Kennedy Elementary School
October/November 2022
 

Dear Kennedy Families, Welcome back to another year of learning. It has been wonderful welcoming our families and volunteers again this year. If you would like to volunteer at Kennedy, please follow the school district link to become an approved volunteer. You can make a difference for so many children! 
https://www.janesville.k12.wi.us/community/volunteer

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 event of a real safety concern at school. When using the Stop, Drop and Go circle drive in the front or the back of the building, the driver must stay in the vehicle. Students should exit/enter the vehicle on the curbside 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 working together to make this a great 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 (608)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! Jennifer Fanning, Principal

Students of the Month

September

Kindergarten
Mrs. Inman Isabella Easton	Mrs. Kielhofer Malix Schumacher	Mrs. Schnulle Lilian Storms
1st Grade
Mrs. Chapman Easton Schumacher	Mrs. Johnson Rylie Petska	Mrs. Wagner Lexis Scharenbroch
2nd Grade
Mrs. Bryson Cece Bradley	Mrs. Stenson Ahri Jennings	Mrs. termini Finnegan Mueller
3rd Grade
Mrs. Baker Gwen Rabarchek	Mrs. DeWar Karina Cher	Ms. Hellenbrand Laci Gotz
4th Grade
Mrs. Black Taylor Colwell	Mr. Straub Blaze Brandenburg	Mrs. Womack Liam Bradley
5th Grade
Ms. Green Sully Mory	Mr. Rusert Lydia Ricks	Ms. Ryan Iyla Morse
PE Mrs. Corey / Mr. Negus Charlotte Wright	Art Ms. Hookham / Mrs. Ward Emarie Harriel	Music Mr. Riley K'ziyah Dumas

October

Kindergarten
Mrs. Inman Edward Amador	Mrs. Kielhofer Raelyn Gower	Mrs. Schnulle Declan Tallon
1st Grade
Mrs. Chapman Karsyn Riley	Mrs. Johnson Amara Toloza-Whitaker	Mrs. Wagner Jaden Spencer
2nd Grade
Mrs. Bryson Marco Clayton	Mrs. Stenson Benjamin Disch	Mrs. termini Kierra-Mae Depaul
3rd Grade
Mrs. Baker Jauli Mack	Mrs. DeWar Brianna Cruz-Arambula	Ms. Hellenbrand Cora Allen
4th Grade
Mrs. Black Annie Gotz	Mr. Straub Jameson Johnson	Mrs. Womack Sofia Kloos
5th Grade
Ms. Green Maddie Holford	Mr. Rusert Lilly Kohls	Ms. Ryan Angel Ortiz Tinoco
PE Mrs. Corey / Mr. Negus Nicholas Pellizzi	Art Ms. Hookham / Mrs. Ward Jaxson Rose	Music Mr. Riley Bo Baacke

Congratulations to the October 2022 Students of the Month! These students all demonstrated the PBIS traits of being responsible, being respectful and being safe.

A Message from the Academic Learning Coach

Hello, thank you for attending your student’s parent teacher conferences where your student’s teacher shared results from their first STAR assessment taken in September. Students will be taking the STAR Reading and Math assessment again in January. Your child’s teacher and I are always available and happy to answer any questions you may have about this assessment. With holiday breaks upon us, it is important to remember that continuing some school routines during longer breaks helps your child to retain and build skills that they have worked so hard to learn these first few months of school. Remember to engage in some kind of reading every day.

TAG NEWS

Hello families, coming up in December and February, all 2nd and 5th grade students will be taking the CogAT assessment. This is a thirty-minute assessment that is utilized to help teachers understand a student’s problem-solving and reasoning skills. The CogAT assessment analyzes students’ strengths and areas of growth in these areas. If your child is in 2nd and 5th grade, a letter will be coming home soon to explain in more detail what the assessment will measure and when it will be given For students in grades 3-5, the Southern Lakes Anthology Writing Competition has begun! Also, the Delta Kappa Gamma writing contest will also be taking place in December and January. Please be on the lookout for more information coming home with your student!

