December 2022

Mark your calendar!

December 19 - January 2: District Holiday

January 3: Staff Development Day

January 4: Teacher Work / PLC Day

January 5: Students Return

January 16: District Holiday

The Ascender Parent Portal allows parents to set alerts for grades and attendance and view report cards and progress reports. Parents may also email their child’s teacher from within the Ascender Parent Portal. Simply click on the teacher’s name from the student’s class schedule.

Parents may view the Ascender Parent guide HERE.

Free online tutoring for KISD students! Kennedale ISD is proud to bring Tutor.com to our students for live, one-on-one help, whenever it is needed. Whether it's regular coursework or even SAT prep, Tutor.com is now accessible to students through their Google account. Learn how students can access Tutor.com and more by visiting our Kennedale ISD Tutor.com page.

Kennedale ISD has scheduled a public hearing for its Annual Report during the regular January meeting of the KISD Board of Trustees. The report will include the Texas Academic Performance Report (TAPR), PEIMS Financial Standards Report, District Accreditation Status, Campus Performance Objectives, Report on Violent or Criminal Incidents, Information Received from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) for each High School Campus in the District, and Progress of the District and each Campus toward meeting Board-adopted HB 3 Goals.

Public Hearing Details

Date: January 19, 2023

Time: 6:00 p.m.

Location:

Kennedale High School Media Center

901 Wildcat Way

Kennedale, TX 76060

Families of G/T students statewide are invited to join the Gifted Education Family Network (GEFN)! GEFN is a statewide nonprofit organization providing support, information, and connections for families of gifted students in all populations. We are committed to equity and diversity in gifted education, and we engage in advocacy to support excellence in gifted programming across the state. In addition to providing programming and resources for families, we support the annual G/T Parent Conference at the Baylor Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development and other low-cost opportunities for parent and caregiver engagement. Now is a perfect time for gifted education supporters to connect and organize to provide a unified voice.

Follow this link to join for free and subscribe to their newsletter.

Visit the Gifted Education Family Network website to access social media links and to learn more about their mission, vision, and advisors.

Join us for the next KISD GT Parent and Community Team meeting. See information on the attached flyer.

Parents of English Learners,

As the fall semester comes to a close, your children are getting ready for several spring opportunities to measure their academic growth. Read the Texas Education Agency’s winter newsletter for ideas on helping your student prepare for upcoming testing!

We all know it's harder for students to succeed at school without reliable internet at home. Students need it to complete their homework and access resources critical to their development. Unfortunately, many families can't afford internet service. But there's good news—a new government benefit, the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), provides eligible households with a discount on internet services and devices! To see if you qualify visit the Affordable Connectivity Program site and apply today.

Would you like ideas on how to manage screen time effectively for your age 3-11 child? Do you need recommendations for apps? Common Sense Media has you covered! Watch the brief video below to learn more.

The Parent Pass App has officially launched. This new app from The Best Place for Kids! is a one-stop shop for Fort Worth families.

The Parent Pass™ App is free to use and will provide the opportunity to

• connect with other parents and caregivers that have similar age children and interests in your neighborhood
• provide instant access to vetted health and social services, neighborhood events, and local education resources for families and children
• search child care, after-school, and summer camp openings with up-to-date current availability data

Visit the Parent Pass App webpage to learn more!

Raising Highly Capable Kids is coming to our community! With the assistance of the Kennedale Rotary Club, KISD was awarded a grant to have this unique and proven opportunity to help parents and families.

Raising Highly Capable Kids is a 13-week, evidence-based, multilingual (English, Spanish, Arabic and Chinese) parenting program. It was developed to build stronger families by empowering parents with the confidence, tools, and skills they need to raise healthy, caring, and responsible children. Based on the Search Institute’s 40 Developmental Assets, the program has been proven to increase parent engagement, childhood resilience, and school achievement.

KISD Social Workers, Ms. Kenya Evans and Ms. EmmaLee Whitmire, will be facilitating these sessions, which begin on January 23rd. Please see flyers below for more program information, informational sessions, and dates.

On Tuesday, December 6th, the Counseling Services department held a Parent U Live: Coffee and Cookies with Counseling Services. The Counseling Services department provided time to discuss SEL Curriculum and upcoming classes for parents related to Raising Highly Capable Kids, CCMR testing opportunities, and other department programs.

KISD personnel greatly appreciated the opportunity to visit with families and the high level of turnout and participation!

The Counseling Services Department partners with the CTE Audio Visual program to stream brief and informative videos for families. PARENT U: Miniseries covers a variety of subjects related to social emotional learning themes, post-secondary readiness, and other relevant topics.

