Kenwood Newsletter-Sept. 2021
Check each Sunday for updates at the top of this newsletter
September 27th-October 1st
I hope everyone enjoyed their longer break and are ready to get back into motion.
This month we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month beginning September 15th and Constitutional Day on September 17th. See our September Newsletter for more information.
We've started our fall fundraiser and your involvement is needed more than ever! We would love to make this our ONLY product fundraiser this school year. The funds help provide our students with field trips and funding for classroom wants and needs. The deadline is September 30th. This is an optional activity. If you'd rather not your child do sales but still want to help out our school and students, you can donate money directly to the PTO. You can support the fundraiser by any of the following:
- Purchase items out of the catalog for you and your family.
- Share your fundraiser on social media, by email, or text on www.ShopFund.com
- Ask neighbors, co-workers, friends & others to purchase and show their support.
P.S. We will hit our fundraising goal if your family sells just 10 items.
I apologize about the confusion for the Kenwood Student Directory Link. I'm giving one more day to get your information on the directory before I send it out next week. Please put in your information by Monday, September 27th by 6:00 PM.
Other upcoming events:
- Tuesday, September 28th-Hearing screening for grades 1-4
- Thursday, September 30th-4th graders attend UNK Health & Fitness Day-all day
- Friday, October 1st-Kindergarteners go to MPAC for Jim Salestrom in the afternoon, Super Reading Buddies at 2:50 pm
FUNDRAISER INFORMATION
JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR KENWOOD 4TH GRADE
HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH
Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988. The day of September 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September18, respectively. Also, Columbus Day or Día de la Raza, which is October 12, falls within this month.
CONSTITUTION DAY-SEPTEMBER 17TH
The Constitution of the United States created America’s national government and fundamental laws, and guaranteed certain basic rights for its citizens. It was signed on September 17, 1787, by delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. Under America’s first governing document, the Articles of Confederation, the national government was weak and states operated like independent countries. At the 1787 convention, delegates devised a plan for a stronger federal government with three branches—executive, legislative and judicial—along with a system of checks and balances to ensure no single branch would have too much power. The Bill of Rights were 10 amendments guaranteeing basic individual protections, such as freedom of speech and religion, that became part of the Constitution in 1791. To date, there are 27 constitutional amendments.
Second Step Focus: Skills for Learning-Continuing on focusing attention
SEPTEMBER BIRTHDAYS
3rd-Sadie K.
4th-Adamari C.
6th-Kaylee S.
7th-Sophia S., Liam K., Holly K., Alahna E.,
8th-Levi S.
9th-Nora D.
10th-Emersyn V., Joseph M.
11th-Ivy Davis, Amelia S.
13th-Tatum R., Abigail H.
16th-Collin B., De'Yazay H.
17th-Ellie N., Logan S.
19th-Chase R., Owen W.
20th-McKaelah S., Deston L.
21st-Weston S., Kiani M.
22nd Jesyha M., Aubree P., Charlie M.
23rd-Isabella R.
24th-Alex M., Charlotte A.
25th-Kayla J., Conner P., Adelie K.
27th-Elly G., Kora W.
28th-Kree G.
29th-Anh N.
30th-Ellasyn P.
Tuesday, September 28th-health screening
Thursday, September 30th-4th grade at UNK Health & Fitness Day
Friday, October 1st-Kindergarten attends Jim Salestrom at MPAC in afternoon, Super Reading Buddy Day
Tuesday, October 5th-Smokey Bear presentation for Kindergarten
Tuesday, October 12th-Kenwood PTO Meeting at 7 PM
SEPTEMBER 20-24
Here's this week's events:
- Monday, September 20th--Our last parent-teacher conference night from 4:00-8:30 PM. Call Mrs. Feddersen or go to the sign up genius to make your appointment. We'd love to see you.
- Monday, September 20th-Book Fair in the library from 4:00-8:30 PM
- NO SCHOOL Wednesday, September 22nd through 24th--Professional development for teachers and compensation days for conferences.
