickets soon! We truly appreciate the continued support of our KES families and community.