Kennedy Newsletter for Families
Week of July 31, 2020
Principal's Post
Hello Kennedy Families,
Several things have changed lately, but one thing that has not is our commitment to educating the children of Lynn Garden. Our faculty and staff are preparing for a great school year, whether your Coyote is attending Face-to-Face (F2F) or Virtually this 9 weeks. We cannot wait until we are all back together again!
The goal of this newsletter is to provide you with another layer of information in regards to Kennedy's efforts to have a safe and smooth start to the 2020-2021 school year. We are looking forward to having students back in our hallways and classrooms at Kennedy on Monday, August 10, 2020.
I encourage you to reach out to me at any time with questions or concerns you may have about the start of this school year. You can call the school office at 423-857-2700 or email me at jirvin@k12k.com.
Kennedy Elementary will mail student placement letters on Friday, July 31, 2020. We encourage you to check your mailbox soon to find a letter from your child's teacher and other important school-related information.
We invite you to join us for a "Back to School Orientation" for our Face to Face (F2F) learners on Thursday, August 6, 2020. This is not a drop in event like we have had in the past. Instead, we are conducting an orientation session to support families in accessing KCS’s virtual learning content in the event we are asked to attend school virtually. We also want to make sure that all students who chose F2F have time to meet their teachers and see their classrooms.
We are asking families to plan on arriving at the time below that matches your last name. Families of children in multiple grade levels should choose one grade level to attend the orientation session. The teacher will lead a short orientation and allow time for questions. After participating in the orientation session, families may visit the classrooms of other children in the family and meet those teachers as well. Please see the schedule below divided by alphabet (last names). We have carefully divided the number of students/families to limit group size. With this in mind, we are requesting that only one adult per family attend this event. It is important that families adhere to the designated times below for your visit. Each designated time will start and end promptly so we can have time to disinfect before the next alphabet group arrives. We suggest arriving 10 minutes prior to the session start times to allow time for the check in process and temperature checks.
Last names A-C 8:30-9:30 AM
Last names D-J 10:30-11:30 AM
Last names K-Q 12:30-1:30 PM
Last names R-Z 2:30-3:30 PM
***Please note per the Sullivan County Mayor, until August 12, 2020, masks are required.
More details about our back to school processes will be included in your placement letter that is being mailed on Friday, July 31st. We look forward to partnering with you this year as we work together to support our students' return to school!
With support,
Janice Irvin
New Friendly Faces
We welcome several new faces this year to our faculty and staff:
Mr. Brett Herron – Associate Principal
Ms. Sierra Sallee – Second Grade Teacher
Ms. Sarah McMillan – Second Grade Teacher
Ms. Heather Corey - 4th Grade Literacy
(Ms. Taylor Smith is moving to 5th Grade Literacy)
Information for Remote Choice Learners
Welcome to the 2020-21 school year! Soon, you will be contacted by a Kingsport City Schools teacher who will be the advisor for your online learning journey using the online platform called, Odysseyware. The curriculum will be divided into learning modules curated by the KCS advisor and will allow for both weekly and self-paced progress. The advisor will be available for questions, check ins, and feedback during scheduled office hours, which will be communicated to you at a later date. As you know, your support in setting high expectations for your child’s daily attendance and timely completion of lessons will be key to his/her success. Soon, you will receive more specific instructions for accessing the platform. In the meantime, here is a link to some parent information on Odysseyware: https://www.odysseyware.com/training-resources/parents.
If you indicated on the survey at the time of enrollment for Remote Choice Learning that a device was needed, you may pick up that device and complete the necessary paperwork at Kennedy Elementary School on Friday, August 7, 2020, from 9:30 AM - 3:30 PM. As well, even if you are not picking up a device, please come by and pick up Back to School Information Folders. Please be reminded that masks are currently required.
As the year moves forward, please look for school communications to keep you informed about events, changes, and new updates. We are so glad you will remain a Kennedy Coyote, even from a distance. We wish you the best as you begin this new school year.
