Kent Falcons News
Dear Kent Middle School Families,
We apologize for the unexpected interruption to the start of our week on Monday due to the power outage and subsequent school closure at Kent. We look forward to seeing our students and getting back to work on Tuesday!
The generosity on display at the KIK auction on Saturday evening inspired so many participants to get involved, and our schools will benefit greatly from their many contributions. Thank you to the volunteers who organized Saturday’s auction event, as well as the many donors who support the high-quality education that children receive at our schools through donations to KIK!
Educator Appreciation Week – Our Kentfield School District educators are some of the most exceptional professionals in the field of education. Teachers and staff at our school care deeply for each and every student in their charge and work tirelessly to promote academic growth, social competence, wellness, and community in classrooms across our school. During this Educator/Teacher Appreciation Week, we all pause to reflect on the role that each teacher and staff member plays in our child’s education and find ways to express gratitude to our teachers and staff personally. At some point this week, please talk with your Kent Falcon about the teachers and staff members they get to work with each day and consider one simple act this week that may show recognition of each professional’s hard work and care. Whether that be a note of appreciation, a kind gesture, a warm drink, or a simple "thank you," these expressions of acknowledgment and gratitude from the very children our educators serve means a lot. Thank you to our incredible Kent Middle School Educators for the work you do with our students daily; we appreciate you!
CAASPP Testing Continues – Our Kent students worked hard during our first week of CAASPP testing, responding to complex questions and tasks on their English Language Arts assessments last week. This week the focus turns to math, as students in 5th through 8th grades take their CAASPP test in mathematics across the week this coming week. Students will be taking this assessment during their regularly scheduled math class this week on their school-issued Chromebook. 6th through 8th graders should be charging their devices each and every night to prepare for the next day’s testing session. We also want to ensure that our students are well-rested with nutritious snacks to foster an optimal test-taking mindset. Thank you for checking in with your child about the CAASPP testing process so far, and for working with them to be prepared for each testing day. We look forward to seeing the learning and growth reflected in student results!
Let’s have a wonderful Educator/Teacher Appreciation Week ahead!
Grant Althouse
Kent Principal
galthouse@kentfieldschools.org
At some point your family has likely engaged in the conversation that we all have with our middle school children: When is the appropriate time to introduce a cell phone into your middle schooler’s life? This decision alone may have the most significant impact on the remainder of your student’s childhood, more than perhaps any other change we introduce in the middle school years.
Each family must carefully consider when it is right to introduce a smartphone into their child’s life. Simply put, children must have developed the appropriate maturity to be able to safely navigate the circumstances they will encounter through the use of a smartphone. Many Bacich and Kent families have taken the Wait Until 8th pledge as a way of showing their commitment to withhold access to a personal smartphone until their children are in 8th grade. This approach significantly reduces exposure to harmful content, delays the distractions and addictions that come with smartphone use, and prolongs childhood just a little bit longer.
CAASPP Testing - CAASPP testing begins at Kent next week, and we want to support your child to be comfortable and confident while showing us what they know and are able to do on these important standardized tests. Please see the notes below to help anticipate what to expect with CAASPP testing at Kent starting next week, and to help prepare your child for successful test sessions.
- Linked here is the testing schedule for Kent. Please note that students will be taking the assessment in their regularly scheduled math classes the week of May 8.
- The entire CAASPP assessment is computer-based, and students will be taking the assessment with their school-issued Chromebook (6th-8th grades) and their classroom Chromebook (5th grades). Students must come to school with a fully charged Chromebook each school day during CAASPP testing.
- All parts of the CAASPP test are untimed, and students will be provided with as much time as they need to complete the assessment. If students do not finish during the time allotted, we will have make-up sessions offered the week of May 15.
- During Advisory this week, we will be reviewing the testing schedule and discussing how to set up for success on the CAASPP this year at Kent. We will also be watching this video that explains how to access universal tools designed to help students while they are taking the assessment.
- Testing sessions will be occurring during regularly scheduled English and math classes, meaning that testing time will happen at different times each day for your child depending on the day of the week. Please ensure that your child gets a good night’s sleep each night, eats a nutritious breakfast, and has a plan for access to nutritious food during the school day.
- 5th and 8th graders will be taking the California Science Test (CAST) the week of May 22, in Nest class in 5th grade and in science class in 8th grade. The CAST is presented in an identical format to the CAASPP.
If you have any questions about your child’s testing experience or if you need to exempt your child from CAASPP testing this year, please contact our school site testing coordinator and assistant principal, Wendy Holmes (wholmes@kentfieldschools.org) or me (galthouse@kentfieldschools.org). We look forward to supporting our Falcons in their successful completion of their 2023 CAASPP assessment.
Upcoming Dates
Monday, May 15, 2023: 8th Grade Boys Volleyball at Mark Day, 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Friday, May 19, 2023: Kent Principal Coffee, 8:45-10 a.m., Kent Library
Monday, May 22, 2023: 8th Grade Boys Volleyball vs Davidson, 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Friday, May 26, 2023: Volunteer Appreciation Tea