Kennedy October/November Parent Newsletter

• Principal’s Message
• Academic Learning Coach Letter
• Volunteers
• Guidance Letter
• Parent-Teacher Conf./Book Fair
• New Kennedy Staff
• Music News
• Phy Ed News
• Important Upcoming Dates
• Art News/Kennedy GR’s Night
• Run/Walk
• Literacy Night/Costume Parade
• Too Sick For School
• Important Attendance Reminders
• Lunch Schedule
• Moving
• Front/Back Circle Drives
• KG Enrollment
• Annual Notice of Special Education Referral & Evaluation Procedures
• Confidentiality of  Personally Identifiable Information Obtained Through Child Find Activities
• School Transfers
• Coats for Kids
• Oct/Nov Calendars

Students of the Month  

Congratulations to the September Students of the Month!  These students all demonstrated the PBIS traits of being responsible, being respectful and being safe. 

Kindergarten:Gavin Moffitt, Owen Speers, Blaze Brandenburg
Grade 1:  Ava Phagan, Cooper Schenzel, Sydney Phiffer
Grade 2: Kennedy Peters, Zabdiel Gomez, Jhamarius Murphy
Grade 3:  Charlee O’Leary, Lexi Kleinheinz, Leslie Garcia
Grade 4:  Kennedy Stanton, Kate Ricks, Zach Zimmerman 
Grade 5:  Avery Van Horn, Emily Kleinheinz

A Message From the Principal - Mrs. Jennifer Fanning

Dear Kennedy Families,

Welcome back to another great year of learning.  I truly appreciate all of the parent volunteers and continued family support for our 8th annual Kennedy Rocket Run/Walk.  It was a huge success and the students were able to enjoy a beautiful day outside for our run. The Kennedy School and PTO Rocket Run/Walk raised over $11,500 to support our Kennedy students through curriculum resources, technology, field trips, family PTO events and re-certifying the belays for the Rock Climbing wall.

Kennedy welcome 30 students and 6 staff from Lasa Lu Primary School in Nanjing, China starting Monday, October 1st through Wednesday, October 10th.  Thank you to the families that will be hosting a student or two on Saturday to share what your family does on the weekend.  We hope to learn a lot from this experience.

Family involvement continues to be one of our goals this year. Studies show that parental involvement in a child’s education is one of the strongest indicators of student achievement. Already, we have over 40 registered volunteers to help the students and staff at Kennedy.  We encourage you to attend as many school sponsored events as possible and invite you to attend our next PTO meeting on Tuesday, October 9th at 3:15 pm in the library.  Feel free to join in progress if you can’t make it right at 3:15.  

Our first parent teacher conferences will be on October 24th and 25th.  We look forward to discussing the progress your child has made.  You are always welcome to schedule a meeting earlier, send an email, or stop by; you never have to wait for a conference if you have concerns or celebrations to share.  

Safety is another area we are focusing on this year. To promote safe schools we will hold routine fire drills, tornado and lockdown drills.  The purpose of drills is to ensure we all know what to do in the case of a real incident.  We also have the Campus Messenger system to send home messages in the case of a real safety concern at school.  Also to ensure student safety please use the stop, drop and go areas in the front or the back of the building.  Students should get out of the vehicle on the curb side in order to avoid traffic.  Students should never be permitted to exit a vehicle in the “passing” lane.  Students should enter and exit the building through their grade level doors. Students should not arrive to school before 8:05. Supervision for students begins at 8:05 on the playgrounds.

The staff at Kennedy is looking forward to working together to make this a rewarding and memorable school year, and we thank you for your continued support in helping us to provide a quality educational experience for all of our students.  If you ever have a question, concern, or compliment for staff, please call me at 743-7505. We appreciate parent feedback and want to work with you as partners to make Kennedy School the very best it can be for everyone!

Have a wonderful school year!
Mrs. Fanning

A Message From the Academic Learning Coach

Welcome to the 2018-19 school year! In the first few weeks of school, our students have been working very hard on learning many new routines in their classrooms. This is also the perfect time to create, or reinforce, routines at home. As a family, if your child has homework, find the time that works best, whether it be right after school or after your child has had time to wind down from a busy day at school. Try to make this time a positive experience to ensure your child will have a positive outlook on their learning. If homework becomes too much of a struggle or seems to be an excessive amount of time, please don’t hesitate to talk to your child’s teacher.

Your child has been busy taking the district mandated STAR assessment. STAR will monitor your student’s academic growth throughout the school year. Students and teachers will set goals for their learning and continuously conference about their individual areas of strength and needs throughout the year. You will be seeing your student’s results for Early Literacy and/or Reading and Math at conferences. This is a very exciting time to be a student at Kennedy; the Janesville School District has provided your children with the best learning and assessment tools available to ensure all our students are successful in their learning.  Have a wonderful school year!

Volunteer

We welcome parents, grandparents and community members to volunteer at Kennedy.  If you would like to volunteer in a classroom, in our lunch room, help with special programs or chaperone field trips this year, please stop in the office and pick up a School District of Janesville Volunteer Application.  All volunteers must be approved at the District level.  If you have any questions about the volunteer process, please contact the office at 743-7506.

Guidance News

Dear Kennedy Families,

We want your child to be as successful as possible at school. Success in school is not just about reading and math. It is also about knowing how to learn and how to get along with others. I will be using the Second Step program in all of the classrooms to teach these critical skills.

The Second Step program teaches skills in the following four areas:

1. Skills for Learning: Students gain skills to help themselves learn, including how to focus their attention, listen carefully, use self-talk to stay on task, and be assertive when asking for help with schoolwork.

2. Empathy: Students learn to identify and understand their own and others’ feelings. Students also learn how to take another’s perspective and how to show compassion.

3. Emotion Management: Students learn specific skills for calming down when experiencing strong feelings, such as anxiety or anger.

4. Problem Solving: Students learn a process for solving problems with others in a positive way.

If you have any questions about the Second Step program, please do not hesitate to contact me for more information. Thank you for supporting your child in learning the skills that lead to success in school and in life.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Bembinster
School Counselor/Student Services Specialist
743-7548 sbembinster@janesville.k12.wi.us

P.S. Make sure to join www.secondstep.org with the activation key to watch videos about the Second Step program and get information about what your student is learning.

Grade K	SSPK  FAMI  LY70
Grade 1	SSP1  FAMI  LY71
Grade 2	SSP2  FAMI  LY72
Grade 3	SSP3  FAMI  LY73
Grade 4	SSP4  FAMI  LY74
Grade 5	SSP5  FAMI  LY75

Meet Our New Kennedy Staff Members

Danielle DuFoe, Paraprofessional - Hello! My name is Danielle DuFoe and I am the new Paraprofessional here at Kennedy. I have 14 years of experience in Early Childhood Education; including owning my own successful home daycare business, teaching Preschool at and directing a daycare center, as well as teaching 4K and RTI last year at Tomah Area School District. I highly believe your children’s safety and progress in school is the most important aspect of my job. This year I will be completing my first student teaching placement with Mrs. Vogel - EC, while I am in the process of earning my teaching license through National Louis University in Chicago.  A few interesting things about me are that I love my horses, traveling, and hunting. I love to be outdoors as much as possible! I also work with the YWCA before and after school BASICS program here at Kennedy every day! I am excited to work with all of you this school year and also excited to begin and continue my relationship with your children as they progress and grow at Kennedy Elementary. I am excited for this school year!

