Our first full week was outstanding! The energy in our building is positive and energetic. Thank you for setting the tone each and every day to make sure our students and each other have a great day. Continue to build one another up and support each other when needed.

As I visited each classroom in our school this past week, I observed each of you setting the tone for a culture of caring in your classrooms; classrooms where teachers and students care about learning, about each other, and care about our community. The first weeks of school set the tone for the entire year. If our students leave school feeling excited about themselves as learners & about you as their teacher, then we’re doing something right!  Always remember that our kids will meet any expectations we set for them, as long as we are firm, fair, and consistent with these expectations and build relationships with our students so that they will want to meet them. The primary way to accomplish this positive relationship-building with our students is simply caring deeply about them as learners and young people and taking the time to get to know them, as well as showing them just how much you care.

Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, August 26th
Reading Room Opens!

Tuesday, August 27th
Faculty Meeting @ 2:30pm <—click for agenda
Parent/Teacher Collaboration Committee Meeting @ 6:00pm

Wednesday, August 28th
Assessment/Report Card Common Plan

Thursday, August 29th
Evacuation Drill @ 9:15am
Happy Birthday Audrey Tillack 🙂

Friday, August 30th
Code Red Drill
5 by Friday: Let’s send out 5 positive postcards 🙂
(Extras can be found in the office)

(09/01) Happy Birthday Rosa Andreuccetti 🙂
(09/02) NO SCHOOL: Labor Day

*App recommendation: Chalk Talk Blog recommended “Endless Alphabet” app as a perfect way to build students’ vocabulary. The app can be purchased in the App Store for $5.99.

What a great first week (technically 3 days) at Kennedy! As expected, there were a few tears, but the smiles and laughs outweighed the few. I appreciate everyone’s help and extra care during arrival. Thank you to ALL staff for going the extra mile to help get our year off to an amazing start. 🙂

As we prepare for our first full week with the students, I hope you all remember that you are a difference maker! The small things you do to welcome students and show an interest in their lives will have an impact. This year, you will have opportunities to build confidence in a child where it hasn’t existed—develop connections that have never been present. Kennedy School is filled with students with a variety of needs, and it’s up to each one of US to make sure they are successful this school year. How can we be sure that this happens? By building a connection with each student. When we truly know them as individuals, we can understand them as learners.

 Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, August 19th
1st Day of Pre School
MAP Testing Begins in Faculty Lounge
Fall AIMs Benchmarking Begins
Morning Intervention Routines begin in classrooms

Tuesday, August 20th
Insurance Meeting with Colleen Trapp @ 2:30pm (cafeteria): All staff are strongly encouraged to attend. Meeting with be recorded for PreK staff.

Wednesday, August 21st
CCSS: Curriculum Common Plan
Board Meeting @ 7:00pm

Thursday, August 22nd
SLT Meeting @ 3:00pm

Friday, August 23rd
5 Positives Family Connections by Friday (postcards can be found in the office)

Articles Worth Reading:
Building Relationships 

Here’s How Being a Father is Changing Me as a Teacher 

Shine Together

A Teacher’s Heart Speaks on the First Day of School