Kennedy Precautions and Safety Measures
What looks different at Kennedy this year? (A lot!)
As you review the plan for opening schools this year, I want to point out a few highlights for implications at the school level as we support the health and safety of our students, staff, and Kennedy Families.
All will be Temperature Checked - All students will have a temperature check upon entering the bus or building. If a temperature is over 100, we will attempt a second read after a few minutes. If the second read is over 100, the student will discreetly be guided to the nurse’s office. Students with a fever may not return to school until they are fever free without medication for 24 hours.
Assigned Seats and Places in Line - As students travel and participate in their classes, they will be in assigned seats and order throughout the day. Knowing where students are located in proximity to each other is very important in the identification of those considered contacts by the Sullivan County Health Department. A contact is defined as someone who is within six feet for more than ten minutes without a mask.
Cafeteria - Students will eat at assigned seats, at every other seat, with space between tables.
Recess - Classes will be assigned designated zones on the playground and other areas around the school that will rotate throughout the week to keep students among their classroom “family” groups. No masks during recess.
Masks - Until August 12, 2020 or until we are aware of different guidance by the Sullivan County Health Department, students and staff must wear masks. After August 12, 2020, depending on guidance from Sullivan County Health Department, we may be able to return to strongly recommended wearing of masks.
No Visitors - We will not allow visitors during the school day until further notice. Meetings will be scheduled by appointment as needed.
Shared Supplies - Students will not be sharing supplies this year. If you have purchased supplies, please bring them to the Back to School Orientation or on the first day.**Please label everything!
Changes for Students Who Walk to School
ALL walkers should ENTER and EXIT through the front doors. This change allows us to keep walkers and bus riders separated and provides an easier way to complete temperature checks for morning walkers. This information will be included in back to school paperwork as well.
Information for Kindergarten Parents
KCS Frequently Asked Questions
As you may be aware, our district has provided an FAQ to help supply answers to your most recent questions. You can find it HERE
Kennedy Logistics
Important Logistical Information (Please read prior to the first day of school.)
Our doors will open for students at 7:30 a.m. each morning. We will be serving a “grab and go” breakfast option each day beginning at 7:30 a.m. Students planning to eat breakfast at school need to arrive prior to 8:15 a.m. in order to ensure an on-time arrival to class.
Upon arrival, students should proceed to the following areas:
7:30-7:45 - All students will report to the gym where they will be seated by homeroom and will be socially distanced from other homerooms. (Few students arrive during this time span.)
After 7:45 all students will go to their grade level neighborhoods to provide smaller numbers awaiting the 8:30 school start time. We strongly encourage you to drop off your child between 8:15 and 8:29 in the front of the building if that will meet your family’s needs.
In regards to dismissal, we want to be as proactive and safe as possible in dismissing our students. Therefore, it is essential that anyone picking up students during the day must ALWAYS be prepared to show identification. Students will only be released to individuals who parents/guardians listed during the registration process. Our staff will eventually get to know you and may not need to see identification; however, it is possible different personnel may be working in our office from time to time and they will need to see your identification. In order to avoid delays in the pick-up process, ALWAYS have identification with you. Again, this is for the safety and security of our students.
We have a drive-through car line dismissal system at Kennedy. You will be assigned a car line number that MUST be present to pick your child up in car line. Car line tags will be available at our Back to School Orientation on August 6th. If you cannot make it to Back to School Orientation, please contact our office for a car line tag. Car line has changed slightly to keep student group numbers down. K/1 and siblings will dismiss out the side door down the steps, 2nd and 3rd grade students will dismiss out the cafeteria doors, and 4th and 5th grade students will dismiss out the side doors closest to the yellow PreK playground.
*Car line begins at 3:30 and all parents must be in car line by 3:50 p.m.
We miss you so much!
Helping Others
Overcoming Challenges
Willingness to Learn
Leading with Respect