Anne Gilmore, EL Teacher - Hello! My name is Anne Gilmore and I am the new EL Teacher at Kennedy Elementary and Harrison Elementary. I am originally from Evanston, Illinois.  After graduating from high school, I earned a Bachelor’s degree from NIU in Operations Management and Information Systems (try saying that 3 times fast) and was a Technical Analyst (computer programmer).  After programming for 3 years...I decided I wanted to become a teacher and earned my Master’s in Elementary Education at DePaul University in Chicago. I taught 3rd-5th grade in North Carolina for 6 years.  For 3 of those years I taught in a school that’s population was 60% ESL. I have also been a Special Ed Paraprofessional and long-term subbed as a Math Coach and Interventionist. I recently earned my ESL certification through Olivet Nazarene University.   I currently live in Harvard, Illinois with my husband and 2 youngest daughters, T’Anna (8) and Jazmine (6). I also have a 24 year old daughter named Anneasha, who recently graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. I enjoy reading and spending time with my family.

Kelley Hansen, Paraprofessional - Hello! My name is Kelley Hansen. I am so excited to be at Kennedy Elementary. I came to Kennedy Elementary from Jackson Elementary.  I have worked for the School District of Janesville for 15 years  at Jackson. I absolutely love my job and love working with kiddos. My husband, Stacey and I have 3 children, Isabella is 22, Jake is 15, and Gabe is 12. Jake and Gabe attended Kennedy and I absolutely loved everything about Kennedy School and staff.  We also have a German Shepherd dog, Maggie and 2 cats, Zoey and Telly. In my free time I love spending time with my family and friends. I also love doing anything that involves art. I am looking forward to getting to know the staff, students, and families here at Kennedy. It is going to be a fantabulous year!

Allyssa Fischer, Psychologist - Hello! My name is Allyssa Fischer and I am the new school psychologist at Kennedy Elementary and Monroe Elementary. I am originally from Slinger, Wisconsin. I moved to the Madison area after high school to attend UW-Madison where I earned my Bachelor of Science degrees in Psychology and Legal Studies. I then spent a couple years working at Mendota Mental Health Institute in Madison before beginning graduate school for school psychology at UW-Whitewater. I earned my Master of Science in Education degree from UWW, completed my practicum in the Edgerton School District, and this is my first year in the School District of Janesville. I am working toward my Education Specialist degree. I currently live in Marshall with my fiancé and our dog and cat. I enjoy reading and spending time with my animals. I am very excited to be part of the SDJ community and look forward to getting to know everyone as the school year progresses!

Betsy Lencho, Rti Specialist - So blessed to be back!  Many of you already know me, but for those of you who don’t, allow me to give you some highlights of my career here in Janesville. I graduated with a my teaching degree in Elementary Education (1-9) and English Ed (6-8) from UW-Whitewater in 1995 and was hired by Niel Bender to teach second grade at Madison School.  He then hired me at Kennedy School in 1999 where I was upper neighborhood leader until 2006 when I resigned to move to Slovakia, have a baby, and finish my Masters Degree in School Counseling from UW-Whitewater. I came back to the district in 2010 as a 4th grade teacher and then as the Student Services Specialist/ School Counselor at Madison Elementary. One additional unique experience was teaching middle school English in Honolulu during a Once in a LIfetime leave of absence in 2000.  I have two daughters: Zofia Zuzana who is an 11 year old student in the challenge program at Franklin, and Katarina Maria-Clarice who is a preschooler at Rock Prairie Montessori School.  My partner Craig is a product manager at Royal Enfield Motorcycles in Milwaukee and a partner at Big Toy Recreational Vehicle Storage in Lake Geneva.  Professionally, I have a passionate interest in early childhood trauma and its impact on emotional health and learning. I love to cook, bake, exercise, do hot yoga, read books, and laugh!  

Becky Hookham, Art Teacher - I am so excited to be teaching art at Kennedy Elementary.  I love art and I absolutely love children! I live in Janesville with my fiance and my 2 year old son. I love to make art and I love to spend time playing baseball and soccer with my son. I have 15 years of teaching experience that I am bringing with me and my favorite media choices to work with are clay and paint. I am really looking forward to beginning the school year and making some great art with students at Kennedy Elementary.

Brenda Vogel, EC Teacher - My name is Brenda Vogel, and I am the Early Childhood Teacher here at Kennedy Elementary. I grew up in Jefferson and have lived there my entire life. I graduated from UW-Whitewater with my Bachelor’s degree in Education and my Master’s degree in Early Childhood Special Education.  I have taught a variety of children between the ages of 3 and 5 over the past 20 years in several different locations.  My family also keeps me busy. My son, Adam, graduated from UW-Whitewater, while my daughter, Allison, graduated from UW-Madison. She currently teaches second grade at Orchard Ridge Elementary School in Madison. My youngest son, Alex, also graduated from UW-Whitewater. My husband, Roger, is a retired electrician. In my free time, I enjoy doing such things as reading, listening to rock music, binge-watching my favorite TV shows, crocheting, and relaxing with family and friends.  I am excited to be here at Kennedy and look forward to the next chapter in my life! 

Kristi Coy, Nurse - I've been a nurse in the district for 5 years. I have been primarily on the Westside Elementary Schools and at both Marshall and Franklin Middle Schools. Before starting with the district I did 2 years in VA at a children's hospital where is did general pediatrics floor and then did a year of NICU. We moved home and I did 3 years of night shift at a nursing home where I was the only nurse at that time of day. So come to you with a little bit of everything in my background.  I have a wonderful boyfriend at home as well as 2 sweet boys one 7 years old and the other is 6 months. We spend a lot of time at Karate in our home as our 7-year-old is on a competition team and we get to travel the state for different competitions. I also have an elderly dog at home who is my first baby and my only other female in the house.  I also enjoy doing healthy eating and cooking which with crazy schedules means a lot of meal planning at my house. 

Ron Wobig, Head Custodian - Hello.  My name is Ron Wobig and I am the new head custodian here at Kennedy. I have been married to Melanie now for 12 wonderful years. Together we have two wonderful daughters, whom you may have taught if you were ever at Harrison.  Their names are Addisyn, 12 and Ayla, 10.  I am also a stepfather to Caleb who is 26 and lives in Madison while working for Covance since graduating from UW-Whitewater.  When I’m not working, I enjoy watching my daughters participate in several sports and going camping on opposite weekends of their games.  We are avid Brewer and Packer fans as well.  I am a very approachable person so if there is ever anything you may need from me, please feel free to ask.  I am looking forward to a great year here at Kennedy and hopefully many more to come.  GO ROCKETS!!

Parent Teacher Conferences

Please mark your calendars for the upcoming Parent-Teacher Conferences.  Conferences will be held on:

Wednesday, October 24	4:00 - 8:00 p.m. There will be NO school for students
Thursday, October 25	8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. There will be NO school for students
Friday, October 26	No School for students/teachers

Lights! Camera! Book Fair!

We would like to invite all Kennedy families to the PTO’s annual book fair. There will be a wide variety of books that we really think you and your children are going to enjoy. The book fair will be open for visits during the following times:

Wednesday, October 24th: 3:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Thursday, October 25th: 8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Thank you in advance for your continued support of Kennedy Elementary School.

BAND & ORCHESTRA NEWS BY MRS. RUSH & MS. HELING, INSTRUCTORS

Greetings from the band and orchestra room! 5th graders who are participating in band or orchestra should have their instruments and books by now, but if they don't, please make sure that happens as soon as possible. We are starting to work on our first few notes and are playing simple songs. Please make sure you are always encouraging your child through the challenges of this fun and exciting new endeavor. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact Mrs. Rush or Ms. Heling.

