Kennedy Newsletter for Families
Week of May 5, 2020
A message to my Coyotes:
Principal's Post
Hello Kennedy Families!
It's Teacher Appreciation Week! Please reach out to your child's teachers and let them know how important they are! Kennedy is blessed to have the best teachers in the world! A note of kindness and appreciation sure does go a long way! :)
This past Friday was School Lunch Hero Day, and we celebrated by treating our staff to lunch from Chef's Pizza. These wonderful ladies have worked tirelessly to support our Lynn Garden community. Our cafeteria staff, in addition to several Instructional Assistants have come into school every school day since March 16th to make breakfasts and lunches for our community. As of last Friday KCS has delivered 200,000 meals. Our cafeteria staff is nothing short of AMAZING!! We are so glad to have them and our instructional assistants working to ensure that food is available to our students.
Please let me know if we can be of assistance to your family during our school closure. We are looking forward to the day we are back in the hallways of John F. Kennedy!
I miss you all so much!
Janice Irvin
5th Grade Promotion: Save the Date!
Our drive-through promotion will be one for the history books!
Check your mailbox for a formal invitation!
Resources for Reading
1. 100 Free Online Read Alouds
https://www.indypl.org/blog/for-parents/free-video-read-aloud
2. Pioneer Valley Books- Free Guided Reading Books Online
https://pioneervalleybooks.com/pages/literacy-footprints-digital-reader
Additional at Home Resources:
https://pioneervalleybooks.com/pages/home-resources
3. Scholastic-Learn at Home
https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome/grades-1-2.html
Celebrate Nurse Lundy!
Nurse Lundy is a Hero!
National School Nurse Day was established to foster a better understanding of the role of school nurses in the educational setting and will be celebrated on the Wednesday, May 6 this year, of National Nurse Week, which is May 6th – May 12th each year.
The theme for this year is School Nurses: Supporting Students in Times of Crisis. This theme recognizes that school nurses play an integral role in the health of students, regardless of whether they’re in school or not. School nurses support students and student health every day of the year.
On National School Nurse Day, we want to take a special moment to celebrate and recognize the contributions that school nurses are making to the health and learning of our students. #SND2020
Thank you, Nurse Lundy for your dedication to the health and safety of our Coyotes!
How do I pick up my child(ren)'s stuff? :)
Q: I have items that I need to return to or get from school. How/when should I do that?
KCS elementary schools will hold a drive-thru pick-up/drop-off event at school (entry into classrooms will not be allowed during this event):
Friday, May 15, 8 am - 2 pm
Monday, May 18, 10 am - 5 pm
Items that may be dropped off:
Library books
Classroom books
Payment of outstanding financial obligations
Items that may be picked up:
Yearbooks If available. If not, communication regarding distribution will come from school)
Student belongings left in classroom (will be bagged by classroom teachers)
ECLC nap clothing and feeding supplies
Medications left in school clinic
Other end-of-year information:
Refund checks will be mailed to the student’s home address.
Details regarding 5th grade certificates and awards will be communicated by each individual school.
Final Report Cards will be communicated through the PowerSchool Parent Portal or mailed to the home address (for students without a Parent Portal account).
Virtual Lost and Found
PreK and Kindergarten Registration
Kindergarten Registration for the 2020-21 school year is now open, effectively immediately, via www.k12k.com, "Registration" on the homepage or click Student Registration Information. All new K-12 students may also register at this time.
Only Kingsport residents with children five (5) years of age on or before August 15, 2020 are eligible for Kindergarten. Parents/guardians must register for the school zoned for their residence; only parents or legal guardians may complete student registration documentation.
Pre-k screening will take place as a drive through at Palmer and appointments will be scheduled over a period of time by calling Palmer, 378-2160.
Going to be a 6th Grader Next Year? Want to be in Band or Orchestra?
The form link for enrollment:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSejGUGUDtR1VYFxGpqObVpT7B8tnW1DgZfggP3p9BkRnnQXjw/viewform?usp=sf_link
Going to be a 6th Grader Next Year? Want to be in Choir?
Sincerely, Mrs. Sandra Kerney
Robinson Choral Director
Important - Let's all work together for Lynn Garden!
•Ensure public services and funding for schools, hospitals, and fire departments.
•Plan new homes and businesses and improve neighborhoods.
•Determine how many seats your state is allocated in the House of Representatives.
It only took me 4 minutes to complete. It's worth our time.
Library Books Due
Little Library
Guardian Referral for School Counseling Services during Covid-19 Closure
Dear Kennedy Families, please feel free to fill out this confidential form (password protected) to let Mrs. Oaks-Blair know if you need to request school counseling services for your child. She will then contact you by phone or email.
Click HERE for the referral.
Related Arts Website!
We miss you so much!
Helping Others
Overcoming Challenges
Willingness to Learn
Leading with Respect
Low-cost Internet Information
(WJW) — Amid the coronavirus pandemic that is closing schools, businesses, attractions and events across the country, Comcast Cable is reaching out to low-income families to offer assistance so they can stay connected.
