KMS Up2Date
February 5, 2021
Principal's Message
Today marks the end of the second quarter and report cards will be published on Friday, February 12. If you have any questions regarding your student's grades, please reach out to his or her teachers. Report cards will be published in ASPEN on the parent portal. If you would like a hard copy sent to you, please contact your child's school counselor.
Please see the announcement regarding SurveyWorks! which is administered each year through RI Department of Education. We use the data to improve our school's culture and learning. Please take some time to complete the survey before the March 31 deadline. Thank you in advance for your help and support.
Have a great weekend,
Dennis Morrell, Principal
Reminder.....Monday, February 8 is "A Day"!!!
New Schedule Rotation Begins Monday
KMS BinaxNOW Covid-19 Testing
KMS Families
The Bristol Warren Regional School District (BWRSD) takes the health and safety of our students and their families very seriously. As such, in addition to screening protocols, and mask and social distancing requirements, we are adding a voluntary K-12 COVID-19 testing program for students and staff. This program uses BinaxNOW tests provided by the federal government.
Testing will only be completed with parent/guardian (for students) or staff consent. A COVID-19 Testing Consent Form is located in Aspen under the “Tasks'' widget area (similar to the “Covid Daily Student/Staff Screening”) .
This Consent Form only needs to be completed once for parents/guardians and staff to agree to periodic testing for the remainder of the 2020-21 school year.
This testing is required for all student athletes and coaches. For all other students and staff, It is optional, but strongly encouraged to help us keep our schools as healthy and safe as possible.
What is the test?
The BinaxNOW COVID-19 test involves using a swab placed inside the tip of the nose to collect a specimen for testing. For students under the age of 12, a trained COVID-19 test facilitator will conduct the swab test. Students ages 12 and older will be assisted through the process by a trained test facilitator.
Students athletes and coaches will be tested weekly, beginning next week (see details in the section below). All other students and staff will be tested once every 1-2 weeks beginning the first two weeks in February. PLEASE NOTE: Students or staff who have tested positive within the last 90 days of a BinaxNOW test date will not be tested.
Staff or parents/guardians will only be notified by the school nurse if there is a positive test result. Results will then be reported to the RIDOH. Students who test positive will be immediately taken to an isolation room and parents/guardians will be notified to pick up the student within the hour. Parents/guardians should contact their primary care physician, and schedule a test at K-12 portal.ri.gov. Staff who test positive will immediately be sent home and should also contact their primary care physician and schedule a test at K-12 portal.ri.gov.
The BinaxNOW test is only for individuals who are asymptomatic (not showing symptoms). Staff or students who are exhibiting any symptoms of COVID-19 should remain home, contact their primary care physician, and schedule a test at K-12 portal.ri.gov.
Disclaimer:
While we realize precautions will be taken for the safety of students, please understand that neither the test facilitator nor the BWRSD, nor any of its committee members, officers, or employees are liable for any accident or injuries that may occur to your child or yourself (if you are a student age 18 or older), as a result of agreeing to the test.
If you have questions regarding the BinaxNOW testing program, please contact Erin Welchman, KMS School Nurse Teacher, (Erin.Welchman@bwrsd.org), or Dennis Morrell, Principal, (Dennis.Morrell@bwrsd.org).
Thank you!
KMS Student Athlete BinaxNOW Testing Procedures
BinaxNOW Covid-19 Testing for Student Athletes
Binax testing for student athletes is mandatory and will take place every Tuesday (A Group) and Thursday (B Group) in the school gym beginning on February 2, 2021, and running through the end of the winter sports season with the exception of February 15, which is Presidents’ Day. Virtual students should arrive at KMS at 2:00 on these testing days.
PARENTS/GUARDIANS will need to complete a COVID-19 Testing Consent Form for their student athlete which is located in Aspen under the “Tasks'' widget area (similar to the “Covid Daily Student/Staff Screening”). If you are unable to access Aspen a copy of the consent form can be found here or attached below. PLEASE NOTE: We will not test any student who does not have a consent form on file.
This Consent Form only needs to be completed once for parents/guardians and staff to agree to periodic testing for the remainder of the 2020-21 school year.
Inside the gym, athletes will receive their Binax swab and self swab under direction of a school facilitator (School nurse, or other trained BWRSD Staff). The test will be collected and the student athlete will be dismissed.
School staff will monitor the test card for results. Athletes and their families will only be contacted in the event of a positive test result.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. Thank you!
BWRSD BinaxNOW Testing Consent Form
Watch this "how to" video on completing the online form
We need your help!
SurveyWorks Family Survey
Dear Parents:
The Rhode Island Department of Education is currently administering its annual SurveyWorks Family Survey, which is an opportunity for family members to provide feedback about our school community and our children’s opportunities to learn. The survey results are most useful when all families participate, so I am writing to ask you to participate in this survey.
