Kennedy Cougars

Dear Kennedy Families and Caregivers,

As notified earlier, the iDecide survey will be administered next week. Kennedy and Wilson will be surveying grade 8 students ONLY this year. Details about the program are in the "SIX things you need to know" section below.

Extended Deadline for Yearbook Purchase:

We have extended the deadline to purchase the 2023 Kennedy Middle School yearbook! You have until Wednesday, February 8th to reserve a copy for your student. The KMS Yearbook is a full-color, 64+ page, hardcover book that chronicles the highlights of the 2022-23 school year. After Wednesday, February 8th we can't guarantee a book will be available as we are required to place our order count with the yearbook production company on the 9th so order your book today.

To order your copy visit https://yearbookforever.com/schools/kennedy_middle_school_329756/HkcvAiCcshLRB67dq4mpxkKM. To check to see if you have already ordered a book, search your email for the word "Walsworth" and look for a receipt from this school year.

Email the Yearbook Adviser Karin Cloutier at kknapik@natickps.org with any questions.

News from Spark Kindness:

Differently Wired: SOS for Parents in the Trenches

Tuesday, February 7 at 7pm via Zoom -- For parents, caregivers, educators, and community members

Behind every child who is differently wired is likely one or more frustrated, isolated, perhaps even burnt out adult. In this practical and actionable talk, author and parenting activist Debbie Reber, MA, shares ten powerful “tilts,” a.k.a. practical ideas to help parents shift their thinking and give their extraordinary children what they need to thrive.

ASL interpretation will be provided at this event. Register and learn more about this FREE online program and all our upcoming events at www.SPARKKindness.org

See graphic provided below.

Positivity Project News

This week our school community will be focusing on the character strength of Teamwork. Teamwork means you work well as a member of a group or team. You are loyal, reliable, and dedicated to helping your team achieve its goals.

Teamwork is the ability and willingness to place overall group success as a higher priority than individual achievement. Those who demonstrate strengths in teamwork often work to help all group members find success. These individuals are willing to commit time and resources in order to further group goals and help toward the greater good.

To practice and encourage the character strength of teamwork with your child, please visit the Positivity Project’s P2 for Families (password: P2) where together you will watch a video, read a quote and talk about the answers to three questions.

Here is the teamwork parent letter for this week's character strength.

Athletics Update: Yet another basketball sweep week!!!

Girls basketball

Kennedy defeats Wellesley #1 34 - 29

Kennedy defeats Wellesley #2 37 - 15

Boys basketball

Kennedy defeats Wellesley #1 50 - 43

Kennedy defeats Wellesley #2 60 - 35

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. Stay warm!

Regards,

Jodie Cohen, Principal

“Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean."

~ Ryunsuke Satoro

Twitter - @KennedyMSNatick

Instagram - @KennedyMSNatick

#weR1Kennedy

#hearusROAR

#cougarpride
#positivityinaction

1 - iDecide Survey Notification - Week of 2/6/2023

iDECIDE (Drug Education Curriculum: Intervention, Diversion, and Empowerment), is a drug education curriculum developed to provide behavioral support and psycho-education for middle and high school students. The program is designed to serve as a secondary prevention effort for youth (grades 6 -12) at risk for escalation to problematic substance use and as an alternative to suspension, expulsion, and other exclusionary practices for school-based substance use infractions. iDecide provides schools and communities the resources to empower students to engage in healthy decision making. iDecide is not a cessation program, and is not meant to be used in lieu of treatment. Natick Public Schools was chosen to work in partnership with iDecide, a program produced by Mass General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

For more information about the iDecide program and its brief survey for students, USE THIS LINK.

2 - Upcoming screening notification: (move to bottom section)

SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral for Treatment) screenings begin February 6, 2023 and will be conducted for all 7th grade students over the next several months by specially trained school professionals. SBIRT is a state mandated screening intended to identify substance use risk behaviors and to improve health, safety, resilience and success in students. Please click the link below for important information about SBIRT or to opt your student out of this screening:

2023 KMS SBIRT Screening Parent Notification Letter

3 - From the Nurses Health Clinic:

If your student tests positive for Covid-19, they must stay home for 5 days. The day they started symptoms is Day 0, the next day is Day 1, then Day 2, etc. They may return to school on Day 6 and must wear a mask for an additional 5 days. A headache, scratchy throat, congestion/runny nose, cough, and/or fever are some of the more common symptoms of Covid-19.

Siblings and close contacts do not need to quarantine and can come to school as long as they are not having symptoms of illness. However, they must wear a mask for 10 days when around others following exposure.

Click for more information from the Massachusetts DPH: Covid-19 Isolation and Exposure Guidance

4 - Information notification letters about math placement

For information about the math placement process, please see the letters below.

22-23 6th to 7th opening placement letter

22-23 7th to 8th opening placement letter

5 - Grade 8 to 9 Transition to Natick High School Timeline

Here is the link to the Grade 8 to 9 Transition Timeline.

6 - UPCOMING SCHOOL EVENTS for your calendar

• February 6th - Faculty meeting - no afternoon clubs
• February 8th - Professional Development Day - Dismissal at 11:30am
• February Vacation - Monday, February 20th - Friday, February 24th
• Trimester 2 ends - Friday, March 17th
• Trimester 3 begins - Monday, March 20th
• Trimester 3 ends - TBD (depends on last day of school based on snow days)

Natick Public Schools is excited to announce our partnership with Paper for on-demand tutoring for NHS students. Paper is a secure, online tutoring service that provides students with unlimited, 24/7 academic support. Whether they’re stuck on homework, studying for a test, or need someone to read and make suggestions to their essays, there will always be experts available online to assist students in over 200 subjects and more than 4 languages.

Paper tutors have been specially trained to conduct expert, academic support in a secure, chat-based platform. With a commitment to helping students learn, they’ll never give students answers, but rather interact with them in an encouraging tone to lead them forward.

This is a free service that we’re providing, so students are encouraged to use it as much as they need, whenever they need. Our teachers also have accounts and will be able to review all student activity to see what they’re working on and provide more targeted instruction as needed.

If you’d like to learn more about Paper you can sign up for a Paper hosted Parent Info Session, available in both English and Spanish.

To see Paper and the help it offers firsthand, we encourage you to login with your students. To get started, simply visit PAPER’s student login page, type your school’s name, and log in via Google using your school credentials

We’re thrilled to offer our students the unlimited, 24/7 support that Paper provides and we can’t wait to see what we’re able to accomplish together.

Our Kennedy Middle School PTO works hard behind the scenes to support our school in a variety of ways. They are working diligently to bring great activities to our school community. Please check out their website for more information.

Natick Public Schools does not discriminate in employment nor its educational programs, services, and activities based on race, creed, color, age, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, physical and intellectual differences, immigration status, homeless status, or any other basis prohibited by law. Please be aware all electronic communication to and from Natick Public Schools is public record and subject to public disclosure per Massachusetts General Law Chapter 66, Section 10.

• Title I: Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990Title II
• Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990Title VI
• Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964Title IX
• Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972
• MGL, Ch.76, Section 5: Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 76, Section 5