BAND & ORCHESTRA NEWS BY MRS. RUSH & MS. HELING, INSTRUCTORS Happy Practicing! -- Mrs. Rush & Ms. Heling MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

Kindergarten—5th grade students will all be having a winter sing this year on THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13th

Kindergarten	8:45 a.m
1st Grade	9:30 a.m
2nd Grade	10:15 a.m
3rd Grade	12:45 p.m.
4th Grade	1:30 p.m
5th Grade	2:15 p.m

MUSIC NEWS! BY MR. RILEY, MUSIC TEACHER

I am super excited to start this new school year with all of your students! It has been a joy to see all those smiling faces coming to music class! Students in music class have been very active singing, playing instruments and using Quaver Music (our interactive music program).

Speaking of Quaver Music - the interactive programs provide new and engaging ways to bring music to life for the students. So if you’ve been looking for a way to encourage your children to love music at home – this is it! Students can access their account through the CLASSLINK portion of the Janesville School District’s website.

Last, the Winter Sing dates and times have been set! Please try to make arrangements now to be at the performance in December. The students love to see your smiling faces in the audience! I can’t wait to see you there! Evan Riley 608-743-7558 eriley@janesville.k12.wi.us

PHY ED NEWS BY MRS. CAMPBELL, PE INSTRUCTOR

Welcome back to school! I am very excited to see all the returning students and meet all of our new students. In P.E. class we started the year with using basketballs while going over classroom procedures and reviewing PBIS rules for the first 2 days, then rest of 1st trimester includes: Soccer skills, Football skills, Fitness skills, Games, Holiday games, and Basketball skills.

All students’ need “tennis shoes” to be able to participate in P.E. class. If possible, please keep a pair here at school. They do NOT need to be expensive. It is for their safety that we require the students to wear tennis shoes. No zip or slip-on tennis shoes please. Also, please do not knot laces so they do not tie. These make the “gym shoes” slip-on’s and not athletic shoes. If your child can easily “SLIP THEIR FOOT” into their tennis shoes, they are NOT safe and come off when we run and kick.

We work very hard in P.E. class, and I try to keep the students active for the whole 30 mins. **Please make sure your child can tie his/her tennis shoes.** This is a life skill- please work with your child to master this. A double knot would be especially helpful! Tying tennis shoes again, and again in class takes away from participating in the activity.

Mr. Lee is the traveling PE teacher and he has all the 5th graders this year. Mrs. Gustafson’s and Mr. Buckman’s 5th grade classes. Welcome Mr. Lee!

I am looking forward to a great school year! Stay active and eat healthy!! “YOU CAN NOT OUT EXERCISE A BAD DIET!!” 

Mrs. Campbell and Mr. Lee

IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES

October

• 9 PTO Meeting 3:15 p.m. in the LMC
• 9 Literacy Night 5:00-6:00 p.m.
• 10 Kennedy Night at GR’s 12 First Box Tops Contest Deadline
• 16 Kindergarten to Hinchley’s Farm 9:00—12:30 p.m.
• 17 Scoopie Night at the Milton Ave. Culver’s 4-8:00 p.m.
• 24 Parent-Teacher Conferences 4:00-8:00 p.m./No School
• 24 PTO Book Fair 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.
• 24 Papa Murphy’s Night 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.
• 25 Parent-Teacher Conferences 8:00a.m.-7:00 p.m./No School
• 25 PTO Book Fair 8:00 a.m.—7:00 p.m.
• 26 No School
• 27 Coats for Kids Distribution @ Salvation Army Center 9:00-3:00
• 29 4th Grade to JSOL
• 31 Fall Costume Parade

November

• 1 Picture Re-take Day
• 12 Papa Murphy’s Night 4: 00-7:00 p.m.
• 13 PTO Meeting 3:15 p.m. in the LMC 2
• 1-23 No School
• 27 End of the 1st Trimester

Scoopie Nights - 4:00 - 8:00 PM

October 17

January 16

March 13

May 15

Papa Murphy Nights - 4:00 - 7:00 PM

October 24

November 12

December 19

Wednesdays at GR's!

Join faculty families and friends of Kennedy Elementary school for dinner and/or dessert at GR's Sandwich Shoppe on October 10th. 10% of all sales from 4-8 pm for both dine in and carryout will go to Kennedy Elementary school Kids meals are only $4.50 and include an entree, side, drink, and a jr. scoop of Chocolate Shoppe ice cream! Did you know you could call ahead for your carry-out order? As long as you pick up after 4, we will include it in our special event!

 

Welcome to the Art Studio! Art Teacher  

Ms. Hookham

In the Kennedy Elementary Art Studio we have been exploring a variety of media choices such as pastels, crayons, and paint in coordination with the study of important artists of our time and in history. Below is a synoposis of what we are creating in each grade level. Please visit our classroom website on the Kennedy School homepage if you can find a free moment. The Kennedy Art Studio Website is located in the staff directory under Ms. Hookham There are many photos of students working on art in the art studio and many Google slides in each grade level to explain what artists we are studying or media we are exploring.

*In the art studio we are learning about…. Kindergarten - We are learning/reviewing our shapes and practicing our cutting and coloring skills. We are learning about how crayons are made. We are learning that basic shapes of circles, ovals, and hearts can be used to draw animals. First Grade- We are learning about Georgia O’Keeffe and we are creating a Georgia O’Keeffe inspired drawing/painting with a floral subject matter. Second Grade- We are learning about the Abstract artwork of Wassily Kandinsky and creating abstract art based on his artwork titled ‘Circles Inside a Circle’. We traced a giant magnifying glass shape and are drawing our Kandinsky art inside the circle.

Third Grade-We are using the media of Pastels/chalk to draw a deep underwater ocean scene complete with paint splatter bubbles.

Fourth Grade-We are learning about Rene Magritte and the art style of Surrealism. We are creating a Rene Magritte inspired piece of art of our shoe that turns into a foot.

Fifth Grade- We are learning to draw portraits of a person that we admire. We are learning to use value and proportion to create realism and texture. We are also learning to use blending sticks and drawing pencils.

*I hope your child is really enjoying art class and it is a happy part of their day and a special place in their heart. Please contact me at any time if you have any questions, concerns, or positive thoughts.

Ms. Hookham becky.hookham@janesville.k12.wi.us

PTO Fun Run/Walk

A big THANK YOU to all of our Kennedy students, families and staff for helping make the 7th Annual Kennedy Fun Run/Walk a huge success! With everyone working together we were able to exceed our goal and raise over $11,000 for our school!

Dear Kennedy Families,

We are proud to announce that our school is hosting a “Literacy Night” on October 9th from 5:00-6:15pm! Come for dinner and a demonstration by Kennedy staff. Do you wonder what Beanie Baby Strategies are?, Jolly Phonics?, Shrinking Problems or Belly Breathing? Stay tuned for further details!

October, 2018

Dear Parents and/or Guardians,

Kennedy Elementary will be having the students participate in a Fall Parade on Wednesday, October 31st from 1:30-2:00 p.m. Students are welcome to wear costumes during the parade (no make-up, weapons, or violent themes, please). The Craig Marching Band Drum Section will lead the parade. Depending on grade level, the students will follow two different routes as listed below:

Grades K, 1, 2 Students will leave out the back of the building, turn left out of the back parking lot, left on Stonefield, right on Curry, right on Purple Aster, and right on Stonefield to come back to school. Kennedy Staff will block the road as classes cross the streets.

