Cougar Connect
Week of January 10, 2022
Principal Message Week of January 10th
Dear Kennedy Families,
2022 is off to a very busy start. As the pandemic continues to be part of our daily lives, I am very encouraged by the Kennedy students, staff, and families who are all working collaboratively helping our students learn despite the current global health conditions. Thank you to our community for following all public health protocols and being responsive to our asks during tracking and tracing. These efforts and collaborative work contribute to helping us keep a safe learning environment at Kennedy.
I would like to review some salient information as we continue to adjust to the current pandemic environment:
If a student or family member within the home is sick or has a positive case, please keep the student home and inform the school. Our nurses will reach out and provide guidance.
We need students to be registered in Primary Health in order to test them at school. Families do have the option to test on their own, however, with the frequency of current close contacts, we believe it is easier to test during our school’s designated weekly times. Any family whose student was a close contact last week and was not registered under primary health, received an individual message on Friday, Jan 7, 2022. If you would like your student to be tested at school, please register them here: https://bit.ly/consentlink.
Identifying Close Contact school procedures
Once administration has been informed of a positive case, we contact the relevant members of staff and trace the student’s day. (A contact is anyone closer than 6 ft for more than 15 minutes)
Kennedy has more contacts than other schools in RCSD based on the nature of the students’ day. (7 periods)
Office Staff will call and inform parents of their options
Letters will go out to the community as soon as the district prepares them. (Please note that it t has been taking longer than in the past due to a recent increase in cases across the district)
Students at home choosing to work Independently
We have students that are symptomatic and asymptomatic working independently from home. Families need to inform Kennedy office staff if this is your student's situation in order for your student's absences to be marked as excused.
Students choosing to work from home can do so asynchronously accessing work on their teachers’ Google classrooms
Families wishing to enroll in the Independent Study option through our district can reach out to Mr. Rosell for information arosell@rcsdk8.net. Families should be aware that the district option is a long-term choice that means your student would no longer be connected to their Kennedy teacher.
COVID-19 Testing Next Week @ Kennedy
Regular testing schedule resumes Tuesday between 10:15-12:15 and Thursday from 1:30 pm and 4:30 pm. Please sign up when you receive the district notification
Let's keep working together, everyone, and please call our office if you have any questions,
Nick Fanourgiakis
Principal
Kennedy Middle School
650482-2409- EX 3111
8th Grade Information
New- 8th Grade Information Night on January 27, 2022 at 6 pm via Zoom. We will discuss 8th grade graduation and end-of-the-year festivities
Round 2 of iReady testing completed. The results impact high school course placement. The MIRA math placement exam will happen in early Feb 2022.
Address Verification continues. Please complete this as soon as possible. See link below.
Open Enrollment Transfers are available to incoming 9th-grade students who wish to attend a school other than their assigned home school. Deadline: Feb 1, 2022,
Tide Academy will be resuming outdoor tours on Mondays and Wednesdays in January from 1:15 p.m. to 2:15 p.m.
For all things related to enrollment at SUHSD, click here
Woodside & Sequoia classroom presentations at Kennedy will be happening in late Feb or early March
Cougar Counseling Corner
Hello Kennedy Families! This is a friendly reminder that we have an amazing team of counselors at the Family Center who are here to support you and the students! As we enter this new year, we invite you to recognize your inner wisdom and let it guide you through each and every day.
Mindfulness tip of the week: In times of uncertainty, it is easy to become overwhelmed with emotions. We invite you to practice mindful breathing at least once a day. Close your eyes, take a deep breath through your nose and slowly exhale through your mouth.
Here is a guided video to help you: https://youtu.be/mqS9wRMW1S4
Referral link: Online Mental Health
Feel free to email us at mlopez3@rcsdk8.net with feedback about this technique and if you would like to see more!
Principal's Coffee Follow-up from last week 1/6/2022
Principal’s Coffee Follow-up
We had a quick Principal’s coffee last Thursday. Thank you to families that joined us and watched a lot of multi-tasking!
I am providing the slide deck below for families that missed it. We went over COVID news, school I-Ready data as well as school climate data.
Kennedy Family Center
Healthy Cities Tutoring
Free COVID Testing
Second Harvest Food Distribution
Second Harvest Food Bank will be at Kennedy in the gym parking lot Tuesday, January 18, at 9:30 am for those who need food.
Healthy Cities Tutoring is a non-profit organization that recruits, trains, and matches volunteer tutors to work one-on-one with students who have been identified by a teacher as needing a little extra help. There is no cost to your family for participating in this tutoring program.
Typically, students and tutors meet one day per week for 45 minutes during the regular school year, in person at a school campus. If due to the pandemic, your personal circumstances do not allow for in-person meetings, we will support remote tutoring via zoom. All remote tutoring will take place after school and once your child has returned home. Parental or caregiver support is required.
If you would like for your child to be tutored through this program this year, then please complete this permission form so that we can begin the process to match your child with one of our tutors.
Boys and Girls Club of the Peninsula
PTO NEWS - 1/9-1/15
PTO NEWS - (1/9 - 1/15)
Kennedy PTO Needs your donations! Check with your employers about donation matching options. Click this link to donate today! https://kennedycougarspto.org/donate-now
Join us via Zoom for our next PTO Meeting on Tuesday, 1/25/22 from 7-8pm. We will discuss upcoming events for this school year.
Check us out on social media for the latest info! Instagram @KennedyCougarsPTO and Facebook at John F Kennedy Middle School Parent Teacher Organization.
KMS classrooms need Kleenex! Please bring tissue donations to the office. Thanks!
Pictures
January Calendar
- January 4th / Tuesday Classes Resume
- January 6th Principal's Coffee 8:45am
- January 17th Martin Luther King ~ No School
- January 20th 5th Grade information night 6 pm
- January 25th Site Council / PTO Meeting 6:00pm-8:30 pm
- January 27th 8th grade information night 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
- Book Fair TBD
Kennedy Middle School Redwood City
Email: nfanourgiakis@rcsdk8.net
Website: https://www.rcsdk8.net/kennedy
Location: Kennedy Middle School, Goodwin Avenue, Redwood City, CA, USA
Phone: 650-482-2409
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kennedymiddleschool/