New in the Blue: September 2023

Kent School District - September 2023

Congratulations Meridian Middle School

and Fairwood Elementary!

The two top participating schools for KSD's Summer Reading Program were Meridian Middle School and Fairwood Elementary. Both schools hosted an Author Visit with local, award-winning author J. Anderson Coats to celebrate their accomplishments. Students were able to listen to a presentation followed by a meet & greet and book signing.

Congratulations Gavin Downing on Receiving

This Year's WEA Student Involvement Award!

The Washington Education Association's Human and Civil Rights Committee has selected Gavin Downing, Kentridge High School's Teacher-Librarian, as this year's recipient of the Student Involvement Award. Gavin has demonstrated excellence in KSD since 2006 and works extremely hard to make every space a welcoming one for all students. According to Gavin, "that's always been my center, and I think that's a key piece." Thank you for your hard work and dedication to helping our students succeed. Congratulations, Gavin!

Building Bridges 2023-2028

The Kent School District Strategic Plan was co-created with our community and is designed to communicate several key concepts that drive us forward in achieving our vision to produce graduates who are ready to excel in college, careers, and life. The Strategic Plan is also available in Dari, Punjabi, Spanish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese.

Learn More

September Highlights

National Arts in Education Week:

Music Making A Way

The arts are an essential part of a complete education, and KSD understands that students of all ages benefit from artistic learning, innovative thinking, and creativity. Eden P., a student at Kentridge High School and violinist, is one of those students.

Eden began playing the violin as a fifth-grade student at Kent Elementary School. "I remember being in class, and my teacher asked who wanted to be in band or orchestra. No one raised their hand for band, so I chose orchestra." Eden didn't know it then, but she discovered a passion for the violin. "I like playing because I feel like it helps me. It's like a distraction from the real world and really fun." Her passion for playing had grown so much that she sought further music education.

Outside of KSD, Eden is also a part of a string studio called Key to Change, where her instructor, Dr. Quinton Morris, really influenced her and helped her to grow as a musician. Eden believes arts in education is vital and allows students to "learn about discipline and working hard." She is grateful for the opportunities she has because of music education and is excited about what lies ahead for her future. Eden will appear as a soloist with the Grammy and Emmy Award-winning Seattle Symphony on October 24. Congratulations Eden!

Attendance Awareness Month:

Healthy Routines Matter

Meet Karina Oscoy Cazares. She is the Re-engagement Specialist for KSD and helps students and families throughout the district regarding school attendance. "A huge part of my role is connecting with students and families…and having those conversations on addressing the barriers that are getting in the way of their student attending on a regular basis."

Karina's passion for helping students and families is hard to miss. Her compassion flows when she speaks of building relationships with them. Once this relationship is built, students begin to open up and share about the barriers they are facing and what support they need, and from that, Karina steps in. In her role, she can also work with community partners to find the best support to help her students succeed.

Karina also believes that "healthy routines matter" regarding school attendance. "As soon as you start establishing healthy routines in your life, the clearer your goals will become and the easier it will become to obtain them." She suggests a few routines: having a regular bedtime, setting alarm clocks, setting time aside to do homework after school, and sticking to it because "sooner or later, those routines will become your norm." She also encourages that "it could be hard in the beginning, but again, these are routines you're going to carry over into adulthood." Karina also encourages families to establish these healthy routines as early as possible and that it's never too late to start creating them.

KSD Student Shines

Letters for Rose

Elise S., a Kentridge High School running start student, is genuinely passionate about serving her Kent community. In April 2021, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, she stumbled upon a TikTok featuring information about opening a local chapter of Letters for Rose, an organization dedicated to combating loneliness among elders nationwide. She saw this as an opportunity to give back to Kent's senior community and successfully initiated a local chapter in the area, developing it into a club at Kentridge High School. "I can do something in lockdown and give back to my community," Elise said about her decision to start the club. "I've always been driven to do things where I'm helping people and the planet. It was a chance to do something for my home that will make a difference." Great job, Elise!

KSD Staff Spotlight

Teacher Evander Corley

Team Work Makes the Dream Work

The Auto and Woods programs are quickly growing interest with students at Kentwood High School, which is great seeing that both programs have just recently returned, thanks to Evander Corley. He is the current woodshop teacher and a big reason why these programs are back up and running. Before teaching at Kentwood, Evander was a special education teacher at Meridian Middle School. While there, the school wanted to bring back their wood program. Evander had experience working in construction every summer, so he returned to school to get his certification and played an integral part in that project. Kentwood Principal Dr. Samantha Ketover heard about this great news and knew this was the thing her school needed.