Grades 3, 4, 5 Students will leave out the front of the building, walk up Shannon, turn left on Dorchester, left on Holly, and left on Randolph. Kennedy Staff to block the road as classes crosses the street.

Rainy Day Plan: Parade starting at the office, walk past LMC, around to the Yellow Brick Road, and finishing at the office. From the office, students will continue in the same direction to their classrooms. (1:30-1:40 K-1st, 1:40-1:50 2nd-3rd, 1:50-2:00 4th-5th)

Families are more than welcome to stand along the parade route as we go by! If you have any questions, please contact your child’s homeroom teacher.

Thank you, Kennedy Elementary School

Help Your Child Succeed in School:

• Build the Habit of Good Attendance Early
• School success goes hand in hand with good attendance!
• Did you know?
• Starting in Kindergarten, too many absences can cause children to fall behind in school
• Missing 10% or about 18 days can make it harder to learn to read
• Students can still fall behind if they miss just a day or two days every few weeks

Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school- and themselves. Start building this habit in preschool so they learn right away that going to school on time, everyday is important. Good attendance will help children do well in high school, college, and at work.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

• Set a regular bedtime and morning routine
• Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before
• Find out what day school starts and make sure your child has the required shots
• Introduce your child to her teachers and classmates before school starts to help her transition
• Don't let your child stay home unless she is truly sick. Keep in mind complaints of a stomach ache or headache can be a sign of anxiety and not a reason to stay home. 
• If your child seems anxious about going to school, talk to teachers, school counselors, or other parents for advice on how to make her feel comfortable and excited about learning.
• Develop back-up plans for getting to school if something comes up. Call on a family member, a neighbor, or another parent
• Avoid medical appointments and extended trips when school is in session.

For more on school readiness, visit attendanceworks.org and reachoutand read.org

Kennedy School Lunch Schedules

Kindergarten	Lunch	11:00 - 11:15 am
	Recess	11:20 - 11:35 am
1st Grade	Lunch	11:10 - 11:25 am
	Recess	11:30 - 11:45 am
2nd Grade	Lunch	11:10 - 11:25 am
	Recess	11:30 - 11:45 am
3rd Grade	Lunch	12:05 - 12:20 pm
	Recess	12:25 - 12:40 pm
4th Grade	Lunch	12:05 - 12:20 pm
	Recess	12:25 - 12:40 pm
5th Grade	Lunch	12:05 - 12:20 pm
	Recess	12:25 - 12:40 pm

MOVING?

If you will be moving from your current home address, please contact the Kennedy school office at 743-7506 as soon as possible to determine what paperwork you will need to fill out for your child to continue attending his/her current school.

Please note: if you are moving to an address outside the School District of Janesville in most cases your child is eligible to continue attending the School District of Janesville as long as you complete the appropriate paperwork within the required timeline.

f you have any questions about school placement for a particular address, please contact Administrative Services Secretary, Tami Carlson, at 743-5006. The Administrative Services Office is open year round.

If you are the parent of an elementary student and will be moving over the summer months when the elementary schools are closed, please contact Administrative Services Secretary Tami Carlson at 743-5006 or the New Student Enrollment Office at 743-5152 to complete the appropriate paperwork.

AUTOMATIC EXTERNAL DEFIBRILLATORS (AED’S)

Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) have been purchased by the School District of Janesville and have been installed in all Janesville Schools. We hope the need to use this device never takes place; however, it is reassuring to know that in the event of a medical emergency the AED is available. The AED at Kennedy Elementary School is located in the gym hallway.

No Animals Allowed on School Grounds

City ordinance forbids dogs, horses, cats, or other animals from being on playgrounds or school grounds at any time. Please keep your pet at home when you drop off or pick up your child. Thank you for your cooperation.

FRONT/BACK CIRCLE DRIVES

Please note that school and a Janesville Police Department Community Service Officer will be monitoring the front and back parking lots. The purpose of this is to ensure the safety of our students during the morning drop off and afternoon pick up of students.

Please follow the stop-drop-go rules. Do NOT leave your vehicle. If you need to leave your vehicle you must park in a stall in either the front or back parking lots or on the street. The Janesville Police Department Community Service Officer will be issuing tickets to all drivers who park in the circle drives or who leave their vehicles.

Thank you for your help in ensuring the safety of all Kennedy students.

Kindergarten Enrollment 2019-2020 School Year School District Residents

If you have a child turning 5 (five) years old prior to September 1, 2019 and they are not currently enrolled in a School District of Janesville Pre-school for Janesville (P4J) or Early Childhood (EC) program it is time to enroll in the Janesville Public School District.  Enrollment will take place at the Educational Services Center located at 527 S. Franklin St. (administration building) in the New Student Enrollment office.  You may enroll anytime during the two week period.  

Weeks of December 3–7 and December 10-14         

• 7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.    M/W/F both weeks
• 7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m     Tuesday, December 4, 2018
• 7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m     Thursday, December 13, 2018
• 8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.    Thursday, December 6, 2018
• 8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.    Tuesday, December 11, 2018

If you cannot attend the enrollment period please come in as soon as possible to enroll after December 14, 2018.  Enrollment in the district is required for participation in orientation.  When you enroll, you will need your child’s birth certificate for proof of age, proof of residency (top portion of a utility bill, or current lease) to determine school assignment, immunization records and photo identification.  If you have questions on general enrollment, please contact the New Student Enrollment office at 743-5072 or 743-5153 during regular office hours, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. 

Requests for School Transfer/Placement within the School District (yellow forms) for incoming kindergarten students should be submitted through the enrollment process.  Forms are available at all schools, as well as at the Educational Services Center.  If you have questions regarding this process contact Deen Hartley at 743-5152. 

The status of requests will be determined by January 15, 2019 if they are turned in by December 14th.  If you have a student currently attending a school under a School Transfer/Placement within the School District, it does not automatically qualify your kindergarten student for attendance at the same school; however, siblings are generally assigned to the same school.  

In order for your kindergarten student to attend the same school as a sibling, you must submit a request during the Kindergarten Enrollment time frame.  

If you know of a child in your neighborhood or from community activities that would be entering kindergarten for the 2019-2020 school year, please pass this enrollment information on.  

Non-District Residents

If you are a non-resident of the School District of Janesville and have a child turning 5 (five) years old prior to September 1, 2019 and would like your child to attend the School District of Janesville you must also apply for OPEN ENROLLMENT.  The timeline for Open Enrollment is February 4 to April 30, 2019.  

Currently open enrolled non-residents in a P4J or EC program do not need to re-apply. If you have questions regarding the Open Enrollment process, please contact Deen Hartley at 743-5152.

SCHOOL DISTRICT OF JANESVILLE ANNUAL NOTICE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION REFERRAL AND EVALUATION PROCEDURES

Upon request, the School District of Janesville is required to evaluate a child for eligibility for special education services. A request for evaluation is known as a referral. When the district receives a referral, the district will appoint an Individualized Education Program (IEP) team to determine if the child has a disability, and if the child needs special education services. The district locates, identifies, and evaluates all children with disabilities who are enrolled by their parents in private (including religious) schools, elementary schools and secondary schools located in the school district.

A physician, nurse, psychologist, social worker, or administrator of a social agency who reasonably believes a child brought to him or her for services is a child with a disability has a legal duty to refer the child, including a homeless child, to the school district in which the child resides. Before referring the child, the person making the referral must inform the child's parent that the referral will be made.