A Message from the Kennedy Art Studio

Art To Remember* Fundraiser for Kennedy PTO and Kennedy Art Studio Every student created a beautiful and creative piece of art in the art studio and Ms. Hookham is mailing them to the Art to Remember company. The Art to Remember company is making a personalized order form for each child with their own access code. The order forms and access codes will be sent home with your child on October 31st (or close to that date). You will have an opportunity to order KEEPSAKES with YOUR CHILD’S ART on it until the event closes November 15th. All Keepsakes will arrive before Winter Break!! All proceeds support Kennedy PTO and the Art Studio. You can check out some of the keepsakes ahead of time at Arttoremember.com…but you will need your personalized code from the October 31st order form before you can order.

*City Hall Artwork* Alyana Daer - Oil Pastel “Monet’s Bridge over Water Lilies” Cooper Zadoka - “Complimentary Colored Heart” Congratulations Alyana Daer in 4th grade and Cooper Zadoka in first grade for being chosen to have your artwork displayed at City Hall in Janesville!!

PLAYDOH!! In Ms. Hookham’s art studio, Mrs. Womack’s 4th graders measured and mixed ingredients for homemade playdoh! Mrs. DeWar’s class kneaded the Playdoh until it was ready to use. Giggles were had by all :) In Mrs. Ward’s art class students created really cool “Drip Drawings” based on the LA artist Jen Stark. Ms. Ward will be making them into one large drip installation.

A message from Mr. Riley, Music Teacher

SAVE THE DATE! KENNEDY WINTER SING 2022 Dear Kennedy Families, We are very excited to announce the winter sing date and performance times. All performances will be held at Kennedy Elementary on Tuesday, December 13th! At the end of each show we ask that parents exit the building immediately to make way for our next group of audience members. Doors will open 15 minutes before each performance. Please see the times for each grade level below

• K 8:45
• 1 9:30
• 2 10:15
• 3 12:45
• 4 1:30
• 5 2:15

We will have information on what the students should wear at a later date. Please let me know if you have any questions. We can’t wait to see you there! A message from Kennedy School P.E. Teachers, Mrs. Corey and Mr. Negus Hello from Mrs. Corey and Mr. Negus! In Physical Education class, students who show responsible behavior that is respectful to self and others can earn a 3 or 4 on their report card by:
● Listening with eyes looking and body quiet
● Showing good effort, hustle, and grit
● Staying focused and on-task during practice and game play
● Being open to feedback for improvement
● Accepting people at different skill levels and including everyone
● Handling tough situations with good sportsmanship and grace, such as losing or getting out
● Willingness to try new skills and hard challenges
● Being problem solvers
● Making safe choices

A message from Kennedy School Counselor, Mrs. Bembinster

Hello Kennedy Families! We want your child(ren) to be successful in school and that means supporting and encouraging their whole development. While excelling in academic classes is important, children also need skills to take on learning challenges, make good decisions, manage strong emotions, and get along with others.

This school year Kennedy will be using the Second Step Curriculum, a research-based social-emotional learning program designed to improve children’s social-emotional skills. Second Step skills and concepts are designed to help children both in and out of school. Our units will cover the following:

Skills for Learning: Children learn how to pay attention and manage distractions, and apply goal-setting strategies to their social and academic lives.

Empathy and Kindness: Children learn how to identify kindness and act kindly, have empathy for others and take others’ perspectives, and recognize kind acts and empathy as important elements of building and maintaining relationships.

Emotion Management: Children learn how to identify and label emotions and use emotion management strategies -- including stress management for older students -- to calm strong feelings.

Problem-Solving: Children learn how to identify and state a problem, recognize if a problem is an accident, and use the STEP problem-solving process:

S: Say the problem
T: Think of solutions
E: Explore the outcomes
P: Pick the best solution

Safety: Children learn about safety in school and outside of school. We focus on skills related to safety thinking, refusing unsafe things, and reporting to an adult to get assistance.

