Community Newsletter

We have twenty new educators who have joined our teams (see photo above) and a new high school principal to welcome in Dr. Elisha Ozer. There are many opportunities in the next month to celebrate and connect with our KCSD community, like homecoming week festivities including athletic competitions, a parade, and a high school dance, and the official grand opening of New Garden Elementary school. We even have some new transportation technology we will be unveiling soon.

Look for more information about all of these opportunities to celebrate beginnings, meet new staff, and enjoy the excitement that a new school year brings.

Go to our KCSD website calendar to track important dates for your District and your school, too.

On Thursday, September 10, all KCSD Families received an email regarding measles prevention. If you have not read the message, please check your email or go to the Health Services section of the kcsd.org website to review the content.

Healthy meals are an essential component to learning and growing. Every day, more than one million children and students in Pennsylvania receive nutritious meals through Federal School Nutrition Programs, which include the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Child and Adult Care Food Program, and Summer Food Service Program.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education is committed to ensuring that all children and students have access to healthy meals through these federal programs and initiatives.

Free school breakfast for ALL KCSD students begins on Monday, September 14.

You can find additional information on nutrition support at the KCSD website, including how to access free and reduced meal benefits, or at the Food and Nutrition section of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania website.

Kennett Consolidated School District is beginning the process of developing our next Special Education Plan, and we invite parents, guardians, educators, and community stakeholders to be part of this important work.

Pennsylvania requires every school district to develop and submit a Special Education Plan to the Pennsylvania Department of Education every three years. While this is a state requirement, we see the planning process as an opportunity to come together as a community, listen to different perspectives, celebrate our strengths, identify opportunities for growth, and thoughtfully consider how we can continue to improve programs and services for students with disabilities.

We are forming a Special Education Plan Steering Committee and welcome parents, guardians, and community stakeholders who are interested in sharing their experiences, ideas, and perspectives. Through open dialogue and partnership, we will develop a plan that reflects the needs of our students and helps guide the continued development of high-quality, inclusive, and effective special education programs throughout KCSD.

Steering Committee Meetings will be held at 6:30 p.m. at Kennett High School.

• October 15
• November 12
• December 17
• January 21

You do not need to be a special education expert to participate. Your voice and perspective matter. We look forward to working together to ensure that the voices of our families and community help shape the future of special education in Kennett Consolidated School District.

If you are interested in being a part of this critical process, please sign up by clicking the button below. Please note that space is limited. You will receive a reply to your invitation.

If you have any questions, please contact Kerry Myers, Associate Director of Special Education at kmyers@kcsd.org or 610-444-6610.

Per recent updates to the Pennsylvania Public School Code, we will no longer automatically include Body Mass Index (BMI) results on school health screening reports unless requested in writing by a parent or guardian. We will continue to complete all school health screenings, including growth (height and weight), vision, hearing, and scoliosis screenings. Screening results will continue to be shared with parents and guardians as they have been in the past.

If you would like to receive your child’s calculated BMI, please submit a written or email request directly to your child’s school nurse.

Parents and guardians also have the right to exempt their child from annual height and weight measurements. To request an exemption, please submit a written request to your child’s school nurse.

Last spring, the School Board approved the district’s adoption of CLEAR, a residency verification system designed to help school districts efficiently confirm that students reside within district boundaries. This year, we will begin using the system as part of our ongoing efforts to strengthen and streamline our residency verification process.

CLEAR uses publicly available records and investigative tools to verify residency information. The district will share only parent/guardian names and addresses; no student information will be shared with CLEAR. The system will support periodic enrollment reviews, individual verification during registration, and additional checks when concerns arise regarding a family’s residency.

By streamlining a process that has traditionally required significant manual effort, CLEAR will help the district operate more efficiently and protect district resources by ensuring that enrollment accurately reflects students who reside within our community.

Families with questions about the residency verification process may contact Casandra Jones, Assistant Superintendent of Pupil Services, at cljones@kcsd.org.

Stronger social-emotional, behavioral, and Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) structures were identified as areas for growth through Dr. Rizzo Saunders’ 90-day entry plan and the strategic planning process that followed.

This school year, as part of the District Strategic Plan, we are implementing Wayfinder as our core Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) program for students in grades K–8. Wayfinder was selected following a review and pilot process during the 2025–2026 school year and aligns with the district’s strategic priorities and MTSS framework.

As a Tier 1 support, all K–8 students will receive foundational SEL instruction focused on six core skills: Self-Awareness, Collaboration, Empathy, Adaptability, Agency, and Purpose. Through age-appropriate lessons and activities, students will develop and apply these skills to everyday situations. Wayfinder complements academic instruction by supporting communication, collaboration, perseverance, positive relationships, and a sense of belonging.

Families received additional information about Wayfinder earlier this school year. Questions may be directed to Casandra Jones, Assistant Superintendent of Pupil Services, at cljones@kcsd.org, or to your child’s building principal.

Beginning Friday, September 11, families who have not completed all or portions of their "Back to School Family Homework" will receive a weekly reminder email for each section that has not been completed.

Our goal is to keep our families informed and prepared and our students safe and well. We continue to improve our process for sharing and collecting information. We value your time!

You can access all the information you need to complete each of your child's paper medical forms, review the District and All-School Handbook, Code of Student Conduct, Accessible Use Policy, and COPPA Compliance at our Back to School Family Homework section of the kcsd.org website linked below.

You then can log in to the Skyward Family Access Portal to review and update contact information and emergency contact information and confirm that you have read all information. Not sure how to access Skyward? Tutorials and guide sheets in English and Spanish are also available at this section of the website.

If you need assistance completing your homework, please contact your school principal or the help desk at the technology department at (610) 444-2551 ext. 10000 or email studenttechhelp@kcsd.org.

Our Technology Team will have a tent at the Third Thursday evening events on State Street in Kennett Borough on Thursday, September 17th and Thursday, October 15th from 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Look for the blue Kennett Tent and get support using Skyward Family Access, completing your Family Homework, or any other technology questions you may have. Look for more opportunities to meet our Tech team in the weeks and months to come.

You are cordially invited to celebrate the official grand opening of the new New Garden Elementary School on Saturday, October 3, 2026 from 10 a.m. until noon. Enjoy music, speeches, a ribbon cutting and building tours as we celebrate the addition of this new state-of-the-art home of our Bulldogs! No RSVP necessary. Simply arrive for the fun!

Schedules and news about your Blue Demons can be found at the links below. Support our student athletes as they compete across the region!

Our annual Homecoming events begin September 28 with athletic competitions the entire week culminating in Boys Soccer vs Elkton and the Friday night football game vs Avon Grove. Join us for the Homecoming Parade featuring all of our schools as they march to the High School before kickoff! Information about all the festivities will be posted at our Homecoming section of the kcsd.org website.

Thank you for your patience as we continue to update our elementary websites. Information will be refreshed soon.

New Garden Community Day, hosted by the Township, Mighty Writers El Futuro of Kennett, Kennett Area Community Services and Kennett area YMCA is scheduled for Saturday, October 3, 12p-4p at New Garden Park. I can’t believe it’s only 4 weeks away! The event fosters community spirit and provides a fun and inclusive environment for ALL families. The activities, games, donuts, and cider are all free!

This recognition celebrates more than music , it celebrates opportunity. KCSD is proud to be a Best Communities for Music Education recipient, ensuring access to music learning for every student.