Others, including parents, who reasonably believe a child is a child with a disability may also refer the child, including a homeless child, to the school district in which the child resides.

Referrals must be in writing and include the reason why the person believes the child is a child with a disability. A referral may be made by contacting Ms. Kimberli Peerenboom, Director of Pupil Services, School District of Janesville, at 608-743-5061, or by writing her at 527 S. Franklin Street, Janesville, WI, 53548.

School District of Janesville CONFIDENTIALITY OF PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION OBTAINED THROUGH CHILD FIND ACTIVITIES

The School District of Janesville is required to locate, identify, and evaluate all children, with disabilities, including children with disabilities attending private schools in the school district, and homeless children. The process of locating, identifying, and evaluating children with disabilities is known as child find.

This agency conducts the following child find activities each year in the form of Early Childhood and Speech and Language Developmental Screenings. This notice informs parents of the records the school district will develop and maintain as part of its child find activities. This notice also informs parents of their rights regarding any records developed.

The school district gathers personally identifiable information on any child who participates in child find activities. Parents, teachers, and other professionals provide information to the school related to the child’s academic performance, behavior, and health. This information is used to determine whether the child needs special education services. Personally identifiable information directly related to a child and maintained by the school is a pupil record.

Pupil records include records maintained in any way including, but not limited to, computer storage media, video and audiotape, film, microfilm, and microfiche. Records maintained for personal use by a teacher and not available to others and records available only to persons involved in the psychological treatment of a child are not pupil records.

The school district maintains several classes of pupil records.

• "Progress records" include grades, courses the child has taken, the child's attendance record, immunization records, required lead screening records, and records of school extra-curricular activities. Progress records must be maintained for at least five years after the child ceases to be enrolled.
•  "Behavioral records" include such records as psychological tests, personality evaluations, records of conversations, written statements relating specifically to the pupil's behavior, tests relating specifically to achievement or measurement of ability, physical health records other than immunization and lead screening records, law enforcement officers' records, and other pupil records that are not "progress records." Law enforcement officers' records are maintained separately from other pupil records. Behavioral records may be maintained for no longer than one year after the child graduates or otherwise ceases to be enrolled, unless the parent specifies in writing that the records may be maintained for a longer period of time. The school district informs parents when pupil records are no longer needed to provide special education. At the request of the child's parents, the school district destroys the information that is no longer needed.
• "Directory data" includes the student's name, address, telephone listing, date and place of birth, major field of study, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance, photographs, degrees and awards received, and the name of the school most recently previously attended by the student.
• "Pupil physical health records" include basic health information about a pupil, including the pupil's immunization records, an emergency medical card, a log of first aid and medicine administered to the pupil, an athletic permit card, a record concerning the pupil's ability to participate in an education program, any required lead screening records, the results of any routine screening test, such as for hearing, vision or scoliosis, and any follow-up to the test, and any other basic health information, as determined by the state superintendent. Any pupil record relating to a pupil's physical health that is not a pupil physical health record is treated as a patient health care record under sections 146.81 to 146.84, Wisconsin Statutes. Any pupil record concerning HIV testing is treated as provided under section 252.15, Wisconsin Statutes.

Request for School Transfer/Placement (Intra District Transfers) within the School District of Janesville Attendance Areas

Due to Move:

If you move within the School District of Janesville during the school year and wish to remain at your current school please ask the school office for a Request to Remain in Current School Following Move to New Attendance Area Form (Blue). Complete the form and return it to the school office.

Due to Parent Choice:

If you wish to apply to have your student transferred/placed in another school within the district next school year (2018-2019), please ask the school office for a School Transfer/Placement Within the School District Form (Goldenrod). Completed forms will be accepted from December 1 through December 15, 2018 only. Submit your Request for School Transfer/Placement Within the School District Form (Goldenrod) to your home school attendance area office. Parents applying for Requests for School Transfer/Placement Within the School District will be notified of approval or disapproval by January 15, 2019. Parents applying for Requests for School Transfer/Placement Within the School District for incoming Kindergarten students will be notified of approval or disapproval after they have enrolled their child during the Kindergarten Enrollment period with the New Student Enrollment Office. If you have questions, please contact the school office of your home school attendance area.

Open Enrollment – Public School Choice – District to District Transfers

If during the school year, you move outside the School District of Janesville and you wish to remain at your current school please contact the Administrative Services office at 743-5152 and request a tuition waiver form within two weeks of your move. This will allow you to be eligible to attend your current school for the remainder of the current year tuition free. To continue attending the School District of Janesville after the 2018-19 school year, you will also need to complete an open enrollment application. Application instructions are provided to the School District of Janesville by the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and should be available by late January 2019. This year applications will be accepted February 4 – April 30, 2019.

If you have questions regarding Open Enrollment or Public School Choice please contact the Open Enrollment Specialist at 743-5152.

Coats for kids collection

September 24th – October 15th 2018

Please donate warm winter wear for needy families in Janesville and North Rock County,

Needed: Clean chlidren’s & Adults’ winter jackets & coats, snow pants, gloves, scarves, hats & boots – Please no adult dress coats. No broken zippers No sweatsherts or fleece jackets or summer clothing.

Thank you

Locations for donations:

Dan’s Creston Park Laundromat	IGA/Sentry East	Milton Piggly Wiggly	Shopko
1630 Randolph Rd	2822 E. Milwaukee St.	727 S. Janesville St.	Highway 14

Sentry West	Schnuck’s Super Market	1st Community Bank of Milton	Premier Bank
2501 West Court	1501 Creston Park Dr.	202 Merchants Row, Milton	1400 Blackbridge Dr.

Woodman’s Market	Festival Foods	Choice Cleaners
2819 N. Lexinton	2233 Humes Rd	610 E. Memorial 2919 N. Lexingtion 1926 E. Milwaukee

And ALL Janesville Elementary Schools

Distribution :

The Salvation Army on the corner of Glean & Southerland on Saturday, October 27, 2018 from 9 am – 3 pm.  Children must be present to receive a coat. Proof of residence is necessary. All coats/items are free, clean and available to all ages. This is a community service project of The Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary.

Kennedy December/January Parent Newsletter

• Student's of the Month
• Principal's Message
• PTO Giving Tree
• PBIS Thank You
• Fitness Night
• Music News
• Phy Ed News
• AED
• Important Upcoming Dates
• Art News
• Learning Coach/TAG News
• Winter Weather Reminders
• Lunch Schedule
• Transfers/Moving
• KG Enrollment
• Open Enrollment
• Dec/Jan Calendars

Students of the Month  

Congratulations to the October & November Students of the Month!  These students all demonstrated the PBIS traits of being responsible, being respectful and being safe. 

October

Kindergarten:Shane Kohls, Layla Russell, Nicholas Pellizzi
Grade 1:  Yaritza Duran, Maddie Holford, Ashton Chapin
Grade 2: Caysen Brown, Valerie Guaderrama, Abigail Pichler
Grade 3:  Kaylee Johnson, Griffin Poland, Brodie Mory
Grade 4:  Kylie Thomson, Kasiah Babler
Grade 5:  Andrew Frank, Gwen Jorgenson

November

Kindergarten:Lydia Hall, Sawyer Stalsberg, Paisleigh Wilson
Grade 1:  Lily Ruckert, Sullivan Mory, Nevaeh Waldrop
Grade 2: Charlotte James, Juanita Torres, Bella Bush
Grade 3:  Riley Kinney, Amelia Walter, Oskar Ochoa
Grade 4:  Jacqueline Cruz-Arambula, Lhiam Wilson, Abbey Hoffman
Grade 5: Addison Marquart, Owen Hotchkiss

A Message From the Principal - Mrs. Jennifer Fanning

Dear Kennedy Families,
Welcome to our holiday season filled with student performances, colder weather, and time with family. Please take time to enjoy the season and spend time on what is meaningful for your family. Children often would prefer time spent together whether you are playing a game, talking a walk, or enjoying a family meal together. The holidays may bring extra stress on families and we can follow the advice from a safety message at a recent school board meeting, stick to your own personal budget and spend time with others. Time is the best gift you can give.

