Welcome Back! 

I hope you enjoyed your well-deserved Thanksgiving Break, spending time with family, friends & those you love. Crazy to think we are wrapping up the month of November and heading into December, full of learning and fun…and a holiday break to look forward to! We have lots to do with our kids from now until December 23rd, and look forward to their growth when they return in January.

Things to keep in mind these upcoming weeks:

• 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 few weeks.
• 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, November 29th
Welcome Back, Kubbies!

Tuesday, November 30th
Happy Birthday Barbara Zawadzka
School-wide SEL Rotations

Wednesday, December 1st
CPT

Thursday, December 2nd
School-wide SEL Rotations

Friday, December 3rd
PreK Screenings – No PreK Student Attendance

(12/04) Happy Birthday Michelle Miro

It’s that time of the year…..Fall Parent/Teacher Conference Week
(one week left before a WELL-DESERVED Thanksgiving Break).
Goal: Strengthen the home-school relationship! 

You and the parents are both there to help create the best possible outcomes for the student.

While the format is virtual, our goal is still the same! We all want to understand each student’s unique needs, skills and personality to help that child learn and grow the best we can. 

It’s important that parents know that we see and notice small things in their children— every positive is worth noticing and celebrating! Sharing positives with parents makes a huge impact on building strong relationships.

**Allow some extra time for tech issues! (Please contact Donna, Sara or I if you need any help!)
***Don’t waste too much time trying to resolve technical issues. If you need to fall back on a regular PHONE CONFERENCE, that’s okay! 

Try to gather information that will be helpful to you:

What concerns or issues do you think your child is experiencing with school?
What successes have you noticed your child has experienced this year?
What do you see as your child’s strengths and weaknesses?
Do you have any specificity questions or topics you’d like to discuss?
In what areas do you need support at home from me?

Our goal this week is to give parents important information about the whole student, gather feedback from parents & create solutions together! 

Feel free to invite an admin (just like in-person conferences) to be present for a potentially difficult virtual conference. Donna, Sara and I are here to support you! 

*Do share AND ask about students’ social and emotional wellbeing
*Remind parents and caregivers of school expectations
*Inquire how the school year is going from their perspective
*Highlight student work by screen sharing on Zoom ! 
*Offer suggestions, but don’t forget to be equally understanding, patient and encouraging. 

Now more than ever, teachers & families are working as a team.

*Just like you would follow up after a conference (regarding something that was discussed, or a suggestion), follow up with an email, a text or a phone call to the parent — revisiting something specific you discussed in the conference. It shows your commitment to that child’s growth and development! The more we can get our families to support our goals for their students and reinforce practice at home, the better!

Let’s make sure we make the most of Conference Week to learn and share to best help our Kubbies!

Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, November 15th
Parent/Teacher Conference Week
Happy Birthday Sandy Montes de Oca 🙂
AMERICAN EDUCATION WEEK

Tuesday, November 16th
No Student Attendance – Full Day P/T Conferences

Wednesday, November 17th
CPT

Thursday, November 18th

Friday, November 19th
Happy Birthday Shandi Hammer 🙂

Thanksgiving Break!

(11/20) Happy Birthday Rosa Worwa
(11/21) Happy Birthday Emily Kronlage
(11/22) Happy Birthday Suzanne Schoepke
(11/28) Happy Birthday Esther Rafalson

School Resumes November 29th

Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, November 8th
Happy Birthday Maria Rodriguez 🙂
Teacher Institute Day – No Student Attendance (agenda here)

Tuesday, November 9th

Wednesday, November 10th
Vision/Hearing Screenings (in PATS room)
CPT Meetings – TAPS Kickoff (K-3)

Thursday, November 11th
Vision/Hearing Screenings
Happy Birthday Julie Fister 🙂

Friday, November 12th
Vision/Hearing Screenings
End of Trimester 1
*Please try to have your report cards printed by today! If there are any issues, we need to know about them so we can help resolve them! 

(11/13) Happy Birthday Stephanie Polakowski 🙂

*Please make sure to keep the master Fall 2021 Conference Google Doc updated as changes are made! Also, please notify staff members who have added a “comment” or “note” in the cell so they are aware that a conference time was changed!

Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, November 1st
Chiro One Wellness is bringing lunch as a teacher appreciation gift – Please SIGN UP HERE for a Stress Awareness Screening & Posture Check
Trunk or Treat (4:30-6:00pm) <—please let me know if you’ll be there!

Tuesday, November 2nd
Fall Picture Retake Day
ROE Life Safety Visit

Wednesday, November 3rd
CPT Meetings

Thursday, November 4th
New Teacher/Mentor Meeting (4pm)

Friday, November 5th
Happy Birthday Giselle Alvarez
Happy Birthday Sandy Montes de Oca

**Reminder for Tenured Teachers*
Tenure teacher professional growth meetings completed before the end of the week!
ALL tenured teachers must complete a Professional Growth Plan.