This project has been ongoing, dating back to the summer of 2022. Throughout this process, Evander's favorite part has been the teamwork. He credits everything to the fantastic collaboration and effort of everyone involved, from the Career & Technical Education (CTE) team to the Maintenance team. "It's been cool to see everyone work together to bring both programs back." He also loved the fact that it was people who were working in trades who were involved with bringing these programs back to Kentwood. This is another reason why Evander was passionate about this project. "I think there is so much need for skills trade people…and to give students a few skills and possibly spark an interest is great."

Kentwood runs five full periods of auto and woods, and Evander is elated. "The students have responded by wanting to take these classes so much!" It was a massive effort to bring these programs back and available to students, and Evander knows it was only possible with collaboration and teamwork across the departments.

Be in the Know

Skyward Family Access

We are excited to announce a move to electronic report cards for the upcoming school year. Families will be able to access student report cards online through Skyward Family Access.

Volunteer at OSPREY Camp!

OSPREY Camp is an overnight outdoor school that is serving all fifth grade students this year and they are looking for high school mentors. Applications are due September 29.

Hazel Health Services Available to All KSD Students

KSD's continued partnership with Hazel Health grants physical and mental health care to students at no cost to families. Learn more and sign up today.

Families May Receive Waived or Decreased Fees to Participate in Other School Programs

KSD is committed to ensuring participation in extracurricular activities is available to all students regardless of family income. Complete the online free and reduced-price meal application and the consent to share document today.

Next Month's Happenings

National Principals Month

October is National Principals Month! Join us in celebrating and thanking our fantastic school administrators, who help our staff and students be successful all year round! We'll be highlighting some of our principals and assistant principals next month!

Elementary Conferences

Elementary Conferences will be taking place during the week of October 16-20. Conference dismissal time is three hours early for elementary schools (Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri) and all schools will release two hours early on Wednesday.

Mes de la Herencia Hispana

KSD is celebrating and recognizing El Mes de la Herencia Hispana, or Hispanic Heritage Month, from September 15 to October 15! Join us as we continue to celebrate these rich and beautiful cultures.

Filipino American History Month

October is Filipino American History Month! Join us in celebrating the many important contributions that our students, staff, and community who have ancestors from the Philippines have made in our community and across America.

LGBTQ+ History Month

October is LGBTQ+ History Month. We are KSD proud of all of our students, families, staff and more. Join us in recognizing and observing the history and achievements of the LGBTQ+ community in KSD.

National Bullying Prevention Month

October is National Bullying Prevention Month. KSD does not tolerate bullying and this month and every month we all play a role in stopping bullying.

National School Bus Safety Week

Join us October 16-20 as KSD dedicates this time to educating our staff, students, parents, and community on school bus safety.

National Dyslexia Awareness Month

October is National Dyslexia Awareness Month. This month, KSD along with educators across the nation are raising awareness about dyslexic needs, challenges, signs, and support.

Cybersecurity Awareness Month

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month. This month, KSD will share important information on how to keep yourself cyber safe.

National Crime Prevention Month

This October KSD invites you to, "take a bite out of crime" in honor of National Crime Prevention Month. KSD will highlight things that everyone can do to help prevent crime before it starts.

2023 Levies

Levies Support Safety and Security Personnel

Do you know that 75% of our safety and security personnel are funded through the replacement EP&O Levy? The state only provides funding for 25% of these positions to meet the safety and security needs of our students and staff at our 44 school sites. Visit www.KSDLevy.org to learn more and remember to vote on November 7.

Levy Town Hall Meetings

Join us on October 10 and 26 for a Levy Town Hall Meeting. This is a great opportunity to ask questions and learn more about both levies.

Three Ways to Register

Register today either online, by mail or in-person. You can register to vote online or by mail until 8 days before an election or in-person through election day.

Announcements

Electronic Report Cards

We are excited to announce a move to electronic report cards for this school year. Families will be able to access student report cards online through Skyward Family Access. Along with accessing student report cards, there are additional benefits to using Family Access. This also means that report cards will no longer be mailed home, however families may still request a hard copy through the main office at their school. Learn more here.

The 2023-2024 Student Calendar

Download your copy of this school year's calendar. The 2023-2024 Student Calendar is available on our website.

KSD is Hiring!

Become a substitute teacher, paraeducator, or clerical staff member in KSD!

We have immediate openings for these positions. Learn more about the requirements and apply to join Team KSD today!

October Calendar Highlights

Check our district calendar and your school's calendar for details and more upcoming events!

September 15-October 15: Hispanic Heritage Month

October: National Bully Prevention Month

October: National Crime Prevention Month

October: National Dyslexia Awareness Month

October: National Physical Therapy Month