Please see below our latest PARENT U sessions.

Therapy Dogs International (TDI) is dedicated to the regulation, testing, and registration of therapy dogs and their volunteer handlers. This volunteer organization provides comfort and companionship to those who need it in many types of facilities, including schools.

Animals have long been recognized as a positive addition to the healing process. Visits from Therapy Dogs have shown an increased level of happiness, calmness, and overall emotional well-being. Studies have shown a decrease in blood pressure and stress levels during Therapy Dog visits.

Therapy Dogs are currently visiting our elementary campuses every Monday. Our goal is to have TDI at every campus by the end of the school year!

Kennedale ISD is investing in College, Career, and Military Readiness for all of our students. This year we are rolling out a new program, Xello, to our Elementary and Middle Schools.

Xello is an online program built to deliver an engaging student learning experience. It teaches 21st century skills and helps students build knowledge and increase planning capabilities to prepare for their future. Students will have the opportunity through Xello to explore career options and post-secondary education opportunities that align with their goals. They will participate in interactive career, personality, and learning style assessments to help them better understand their unique skills and strengths.

KHS is offering a second chance to take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) on Tuesday, January 10, 2023 for any interested 10th-12th grade students. While the ASVAB serves as a required assessment for Military Enlistment, it also offers career exploration opportunities for students interested in other post-secondary options.

Kennedale High School will offer the SAT School Day to interested 11th grade students on Wednesday, March 22, 2023 at no cost to the student . The SAT is a globally recognized college admission test that is accepted at all U.S. colleges, measuring what students are learning in high school and what they need to know to succeed. SAT School Day gives students the opportunity to take the SAT on a weekday, instead of a weekend, in the comfort of their own school.

Students taking SAT School Day need not register themselves through College Board; rather, they should complete the registration form at the link Registration Form: SAT School Day | 11th Grade. The deadline to register is February 14, 2023 at 4:00 PM.

Did you know Kennedale High School offers courses in Culinary Arts that provide students high-quality opportunities in the kitchen lab setting while working to earn their national certification in ServSafe Manager? The Culinary Arts students plan, prepare, and serve meals for various campus, district, and community events while they acquire skills relevant to current industry standards.

At KHS, intermediate level culinary students run a morning bistro. Each morning intermediate culinary students open a café out of their kitchen where staff members can grab a gourmet coffee and light breakfast. The Practicum of Culinary students have a wide variety of catering opportunities throughout the year, including a service for KHS staff members to purchase lunch 1-2 times per week. Students in the Culinary program are working towards a dinner series during the 2022-2023 school year to enable students to experience restaurant style career opportunities.

Did you know that KHS students now have course offerings in the field of welding? Through a partnership with Tarrant County College South Campus, KHS students in 11th and 12th grades can take dual credit courses designed to prepare them for entry-level careers in the welding industry. Students who successfully complete the series of courses in the program will earn both their Level 1 Certificate as recognized by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating board as well as a certification from the American Welding Society.

Are you looking for preparation or study materials for your student for SAT, ACT, TSI, AP, or ASVAB exams? Does your student want to explore career paths and other career-related skills or opportunities?

Free, high-quality resources are available on the EBSCO LearningExpress/TexQuest hub. This platform provides a dynamic eLearning collection to help learners who are college, career, or military-bound prepare for success. Resources include tutorials, practice sets and tests, e-books, flash cards, articles, directed guidance, and video tutorials.

Students can create a free account and access EBSCO Learning Express/TexQuest by following these steps:

1) Go to http://www.learningexpresshub.com/prepstephighschool?AuthToken=E7131D7E-998F-4179-8619-14301A0D67C4.

2) Click "Sign In/Register".

3) Fill in your information; be sure to use your KISD student e-mail address.

Kennedale ISD also offers another resource, Tutor.com, for SAT exam preparation. Tutor.com is FREE, and students can access it through their Clever account.

Kennedale ISD also offers Tutor.com FREE for all students. Tutor.com has study prep and help for the SAT. Students can access Tutor.com using their Clever account.

Visit the Parent Resources section of the Kennedale ISD website to find previous versions of the Wildcat Wire!

Follow KISD Curriculum and Student Services on Facebook and Twitter!

Email: CSS@kisdtx.net
Website: kennedaleisd.net
Location: 140 West Kennedale Parkway, Kennedale, TX, USA
Phone: 817.563.8000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KennedaleISDCurriculum
Twitter: @KennedaleCSS