Kennedy Middle School Update

Greetings Crusader Families,

Thank you all for your strength and support through the events of last week. Our first day back with students went very well as staff and students processed together. Safety is our first priority and we thank the Germantown Police Department, District Office Staff and School Board members for being here on Monday. This week, we are bringing back a sense of normalcy and getting back to the great learning that goes on here every day. That being said, we know that everyone copes in different ways and on different timelines. If you or your family need anything, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. We are here to help.

KMS Student Services

Becky Wittemann (Broder House and 7th Grade School Counselor) - 262 502-7314 or bwittemann@gsdwi.org

Deni Topitzes (Buettner & Flood Houses and 8th Grade School Counselor) - 262 502-7324 dtopitzes@gsdwi.org

Kelsey Bayless (School Psychologist) - 262 253-3454 or kbayless@gsdwi.org

Washington County Crisis Support Team

262-365-6565 (24 hours a day/7 days a week)

Sincerely,

Jessica Gieryn

KMS Principal

262-253-3452

jgieryn@gsdwi.org

• November 3rd - End of Quarter 1

• November 3rd, 4th, and 5th - Honk, JR. Performances in the PAC

• November 15 and 16th: Rescheduled Conferences (teachers will reach out with more details!)

• November 22nd-24th - Thanksgiving Break

"Greetings to Parents/Guardians,

I am extremely excited to be part of the Kennedy team, and I look forward to working with your child. Although new to the staff, I bring over 11 years of experience, all at the 7th grade level. So, know that your child will be in great hands with a literacy teacher that loves to read, write, and collaborate."

• Kaiden Campbell
• Connor McGinty
• Ethan Stallings
• Caden Alber
• Peyton Bretza
• Brady Hammer
• Ella Wagner

The Germantown School District provides academic and career planning lessons and activities to all students in grades 6 to 12. At Kennedy, academic and career planning includes self-awareness, self-reflection and goal setting. On October 11th, all KMS students completed a self-reflection activity and set an academic goal, which were saved in the student’s google drive in the College and Career Readiness folder. Research shows that setting goals makes the direction of learning clear to students and increases their motivation and achievement levels. Research also indicates that sharing a goal with others, especially a person they respect, increases accountability. Please ask your child to share their reflection and goal with you tonight. Your feedback will be invaluable. Each quarter we will have students review and revise their goal and we encourage all parents to check in with their child and have conversations about what they can do to achieve their goal and increase their academic success. Together we can help students plan for their future.

UPDATES - For more information about exciting activities and athletics at KMS, see the following links: KMS Activities, KMS Athletics.

• Boys Basketball is also gearing up this month with practices after school daily from 2:45pm-4:40pm.
  
• Mathcounts will meet Monday Nov. 6th and Monday Nov. 20th from 2:45-3:45 in Mrs. Rohde's Room E3
  
• Join us at Science Club every other Wednesday! At Science club we have fun learning through experiments, challenges, inventions, and current events! We meet in Ms. Schilling's room E-7 from 2:45-3pm. If you have any questions please see Ms. Schilling or Ms. Betanzos.
• AV Club meets Tuesday and Thursdays from 2:45-4pm in room G141
• FBLA will have a member meeting on November 13th after school from 2:50 pm to 3:30 pm in Mrs. Janke's room. FBLA partners with the March of Dimes organization. November 17th is World Prematurity Day. We are asking that all KMS students wear purple on November 17th to support this organization! Additionally, FBLA will collect dimes to raise funds for the March of Dimes Tuesday, November 14th through Friday, November 17th. Dimes can be dropped off in Mrs. Janke's room or in the Student Services office!
  
• The 8th grade Spanish students are getting excited about their Nov. 3rd field trip to see the band "Tres Souls", an exhibit of Día de los Muertos ofrendas and have lunch at Café el Sol!

This year's KMS Musical is Honk, Jr., a retelling of the Ugly Duckling story. The cast and crew have been hard at work preparing the show. Join us for Kennedy Middle School Drama's production of Honk! Jr, Friday 11/3 at 7 pm, Saturday 11/4 at 7 pm, or Sunday 11/5 at 2 pm. Tickets are available on the PAC website.

Tryout for DI!

Date for the DI Tryouts - Monday, November 6th from 3-5PM. Yes, next Monday!!

