Cougar Connect

We hope that you have had a relaxing and enjoyable summer. It’s hard to believe that school starts in two weeks! I was planning to re-start my regular Sunday newsletter next week with our last optional summer reading article, but I decided since there is some important information I need to make sure you received that I should re-start it this week.

The main office re-opens tomorrow. Office staff and administrators are just returning from break and have training on and off this week, so please be patient with us, as we are not yet fully back into our normal routines and hours. You may want to call ahead to make sure someone will be there to assist you. The phone number is 650-482-2409. The Family Center is open as well, but has moved to room 209, which is a couple of doors down from the back entrance of the office. The phone number is 650-482-2110.

You should have received your back to school packet from Kennedy in the mail over a week ago. If you did not, then it means we don’t have the correct address on file or we don’t have one at all. For those who didn’t receive it, we will have extra copies in the office or at Maze Day. For your convenience, I have scanned and attached each packet by grade level below.

You should have received an email this past Thursday to update your student’s information in PowerSchool. (The District is no longer using SchoolMint). It is really important that you fill this out completely so that we can contact you and also have emergency contacts should we need them. If you did not receive this email for some reason, you can call the District Office, 482-2200, or go over for help in person. We will also be able to help you at Maze Day. Each student has their own unique code that must be used to update this. We don’t have these yet to help you, but you can check later in the week to see if we have received them.

We are getting closer to completion of the front! The new drop off/pick up lanes and parking lot are hopefully going to be open for the start of school. They still need to be paved and striped (hopefully this week) and then EV chargers will also be installed. The new Office/Family Center building is coming along nicely and hopefully will open ahead of schedule in October. Next week I will include pictures.

Over the summer the locks were changed on the classroom doors to help with safety. All doors can now be locked from the inside (most by just pushing in a button), which means teachers/students don’t have to go outside to lock the door if there is a potential danger outside.

If you are able to donate some supplies to Kennedy, that is always helpful. We get a limited supply budget and almost half of that budget goes straight towards copier expenses. Items that are helpful:

• Boxes of Tissues

• Hand Sanitizer

• Disinfecting Wipes

• Cases/packs of bottled water (we use these for dances, student activities, events. They are hard to get reimbursed, as we can’t use any District money allotted to the school to pay for these).

• Colored Pencils

• Markers

• Reams of white paper and colored paper

• Scissors (adult and student-sized)

• Note Cards (3x5 and 4x6)

• Highlighters

• #2 pencils

Many products that you buy have “box tops.” Box tops can be turned into Kennedy and then we receive $.10 for each box top. This money goes towards supplies and student activities. If you have some, you are welcome to bring them to Maze Day or turn them into the office any time it is open this year. Students will also compete every other week to see which fourth period class brings in the most box tops to earn a prize. We can’t accept expired box tops unless they are from 2019.

A reminder that you can give back to Kennedy at no extra cost by using Amazon Smile when you purchase items on Amazon. Here is a link for more information: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/chpf/about/ref=smi_se_rspo_laas_aas

Save the date for 6th Grade WEB Orientation, Tuesday, August 13, 2019, from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm in the gym. (Students Only)

All 7th and 8th graders new to Kennedy are encouraged to attend the new student orientation on Friday, August 16, from 10 am to 12 pm in the gym. We will do fun ice breakers and activities, make sure students know where their classes are for the first day, and end with some pizza.

Tuesday August 13: 6th Grade Only, 12:30-3:00 pm

Tuesday, August 13: All Grade Levels, 5:00-7:00 pm

Wednesday, August 14: All Grade Levels, 3:00-6:00 pm

* In the gym.

** If you cannot attend one of these sessions, you can pick up your schedule and turn in paperwork starting at 7:30 am on the first day of school, Monday, August 19, in the library.

A reminder that there is summer music again this week for our intermediate and advanced music students. Below is the schedule.

Earlier in the summer we sent out pictures from Summer Bridge. Here is a link to an album that includes additional pictures:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/9GfnTgWtMhFAEapWA

Tuesday, August 13: 6th Grade WEB Orientation, Gym, 8:30 am - 12:30 pm; Maze Day - 6th Grade Only, Gym, 12:30-3:00 pm; Maze Day - All Grades, Gym, 5:00-7:00 pm

Wednesday, August 14: Maze Day - All Grades, Gym, 3:00-6:00 pm

Friday, August 16: New Student Orientation 7th/8th Grade, Gym, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Monday, August 19: First Day of School, 8:25 am - 3:05 pm

Thursday, August 22: 6th Grade Potluck, B-Quad, 6:00-7:00 pm; 6th Grade Yosemite Information Meeting, Gym, 7:00-8:00 pm

Tuesday, August 27: PTO Meeting, Library, 7:00-8:30 pm, Wednesday, August 28: 7th Grade Grand Canyon Information Meeting, Gym, 6:30-7:30 pm

Friday, August 30: Yosemite Applications Due, Office, By 3:30 pm

Email: sadler@rcsdk8.net
Website: www.rcsdk8.net/kennedy
Location: 2521 Goodwin Avenue, Redwood City, CA, USA
Phone: (650) 482-2409
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kennedymiddleschool/