Greetings Kent Middle School Families,

Keeping families informed about teaching, learning, and community at Kent remains a top priority for our team. In the weekly newsletter I highlight topics that range from details about our academic program, highlights of social and emotional learning experiences for our students, reflections about current educational philosophy, exciting and inspiring occurrences around our school, and much, much more. Please be sure to read this Kent newsletter weekly to learn important details about our school, strengthening our home to school partnership.

Monthly Kent Principal’s Coffees provide an additional opportunity to engage with school staff to learn and discuss current events and timely topics that impact your child’s learning experience. We host our first Principal’s Coffee of the year this Friday, September 16 from 8:45 to 10 a.m. in the Kent Library. During the September Principal’s Coffee we will discuss two timely topics that impact all Kent Falcons: Our One-to-One Technology Plan and Standards Based Feedback and Grading.

The One-to-One Technology Plan is intended to provide every student with uninterrupted access to a device for school work, and maximizing time in class and at home when technology tools are required for learning tasks. Yet this plan does require increased responsibility and planning on the part of our students, and the adults in each student’s life play a role in supporting our children to meet these new responsibilities. This Friday, we plan to discuss the rationale for this shift in technology distribution, and to share ideas we can all employ to support student success managing and using their devices.

The shift to Standards Based Feedback at Kent this year makes essential learning targets visible for all students, while emphasizing specific strategies, teaching, and feedback. This approach works to ensure that all learners know how to progress on essential skills and school habits for each course. While maintaining consistent focus on essential skills and lifting all students to reach them, Standards Based Feedback simultaneously reduces the stigma associated with letter grades that can diminish confidence and extinguish a love of learning. This Friday, we plan to share some of the tools we are designing and implementing in our classrooms to make learning visible for students, as well as to discuss the type of feedback you can expect on your child’s work and learning progress this year.

So whether you are simply looking for a warm cup of coffee and good company, whether you have curiosity and interest in this month’s topics, or whether you have specific questions you would like to discuss, the Kent Library at 8:45 a.m. this Friday morning is the place to be! Spanish translation will be provided, as well as a remote viewing option. I look forward to engaging about these important topics at our school with those who are able to attend.

Have a great week, Falcons!

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

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!