Welcome Back! I hope you enjoyed your time off, spending time with family, friends & those you love. It’s crazy to think we only have 15 days with our Kennedy Kubbies before Winter Break. In these 15 days, we have a lot of work to do & lots of wonderful learning experiences to provide our students. Things to keep in mind:

• For some of our students who will say “it’s almost Winter break” and lack motivation, it is time to push them & keep them excited and eager to learn.
• For our students who come from challenging circumstances at home and are feeling anxiety about not being at Kennedy for over two weeks (and acting out because of it), it is time to show them how much you care & make the most of these next 15 days.
• For our students that just keep smiling & working hard each day, it is time to pull them aside and tell them how much you appreciate them (Positive Postcard?)

Be proud of what we’ve accomplished with our students so far this year, but please keep the focus on learning in your classrooms as we return from Thanksgiving Break. In addition, I’d encourage you to:

• Take a second and tell a colleague that you’ve noticed how hard they are working and that you appreciate them working so hard. Gratitude and appreciation are also essential for a healthy work environment. A simple thank you and a show of appreciation can make all the difference.
• Make time to reflect on some of the positives that we’ve had this year that may have been overlooked as we have overcome the challenges of not having enough time.
• Set a tone for your students that regardless of how much time is left before a long break that all of us will work hard and make the most of our school days.
• Celebrate being a member of our Kennedy School family

Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, November 30th
Happy Birthday Barbara Zawadzka 🙂

Tuesday, December 1st
Winter MAP Testing Begins <—click for schedule

Wednesday, December 2nd
PATS Field Trip to Schiller Park Fire Department
Santa’s Secret Shop (Browse Day) <–click for schedule
PreK/K/1st TAPS Meeting (schedule will be emailed to Kennedy Conference by Mandy)

Thursday, December 3rd
Santa’s Secret Shop (Buy Day)
Kennedy Singers Rehearsal @ LMS (8:40am)
SLT Meeting @ 3:00pm
SD81 Choral Concert @ 6:30pm (LMS)

Friday, December 4th
Pre School Screening (No PreK for Students)
Santa’s Secret Shop (Buy Day)
Happy Birthday Michelle Miro 🙂

(12/05) Happy Birthday Becky Zora 🙂