Congratulations to Kennedy staff and students! This year, Kennedy received a Wisconsin State Report Card score of 96. Thank you for the support you provide your children at
home, volunteering at school, sending your students to school each day, and being your child’s first teacher!

While it becomes busier this month, please take time to continue to be safe when dropping off and picking up students. The snow often presents a new layer of challenge when driving, this is when our children need your extra caution and time when driving on school grounds and in school zones. If you are parked and waiting for your child in the Stop,Drop and Go area of the loop in front of the school, please be sure that you are not blocking the bus lanes and that your child/children are entering your vehicle from the sidewalk on the right side of your vehicle (passenger side) and not walking out into the traffic lane. Please only enter the parking lot with stalls if you are parking in a designated parking stall. There should never be vehicles lined up inside the lot behind the stalls waiting for children. If you are parking in a designated stall, please exit your vehicle and wait for your
child/children either at the end of the crosswalk at the start of the parking lot, on the sidewalk in front of the school or at their designated recess doors. Please remind your child/children that for safety reasons, they should never be crossing to the parking lot through the Stop, Drop and Go loop. Students should only be crossing at the crosswalks where there are Safety Patrol students to help them cross. Thank you for helping us keep all students, families, and staff safe.

Mr. Riley has been working diligently to prepare six outstanding Winter Sing programs with our K-5 students and we look forward to seeing you on Thursday, December 13th.
The staff and students are very proud and excited to share the performances with their families. I can safely say, you will be delighted with the shows! Please check our Kennedy
website and newsletter for the winter sing times for each grade level.

I appreciate the amazing partnerships between home and school with staff and families at Kennedy. These partnership have a significant positive impact on your children academically, socially, and emotionally and for that, I am truly grateful. I wish you a wonderful holiday season and look forward to the many opportunities in working together in our
learning journey.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Jennifer Fanning

PTO Giving Tree

Kennedy Families,
The PTO is sponsoring the teachers giving tree for the holidays. If you would like to support our Kennedy teachers with a gift for their classrooms, you will find the giving tree in the front entrance of the school. The hanging ornaments are color coded by class grade as follows:
Kindergarten – Red
1st Grade – Orange
2nd Grade – Blue
3rd Grade – Grey
4th Grade – Pink
5th Grade – Purple
Special Areas – White
PBIS – Yellow
Thank you for supporting our classrooms!
Kennedy PTO

PBIS Thank You

Dear Kennedy Families,
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all of the generous donations that came in for the PBIS drawings! Check out our front display to see all of the cool prizes that our students can win if their rocket tickets are drawn. We will be doing a series of drawings until the gifts are all
handed out. On behalf of the PBIS Committee, Kennedy Staff and all of the boys and girls….Thank You!

Fitness Night

Kennedy PTO is hosting a Family Fitness Night.  Please wear comfortable clothes & athletic shoes and plan to join us for an hour of fun fitness opportunities. 

When: January 8, 2019

Time: 6:00-7:00 p.m.

A light, healthy snack will be provided.

GR's Night

Wednesdays at GR's! Join faculty families and friends of Kennedy Elementary school for dinner and/or dessert at GR's Sandwich Shoppe on December 12th. 10% of all sales from 4-8 pm for both dine in and carry-out will go to Kennedy Elementary school Kids meals are only $4.50 and include an entree, side, drink, and a jr. scoop of Chocolate Shoppe ice cream! Did you know you could call ahead for your carry-out order? As long as you pick up after 4, we will include it in our special event!

Music News

Greetings from the Band Room.  Band students have been working very hard to pre

Kennedy April / May Parent Newsletter

Students of the Month Congratulations to the February & March Students of the Month! These students all demonstrated the PBIS traits of being responsible, being respectful and being safe.

February Students

• Kindergarten: Habiba Qureshi Ayla Doherty-Batchelder Morgan Bladorn
• !st Grade Nathan Billot Brylee O’Leary Leilah Riley
• 2nd Grade David Granja Grady Davis Caleb Mueller
• 3rd Grade Aaron Womack Yarezti Gomez Annie Carter
• 4th Grade Eliza Mecollari Gabriel Rivera N’Kai Alfonso-Schneider
• 5th Grade Tatiana Murphy Noah Carter

March Students

• Kindergarten: Macy Alsteen Sadie Loos Ava Neuman
• !st Grade Gavin Greenland Chandler Lynn Rowen Shelton
• 2nd Grade Sheridan Sumpter Quinton Kinder Greyson Coleman
• 3rd Grade Logan Valentine Grayer Shelton Hayden Scoggins
• 4th Grade Brian Garcia Hernandez Michael Veium Khloe Colson
• 5th Grade Lakya Dozier Tony Mastrogiovanni

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Dear Kennedy Families,

We have started our third and final trimester of the year! The spring is a busy time at Kennedy School with many exciting events happening and a continued focus on student engagement and instruction. We have two assessments that we use to help measure student learning. The students in grades 3-5 will take the Forward Wisconsin Exam in March and April. The grades 3-5 students are tested in the areas of reading and math. The 4th grade students are also tested in science and social studies. At the very end of April and in May, all K-5 students will take the STAR reading and math test. Parents will receive results from the assessment in June. Both Forward Wisconsin and STAR assessments are taken on the computer. Parents will receive a letter from the classroom teacher with your child’s testing dates for STAR and Forward Wisconsin. We will use the information from the data collected on the STAR and Forward Wisconsin Exam to drive our instructional practices for students. We want to continue to strive to help each student reach their academic potential in each of the areas.

We are always looking for ways to encourage family involvement. We hope to see you at our next PTO Meeting held in the library on Tuesday, April 9th at 3:15pm. The PTO is sponsoring our 5th annual Staff vs. Student basketball game at Marshall Middle School. The staff will play 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students beginning at 6:00 p.m. on April 5th. We are looking forward to having many of our Kennedy families attend the event. Try your luck and skills on the “Half Court Shot” designed for all ages.

I would like to recognize the Alpha Iota Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma in Janesville. I was attending a meeting and they asked if Kennedy could use any resources. Teachers then selected from options for flexible seating. Each grade level received an item such as a beanless bag chair, wobble seats, or stability seats to be used in the classroom. Thank you Ms. Strohacker and Mrs. Schollmeier who wrote the grant, completed the research, ordered the materials and made this possible! Please see the picture of our students enjoying these gifts on page 14.

We are looking forward to seeing many of our Kennedy families at some exciting events this spring. May 17th will feature our annual School Picnic and Fine Arts Festival. Please join us for fellowship and to support the Arts in School! Also, this year marks 20 years that Kennedy has been open for students. We will celebrate this milestone on June 5th in the afternoon.

Thank you for your continued support of your child’s learning at Kennedy School. Please feel free to contact us with any questions, concerns or appreciations at 743-7505.

Mrs. Fanning

Office Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

SAFETY ALERT!

