Tuesday, January 14th 2nd Grade Field Trip to Cernan Space Center (Hennelly, Taggart, Agos) 9:15am-11:15am Yearbook/STEM Club (2:30pm-4:00pm) Board Meeting, 6pm
Wednesday, January 15th CPT Meetings
Thursday, January 16th 2nd Grade Field Trip to Cernan Space Center (Wartner, Thorn, Zoladz & Cotton) 9:15am-11:15am Kennedy Singers (2:30pm-3:00pm)
Friday, January 17th Reading Room Plan Day & Progress Monitoring 5 by Friday! Keep making those positive connections
Happy New Year and Welcome Back! I hope you enjoyed a restful, relaxing break–time to disconnect from work thoughts, time to enjoy family and friends and to just enjoy time to relax. It is amazing how refreshing the holiday break can be to come back to start an amazing 2025! I know our students will be SO EXCITED to see you all on Tuesday morning!
If you’re feeling any trepidation about getting up early for the first day in quite some time, I completely understand! It’s hard for adults and kids to get back into the swing of things after such a long break. This is a great time to re-connect with students and let them do so with their classmates by giving them time to talk about what they did over break! Keep in mind, it’s a great time to review classroom management basics as we embark upon a new calendar year at Kennedy, where our students are blessed to receive quality instruction on a  daily basis in safe and orderly classrooms. I appreciate your efforts with reinforcing behavior expectations.
We look forward to “toasting” to the new year with you all on Monday morning to kick-off our Institute Day together and we are thrilled to welcome Sara Grulke back to our Kennedy school family!
Here’s our week at a glance:
Monday, January 6th Teacher Institute Day (see email for agenda) Happy Birthday Mayra Tellez
Tuesday, January 7th School Resumes for Students
Wednesday, January 8th Happy Birthday Nancy Weir 🙂 All-Staff CPT in Cafeteria (2:20pm) – Culture Committee Activity & HOLIDAY Gift Card Exchange (optional)
This week we have some changes to our usual routine — Santa Visits, Assembly, Holiday Celebrations and sharing holiday wishes. Then on Friday, we all head home for Winter Break where our celebrations continue with our family and friends.
From Jennifer Dinielli’s Blog: “True for some, not for all. As Winter Break draws near, along with all of the excitement, it is not uncommon to see an increase in undesired behaviors and regression to previous behaviors in our students. For many of our students, home is a place where relationships are unhealthy, meals are not prepared, and drugs/alcohol or violence are part of daily life. For these students, many of whom we may not even be aware of their circumstances, the most consistent, positive and secure part of their life is time at school. No wonder they are exhibiting some stress. When these students walk out of our doors on Thursday, there may be no breakfast or lunch, no counseling services, no celebrations, no gifts, and no one to encourage and support them.
So we support our children. We collaborate with our community to provide basic necessities (food, coats, boots, meals). We give our kids books from our classrooms to read over the break. We express that we are thankful for each other and look forward to being together again as a school community in the new year.
And even though we are tired and looking forward to a much-needed break ourselves, we keep an eye on those who are acting out more than usual. We give them structure and routine. We give them a break. We give them encouragement. This may not be their favorite time of the year.”
Thank you for ALL YOU DO for our Kennedy Kubbies EVERYDAY!
Here’s our week at a glance:
Monday, December 16th Santa’s Secret Shop (THIS WEEK) Happy Birthday, Sue O’Connell 🙂 Reading Challenge Committee Meeting @ 2:35pm Wear anything that sparkles or lights up!
Tuesday, December 17th MTSS Committee Meeting @ 2:45pm 3rd Grade After School Clubs (2:30pm-4:00pm) Wear your favorite seasonal color like red, blue or green!
Wednesday, December 18th Happy Birthday, Kim Sendelbach 🙂 Happy Birthday, Denisse Barrios 🙂 Board of Education Meeting, 7pm Wear a festive holiday headband, hat, necklace or glasses!
Thursday, December 19th December Buddy Event Happy Birthday, Marcela Barron 🙂 NO Kennedy Singers Wear your favorite holiday socks, flannel shirt, something plaid or a scarf!
Friday, December 20th Spirit Assembly! Santa Visits Kennedy Wear your holiday pajamas!
December can be a crazy time in the classroom. The kids are antsy, your personal to-do list is a mile long (professional and person), and you’re still trying to cover the curriculum while you can. But it’s also a time for gratitude, tradition, and reflection, which is why Tales from a Very Busy Teacher created the December Kindness Calendar (above) for the classroom! Download it, print it, and share it with your students!
Here’s our week at a glance:
Monday, December 9th MAP Fluency Testing This Week 8th Grade Buddies Visit 3rd Grade (10:15am-11:30am) New Teacher Meeting @ 3:05pm
Tuesday, December 10th 7th Grade Buddies Visit 2nd Grade (10:15am-11:30am) Yearbook & STEM Club 3rd Grade After School Clubs (2:30pm-4:00pm)
I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving Break, spending time with family, friends & those you love. As we move to the month of December, full of learning, fun, and special events…and a holiday break to enjoy in just a few weeks! We have lots to do with our kids from now until December 20th, and look forward to their growth when they return in January. They always seem more grown up right after the break…happens every year!
Things to keep in mind:
* For some of our students who will say “it’s almost Winter break” and lack motivation, it is time to push them & keep them excited and eager to learn
* For our students who come from challenging circumstances at home and are feeling anxiety about not being at Kennedy for over two weeks (and acting out because of it), it is time to show them how much you care & make the most of these next 14 days.
