KENNEDY ROCKET NEWSLETTER

OCTOBER 2019

LETTER FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Dear Kennedy Families,

Welcome back to another fantastic year of learning! 

Thank you to all of the parent volunteers and continued family support for our 9th annual Kennedy Rocket Run/Walk.  It was a huge success and the students loved pouring slime over the staff.  We raised over $10,200 to support our Kennedy students through curriculum resources, technology, field trips, family PTO events and recertifying the belays for the Rock Climbing wall.

Kennedy welcomed 22 students and 4 teachers from Lasa Road Primary School in Nanjing, China starting Monday, September 30th through Wednesday, October 9th.  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.  Already, we have 99 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 8th 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 23rd and 24th.  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 at 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 or text my Google Voice at 608-352-0037. We appreciate parent feedback and want to work with you as partners to make Kennedy School the best it can be for everyone!

Have a wonderful school year!
Mrs. Fanning

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.

Kasiah Babler, Katelyn Helwig, Natasha Dieter, Aaron Womack, Kiera Riley, Jhamarius Murphy, Juanita Torres, Keira Goehl, Amariyia Smith, Michael Earl Jr., Madeleine DeLorimier,  Kailey Mulderink, Gracelynn Carlson, Liam Bradley, Sadi Anderson, Jada Miller, Prabhjit Singh, Jace Donnelly

Kennedy Run/Walk Fundraiser

A big thank you to all of or Kennedy students, families and staff for helping make the 9th Annual Kennedy Run/Walk a huge success!  We raised just over $10,200!!! 

Letter for Physical Education Teacher, Mrs. Campbell

Welcome back to school!!  I am very excited to see all the returning students and to be able to meet all of our new students!  Kennedy is a GREAT school!

In P.E. class we start the year with a review of rules/PBIS and playground games.   Other 1st trimester units will be:  Soccer skills, Football skills, Fitness skills, In-Line Skating (1st thru 5th), Parachute (K), Climbing the Vertical Wall, Basketball Skills and Creating Obstacle Courses.

All student’s need “tennis shoes” to participate in P.E. class!

It is for safety when moving around the gym that we require the students to wear tennis shoes.  No zip or slip-on tennis shoes please.   Also “Heely’s” and “Skater” shoes (thick shoes with laces that DO NOT tie, or tie tight) are not allowed.  These are not athletic shoes 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.  A double knot would be especially helpful!  Tying tennis shoes again, and again in class takes away from participating in the activity.

I have a student teacher from UW-Platteville with me for the first nine weeks, Ms. Brennan.  Ms. Brennan will then be teaching at Franklin Middle school. Please welcome her to Kennedy.

I am looking forward to a great school year!   Stay active to stay healthy!

- Mrs. Campbell

Safety Message

Please make sure students do not arrive on school grounds until 8:05 when supervision begins. Also, after school please make sure transportation is here for pick up at 3:08. 

Parent Teacher Conferences - October 23 & 24

The end of October will bring Parent/Teacher Conferences.  Reminder notes with the date and time of the conference you signed up for at the Open House will be sent home.  Please make every effort to keep your conference. This is our opportunity to provide feedback on how well your child is learning. If you need to reschedule, please contact the teacher this week. We like to have 100% of our families represented at conferences. This is a wonderful opportunity for you and the teacher to communicate.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR:

• PTO Meeting October 8 & November 12 at 3:15 in the PAC
• NO SCHOOL October 24th & 25th. 
• Parent Teacher Conferences October 23rd & 24th
• Teacher Professional Development Day - No school for students Friday, November 22.
• Thanksgiving Break - NO SCHOOL:  No school for students November 27-29 (Wednesday, Thursday & Friday).
• End of First Trimester - November 21.
• Winter Sing Friday, December 13th.
• Winter Break December 23-January 1.  School resumes on Thursday, January 2, 2020.
• Testing Dates: STAR Fall: September 9th- October 4th 

 

YOU CAN ALWAYS VISIT OUR KENNEDY WEBSITE CALENDAR TO CHECK TIMES AND DATES FOR EVENTS.  IN ADDITION, IF YOU ARE NOT RECEIVING OUR EMAILS, PLEASE GO TO INFINITE CAMPUS AND UPDATE YOUR CONTACT PREFERENCES.

We are proud to announce that our school is hosting a “Literacy Night” on October 29th from 5:15-6:30pm! Come for dinner and many fun activities demonstrated by Kennedy staff.  Stay tuned for further details!

CLASS DOJO

Hello Kennedy Families,

This school year, Kennedy teachers will be using ClassDojo as a communication tool with our students and families.  ClassDojo encourages important skills and values such as working hard, being kind, helping others, and participating.  It’s also used to communicate with you:  we can share messages, updates, and photos from class.  It’s the easiest way for you to see how your child is doing at school and to get in touch with your child’s teacher. 

ClassDojo will take the place of our PBIS Clipboard.  Similar to the clipboard, adults can add or take away a point based on students’ behavior choices.  Positive choices will result in students earning a point, and negative choices will result in the student getting a point taken away.  Points may go up and down throughout the day.  Just like real life, mistakes happen, and students are given the opportunity to make different choices and “correct” errors. 

