Greetings Kent Middle School Families,

This week we start the second full week of school at Kent. Relationships and rapport, connection and conversation, and daily routines and procedures have been established, and this week students can expect increased academic experiences and exploration across grade levels. It’s an exciting time to pique interest and curiosity in the learning that lies ahead. It is also an important time to establish a foundation of healthy and helpful student practices and habits as the academic year shifts into gear.

• Healthy Routines – Students’ morning routines should include nutrition and hydration, and should provide for enough time to ensure arrival at school between 8:15 and 8:25 a.m., ready with materials for the 8:30 a.m. bell. Small breakfast bites like granola bars and fruit are available in front of the office between 8:05 and 8:25 a.m. A morning routine that allows for a few extra minutes on campus prior to the start of school can be very grounding for children, reducing the chaotic rush that can happen prior to the start of the school day, and increasing readiness for learning come the start of that first class.
• Materials Management – Our children have school supplies, Chromebooks, and personal belongings to keep track of throughout their day, while they are also expected to arrive at each class on time. As children anticipate each day it is helpful to think of materials for school in two-class increments, so students could gather what they need for the first two periods at the start of the day, the second two periods after recess, and the final two periods after lunch. This is a great strategy to limit unnecessary visits to lockers and backpacks.
• Study Session – Each Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday we have approximately 25 minutes after lunch for an informal and unstructured Study Session. This protected block of time in our schedule is designed to help students calm down and re-center after the busy lunch period. Students may utilize this time for independent reading, or they may also continue assignments they started in class and/or get a jump on homework for the day. Please encourage your child to utilize this time each day to stay organized and to catch up on assignments. Additionally, this will also become a time when students can check in with teachers for questions they may have or help they may need.
• Device Management – Students have done a wonderful job of managing their assigned Chromebook over the first days of school. As academic rigor increases and device usage becomes more consistent in some classes, it is critical that children bring their charged device to classes when they need it. 5th graders know how to access their assigned devices in classes where they need them. Please work with your 6th through 8th grader to establish a device charging routine in your home.
• Lockers – 5th graders may access their backpacks for supplies and belongings they may need across their day. 6th through 8th graders have the increased responsibility of managing their assigned academic locker. Please remind your child that lockers must be left locked all day, and that they must remain clean enough for all necessary school supplies to fit.
• Aeries – Students and families may periodically check Aeries to track assignment completion and academic progress. Teachers will begin utilizing Aeries to track assignment completion and tracking student proficiency with essential learning targets. Please expect much more information soon about how to interpret markings in Aeries.

We will continue to emphasize these important points as we guide our Kent Falcons forward this year. Thank you for also emphasizing these points in discussions you have about school while at home.

Thank you for your continued partnership,

Announcing our Kent Middle School All School Read for 2022-2023! Judy Heumann's Rolling Warrior!

At Kent, we have set the stage for deep conversation around important issues of race, gender, and equity through our professional development, in our classrooms and through our All School Read experiences over the last several years. Rolling Warrior’s focus on the experience of Judy Heumann’s advocacy and perspective as a disabled woman is, in my mind, an incredibly important story that will inspire our students and transform their understanding of what it means to live life being differently abled. What Judith Heumann chose to do with her life is remarkable! Ability rights is something that transcends race, gender, and socio-economic status and I am really excited to begin this conversation with our students and community. We are currently planning events throughout the school year in connection to the themes of this book.

About Rolling Warrior

As featured in the Oscar-nominated documentary Crip Camp, and for readers of I Am Malala, one of the most influential disability rights activists in U.S. history tells her story of fighting to belong.

“If I didn’t fight, who would?”

Judy Heumann was only 5 years old when she was first denied her right to attend school. Paralyzed from polio and raised by her Holocaust-surviving parents in New York City, Judy had a drive for equality that was instilled early in life.

In this young readers’ edition of her acclaimed memoir, Being Heumann, Judy shares her journey of battling for equal access in an unequal world — from fighting to attend grade school after being described as a “fire hazard” because of her wheelchair, to suing the New York City school system for denying her a teacher’s license because of her disability. Judy went on to lead 150 disabled people in the longest sit-in protest in U.S. history at the San Francisco Federal Building. Cut off from the outside world, the group slept on office floors, faced down bomb threats, and risked their lives to win the world’s attention and the first civil rights legislation for disabled people.

Judy’s bravery, persistence, and signature rebellious streak will speak to every person fighting to belong and fighting for social justice.

We hope that all Kent students can bring a copy of the book to school by Monday, October 10 (available at Book Passage (be sure to mention Kent when checking out!), on Amazon or wherever you like to buy or borrow books. We will begin our All School Read of the book on Monday, October 17, and the reading will culminate with a day long visit with Judy herself on Friday, October 28!

We hope you can also join us for a community movie night on Friday, October 14 featuring the film Crip Camp, which features Judy and other ability rights activists! This film is available on Netflix for preview, and the evening is for the whole family! We will be selling concessions to raise money for the author visit. Please reach out to rjelen@kentfieldschools.org if you would like to volunteer for this event!

Happy Reading!