* For our students that just keep smiling & working hard each day, it is time to pull them aside and tell them how much you appreciate them (Positive Postcard? Good News Call Home?)
Be proud of what we’ve accomplished with our students so far this year, but please keep the focus on learning in your classrooms as we return from Thanksgiving Break. In addition, I’d encourage you to:
*Take a second and tell a colleague that you’ve noticed how hard they are working and that you appreciate them working so hard. Gratitude and appreciation are also essential for a healthy work environment. A simple thank you and a show of appreciation can make all the difference. *Make time to reflect on some of the positives that we’ve had this year that may have been overlooked as we have overcome the challenges of not having enough time. * Set a tone for your students that regardless of how much time is left before a long break that all of us will work hard and make the most of our school days.
* Celebrate being a member of our Kennedy School family
Here’s our week at a glance:
Monday, December 2nd No Student Attendance / Parent-Teacher Conferences Scholastic Book Fair Week~!
Tuesday, December 3rd After-School Clubs (2:30pm-4:00pm) Book Fair PREVIEW Day
Wednesday, December 4th Happy Birthday Michelle Miro 🙂 Kennedy Singers to LMS for Rehearsal (8:45am-10:30am) Book Fair BUY Day
Thursday, December 5th Kennedy Singers to LMS for Rehearsal (8:45am-10:30am) *Winter SLC/SLBC Celebration – Kennedy to Washington (8:45am-10:30am) Book Fair BUY Day Winter Choral Concert (3-8th) 6:00pm
Friday, December 6th PreK Screenings 3rd Grade Field Trip to Tivoli Theater (8am-12:15pm)
Please know that we are all here to support each other and our entire learning community through this difficult time. Please communicate openly if you believe a student may be in need of support, or if you may need anything, as well. As you know, the district will have counselors and extra support available for both staff and students during this difficult period. Our learning community will come together to uplift and support one another.
Here’s our week at a glance:
Monday, November 18th DoubleGood Fundraiser (Shop Closes 2:30pm on Friday)
Wednesday, November 20th DoubleGood Fundraiser CPT Meetings Board of Education Meeting, 6pm
Thursday, November 21st DoubleGood Fundraiser Faculty Thanksgiving Feast in Lounge Happy Birthday Emily Kronlage 🙂 Reading Room Plan/Progress Monitoring Day Kindergarten Thanksgiving Feast (1:30pm-2:00pm)
Friday, November 22nd DoubleGood Fundraiser (Shop Closes 2:30pm on Friday) Reading Room Data Day Staley the Bear – Bear Down on Bullying Assembly Happy Birthday Suzanne Scott 🙂
Thanksgiving Break (11/25 – 11/29) 11/30 Happy Birthday Barbara Zawadzka 🙂 12/2 – Full Day Parent/Teacher Conferences 12/3 – School Resumes for Students
Monday, November 4th New Teacher Meeting (3-4pm) Veterans Visiting 3rd Graders
Tuesday, November 5th NO SCHOOL – ELECTION DAY
Wednesday, November 6th CPT Meetings 3rd Grade Team MTSS Meeting
Thursday, November 7th K-3 Vision & Hearing Screenings (Conference Room) Happy Birthday Julie Taggart 🙂 3rd to LMS for Veterans Day Rehearsal (9-10:30am) SLT Meeting @ 2:45pm (Kindergarten Project Space)
Friday, November 8th Trimester 1 Ends *Reading Room Plan Day / Progress Monitoring Day Happy Birthday Maria Rodriguez 🙂 K-3 Vision & Hearing Screenings (Conference Room) 3rd to LMS for Veterans Day Rehearsal (9-10:30am)
School? It’s about the kids. Society loves to simplify our jobs. Make it about facts and kids knowing stuff. Make it about graphs and charts that display our school’s weak points. But what aren’t people seeing? The kids.
The kids whose parents no longer live in the home. The kids who get one meal a day, their school lunch. The kids who cry at night because they are the adult in the house. The kids who have amazing potential buried in trying to help raise a younger sibling or who have big struggles caused by the fact that they are caring for themselves. The kids whose parents have a terrible drug problem and are headed to prison. The kids who haven’t lived more than six months in the same place since they were born. The kids who don’t know what Santa visits are like. The ones who don’t have a Crockpot with warm meals filling their house when they hop off the bus.
Every teacher knows a student whose story would break your heart.
A story that would stop you in your tracks.
A story that would remind you what education is about. Education? It’s about the kids.
The charts & graphs in the paper are just numbers. Teachers? We impact lives. Thank you for all that you do to make an impact on our Kennedy Kubbies each and everyday! They are blessed to have you in their lives. Â
Make some AWESOME connections with students today…..let them know you see them!
Here’s our week at a glance:
Monday, October 21st Happy Birthday Andy Hohmeier 🙂 1st Grade Field Trip to Safety Town (B107, B108, B111) 8:45am-11:00am
Tuesday, October 22nd Happy Birthday Jimmy Cahill 🙂 Happy Birthday Michelle Dionido 🙂 Yearbook/STEM Club (1st Grade Project Space) 2:30pm-4:00pm
Wednesday, October 23rd 1st Grade Field Trip to Safety Town (B101, B102, B105, B106) 8:45am-11:00am Culture/Celebrations Committee Meeting (2:50pm)
Thursday, October 24th October BUDDY Event
Friday, October 25th Kennedy Spirit Assembly 9:00am Trunk or Treat (4:30pm-5:30pm)