Our PTO School Fundraiser Kick-Off was this past Thursday. Your child came home with packet information. The deadline is September 30th. The funds help provide our students with field trips and funding for classroom wants and needs. This is an optional activity. If you'd rather not your child do sales but still want to help out our school and students, you can donate money directly to the PTO.
The Kenwood Student Directory link is also included with this information. Tomorrow is the last day to sign up to include your child's information. This directory can be used to set up play dates, birthday parties, etc... If you want your child's information shared, please click on the Kenwood Student Directory Link and share whatever information you are comfortable in sharing. This is optional. The teachers and school are not in the business of setting up parties and giving out information so this should help those who are seeking this information for those events.
Parent-Teacher Conferences-Night #3
Monday, Sep 20, 2021, 04:00 PM
Kenwood Elementary School, 16th Avenue, Kearney, NE, USA
Second Step Focus Skill: Skills for Learning--Focusing Attention
Monday, September 20th-Parent-Teacher Conferences, 4:00-8:30 PM
Wednesday, September 22nd-No school for students, Professional Development Day for teachers
Thursday & Friday, September 23rd-24th--No school
Monday, September 27th-health screening
Wednesday, September 29th-Flu shots in the morning
Thursday, September 30th-4th grade at UNK Health & Fitness Day
Friday, October 1st-Kindergarten attends Jim Salestrom at MPAC in afternoon, Super Reading Buddy Day
Tuesday, October 5th-Smokey Bear presentation for Kindergarten
Tuesday, October 12th-Kenwood PTO Meeting at 7 PM
September 13-17
This week is going to be a busy one for us all. We have two evenings of parent-teacher conferences. The Book Fair will be held in the library at the same time so please stop by and help support our library and your child's reading.
UNK students will be welcoming our students to school on Wednesday this week. It's a part of their UNK #BeKind movement.
We also have our fundraiser kick-off on Thursday afternoon. Your child will be bringing home a packet of information on how to help raise funds for our school. This is our biggest fundraiser of the school year and helps provide field trips and funding for school needs. We also want you to know that we do not encourage selling door to door to people you do not know. We want this to be easy and safe for everyone while continuing to help support our school.
Friday is School Picture Day. School picture information and online ordering links can be found on the Smores Newsletter, weekly newsletter, and the Kenwood website. You can pre-order now using the code or up to 48 hours after picture day.
Also on Friday is our first snack sales day. Our PTO sponsors this event and asks that certain grade levels donate healthy snacks for students to purchase. Fifth grade is being asked to donate for this first sale. Students can bring quarters to school and purchase a healthy snack. Depending on the number of donations, students can purchase more than one item. Please send a quarter with your child on Friday. Healthy Snacks include fruit snacks, crackers, raisins, granola bars, etc... We ask that you do not donate cupcakes or sweets. Thank you in advance for your donations.
The Kenwood Student Directory link is also included with this information. This directory can be used to set up play dates, birthday parties, etc... If you want your child's information shared, please click on the Kenwood Student Directory Link and share whatever information you are comfortable in sharing. This is optional. The teachers and school are not in the business of setting up parties and giving out information so this should help those who are seeking this information for those events.
Just so you're aware, next week is a short week for your child(ren). They will only have school on Monday and Tuesday so this would be a good time to schedule any doctor's appointments or visits with family during those days that we are not in school.
That's it for this week. Have a wonderful evening!