Your views on matters like the safety of your child at school, the way students are taught, the condition of the school, and how connected you feel to this school are important. By taking this short survey, you can help our school leadership and school community to make improvements. Responses are anonymous and cannot be linked to any individual; no one can tie your responses back to you.
You can take the short survey online now thru March 31. To take the survey, visit bit.ly/ridefamily . Choose your school from the dropdown list.
Our goal is to have 250 families participate! If we meet that goal, each family will be put into a drawing for one of the four Swarovski-Touchstone Crystal gifts. The drawing will take place the week of April 5th.
Thank you,
Frank DeVall
Dean of Students
SurveyWorks Coordinator
KMS Student Attendance REMINDER
As communicated throughout this year, all students, both hybrid or virtual, must log in to daily homeroom by 8:30 am. We give the students a 5 minute window until 8:35 to complete this important task. If a student fails to log in to daily homeroom (period 1) they are marked absent.
If you receive an automated attendance call that your student is absent, or your child has missed or was late to homeroom, you may email KMSAttendance@bwrsd.org to update the attendance record.
Another issue with which we need your support is that some "at home" students will log into homeroom, but do not attend any classes (or few classes) during the school day. Attendance during all classes is expected and is important for success. We are working on running reports that will generate an automated call to parents if their student is marked present, but not in a particular class. We are continually looking at ways to increase communication during these difficult times. As you can imagine, it's next to impossible to foresee and solve issues that we have never dealt with in the past.
It's important for everyone to remember that the district's expectation is that students be "in school" from 8:30 - 3:00 every day unless notification to the office is made. The attendance clerk can be reached at 245-2010, ext. 2279 or KMSAttendance@bwrsd.org.
Families are encouraged to continue to monitor student progress in the parent portal. In addition to grades, families can monitor their student's attendance and conduct reports. It is recommended that you log into Aspen on a weekly basis. Second quarter closes on Friday, February 5 and I encourage all parents/guardians to reach out to their student's teachers with any questions.
Husky Happenings
Our "Fur-ever" Friends
A 6th grade student at KMS, Hazel Bradley, has been working hard to raise awareness about animals in need of a home. She has been selected to write the "Pet Feature" in the local newspaper to help animals find their forever home. Her writing is making a difference.
Chromebook Insurance
KMS Spirit Gear Order Form
School Improvement Team
Make Your Grocery Shopping Count for KMS!
Support KMS with Stop & Shop Rewards Program
Welcome back to the start of a new school year and to a new year of A+ School Rewards!
This year’s A+ Program runs from August 7, 2020 through March 13, 2021.
Our school Kickemuit Middle School , ID# 07053: has the opportunity to participate in and earn CASH from A+ School Rewards, a great fundraising program run through your local Stop & Shop! Former Supporters:
You DO NOT need to re-register your card if your school selection(s) remains the same as last year.
New Supporters or Existing Supporters Wishing to Make Changes: • Beginning July 1, 2020, visit stopandshop.com and select “SIGN IN” at the top right to log into your online account. Once logged in, you may select or modify your school choice. • If you do not have an online account, visit stopandshop.com and click “REGISTER”. Follow the prompts to create your online account. Once logged in, follow the same instructions as noted above. • You’ll need your 13-digit STOP & SHOP CARD number and the School ID number. If you need assistance, call 1-877-366-2668 option 1.
We only have 200 cards supporting our school right now! Let's try to reach 300!!!!
Community Information
2021 ARTS Scholarship Program
The Community Outreach Committee of the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) is seeking scholarship applications from talented students ages 11-14 with financial need for the 2021 ARTS Scholarships program. Beginning Thursday, January 14, 2021, links to ARTS Scholarships applications and application guidelines in English and Spanish are available on PPAC’s website at https://www.ppacri.org/artsscholarships.
To ensure the safety of applicants and PPAC staff at this time, applications and supporting materials can only be submitted electronically via Google forms and OneDrive links posted on PPAC’s website. No hard copies of applications or original artwork will be accepted. All applications and supporting materials must be submitted electronically no later than 4P on Friday, February 26, 2021.
To apply for a 2021 ARTS Scholarship, students must:
- submit a completed Google application form completed by the student and their parent or guardian
o Student & Parent/Guardian form: https://forms.gle/ca3YP82pAoV9GbVh8
o Parent/Guardian form in Spanish: https://forms.gle/LFb2xmVabyMMTexs5
- provide a sponsor with the link to the Google sponsor form to complete and submit on their behalf
o Sponsor form: https://forms.gle/W5g8VKnmw9u2TQRn7
- upload a talent sample (detailed photos of artwork, video of dance, singing, or musical performance, etc.) via the link to OneDrive
For complete application guidelines and more information, please visit www.ppacri.org or call Cynthia Goldsmith, Director of Special Projects/Assistant to the President, at (401) 574-3105.