As Donna, Sara and I visited each classroom in our school this past week, we 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 Kennedy 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 27th
Book Checkout Begins this week!
MAP Testing Continues <— schedule here
Aimsweb Testing Continues <—schedule here
K-3 Faculty Meeting (presentation space) at 2:40pm
PreK Faculty Meeting (E104) at 3:00pm
New Teacher Meeting (D203) at 3:00pm
RTI Committee Meeting (Project Space Upstairs) at 3:00pm

Tuesday, August 28th
Evacuation Drill @ 9:00am to North Park
Faculty Meeting (to review mandatory Health Trainings) @ 2:50pm in Presentation Space

Wednesday, August 29th

Thursday, August 30th
1st Fire Drill
Mentor Meeting @ 3:45pm

Friday, August 31st
Code Red Drill (Time Unannounced to Staff)

Did you complete the “Getting to Know You Survey?”

FLIPGRID: Take 2
*********All staff: Please take a moment to record a video of yourself, as we collectively introduce ourselves to the KENNEDY FAMILIES/COMMUNITY. 

Click this link & record your video by 12pm on Friday so I can include the flipgrid in this week’s Kennedy School E-News!
(Password is: Kennedy81)

(09/04) NO SCHOOL: LABOR DAY

Blog Posts Worth Reading:
4 Ways to Create a Learner-Centered Classroom by Katie Martin

10 Tips for New Teachers by George Couros

10 Questions Every School Should Ask to Build a Healthy Culture

10 Easy Way to Create an Awesome #SchoolCulture This Year by George Couros

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. Let’s keep that up this week, as well!

As we prepare for our first full week with the students, I hope you will take a few quiet moments to put aside lesson planning, forget about administrative tasks and consider our purpose, or “our why” as we called it on opening day (as a school, and as individual educators). When we walk in on Monday morning, please remember that you are a difference maker! The small gestures you make to welcome students and show an interest in their lives will have an impact. This year, you will have opportunities to build confidence where it hasn’t existed, develop connections that have never been present, and generate hope with your students. Our classrooms are filled with individuals with a variety of needs, and it’s up to US to make sure they thrive! The only way for that to happen is to build a connection with each student. When we truly know them all as individuals, we can understand them as learners.

WE WANT TO GET TO KNOW YOU BETTER! Please take a few minutes and complete the Google Form here!

Here’s our week at a glance:

(08/19) Happy Birthday Lauren Oraham 🙂

Monday, August 20th
1st Day of PreSchool
MAP Testing Window Opens <—be sure to schedule your classroom’s testing times
Let’s get our “flex time” routines started soon!

Tuesday, August 21st
Happy Birthday Lisa Bilotta 🙂
Turn in the yellow ABC Pool Party envelopes to office by noon.
Karli T will pick them up & issue wristbands to those who paid. A second envelope will be placed in your mailboxes for any remaining orders. Teachers will help distribute wristbands on Friday for students to talk home.

Wednesday, August 22nd

Thursday, August 23rd

Friday, August 24th
Kennedy Bus Evacuation Drills – (Schedule to Sign Up for a time slot will be emailed this week).

5 by Friday! As a school, let’s all commit to making 5 positive connections by Friday of every week! Use the Kennedy postcards that were in your swag bag. All out? No problem! Positive Postcards can be found in the main office!

*Remember, we must also make an effort to build relationships with our families, too! Read this awesome blog post here about how to successful engage with our families!

(08/25) ABC Pool Party 7-9pm