Parent-Teacher Conferences
Tuesday, Sep 14, 2021, 04:00 PM
Kenwood Elementary School, 16th Avenue, Kearney, NE, USA
Parent-Teacher Conferences--Night #2
Thursday, Sep 16, 2021, 04:00 PM
Kenwood Elementary School, 16th Avenue, Kearney, NE, USA
Order School Pictures Now
Tuesday, September 14th-Parent-Teacher Conferences, 4:00-9:00 PM
Wednesday, September 15th--7:45 AM UNK #BeKind
Thursday, September 16th-Parent-Teacher Conferences, 4:00-8:30 PM
Thursday, September 16th--School Fundraiser Kick-Off, 2:10-2:30 - Kdg & 2nd grade, 2:50-3:10-1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th grade
Friday, September 17th-School Picture Day, Snack Sales (5th grade donations please)
Monday, September 20th-Parent-Teacher Conferences, 4:00-8:30 PM
Wednesday, September 22nd-No school for students, Professional Development Day for teachers
Thursday & Friday, September 23rd-24th--No school
September 6th-10th
Our first PTO Meeting will be Tuesday, September 7th, at 7:00 PM.
A sign up genius will be sent out this week. Please sign up for Parent-Teacher Conferences which will be held on Tuesday, September 14th, Thursday, September 15th, and Monday, September 20th. Our book fair will also be set up in the 300 commons area so please plan on visiting during conference times.
No school on Monday due to Labor Day. I wish you all a great three day weekend!
Second Step Weekly Focus: Being Responsible
Connections-Connecting Social Emotional Learning from School to Home
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 6TH-NO SCHOOL-LABOR DAY
Tuesday, September 7th-PTO Meeting at 7 PM--Art Room-Daycare provided
Tuesday, September 14th-Parent-Teacher Conferences, 4:00-9:00 PM
Thursday, September 16th-Parent-Teacher Conferences, 4:00-8:30 PM
Thursday, September 16th--School Fundraiser Kick-Off
Friday, September 17th-School Picture Day
Monday, September 20th-Parent-Teacher Conferences, 4:00-8:30 PM
August 29th
You all should have received an email from me on Saturday morning stating that beginning on Monday, August 30th, classrooms would be wearing masks. To clarify, this is all students and staff will be required to wear masks. Please make sure your child has a mask before they leave your house or car. They will not have to wear it outside of our building but will be required to wear it inside. We do have some masks at school if you do not have one. This is until September 8th. Thank you for your patience and understanding in this matter. We want to continue "in person" learning so I hope that we all can agree that this is best for us right now.
This week is our last week for FastBridge and NWEA/MAP testing. This is our schedule for this week's testing in Math:
- Monday-FastBridge eMath (one on one) Kindergarten & 1st Grade
- Tuesday
- NWEA/MAP-Grades 3rd, 4th, & 5th
- Wednesday
- NWEA/MAP-1st & 2nd Grade
- Math CAP-students below 40%ile in Math MAP - grades 4 & 5
- Thursday
- Math Auto - 2nd and 3rd Grade
COLOR DAYS are still here for this last week! We help our kindergartners learn and reinforce their colors by wearing a specific color for this last week. The teachers will share class pictures and these can be seen on our weekly Smores newsletter beginning next week. Here are this week's colors:
- Monday-Purple
- Tuesday-Black/White
- Wednesday-Brown
- Thursday-Gray
- Friday-Favorite Color
This past Friday we completed many drills such as lockdown, tornado, fire, and evacuation. I don't know if it's because I'm getting older and possibly more patient but this was the BEST that I've ever seen our students do. They practiced like it was real. They were silent and respectful, following their teacher's directions. Our older students helped the younger ones. They worked as a TEAM and were AMAZING! Thank you for sharing your children with us at Kenwood!
Our Second Step focus of the week, Being Respectful. One rule we have here at our school is “Be Respectful”. Being respectful helps everyone feel welcome and safe. When we act respectfully, we listen carefully to each other, help each other, and try to understand how someone else feels. When we speak respectfully, we use friendly words and say please and thank you. We don’t call other people names. This week, think about how you can act and speak in respectful ways in the classroom, hallway, lunchroom, and out at recess.
