Kennedy Newsletter for Families
Merry Christmas, Lynn Garden!
There is no place on Earth as exciting as an elementary school during the holiday season! I'm keeping this section short this time because this newsletter is full of ways you can help your child close gaps and/or get ahead. Please partner with us to work on the items below. They were chosen by our teachers.
Holiday magic is in the air at Kennedy Elementary! We sincerely hope you have a joyous holiday season.
I'm proud to serve you and the Lynn Garden Community!
Janice Irvin, Ed. D.
What should we work on from home?
Help your child close possible gaps created by the Coronavirus! See how to help below! For more information contact your child's teacher through email or Class Dojo.
We are working on number recognition 0-10, sorting and recognizing 2D shapes in our environment. Literacy we are working on our name recognizing and writing, goals in our yellow books. And as always read to your child!!
Literacy- Sight words, blends and diagraphs (sh, th, etc)
Math- Counting forward and backwards within 120
Addition and Subtraction facts within 20
In math, basic skills...time, money and math facts as well as place value.
3rd Grade Literacy
3.RL.KID.2: Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.
3rd Grade Parents: Ask your student:
“What lesson can you learn from reading this story?”
“What part of the story teaches you this lesson?”
“Tortoise and the Hare”
Lesson: Slow and steady wins the race.
The tortoise won the race by keeping at it even though he was slower than the hare. The hare was prideful and took a nap, which kept him from winning the race.
Math- Adding and Subtracting through 1,000 and multiplication facts.
Literacy- the fourth grade needs to work on READING. They need to read every night preferably aloud and chat about what they are reading. One of the biggest issues we had on a recent test is that our students struggle to read some material independently. They are learning the skills, but they have to work on practicing that reading "muscle" every day on their own. They also need to work on being able to persist and have more reading stamina.
Have you ever wondered what our goals for student writing include? The state of Tennessee actually has rubrics for teachers to use while guiding students in writing instruction. Check the rubrics out here!
Request from all teachers:
If you have a student in quarantine please communicate with classroom teachers on DOJO regarding classwork. Please also pickup materials at school (Chromebook, MyBook, Investigations Book) to be used at home to complete work.
We are keeping Canvas updated with videos and assignments for our Quarantined Coyotes.
What if my child has to quarantine?
- Stay calm. Children get really freaked out when they hear they were around someone with COVID-19. They will look to you to see how to react. We do not tell them at school
- Log-on to Canvas (if your child isn't sick). This is SO important. Students have to work from home to keep up with their classmates. Our teachers have worked very hard to keep their Canvas websites up to date every day. If a child doesn't complete work during quarantine they will be marked absent from school.
- Call Nurse Lundy if your child tests positive and she'll tell you when you can return.
HOWL about that!
Our Coyotes have opportunities to earn HOWL Cards every day. The letters stand for:
Willingness to Learn
Leading with Respect
While we fully support doing things because they are the RIGHT thing to do (Intrinsic Motivation), we also know that sometimes you need a little treat for the good work you're doing (Extrinsic Motivation). A BIG shout out to Barnes and Noble for their donations to the HOWL Prize Box!
Note: I keep the other half of EVERY HOWL Card our Coyotes get because I'm so proud!
Here's What's Coming Up!
Dec. 10 - Picture Day Re-takes (pre-order forms are in the office, please Dojo your child's teacher to let them know if your family would like retakes. All students who were absent during out last picture day will automatically have their pictures taken.
- 8:30-10 am for Face-to-Face Students
- 10-11am RCL Students
Christmas Spirit Week for Coyotes
Dec. 14 - Christmas Accessories Day! (Hats, Masks, Necklaces, Headbands, all welcome!)
Dec. 15 - Ugly Christmas Sweater Day
Dec. 16 - Wear Red and Green or Christmas Outfits!
Dec. 17 - Jeans and Kennedy Shirts/Apparel
Dec. 18 -1/2 Day Students wear pajamas and sneakers!
December 21 - January 5 - Winter Break
January 6 - Come back ready to learn
Lost and Found
Encourage your child to check the Lost and Found often! :D
Winter Camp-out Activity Bags
Kennedy is a Bully-Free Zone! #CoyotesAreKind
**** Kennedy Office Staff ****
We hope you find this permanent section helpful! Please let us know if we can clarify anything for you.
Attendance, Absences, and Tardiness
Flowers, balloons, etc. should not be sent to the office for students. Please give these sweet gifts at home.
Breakfast and Lunch Programs
Per school policy, students cannot bring fast food in the cafeteria. Please have your student eat his/her meal prior to arriving at school.
The number to the transportation garage is 392-4416, if needed.
- During AM drop off, please stay in your car and allow your child to exit independently.
- During AM drop off, please unload at all 4 numbers/lanes. No need to stop at the bottom of the hill.
- During AM drop off, students can walk into the cafe from 7:30-8:05.
- In the afternoons, 4th and 5th grade cars (side parking lot) please turn RIGHT after you pick-up.
- In the afternoons, PLEASE USE YOUR CAR TAG! :) There is often a glare and I cannot see faces until you are right beside me. This helps our line move as quickly as possible.
857-2700 - Main Office
857-2704 - Cafe, Karen Mullins
857-2702 - Nurse Lundy
378-2340 - Fax
1500 Woodland Avenue
Kingsport, TN 37665
H- Helping Others
O- Overcoming Challenges
W- Willingness to Learn
L- Leading with Respect
Hear us HOWL!
In addition to these expectations we use Positive Discipline with Lifeskills at Kennedy Elementary. We know that a part of growing our students as leaders includes citizenship and character. We believe our students are the best in Tennessee.
Kennedy Family Lifeskills for Reference
Kennedy Family Positive Discipline Reference
Positive Discipline really boils down to discipline that is kind and firm. We focus on fixing the behavior, not necessarily punishment. It's based on respect and character building.
Health and Medical
Additionally, we have a tele-medicine program where a child can be seen via a camera and equipment in Nurse Lundy's office. They can receive antibiotics through this program if needed! We encourage you to use this program! It's awesome!
Lost and Found
Opportunities for Coyotes
AM Tutoring (5th Grade)
Big Brothers Big Sisters (all grades)
Breakfast Club (for students with sensory needs)
Chorus (all grades)
DBYes (DB student mentors)
HOWLers (Boys, 4th and 5th)
Kiwanis Club Readers (volunteers)
RTI - Response to Intervention (time set aside to catch up academically)
Ladies of Lynn Garden (Girls 4th and 5th)
Maker Space (only one in a KCS elementary school!)
Morning Mile (Coach Robbins - 7:45-8:00)
Speech Services (for qualifying students)
Spelling Bee (3rd, 4th, and 5th)
Our KCS Website can be found here: https://www.k12k.com/
Zones of Regulation
In addition to addressing self-regulation, the students will be gaining an increased vocabulary of emotional terms, skills in reading facial expressions, perspective on how others see and react to their behavior, insight on events that trigger their behavior, calming and alerting strategies, problem solving skills and much more. You can connect this work to parenting as home. We are excited to help our Coyotes stay in the Green Zone!
Taken from Zones of Regulation Content
Zoning and Tuition
If you have any questions feel free to contact Alisa Strong (email@example.com) via email or by calling (423)378-2100.
Approvals are based on: Attendance, Behavior, and Classroom Space
Our vision, our students, our community, our future!
Hear us HOWL!
Highlights - more pictures can be found on Twitter! @KCS_Kennedy