Here’s how it works.  Your child will start each day at a clean slate (0).  If he/she is “caught” being safe, respectful, or responsible, he/she will earn a point.  He/She can earn several points throughout the day for these behaviors in the classroom, hallway, specials, playground, lunchroom, etc.  Your child will continue to have opportunities to earn purple cards and red rocket tickets based on their positive dojo points.  On the flip side, if he/she is showing unsafe, disrespectful, or irresponsible behaviors, he/she will first get a warning.  If he/she continues to demonstrate negative choices, it will result in loss of a point or points. 

Similar to the old system, if the negative behavior continues, an additional point will be taken away.  This will result in time with the teacher, loss of privilege, and/or redirection of the behavior.  At this point, your child has opportunities to earn points back if he/she is showing the negative behavior has been “corrected.”  On the other hand, if the negative behavior still continues, your child will be sent to the office to talk to Mrs. Fanning or a designee about his/her behavior.  Please note: severe infractions will be an automatic office referral. 

This is a new behavior system, so there will be a lot of learning that goes along with it.  The number of points for consequences are subject to change as we work to figure out this system.  If you have any questions or concerns regarding ClassDojo, please reach out to your child’s teacher through ClassDojo, email, or call.  Your child’s contact information is below.  As always, we will continue our work together to provide the best support possible for your child. 

PBIS NEWS

What is PBIS?  It stands for Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports.  One of the goals of the system is to actively teach students what the expectations are for their behaviors throughout the school day and in all school settings. 

All students will be or have participated in “Behavior Stations!”  Classes visited many places in the Kennedy School building including hallways, the lunchroom, bathrooms, and playgrounds.  Students learned what NOT to do in each space, the expected behaviors of the focus area, and had the opportunity to practice the behaviors that are expected. Each special area teacher is training for his/her own classroom. Classrooms use their passports to record the completion of training and will earn two rocket fuel boosters toward a classroom celebration.

Every classroom at Kennedy is utilizing ClassDojo as a behavior management system to help students monitor their own choices throughout the school day.  (Please read the specific newsletter article about this school-wide change.)

Students are being acknowledged for “the good stuff” as often as possible.  When any staff member sees a student following the Kennedy rules of be safe, be respectful, and be responsible, he/she MAY give the student a Red Rocket Ticket.  (Researchers call this “intermittent reinforcement” and it has been shown as an effective way to teach behaviors!)  Those tickets are going into a collection spot and there are regular opportunities for prizes.  The students love it…and the staff enjoys giving all of the positive messages. Classes can earn “rocket boosters” when they are making good choices as a collective group; when the class earns 10 “boosters” they are eligible for a celebration.

Students will continue to receive monthly Character Awards at Kennedy.    Teachers will select those students who are acting as examples of our three expectations: be safe, be respectful, and be responsible.  Students will receive school-wide recognition, a positive phone call home, and an award.

The Kennedy PBIS framework continues to include a structure for providing extra behavior supports for those students who may indicate a need for those supports.

If families have any questions about the PBIS system, or feel that their student(s) could use some extra behavioral support, please speak with your child’s teacher or you can call Mrs. Bembinster at 743-7548.  We are always looking for positive ideas and prize donations.  Thank you for all that you do to support Kennedy School and your child’s learning.

DISTRICT INFORMATION

Child Find Notice - Kimberli Peerenboom

“The school district must locate, identify and evaluate all resident children with disabilities, including children with disabilities attending private schools, regardless of the severity of their disabilities.” The school district has a special education program to locate and screen all children with suspected disabilities who are residents of the district and who have not graduated from high school. Upon request the school district will screen any resident child who has not graduated high school to determine whether a special education referral is appropriate. A request may be made by contacting Kimberli Peerenboom, Director of Pupil Services for the School District of Janesville at 743-5061, or by writing her at 527 S. Franklin St., Janesville WI 53548.

Annually the district conducts developmental screening of preschool children. Each child’s motor, communication and social skills are observed at various play areas. Each child is weighed and measured, and the child’s hearing and vision is checked. The information is used to provide the parent with a profile of their child’s current development and to provide suggestions for follow up activities. Parents learn about community services available to them and speak with representatives of agencies serving families. The information from screening is also used to determine whether a child should be evaluated for a suspected disability. When school staff reasonably believe a child is a child with a disability, they refer the child for evaluation by a school district Individualized Education Program (IEP) team. Developmental screening will be a part of the kindergarten screening this Spring. Watch for dates at your local school.

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 report the 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. The referral must be in writing and include the reason why the person believes the child is a child with a disability. Others who reasonably believe a child is a child with a disability may also refer the child to the school district in which the child resides. A referral of a child residing in the School District of Janesville may be sent to Kimberli Peerenboom at the school district address above.”