“For millions of low-income Americans who don’t have Internet service at home, this uncertain time is going to be even more difficult to manage,” Comcast said in a press release. “As schools and businesses close and families are encouraged, or even mandated, to stay home, Internet connectivity becomes even more important.”
Starting Monday, Comcast is putting in place two program enhancements to help low-income families.
Here is the breakdown on the packages:
- Low-income families in the Comcast service area can sign up for 60 days of complimentary Internet Essentials service, which is normally available to all qualified low-income households for $9.95/month.
- Also, we are increasing Internet speeds for the Internet Essentials service from 15/2 Mbps to 25/3 Mbps for all new and existing customers, which will be the speed of the service going forward.
To sign up, applicants can simply visit www.internetessentials.com. There are also two dedicated phone numbers 1-855-846-8376 for English and 1-855-765-6995 for Spanish.
Playgrounds Still Closed
As we continue to work with and align with the city on safety decisions, please note that playgrounds will now be closed to the public, starting immediately.
At this time (based on information from the city), other outdoor spaces, such as tennis, tracks, and walking paths, have not been closed. If anything should change regarding this, we will let you know as soon as we are able. This makes me incredibly sad and I can't wait to open it again.
Kennedy is a Bully-Free Zone! #CoyotesAreKind
**** Kennedy Office Staff ****
Cindy Salyer - Office Assistant
Kem Padgett - Award Winning KCS Secretary
Debbie Allen - Family Liaison
Kim Oaks-Blair - School Counselor
Heather Hobbs - Associate Principal
Dr. Janice Irvin - Principal
Kennedy Constants (always included)
We hope you find it helpful! Please let us know if we can clarify anything for you.
Attendance, Absences, and Tardiness
Birthdays
Please only send healthy snacks as a birthday treat for your child's class. We cannot accept cupcakes, cakes, or homemade items. Please make arrangements with your child's teacher before sending in healthy treats.
Flowers, balloons, etc. should not be sent to the office for students. Please give these sweet gifts at home.
Breakfast and Lunch Programs
Ice-cream day is Friday and must be purchased ($1)
Healthy chips can also be purchased ($1)
Bus Transportation
The number to the transportation garage is 392-4416, if needed.
Carline
- During AM drop off, please stay in your car and allow your child to exit independently.
- During AM drop off, please unload at all 4 numbers/lanes. No need to stop at the bottom of the hill.
- During AM drop off, students can walk into the cafe from 7:30-8:05.
- In the afternoons, 4th and 5th grade cars (side parking lot) please turn RIGHT after you pick-up.
- In the afternoons, PLEASE USE YOUR CAR TAG! :) There is often a glare and I cannot see faces until you are right beside me. This helps our line move as quickly as possible.
Communication & Class Dojo
Contact us!
857-2700 - Main Office
857-2704 - Cafe, Karen Mullins
857-2702 -Nurse Lundy
378-2340 -Fax
1500 Woodland Avenue
Kingsport, TN 37665
Discipline
They are:
H- Helping Others
O- Overcoming Challenges
W- Willingness to Learn
L- Leading with Respect
Hear us HOWL!
In addition to these expectations we use Positive Discipline with Lifeskills at Kennedy Elementary. We know that a part of growing our students as leaders includes citizenship and character. We believe our students are the best in Tennessee.
Kennedy Family Lifeskills for Reference
Kennedy Family Positive Discipline Reference
Positive Discipline really boils down to discipline that is kind and firm. We focus on fixing the behavior, not necessarily punishment. It's based on respect and character building.
Drills/AED
Health and Medical
Additionally, we have a tele-medicine program where a child can be seen via a camera and equipment in Nurse Lundy's office. They can receive antibiotics through this program if needed! We encourage you to use this program! It's awesome!
Homework
Lost and Found
Opportunities for Coyotes
AM Tutoring (5th Grade)
Big Brothers Big Sisters (all grades)
Chorus (all grades)
DBYes (DB student mentors)
HOWLers (Boys, 4th and 5th)
Kiwanis Club Readers (volunteers)
RTI - Response to Intervention (time set aside to catch up academically)
STREAM Club
Ladies of Lynn Garden (Girls 4th and 5th)
Lego League
Maker Space (only one in a KCS elementary school!)
Morning Mile (Coach Robbins - 7:45-8:00)
Speech Services for approved students
Spelling Bee (3rd, 4th, and 5th)
Snacks/Water Bottles
Testing Policies
Our KCS Website can be found here: https://www.k12k.com/
Zones of Regulation
In addition to addressing self-regulation, the students will be gaining an increased vocabulary of emotional terms, skills in reading facial expressions, perspective on how others see and react to their behavior, insight on events that trigger their behavior, calming and alerting strategies, problem solving skills and much more. You can connect this work to parenting as home. We are excited to help our Coyotes stay in the Green Zone!
Taken from Zones of Regulation Content
Zoning and Tuition
If you have any questions feel free to contact Alisa Strong (astrong@k12k.com) via email or by calling (423)378-2100.
Approvals are based on: Attendance, Behavior, and Classroom Space