Greetings Kent Community,

During opportunities class on Thursday, our new student council members gathered to launch student leadership at Kent for the 2018-2019 school year. This strong group of creative and passionate student leaders is made up of student council officers elected by their peers as well as two student council representatives from each advisory class. I’m honored to announce our capable slate of student council officers for this year.

2018-2019 Student Council Officers

• Presidents Arjun A. and Ben. R.
• Vice Presidents Maddie E. and Gabby L.
• Mascots Eliza B, Claire S., and Owen W.
• Secretaries Sarani P. and Zach B.
• Treasurers Alexander G. and Casper W.
• Sergeant at Arms Ashley B.

I’m looking forward to working with this engaged group of students to learn about their ideas, goals, and aspirations for our school. Stay tuned for future student council updates!

I plan to periodically use this newsletter to highlight my observations of the student experience at Kent. This week in P.E., I observed eighth graders completing a rope swing challenge, tasked with safely swinging across a divide in the MP Room. It was uplifting to see the students turn this seemingly individual task into a supportive group exercise, as they guided each student into a safe landing and cheered their classmates on. During a brain break in Spanish class this week, the class broke into song with a full-class rendition of Me Voy by Julieta Venegas, with their teacher leading the class on the guitar. Across the quad in drama class, students were acting out Song-a-grams, short vignettes utilizing the lyrics of a song to present a short scene. After each Song-a-gram, the remaining members of the class offered compliments and words of encouragement for each performer.

Each student at our school is a member of diverse classroom communities and our larger school community. I appreciate the many ways that our students and staff build communities of trust and support at Kent.

Dear Families,

On Thursday, October 18th, California will hold its annual earthquake practice called The Great Shake Out. This yearly event is to bring focus on being prepared in the event of an earthquake – at home, work, and school. On that same date, our district will hold our annual schoolwide evacuation drill in which we simulate an earthquake. The Kent drill will begin at 10:08 AM and last approximately forty minutes. We have developed procedures that account for your kids and keep them safe in the event of an earthquake or other emergency that requires evacuation from the school. In our annual drill, we test our procedures, collect feedback and adapt as needed. You can never be too prepared for an emergency and this is something that we take very seriously. We have practiced these procedures for 10 years. We also want to remind parents of what you should do in the event of an evacuation.

Phone alert: If there is an emergency that requires the students to be evacuated, our automated phone system will call the telephone numbers you have provided to the school as your contact telephone numbers. A recorded message will provide you with information you need about the situation.

• Use the Aeries Parent Portal to keep your telephone contact numbers up to date.

Parking at school: The school’s parking lots will be closed – so walk to school or park away from the school campus. Entering campus: Entry and exit for the schools is restricted to certain gates. At Kent, these are the main entrance on College Avenue and the bike path gate at Stadium Way.

Student Sign Out: Students will be on the field. Before taking a child from school, you need to sign them out – photo ID required – so we have a record of who has collected them. Only parents, guardians, or other people provided to the school as your “Authorized Adults” can collect your child.

• Use the Aeries Parent Portal to add/edit "Authorized Adults" for your child.

Medication: Any medication you have provided to the school will be brought out from the classrooms and the nurse’s office. It is recommended that the school have medication for 72 hours for use following an emergency.

• If your child needs medication during school hours or during a potential 72 hours in an emergency, please complete this form and submit to the office.
  • Medication Form in English and Spanish
  • 72 Hours Medication Form in English and Spanish
  • Medication Policy

When you come to pick up your children: The students are split into alphabetical groups on the school fields based on their last name. There are colored signs to guide you to them. To sign them out – photo ID required – go to the Student Sign Out tables. Student Sign Out is on the new sprint track near the Stadium Way gate.

We have also developed procedures in the event of a lockdown. In the event of a lockdown, our automated phone system will call the telephone numbers you have provided to the school as your contact telephone numbers. A recorded message will provide you with information you need about the situation. Please do not come to the school or call the school during a lockdown. We will notify you if you need to come to pick up your children.

There are many resources available to help you prepare at home. One place to start is with Earthquake Country’s Seven Steps to Earthquake Safety. If you have any questions or would like to volunteer to help with future emergency planning, please contact me via email at jwalsh@kentfieldschools.org.

Thank you!