Location: Gold Activity Center

Is your child interested in trying out for Destination Imagination this year? Evidence shows that students who participate in “DI” learn to think quicker and differently. Be part of a creative and fun experience by coming to tryouts held on Monday, Nov. 6th from 3-5pm. Interest forms can also be picked up in the MAIN office at KMS.

IMPORTANT DATES TO KNOW:

Saturday, March 16th, 2024, East Central Sectional Tournament at KMS

Saturday, April 6th, 2024, Wisconsin State DI Affiliate Tournament at UW-Green Bay

Application due date is now Friday, November 3rd. All completed applications can be turned into the main office at KMS. If you have specific questions or if a student has a conflict next Monday, but would like to be considered for a team, please contact Mary Bykowski at mbykowski@gsdwi.org.

• Responsible care of Chromebooks is an integral part of life at KMS. Please ensure students are plugging their Chromebooks in to charge overnight and bringing them fully charged to school each morning. This will help set everyone up for success each and every day at KMS!
• The KMS Book Fair will be reschedule prior to Winter Break. Be on the lookout for new dates!

Hey Crusaders!

This Holiday Season, we would like to help make sure that every child in our community is able to have a little something special. This is why we are partnering with Our Kid’s Closet to collect NEW toys for the kids that they serve. Each year Our Kids Closet provides clothes, free of cost, to 250 families with children ages newborn to about 12 years old. This year when they come and pick out some clothes in December, we would like for them to also be able to pick out a NEW toy, too! If you are able, send in a NEW toy that is appropriate for ages newborn to 12 years old during the month of November. We will collect these NEW toys and send them to Our Kids Closet on behalf of Kennedy Middle School. Additionally, this organization is always in need of NEW winter gear such as hats and mittens and would gladly accept any donations of these new items. There will be a box set up outside of the office as well as right outside of the GAC by Mrs. Quigley’s room. NEW toys and/or NEW winter gear can be dropped off there and will be picked up and sorted by Mrs. Quigley’s Life Skills Class. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Mrs. Quigley at jquigley@jquigley@gsdwi.org. Thanks for helping to make a difference in our community!

Hold on to every best moment of this school year by ordering a yearbook. Yearbooks are on sale now and if you order before December 30th you'll save $4. Use the following link to order from our KMS Yearbook Store...https://jostensyearbooks.com/?REF=A09296230

Students who are attending after school sporting events, without a parent, need to report to the designated location immediately after school. Students are encouraged to quietly work on homework or other academic tasks during this time. If students have completed all their school work they are allowed to quietly socialize with their peers. If students do not want to stay after school but would still like to attend the sporting event, they will need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

During the sporting event, students are expected to sit in the student section which is supervised by KMS staff. Students will not be allowed to sit in other areas of the gym unless they are accompanied by an adult. Spectators are not allowed to sit on the players side of the gym. If a student is attending a sporting event with an adult that is not their guardian or parent, that individual is responsible for supervising that student during the event.

Cell Phone Use - We are aware that students will need access to their cell phones during these events for a variety of reasons including but not limited communication with parents when they are to be picked up, change in plans, and or for emergencies. Students' cell phones should be stored in their backpacks, which will be placed next to the bleachers, and if they need to use them they will be allowed to with the supervision of a KMS staff member. Students are allowed to come to the Gold Office throughout the day to contact parents so that plans can be made or clarified. If students are not following cell phone expectations or using their cell phones in inappropriate ways, KMS supervisors do have the right to confiscate the phones and give them to parents when the student is picked up. Students who are not following expectations for after school sporting events will meet with KMS administrators and their participation in future sporting events will be discussed.

Students who receive school-based consequences (such as an in-school suspension) during the day may not be allowed to attend after school events for that day.

Student Attending GHS Football Game Reminders

• Mechanical noise makers are prohibited.
  
• Please cheer positively for our Warhawks and not against the opposing team or officials.
• Demonstrate appropriate school spirit and display good sportsmanship.
• No carry-in food or drinks are permitted.
• Backpacks or other bags are prohibited.
• No re-entry
• Youth not in high school must enter with an adult

Please be kind and efficient while dropping off your child in the morning. Pull all the way through the circle (by the bike rack) before dropping off. Remind your child to be ready to exit the car upon drop off so other families are not waiting too long. Be kind and courteous, thank you!

Principal: Jessica Gieryn

Assistant Principal: Brandon Kohl

Website: https://www.gsdwi.org/o/kennedy
Location: N118 W15860 Williams Drive Germantown, Wisconsin 53022
Phone: 262-253-3450
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KennedyGSDWI