Kennedy Cougars

Dear Kennedy Families and Caregivers,

I hope everyone enjoyed their April vacation week. The students looked refreshed and ready to go this week. MCAS is moving along smoothly and classrooms were buzzing with fun activities and learning. In Mr. Posklensky's science classroom they wrapped up their unit on tectonic plates and the types of landforms they can create. See the pictures and description below.

Attendance Reminders:

• Tardies related to health appointments will be excused when a provider note is submitted listing the date of the visits.
• Absences due to illness or medical care will be excused when you submit a written note from a health provider.
• Absences due to travel cannot be excused.
• Absences which were not called in by a parent/guardian will generate an automated call or call from school personnel when they do not call the attendance line.

Natick Instrument Showcase at Natick High School

The Natick Music Department will be hosting our next Instrument Showcase for students interested in joining band or orchestra on Tuesday, June 13th from 5:00-7:00 PM at NHS. (See graphic below)

Kennedy Lost and Found

Quick reminder to please check the KMS lost and found (just inside the lobby doors to the school) for any items that may have been misplaced during the year. Any items not picked up by May 12th will be donated.

School Year 2023/2024

In the next month (May 2023), we will begin our scheduling process for next school year. If there is information that you would like to share regarding your child's particular learning style, we ask you to put that in writing to us no later than April 28th. Email is fine: Please send to our front office administration assistant, Joyce MacGregor: jmacgregor@natickps.org

MCAS schedule

A picture of the upcoming MCAS schedule can be found below.

Athletics Update

• Boys volleyball defeated Wilson 2-1 Tuesday in their season opener! (see picture below)
• KMS Track took on Wilson Track on Thursday...scores still being tallied (see pictures below)

Positivity Project News

This week our school community will be focusing on the character strength of forgiveness. Forgiveness means you forgive those who have done wrong and you accept that people make mistakes.

Forgiveness is the ability to move past being injured, and allow yourself to reconcile with the person who hurt you. Forgiveness can often be seen as a selfless act, but it also carries many benefits for those who practice it. Those who demonstrate forgiveness have the ability to move forward after someone has hurt them. Forgiveness is often rooted in the idea that all people are valuable and worthy of a second chance. Many who forgive have the ability to consider things from another’s perspective.

To practice and encourage the character strength of forgiveness with your child, please visit the Positivity Project’s P2 for Families (password: P2), where together you will watch a video, read a quote, and talk about the answers to three questions.

Here is the forgiveness letter for families for this week's character strength.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend,

Regards,

Jodie Cohen, Principal

"Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future."

~Paul Boose

Twitter - @KennedyMSNatick

Instagram - @KennedyMSNatick

#weR1Kennedy

#hearusROAR

#cougarpride
#positivityinaction

Students worked in groups and used a variety of modeling techniques to create one of a few choices: A "Moveable Pangea: demonstrating how the continents have drifted over time, a mid-ocean ridge creating new crust with evidence of Earth's flipping magnetic field in the crust, or three mini-models of a each type of boundary. They labeled important vocabulary on each model and are displayed in the hall as a "gallery walk." Really creative work from these 8th graders!

1 - Upcoming Events:

• May 17 - Professional Development Day - Early release at 11:30am
• May 29 - Memorial Day Holiday - No School
• May 31 - Grade 5 & 7 Chorus Concert - 6:30-8:00pm
• June 1 - Grade 6 & 8 Chorus Concert - 6:30-8:00pm
• June 2 - Grade 5 Step Up Day
• June 6 - Grade 5 & 7 Band Concert - 6:30-8:00pm
• June 7 - Grade 6 & 8 Band Concert - 6:30-8:00pm

2 - Grade 8 to 9 Transition to Natick High School Timeline

Here is the link to the Grade 8 to 9 Transition Timeline.

3 - From the Nurses Health Clinic:

If your student tests positive for Covid-19, they must stay home for 5 days. The day they started symptoms is Day 0, the next day is Day 1, then Day 2, etc. They may return to school on Day 6 and must wear a mask for an additional 5 days. A headache, scratchy throat, congestion/runny nose, cough, and/or fever are some of the more common symptoms of Covid-19.

Siblings and close contacts do not need to quarantine and can come to school as long as they are not having symptoms of illness. However, they must wear a mask for 10 days when around others following exposure.

Click for more information from the Massachusetts DPH: Covid-19 Isolation and Exposure Guidance

4 - Information notification letters about math placement

For information about the math placement process, please see the letters below.

22-23 6th to 7th opening placement letter

22-23 7th to 8th opening placement letter

Natick Public Schools is excited to announce our partnership with Paper for on-demand tutoring for NHS students. Paper is a secure, online tutoring service that provides students with unlimited, 24/7 academic support. Whether they’re stuck on homework, studying for a test, or need someone to read and make suggestions to their essays, there will always be experts available online to assist students in over 200 subjects and more than 4 languages.

Paper tutors have been specially trained to conduct expert, academic support in a secure, chat-based platform. With a commitment to helping students learn, they’ll never give students answers, but rather interact with them in an encouraging tone to lead them forward.

This is a free service that we’re providing, so students are encouraged to use it as much as they need, whenever they need. Our teachers also have accounts and will be able to review all student activity to see what they’re working on and provide more targeted instruction as needed.

If you’d like to learn more about Paper you can sign up for a Paper hosted Parent Info Session, available in both English and Spanish.

To see Paper and the help it offers firsthand, we encourage you to login with your students. To get started, simply visit PAPER’s student login page, type your school’s name, and log in via Google using your school credentials

We’re thrilled to offer our students the unlimited, 24/7 support that Paper provides and we can’t wait to see what we’re able to accomplish together.

Our Kennedy Middle School PTO works hard behind the scenes to support our school in a variety of ways. They are working diligently to bring great activities to our school community. Please check out their website for more information.

Natick Public Schools does not discriminate in employment nor its educational programs, services, and activities based on race, creed, color, age, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, physical and intellectual differences, immigration status, homeless status, or any other basis prohibited by law. Please be aware all electronic communication to and from Natick Public Schools is public record and subject to public disclosure per Massachusetts General Law Chapter 66, Section 10.

• Title I: Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990Title II
• Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990Title VI
• Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964Title IX
• Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972
• MGL, Ch.76, Section 5: Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 76, Section 5