Students must not arrive at school before 8:05 a.m. There is no supervision provided until 8:05 a.m. Students must enter the building through their grade level entrance doors unless they arrive at school after 8:15 a.m.

Kennedy Family Resource Center Hosts Family Fun Math Night

The Kennedy Family Resource Center hosted a Nifty Numbers Math Night on March 26th This was an exciting evening of fun games and hands on activities for parents and their children to explore together. Families celebrated math learning by playing games, solving problems and learning ways to practice math at home. A special thank you Mrs. Engstrom for all of your hard work and planning to provide such a fun and educational experience for our Kennedy families and to the Kennedy PTO for providing a pizza dinner for families to enjoy!

Greetings from the music room!

Spring is an exciting time in the music room. Find your student’s grade level below to see what they will be working on! 4th and 5th Grade: GUITARS and Musical Composition! Students in music class will be learning the basic of playing an acoustic guitar. Topics covered will include notes on the staff, tablature, and basic chords! This is a fun unit! At the end of the year students will be using their knowledge of Keyboard, Recorder, Ukulele, Guitar, and band/orchestra instruments to compose and play a song on an instrument of their choice Please note that “Guitar Stars”, our after school guitar club for 4th and 5th graders, will be performing at the Fine Arts Festival on May 17th! 3rd Grade: Musical Form with Q-GROOVES and GarageBand! Students in 3rd grade just finished up playing the Recorder. They did great! In the next few months we will be focusing on Musical Form - how music is put together into sections. In this unit, students will use a variety of technology including Q-Grooves on QuaverMusic as well as GarageBand on IPADs. They will use these programs and their new knowledge of musical forms to create their very own musical compositions! Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd Grade: QuaverMusic and Boomwhackers! Students in Grades K, 1, and 2 will continue work on their curriculum through Quaver Music. Units coming up include Dynamics, Tempo, Duration, and Listening! Along with working on their Quaver curriculum, students in grades K, 1, and 2 will be playing boomwhackers in music class! In these lessons students will have an opportunity to experience working on songs while playing in an ensemble. They will start to develop the skill of following music and playing with others!

BAND NEWS

BY MRS. RUSH, BAND TEACHER The Kennedy Band is working very hard on preparing for their final concert of the year, at the Kennedy Fine Arts Fest on Friday, May 17. For this concert, we learn to play full band pieces. This means that, instead of everyone playing the same thing, each instrument has their own part. These pieces are much more difficult than what we work on at the beginning of the year, and the band students are doing a great job. As we get closer to our concert, please keep encouraging your student to practice each day. Each band member's individual work really makes the concert the best it can be. We look forward to seeing you in May

2018-2019 KINDERGARTEN PARENT INFORMATION MEETING

When: Thursday, April 25, 2019 Where: Kennedy Elementary School Time: 4:30 Start your child’s educational experience off on the right foot by learning more about... *The kindergarten curriculum *Important dates and events you won’t want to miss *Skills your child can work on to prepare them for their kindergarten experience *Staff your child will be learning with *Summer School opportunities *A typical day in kindergarten *Programs and resources available at your school *Ways you can get involved in your child’s education We look forward to beginning this journey with you!

Kennedy School Picnic

Our school picnic will be Friday, May 17th before the Fine Arts Festival. Please arrive 15 minutes prior to your students lunch time to purchase tickets. This year we will be serving pizza and hot dogs. Lunches will be at the following times: Kindergarten - 11:00 3rd Grade - 11:45 1st Grade - 11:20 4th Grade - 11:55 2nd Grade - 11:30 5th Grade - 12:05

A Message From the Academic Learning Coach - Ally Stalsberg

It is hard to believe we have started the third trimester, and although it seems like the end of the year, there are still a lot of things on the school calendar for student learning. Between March 18th and May 3rd, 3rd - 5th grade students will be taking the Forward WI exam. Each grade level will be assigned specific testing times, so please be looking for a letter from your child’s teacher soon with the dates that your child will be testing.

All 3rd - 5th grade students will be testing in the areas of English language arts and mathematics. In addition, the 4th grade students will have a social studies and science portion of the test. In addition, all students K-5 will be taking the STAR assessment in May. This will be the third (and last) STAR test for this school year. This assessment will provide teachers with excellent information about your child’s growth, as well as how we will meet their needs for the next school year. Parent reports will be sent home after testing is complete. A few things that you can do at home to help your child do their best during these assessments are: first, make sure they are here at school, please do not schedule any appointments during your child’s test times; when your child is taken out of the class to perform the make-up test, they are losing learning time in the classroom. Also, please make sure your child comes to school well rested and has a good breakfast at home if they do not take school breakfast.

TAG NEWS Hello families! For students in grades 2-5, the Noetic Math contest information has been sent out. It will take place on April 4th at Kennedy. Please be on the lookout for the practice test coming home. Your child does not need to return the test back to school. Noetic Learning recognizes the contest winner by publishing the top 10% of students and the top 50% of students on their website: http://www.noetic-learning.com. We will also give our certificates and medals at Kennedy for those who place in the competition.

Join us for Breakfast With A Buddy

Each student may bring one special person in their lives to join them for breakfast. The special person could be mom, dad, another relative, family friend, etc. The students get to choose who they want to spend a special morning with before their school day starts. April 5th Kindergarten - 2nd Grade 7:30 - 8:15 a.m. April 12th 3rd - 5th Grade 7:30 - 8:15 a.m.

PHY ED NEWS BY MRS. CAMPBELL, PE INSTRUCTOR

We are in the 3rd trimester now. Please remember that each trimester we do different activities/sports in Physical Education class and your child may be better at some skills than others. This final trimester we will be active doing; Jump Rope, Volleyball skills, Softball skills, Track and Field skills, Lifetime Activities, and Cooperative Games. April showers bring May flowers and muddy tennis shoes!! As April/ May approaches, please remember that all students MUST have clean, dry tennis shoes for P.E. class. Everyone should leave a pair of tennis shoes here at Kennedy school for P.E. class only. *Please check and see if your child has out grown her/his tennis shoes and if your child can tie their shoes. Aloha! Our 3rd graders should make it to Hawaii by Spring break! Each class is running 2,000 laps around the gym during the next 5 weeks. They will celebrate with a Hawaiian Luau in the gym right before we leave for Spring break. Keep running all those miles 3rd graders! The annual city wide “Elementary Track and Field Meet” is coming up in May for all of our 4th and 5th graders. The 5th grade track meet will be on Tuesday, May 21st . The 4th grade track meet will be on Wednesday, May 22nd. Rain date is Thursday May, 23rd. Both meets are held in the afternoon from 11:45am to 2:40pm at Monterey Stadium. More information will be coming home soon including Track T-shirt order forms. Please be looking for this! Stay Healthy and Active! - Mrs. Campbell

Important Upcoming Dates

April

• 3 Panda Express Fundraiser
• 4 Noetic Math Test
• 5 K-2 Breakfast With A Buddy 7:30-8:15
• 5 Staff vs. Student Basketball Game at Marshall MS 6:00-7:30
• 8 Buffalo Wild Wings Fundraiser
• 9 PTO Meeting in the LMC 3:15 pm
• 12 3-5 Breakfast with a Buddy 7:30—8:15 a.m.
• 15 Spring Break Begins 22 Students return from Spring Break
• 22 Kennedy Clean Up Day 3:15—4:00 p.m.
• 25 Kindergarten Orientation Meeting 4:30 p.m.
• 29 Papa Murphy’s Fundraiser
• 30 Coldstone Fundraiser

