Cougar Connect

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Dear Kennedy Community,

Our first PTO meeting of the year is this Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. in the Kennedy Library. Our Kennedy PTO works tirelessly to make sure Kennedy students and teachers have all of their needs met. If you are unable to join us in the library, please join us on Zoom. The information is in the PTO section below.

We also have our first PTO sponsored event this Wednesday, August 27, and I'm looking forward to connecting with you. Our Ice Cream Social event will begin at 5:30 p.m. on the Kennedy blacktop. Then, each grade level will meet in the gym to learn about grade-level specific topics. Our 6th grade families can learn more about how to get involved with our PTO, our 7th grade families can learn about the Grand Canyon field trip later this year and the Yosemite field trip next school year, and our 8th grade families can learn about 8th grade events and how to get involved with each event.

i-Ready Assessment

This week, Kennedy students will also take the RCSD i-Ready assessment. 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 make SMART goals in order to determine how they will make five percent growth this school year. This information will be shared with families at Goal Setting Conferences in September. Please make sure your students are present at school every day, but especially when assessments are given.

No School Monday, September 1

There will be no school on Monday, September 1 in observance of the Labor Day holiday.

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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Our entire school came together on Wednesday to review Kennedy's behavior expectations. A copy of the presentation is available here for families to review with their students.

All Kennedy students are expected to show their PAWS in all areas of our school. Encourage your students to be prepared, have a positive attitude, make wise choices, and be safe!

Please remember that all white curbs are bus drop-off and pick-up areas. Please avoid parking in these areas between 7:30 a.m.-9:00 a.m. and 2:45 p.m.-3:45 p.m.

Also, please remember not to block neighbors' driveways or park in their driveways.

Thank you!

☀️AUGUST: Building Our Community & Classroom Culture

Join us for our first PTO meeting on 8/29/2025 from 7-8:30 in the Kennedy Library. All Kennedy Parents are automatically members of Kennedy’s PTO, and all are welcome to join us. Come learn about key programs at Kennedy this year, connect with other parents, and discover ways to get involved!

Ice Cream Social and Grade Level Meetings Wednesday, 8/27 5:30-7:30 Kennedy Black top.

Our Direct Drive has begun. Please join your Kennedy Community in contributing to our Direct Drive to raise crucial funds for our students. We ask each family to contribute $500 or an amount comfortable for them. More details here!

8th Grade Yosemite update

Five spots are left for this AMAZING trip, October 19-24th. This is the last chance to sign up. Please email Kennedyyosemitetrip@gmail.com for more information or to request a spot. All fees are due September 1st, and scholarships are available. Trip questions will be answered at the 8th grade meeting during the Ice Cream Social.

PTO Monthly Meeting

Our first PTO Meeting is Tuesday, August 26 from 7-8:30 p.m. in the Kennedy Library. Please join us in person!

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

Meeting ID: 946 1487 5671

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.

Hello BGCP Kennedy families,

We hope everyone had an amazing first week of school! It was great getting to see returning students and meeting our new 6th graders. Wanted to share some reminders around our program attendance:

Students are expected to attend the full-day program every day. This enables our students to experience the full program.

• We noticed many early pick-ups last week. If students need to leave early due to appointments, please ensure that they provide documentation. This will excuse your student for the early pick.

For any students who have not yet attended the program. It’s essential that they begin attending this week, as per our attendance policy. Due to our waitlist, if students do not attend our program, they might be removed to provide a space for a student who can commit to attending.

• We appreciate families who’ve communicated in advance about students’ late start.

We’re excited to be able to serve your students in our program this year. Students attending ensure that we receive the necessary funding to continue to provide the free program. If any questions come up, please feel free to contact our BGCP office at (650) 804-9045.

Please note: Kennedy office staff are not always able to answer questions about BGCP. Please call our office or send an email for support. The BGCP office is on the corner of Connecticut and Washington streets. The closest address to our office is 2503 Washington Avenue.

Thank you for being a valued partner of BGCP Kennedy!

Email: kennedy@bgcp.org

Call or text: (650) 804-9045

Dear Kennedy Community,

Thank you for joining us for the Yondr presentation on Monday, August 11, 2025. We are excited to make Kennedy a cell phone-free zone for students in order to increase their academic success.

Listed below are a few links for you if you were unable to attend the Zoom meeting.

Recorded Presentation (English and Spanish)

Google Slides (English and Spanish)

Yondr Parent Letter for Families (English and Spanish)

Kennedy Student Cell Phone Policy (English and Spanish)

If your student brings their cell phone to school, they will put it in airplane mode or turn it off. Then, they will place it in the Yondr pouch. Teachers will have magnets to unlock pouches in case of an emergency. Students will be able to unlock their phones after school in front of the office, near the bike rack, and on the blacktop.

Smartwatches can be worn as long as they are in airplane mode. Earbuds should only be used in class for assignments given by a teacher. If students use their smartwatches or earbuds during the day, they will be asked to place them in their Yondr pouch.

If your student requires a phone for medical purposes, they will be issued a medical Yondr pouch.

Pouches will be distributed during first period tomorrow (Wednesday, August 13) morning.

We understand that this process will not be smooth for the first week, but our Kennedy students are adaptable and amazing. We are confident that they will adjust quickly and follow our new protocols.

As always, thank you for your support, patience, and understanding.

Make it a great day to be a Kennedy Cougar!

One of the great things about Kennedy is that we are a full, comprehensive middle school. Students can choose their electives.

We have increased enrollment and are attempting to determine whether we need to add new elective offerings to our schedule. We also need to ensure that classes are balanced.

During the first 10 days of school, we will not make schedule changes unless a student is missing a class or has multiple of the same class.

We often get asked why students were placed in an elective they didn't choose. This means their top three courses were full, or the class was not offered due to a change in staffing.

We will not change classes so that students can be with friends or for a preferred teacher. Thank you for your understanding.

Students need to listen to the morning announcements to know how they may request a schedule change after the first 10 days of school.