Kent Falcons News

Kent News
Kent Principal Grant Althouse

Greetings Kent Community,

We launched the KSPTA Readathon at Kent today with a school-wide virtual author visit by New York Times bestselling and award-winning author/illustrator, Jerry Craft. Mr. Craft presented a relevant and engaging author-talk about his journey to success in writing and illustrating, leading to the publication of his best selling graphic novel, New Kid. He started his presentation with a story about writing comics as a middle schooler, and even shared a screenshot of his middle school Spanish homework with doodles all over the sides as an example of his blossoming interest and skill set, practiced on any paper he could find.

Mr. Craft shared his inspiring story of perseverance, explaining his journey to self-publishing his first book and how this led to supporting other up-and-coming authors as an independent publisher. Seventeen years of hard work and rejection passed between his first self-published book in 1997, and his big break in 2014. He concluded our author visit by showing students how he uses digital tools to create the illustrations accompanying text in his graphic novels.

Jerry Craft’s story of hard work, grit, determination, and creativity inspired the Kent Falcons in attendance, and was the ultimate start for our week-long KSPTA Readathon event at Kent. Thank you to the support of our KSPTA and to all KSPTA Readathon donors for your contributions to an engaging and fun literacy-focused week at our school!

We are looking forward to welcoming families and students to Kent Open House 2022 this Thursday, March 24 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in our Kent classrooms. This "day in the life" Open House experience will provide a glimpse into the learning experiences and outcomes enjoyed by our Falcons daily. Please see last week’s Kent newsletter for additional information about our event, and make note of the special 3:28 p.m. dismissal this Wednesday, and 1:13 p.m. dismissal this Friday.

In conclusion, we will post second trimester final grades this Friday, March 25 at noon.

I look forward to seeing you at our Open House event on Thursday!

All my best,

Grant Althouse
Kent Principal
galthouse@kentfieldschools.org

Kent Highlights

Kent Announcements

Graduation Fundraiser: Pizza on Friday!

The 8th Grade Graduation Committee is having a pizza fundraiser to help cover the cost of graduation.

Friday, March 25, is a half-day for Kent due to the Open House on Thursday, March 24. We will be selling pizza outside of the Kent library right after school on Friday. In order for us to have an accurate count of pizzas, please fill out the form for your child and indicate your method of payment.

One meal = 2 slices of cheese pizza and 1 cookie for $5
If you would like to add an additional donation to help us cover the costs of graduation, we would appreciate any extra amount with your payment.

  • A gluten-free option is also available.
  • There may be extra pizza to purchase on the day of the event, however, we cannot guarantee availability without an order form.
  • Deadline to order: Wednesday, March 23 at 5 p.m.

Schedule Notes

  • Wednesday, March 23 is a full school day, with a 3:28 p.m. release
  • Friday, March 25 is an early release day, with a 1:13 p.m. release

Kent Tutors Marin: Free virtual tutoring to K–6th graders in all subjects during school, after school, and on weekends. Spanish-speaking tutors are available. Sessions are 30-45 minutes via Zoom.

Kent Athletics

Congrats to the 6th grade girls and boys for winning the championship! Please turn in your cleaned basketball uniforms to room 30 or the front office at Kent. Go Falcons, Mr. Palmer

Kent Golf Match Schedule 2022

Questions? Please contact Kent Athletic Director Ryan Palmer at rpalmer@kentfieldschools.org.

Kent Library

KSPTA Readathon News from Kent!

To kick off our KSPTA readathon with a bang, we welcomed Newbery award winning author Jerry Craft for a virtual visit on Monday! Mr. Craft talked about his beloved graphic novels New Kid and Class Act and his process for writing the book, drawing his characters, and what inspires his writing. This was an incredible experience for all of our students. Many thanks to the KSPTA for making this visit happen!

  • If your child would like a copy of New Kid or Class Act, they can be checked out at the Kent Library or purchased at Book Passage, where a percentage goes right back to our school!
  • New Kid and Class Act may also be purchased from the publisher at hc.com. Using the code KMS2022 attendees will receive a 20% discount plus free shipping on hc.com. The code will expire on April 6.

Kick Off our annual Kent Battle of the Books! Grab three friends and make a team! Get ready to read 8 amazing books with your team in order to compete in our Battle of the Books competition this May. Stay tuned to the broadcast to find out when we are meeting.

Daily Events at Lunch... in the Kent Library!

  • Monday: Book Talks and Recommendations with Mrs. Jelen- Battle of the Books style!
  • Tuesday: Book Trivia Tuesday! Bring yourself or a team to compete for prizes!
  • Wednesday: Kahoot Book Competition!
  • Thursday- Middle School - The Worst Years of My Life (Book to movie screening!)

Open House

There will be a table sponsored by Book Passage with your language arts teachers favorite books! Bring your wallet to buy books and support our school! There will also be a photo booth for families to take book shelfies!

Newspaper Club: meets on Tuesday during study session.

Need Book Recommendations?

Email me at rjelen@kentfieldschools.org and follow us on Instagram @kentmiddleschoollibrary.

Kent Homework Club: Every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, 3:30-4:45 p.m., Kent Library

  • Designed for students who need a quiet and supported environment in which to complete assignments. Any student who is ready to focus and work is welcome to attend with us!

Kent Lunchtime Clubs: All are welcome! Simply show up at the meeting location on the correct day to join in the fun!