May

• 14 PTO Meeting in the LMC 3:15 p.m.
• 15 Scoopie Night @ Milton Ave. Culvers 4:00 - 8:00 p.m.
• 17 School Picnic & Fine Arts Festival
• 21 5th Grade Track Meet
• 22 4th Grade Track Meet
• 22 Papa Murphy’s Fundraiser
• 27 Memorial Day—No School

June

• 3 Final Box Tops Collection
• 3 Papa Murphy’s Fundraiser
• 5 20 Year Celebration

WARM WEATHER APPAREL

As we enter that warmer days of the year, we have a few reminders. Clothing or appearance should not be a distraction in the classroom or be embarrassing to others. Crop tops, spaghetti strap tops with bra straps showing, halter tops, and short shorts are NOT allowed. NO midriff should be showing. Boys should wear a T-shirt under any sleeveless basketball type uniform shirt or oversized sleeveless shirt. Students with inappropriate clothing will be referred to the office. Students will be allowed to change or to contact parents/guardians to bring appropriate clothing. Students will remain in the office until proper clothing is available. Our main concern here is education in an environment conductive to that business. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter

RUNNERS’ CLUB

Runners’ Club is starting up again! We will meet on Wednesdays in the gym from 3:08—3:45 p.m. Your child needs a permission slip to participate in Runners’ Club. Even if they participated in the fall, we need to update info so all children are accounted for. Students must come ready to RUN! Tennis shoes on/tied and rest room taken care of as we will be outside (weather permitting) and far from a bathroom. Students are expected to run at least 1 mile and walk about 2 miles each time. We will try to increase the student’s endurance slowly so they can eventually run longer than 1 mile. Please do not sign up your child if they do not want to be here or if they can not go that distance. This is a fitness activity and not playtime. If the weather is bad that students will STILL have Runners’ Club indoors running in the gym or walking in the halls. Students may bring a water bottle if they choose. Students walking home will be dismissed about 3:45 and students being picked up need to know where to meet their ride. Parents do NOT need to come inside - students will be sent outside. Siblings who are not signed up for Runners’ Club may not stay at school. Runners’ Club will meet on the following dates: April 24, and May 1, 8,15

Kennedy Staff/Student Basketball Game

All Kennedy students and their families are invited to participate in the staff/student basketball game on Friday, April 5th in the Marshall Middle School gymnasium at 6:00 p.m. The game will end no later than 7:30 p.m. All students will be able to participate by cheering, or playing basketball. This is an all school event. Student permission slips were sent home and must be returned if your child wants to play in the game or be a cheerleader. We hope everyone attends! Questions, call Mrs. Fuhrmann at 743-7506.

KENNEDY SCHOOL SAFETY REMINDERS

We would like to remind our Kennedy families to a few of the safety rules before and after school.

 As students arrive at school each day they should walk to the playground designated for K-2 or 3-5 students and enter the building through these doors. Students should not be entering through the front doors.

 If students ride their bikes to school they should park the bike at the bike racks near the 3-5 playground. They should not be riding bikes on the playground areas during school hours.

 There are no skateboards or scooters allowed on the playground areas.

 The students should not be using the handicap accessible button to open the front or back doors of the school. This can cause damage to the doors and it is a very expensive piece of safety equipment to replace.

 After school students in the front of the school should he waiting on the sidewalk and not using the front of the school yard for a playground area.

Parent Safety Reminders:

 Before and after school please do not park in the front or back circle driveways. This can cause problems with the flow of traffic as students are dropped off or picked up. Please use the parking lot or park in the street if you leave your vehicle to enter the building.

 Students should not arrive earlier than 8:05 a.m. Adult supervision is provided on both playgrounds from 8:05 a.m. until the bell rings at 8:15 a.m.

 Students should leave school and the playground when dismissed at 3:08 p.m. Children should leave the school grounds within 10 minutes of the end of the school day. Students not picked up by 3:20 will be brought inside and parents must come into the building to get them.

We appreciate your support in helping the students and families at Kennedy follow these important safety rules. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this safety information please contact the office at 743-7506

The Kennedy Fine Arts Festival

Friday, May 17th, 2019 1:25 - 3:00 pm

Performances by: 

• Kennedy Band
• Kennedy Music Students
• Kennedy Orchestra
• K-5 Dancers

You are invited to visit our All - School - Visual Art Show

MOVING?

If you will be moving from your current home address, please contact the Kennedy school office at 743-7506 as soon as possible to determine what paperwork you will need to fill out for your child to continue attending his/her current school. Please note: if you are moving to an address outside the School District of Janesville in most cases your child is eligible to continue attending the School District of Janesville as long as you complete the appropriate paperwork within the required timeline.

Every School Day Counts

Regular school attendance is so very important. It is only through regular attendance that students are able to take full advantage of their learning opportunities. The responsibility for elementary school attendance rests upon the student and the parent/guardian.

Under state law a parent/guardian may only excuse their child’s absence from school for 10 days during a school year. This includes absences related to excuses for part of a school day. Absences related to student medical needs, funeral, or an out of school suspension are not counted against the parent/guardian excused absences. However, please schedule routine appointments outside the school day as much as possible.

Please make sure your child is here on time every day ready to learn. Establishing a consistent morning routine which includes getting to school on time when your child is young will help him/her for an entire school career and beyond.

Please remember to call the school attendance line at 743-7565 by 8:15 a.m. if your child will not be attending school due to an illness or planned absence

Thank you to the Alpha Iota Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma in Janesville for providing these great flexible seating options for our Kennedy students!

A Message from the Innovation Specialist—Mrs. Shelly Kress

Hello Kennedy families. Below, please find some helpful links for parents regarding technology and parental controls and an age appropriate movie guide.

 Guide to Parental Controls

 Age Guide for Marvel Movies

Kennedy School Spring Clean-Up Day Monday, April 22 3:15 – 4:00 pm

 Parents please stay with your child after school to assist cleaning up the school grounds and neighboring walking trail.

 Sponsored by Kennedy PTO and partnering with Kohl’s Department Store.

 Gloves and Garbage Bags will be provided.

Welcome to the Art Studio! Art Teacher - Ms. Hookham

In the art studio we are learning about….

Kindergarten - We have been SUPER busy in kindergarten! We made a Piet Mondrian printmaking piece of art called “Broadway Boogie Woogie”, practiced patterns on mittens catching snowflakes, and learned about the rainbow and made our friend, ROY G BIV. Roy has hair in the color of the rainbow. .

First Grade- We created art with spring and music in mind. We immersed ourselves in the music of the beatles while we created art on a piece of music, “Here Comes the Sun”. We did multimedia art and incorporated branches and handmade music notes.

Second Grade- Students learned about the ancient art of Gyotaku printmaking in which fisherman would make prints of the fish that they caught so they could record the size and type of fish they caught. This was an art form that was before the age of cameras and cell phones.

Third Grade- Students learned to weave using a loom and created a tall striped lighthouse. They painted a scene on cardboard and glued their lighthouse to it and added more details using markers, paint, and multimedia.

Fourth Grade-Students created metal relief art of underwater ocean scenes using texture. They also worked with pastels to create beautifully blended clovers.

Fifth Grade- Students learned about Pop Art and the art of the artist, Andy Warhol. They learned about the art of printmaking and created beautiful prints.

I hope your child is really enjoying art class and it is a happy part of their day and a special place in their heart. Please contact me at any time if you have any questions, concerns, or positive thoughts.

Ms. Hookham