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.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and section 118.125, Wisconsin Statutes, afford parents and students over 18 years of age ("eligible students") the following rights with respect to education records:

The right to inspect and review the student's education records within 45 days of receipt of the request. Parents or eligible students should submit to the school principal [or appropriate school official] a written request that identifies the records(s) they wish to inspect. The principal will make arrangements for access and notify the parent or eligible student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. The school district will comply with the request without unnecessary delay and before any meeting about an individualized education program, or any due process hearing, and in no case more than 45 days after the request has been made. If any record includes information on more than one child, the parents of those children have the right to inspect and review only the information about their child or to be informed of that specific information. Upon request, the school district will give a parent or eligible student a copy of the progress records and a copy of the behavioral records. Upon request, the school district will give the parent or eligible student a list of the types and locations of education records collected, maintained, or used by the district for special education. The school district will respond to reasonable requests for explanations and interpretations of the records. A representative of the parent may inspect and review the records.

The right to request the amendment of the student's education records that the parent or eligible student believes is inaccurate or misleading. Parents or eligible students may ask [Name of] School District to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate or misleading. They should write the school principal, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading. If the district decides not to amend the record, the district will notify the parent or eligible student of the decision and the right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the parent or eligible student when notified of the right to a hearing.

The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information in the student's education records, except to the extent that federal and state law authorize disclosure without consent. The exceptions are stated in 34 CFR 99.31, Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act regulations; Sec. 9528, PL107-110, No Child Left Behind Act of 2001; and section 118.125(2)(a) to (m) and sub. (2m), Wisconsin Statutes. One exception that permits disclosure without consent is disclosures to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the district as an administrator, supervisor, instructor, or support staff member (including health or medical staff and law enforcement unit personnel); a person serving on the school board; a person or company with whom the district has contracted to perform a special task (such as an attorney, auditor, medical consultant, or therapist); or a parent or student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility. Upon request, the district discloses education records without consent to officials of another school district in which a student seeks or intends to enroll. Also the district discloses "directory data" without consent, unless the parent notifies the district that it may not be released without prior parental consent.

The right to file a complaint with the U. S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the District to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA is: Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20202-4605.

Public School Open Enrollment Timelines

The State of Wisconsin has announced the application period for open enrollment (also known as public school choice) begins in February for the following school year.  Open Enrollment laws permit children to attend a public school in a school district other than the one in which they live.

The open enrollment application period for the 2020-2021 school year is from February 3, 2020 – April 30, 2020.  Parents are encouraged to apply on-line at dpi.wi.gov/open-enrollment.  Although on-line application is recommended, paper applications may be obtained from the Department of Public Instruction or any school district after February 3, 2020 and must be delivered (hand-delivery is recommended) to the nonresident school district during the application period. Paper applications to attend Janesville must be submitted to the Open Enrollment Specialist in the New Student Enrollment Office no later than 4:00 p.m. on April 30th (a postmark does not constitute timely submission).  Applications turned in prior to February 3rd will be returned as not valid and must be resubmitted after February 3rd but before April 30th at 4:00 p.m.

Enrollment in a requested school or program is subject to space and other limitations and is not guaranteed. Transportation is the responsibility of the parent. Habitual truancy may result in recommendation for the student to return to their home district.

Under School District of Janesville board policy, students who attended the district under open enrollment the previous year are not required to reapply for the following school year.

An application is required for each sibling in the family.  For example, if a family has one child in elementary school that has been approved for open enrollment and a new student entering kindergarten next year, the student entering kindergarten must apply for open enrollment in order to attend the School District of Janesville.

Parents will be informed in June whether their open enrollment applications have been approved or denied.  The student’s school or program placement will be provided in June.

If you have questions, please contact the Open Enrollment Specialist at 743-5152.

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

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 (2020-2021), please ask the school office for a School Transfer/Placement Within the School District Form (yellow).  Completed forms will be accepted from December 1 through December 15, 2019 only.  Submit your Request for School Transfer/Placement Within the School District Form (yellow) to your home school attendance area office. Parents applying for a Request for School Transfer/ Placement Within the School District will be notified of approval or disapproval by January 15, 2020.  Parents applying for a Request for School Transfer/Placement Within the School District for incoming Kindergarten students will be notified of approval or non-approval 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.

Kindergarten Enrollment for the 2020-2021 School Year

School District Residents

If you have a child turning 5 (five) years old prior to September 1, 2020 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 2–6 and December 9-13 7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. M/W/F both weeks
• 7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m   Tuesday, December 3, 2019
• 8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. Thursday, December 5, 2019
• 8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, December 10, 2019
• 7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m   Thursday, December 12, 2019

If you cannot attend the enrollment period please come in as soon as possible to enroll after December 13, 2019.  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, 2020 if they are turned in by December 13th.  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 2020-2021 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, 2020 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 3 to April 30, 2020.  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.

MOVING???

If you will be moving from your current home address please contact Monroe school office at 743-6900 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.

If you have any questions about school placement for a particular address please contact Open Enrollment Specialist Deen Hartley at 743-5152.  The New Student Enrollment 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 Open Enrollment Specialist Deen Hartley at 743-5152 or the New Student Enrollment Office at 743-5072 or 743-5153 to complete the appropriate paperwork.

Open Enrollment or Public School Choice

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 Open Enrollment Specialist 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 2019-2020 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 2020.  This year applications will be accepted February 3 – April 30, 2019.

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