Theme: Setting the Stage Focus Skill: Be Respectful
August 30th-PURPLE, 3rd grade #BeKind Pep Rally
August 31st-BLACK/WHITE
September 1st-BROWN
September 2nd-GRAY
September 3rd-WEAR YOUR FAVORITE COLOR, Super Reading Buddy Day
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 6TH-NO SCHOOL-LABOR DAY
Tuesday, September 7th-PTO Meeting at 7 PM--Art Room-Daycare provided
Ms. Lehmann's 1st Grade Color Days
Ms. Szafrajda's 1st Grade Class-Color Days
Mrs. Thompson's 1st Grade Color Days
Mrs. Birdwell's 2nd Grade Color Days
Mrs. Buss's 2nd Grade Color Days
Mrs. Gilbreath's 2nd Grade Color Days
Mrs. Hogeland's 3rd Grade Color Days
Mrs. Mundorf's 3rd Grade Color Days
Mrs. Lebsack's 4th Grade Color Days
Mrs. Luedke's 5th Grade Color Days
Mrs. Bartee's 5th Grade Color Days
Need to get a hold of a teacher, see the information at the bottom of this newsletter. We are here to help you!
LET'S STAY CONNECTED
Kenwood School Song
Mrs. Clevenger
Email: jilclevenger@kearneycats.com
Website: https://kenwood.kearneypublicschools.org/
Location: 915 16th Avenue, Kearney, NE, USA
Phone: 308-698-8200
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kenwoodelementary/
Kenwood Staff Contacts
Principal:
Jill Clevenger-jilclevenger@kearneycats.com
Principal Intern: (here until October 15th)
Tamisha Osgood: tamosgood@kearneycats.com
Secretary:
Saralyn Feddersen - sarfeddersen@kearneycats.com
Social Worker:
Logann Harris--starts the week of August 30th--At Kenwood on Wednesdays & Thursdays and alternating Fridays
Counselor:
Counselor-Mary Fruhling- marfruhling@kearneycats.com
Ashlee Bauer-ashbauer@kearneycats.com
Tori Fiala-torfiala@kearneycats.com
Sue Liveringhouse-sueliveringhouse@kearneycats.com
First Grade:
Jessika Lehmann-jeslehmann@kearneycats.com
Megan Szafrajda-megszafrajda@kearneycats.com
Barb Thompson-barthompson@kearneycats.com
Second Grade:
Allison Birdwell-allbirdwell@kearneycats.com
Tami Buss-tambuss@kearneycats.com
Holly Gilbreath-holgilbreath@kearneycats.com
Third Grade:
Rachelle Chamberlain - racchamberlain@kearneycats.com
Melinda Hogeland-melhogeland@kearneycats.com
Kat Mundorf-katmundorf@kearneycats.com
Fourth Grade:
Theison Anderson-theanderson@kearneycats.com
Megan Buerer - megbuerer@kearneycats.com
Lynn Lebsack - lynlebsack@kearneycats.com
Fifth Grade:
Jane Bartee-janbartee@kearneycats.com
Broc Howard - brohoward@kearneycats.com
Beckie Luedke-becluedke@kearneycats.com
Specials:
PE-Hope Gillaspy - hopgillaspy@kearneycats.com
Art-Rivkah Raffaeli - rivraffaeli@kearneycats.com
Music-Jake Consbruck - jacconsbruck@kearneycats.com
Media/Library-Mary Roesler- marroesler@kearneycats.com
Counselor-Mary Fruhling- marfruhling@kearneycats.com
Title Reading-Janice Polk - janpolk@kearneycats.com
Title Reading-Lisa Martenson - lismartenson@kearneycats.com
Special Education/TLC-Amanda McConnell - amamcconnell@kearneycats.com
Special Education-Katie Butler - katbutler@kearneycats.com
Special Education-Brooke Modlin - bromodlin@kearneycats.com
Speech/Language-Trish Abels - triabels@kearneycats.com
School Psychologist-Ashley Carrier - ashcarrier@kearneycats.com
Nurse-Sara Gomez--sargomez@kearneycats.com
About Us
Website: https://kenwood.kearneypublicschools.org/
Location: 915 16th Avenue, Kearney, NE, USA
Phone: 3086988200
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kenwoodelementary/