I will be presenting in your child(ren)’s classrooms each week. If you have any questions about Second Step you can contact me for more information. Thank you for your support as we work to build a safe and supportive school community.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Bembinster Kennedy Elementary School Counselor
bembinster@janesville.k12.wi.us (608) 743-7548

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 activities to teach the behavior expectations of Kennedy School. Classes visited many places in the 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. Your child’s teacher should be providing you with information about this system if you are unfamiliar. Be sure to ask questions if you have any!
• 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 positive Dojo point or a Red Rocket Ticket. (Researchers call this “intermittent reinforcement” and it has been shown as an effective way to teach behaviors!) Those points/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 (“Student of the Month”). 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

Handle With Care

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. Handle with Care If your family is experiencing difficulties at home, I would provide additional support at school. I understand that you are not always able to share details and that’s okay. If your child is coming to school after a difficult night, morning, or weekend, please text me “Handle with Care”. Nothing else will be said or asked. This will let me know that your child may need extra time, patience, or help during the day. Text: (608) 205 8306 Email: sbembinster@janesville.k12.wi.us

Important Dates

DECEMBER

• 2 Popcorn Day
• 13 Winter Sings
• 20 PTO Meeting
• 22 No School - Winter Break Begins

JANUARY

• 3 School Resume
• 16 No School - MLK Jr. Day
• 18 Culver’s Scoopie Night
• 20 No School - PD for teachers

Kick-Off to P4J Enrollment

For children who turn four years old on or before September 1, 2023. Saturday, February 11, 2023 Kick-Off to Enrollment will take place at the Educational Service Center at 527 S Franklin St, Janesville WI 53548.

A Parent or Legal Guardian must attend the Enrollment Appointment. Enrollment will be done by appointment ONLY. Starting January 16, 2023 you can:

1. Call to make a P4J enrollment appointment for our Kick-off date or later. For February 11th Kick-off appointments call 608-743-5038. For appointments needed after the kick-off date call 608-743-5011.
2. Pick up enrollment packet at the Educational Service Center at 527 S Franklin St, Janesville

Documentation Needed For Your Appointment:

1. Completed Enrollment Paperwork (will not be accepted prior to February 11, 2023)
2. Proof of Residency (copy of lease/purchase agreement or utility bill must be dated within the last 60 days)
3. Guardian Identification (Drivers License/State ID)
4. Child’s Immunization Records
5. Child’s Birth Certificate

If you live outside of the School District of Janesville you will need to apply for Open Enrollment. For P4J Questions contact Angela Lynch, P4J Coordinator, or Peggy Karleski, P4J Secretary Educational Services Center 527 S Franklin St 608-743-5038

Kindergarten Enrollment 2023-2024

School Year School District Residents If you have a child turning 5 (five) years old prior to September 1, 2023 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 from December 1, 2022, through December 15, 2022, at the Educational Services Center located at 527 S. Franklin St. (administration building) in the New Student Enrollment office by appointment only. Please call (608) 743-5011. If you cannot attend during the enrollment period please make an appointment as soon as possible to enroll after December 15, 2022.

Enrollment in the district is required for participation in orientation. When you enroll, you will need your child’s birth certificate, proof of residency (Utility bill, current term lease, or government issued statement), immunization records and photo identification. The window for Requests for School Transfer/Placement within the School District (yellow forms) for incoming kindergarten students are available from December 1, 2022, through December 15, 2022, and should be submitted during the enrollment process. Forms are available at the schools for current students requesting a transfer. Current proof of residence and a photo ID are required when submitting a transfer request. If you have questions regarding this process contact Deen Hartley at 743-5152. The status of requests will be determined by January 15, 2023 if they are turned in by December 15 th . 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 2023-2024 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, 2023 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 7, 2023, to April 29, 2023. 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 the Kennedy school office at 608-743-7506 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. 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.

Child Find Notice

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 student with a medically diagnosed disability is not automatically eligible for special education. An outside medical diagnosis is insufficient of special education eligibility. A student must be found eligible as a “child with a disability” under state and federal special education law. A student with a disability is one who requires specially designed instruction as a result of meeting the criteria for at least one of the identified disability categories under state and federal special education law. A student cannot start receiving special education services without a full and individual comprehensive special education evaluation completed by the student’s district. Outside evaluations and other information shared by the parent, such as medical diagnoses, are considered during the evaluation and may provide supporting or new information about the student’s academic and functional skills important for determining the nature and extent of the student’s disability and education needs. 34 CFR §§ 300.8 and 300.301. Wis. Stat. § 115.76(5). 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 Mrs. 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.

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