Cougar Connect
Week of February 19, 2024
Principal's Message
There will be no school this week (February 19-23). School will resume on Monday, February 26.
We had another busy week at Kennedy last week, so I'm sharing photos from students' STEAM field trip to The Tech Interactive, our Cougar Leaders lunchtime event, our Reclassification Ceremony at Hoover School, our Lunar New Year celebration, and our trip to the Black History Museum in Downtown Redwood City.
Grades
Teachers have updated grades, so please log on to PowerSchool to check your student's progress. If you do not have your own PowerSchool account, you can ask your student to log on to PowerSchool and show you their grades.
Trimester two ends March 8. Make sure your students are completing daily homework, weekly i-Ready minutes, reading an independent reading book each day for at least 45 minutes, and turning in assignments on time.
8th-Grade Updates
We held an 8th-Grade informational session on Thursday, February 15, and here is the information from that meeting:
Link to 8th-Grade Parent Letter
Save the Date(s):
Great America: Friday, May 24, 2024
Promotion Ceremony: Tuesday, June 11 6:00 - 7:00 pm
8th-Grade Dance: Tuesday, June 11 7:15 - 10:00 pm
Support with the 8th-Grade Dance
We are going to have an 8th Grade Dance Planning Meeting on Monday, March 4, 2024 from 7-8pm. Join us if you are interested in helping out with planning the graduation dance.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us05web.zoom.us/j/81633633131?pwd=ftaGaB50Noxfg2Rbd45bo1iNzBaklY.1
Meeting ID: 816 3363 3131
Passcode: 4qkFuR
Reminders:
- A 2.0 cumulative GPA is required in order to participate in all 8th-grade events and the promotion ceremony.
- Repeated minor behavior concerns (dress code, cell phone, late to class, disrespect) and major behavior concerns (suspensions, opportunity school) will impact students' ability to participate in events.
- Talk to your students. Check their grades on PowerSchool.
- Trimester 2 ends Friday, March 8.
- Reach out to the Kennedy Family Center for any additional support for your student or your family.
We are looking forward to celebrating with all of our 8th-graders. Encourage your students to do their best. This is an important milestone in their lives, and we want to celebrate with everyone!
Have a safe and restful break.
See you soon!
Mrs. Leonardo
Black History Month at Kennedy
Fifty Kennedy students were able to visit Redwood City’s Domini Hoskins Black History Museum to learn about Black Americans’ impact on American and world history. Following our trip, we returned to Kennedy and ate a soul food lunch from Backayard restaurant (fried chicken, collard greens, macaroni and cheese, bbq ribs, candied yams, peach cobbler, pecan pie, and sweet tea). Students got to learn how enslaved Black Americans changed these foods and why they are important to the Black community.
If you haven’t had the chance, visit the museum! It’s located at 890 Jefferson Avenue in Redwood City.
On Thursday, February 29, we will have a Black History Month assembly. We plan to have a few local individuals volunteer their time to educate students about Black history. We also plan to have the Kennedy Jazz Band perform and have students present their research projects and recite a poem. Thank you to Ms. Camara and her students for being willing to participate in the assembly.
Reclassification Ceremony at Hoover
Congratulations to our multilingual students who are now reclassified as English proficient. We are proud of your hard work!
Lunar New Year at Kennedy
Once again, our Mandarin Immersion parents volunteered their time at Kennedy to help students celebrate Lunar New Year. Our Mandarin elective and immersion students were able to make rice balls on Wednesday. Then, at lunch on Friday, students got to learn how to use chopsticks, make brush art, and wear traditional Chinese clothing. Thank you to Ms. Cao, our Mandarin Immersion students, and our Mandarin Immersion families for helping us celebrate Lunar New Year!
Cougar Leaders
Our 8th-grade mentors were able to spend some time with their 6th-grade mentees on Thursday. Thank you to Mr. Bosnich and Ms. Cardona for assisting with Cougar Leaders.
The Tech Interactive Field Trip
Thank you to our PTO and parent volunteers for making the STEAM field trip to The Tech Interactive in San Jose possible. Students from Ms. Hernandez, Ms. Nienke, and Mrs. Virnich's STEAM electives were able to attend the field trip.
7th-Grade Grand Canyon Trip Update
Reservations for this year's Grand Canyon field trip have been confirmed! Students attending the Grand Canyon field trip received a flyer with information about upcoming events and the payment process.
Before the Mandatory Parent and Student Meeting on February 27th, the fee must be collected as soon as possible. You can pay via Zelle® or pay by check. These are the only two forms of payment accepted. Please reach out to the trip's treasurer by email if you have any questions about payment: kennedygrandcanyon@gmail.com/
For Payments By Check:
- Make your check payable to JFKMSEEF.
- Write your child’s name in the memo line and “GCT”
- Hand deliver the check to JFKMSEEF, 1943 Kentucky Ave., Redwood City, CA 94061 OR
- Drop in the JFKMSEEF Dropbox in the Kennedy School office.
For Payments By ZELLE:
Make payment to John F Kennedy Middle School Expeditionary Education Foundation (or JFKMSEEF) as a recipient. Our account uses our email
address: kennedygrandcanyon@gmail.com PLEASE NOTE YOUR CHILD’S FIRST AND LAST NAMES IN THE MEMO.
Please review the information and email Maestro Alfredo (aoropeza@rcsdk8.net) if you have any questions or concerns.
Sports Updates
Sign Up to Play Soccer with Redwood City Parks and Rec
We now look forward to soccer in the spring! Registration will open on Monday, November 20 and run through Wednesday, February 14. We highly encourage players to register early and online! Here is the link to online registration - Online Registration - Redwood City After School Sports Soccer
Parents can also go to our website to find additional information and download forms - Redwood City After School Sports (teamsideline.com)
Speaking of the Spring, we are launching a new Girls Flag Football Program for girls! Registration can be done online - A League of Their Own - Girls Flag Football Program or in person at Red Morton Community Center.
In addition, we have Redwood City Parks and Rec offers their traditional Spring Programs (Tennis, Run Club, Skateboarding, Watersports, Golf, and Pickleball). Please visit our website for more information - Redwood City After School Sports (teamsideline.com).
Student & Family Handbook
In order to make our handbook for students and families more accessible, we have digitized it. Please know that the information in the handbook will be continually updated to ensure families are informed. Students received planners during the fourth week of school, and included in the planner is the student handbook.
Click to view and save the Kennedy Student & Family Handbook.
Kennedy's Amazon Wishlist
We are incredibly grateful for your support! Thank you!
Our wishlist contains items requested by teachers at Kennedy. It now contains items we need for our STEAM and art electives.
Upcoming Events
February
February Break ~ No School Feb 19-23
February 27th PTO Meeting Zoom 7:05-8:30 pm
February 28th School Site Council 3:30 - 4:30
February 29th Black History Month Assembly
February 29th ELAC 4:00 - 5:00 pm
Click here to view the most up-to-date version of the Kennedy Calendar of Events.
Kennedy Middle School
Email: cleonardo@rcsdk8.net
Website: https://kennedy.rcsdk8.net
Location: 2521 Goodwin Avenue, Redwood City, CA, USA
Phone: 650.482.2409
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kennedymiddleschool