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Weekly E-Newsletter from the Superintendent of Schools
Volume 3, Issue 3 (September 9, 2022)
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UPDATES FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT | |
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WELCOME BACK!
It is with great pleasure that I welcome all our students, families, and staff back for the 2022-23 school year. Each new school year inspires feelings of excitement and renewal and this year is no exception. It was wonderful to see our students back in school on Tuesday. Families did an amazing job preparing their students for the start of school. Our students have been phenomenal at learning and following classroom procedures. Our staff, whose dedication is second to none, have been able to put their plans into practice. As I visited schools this week, it was clear that we have all hit the ground running.
This year, we will embrace a "Whatever It Takes" mindset. Our teachers, staff, and administrators are ready to make this year the best it can be for all students. Safety and security will continue to be a priority in the coming year. We have started the year with improved internal procedures so we can recognize any unauthorized individuals in our buildings. We are also continuing to implement more secured single points of entry with shatter-resistant glass, new state-of-the-art video camera systems, and door hardening. We are continuing to move forward with our renewed partnership with the Town of Tonawanda Police Department to find innovative ways to keep all schools monitored and safe. We are also continuing our partnership with Altaris, a nationally known consulting company that specializes in K-12 school security. We will focus this year on our relationships with students, building connections with them, and showing them that they are cared for. These proactive relationships are the best form of security that any school district can provide.
This year, we will be guided by a comprehensive framework for district-wide planning and improvement. We are implementing a new District Comprehensive Improvement Plan (DCIP), which will assist us in bringing our Ken-Ton Forward to life this year. We have made several strategic investments such as expanded mental health staff, continued expansion of our extremely successful Big Picture Program, new partnerships for enhanced social-emotional services, and curriculum improvements. And work will continue on our ongoing Capital Project, which I discussed in depth last week.
Some important reminders as we close out the first week of school:
- Reentry will not be permitted at athletic events. If an adult has extenuating circumstances, please discuss it with the staff member at the Single Point of Entry.
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Gr. 5-12 students must bring their school-issued fully-charged Chromebook to school every day. All families are encouraged to take a moment to review the following technology updates for this year.
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Visit www.ktufsd.org/calendar to access and download calendars for each school to stay up-to-date on upcoming activities and events such as open houses.
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As a reminder, it is extremely important for all families at all schools to return their free/reduced price meal applications ASAP. This ensures individual eligibility for certain state and federal programs as well as additional school funding. You can access the free/reduced price lunch application here and copies will be sent home with children next week.
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SCHOOL & DISTRICT HIGHLIGHTS | |
Each week, we will highlight some of the exciting things taking place in the district. Be sure to follow the Ken-Ton School District on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@ktufsd) for more school highlights! | |
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Students Return for 1st Day of School!
Students all across the Ken-Ton School District were excited to return to school on Tuesday, September 6th for the start of the 2022-23 school year!
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Schools Celebrate Bills Home Opener in Style
Students and staff across the district came together to celebrate the Buffalo Bills in advance of this week’s home opener! Thursday, September 8th was "Buffalo Bills Day" at elementary and secondary schools with students and staff wearing their favorite team apparel and finding many different ways to celebrate their team and kick off the season in style.
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Board of Education Holds 1st School Visit at Franklin Elementary
Earlier today, members of our Board of Education held their first school visit at Franklin Elementary School. Each year, Board members visit each school and host a morning meet-and-greet prior to student arrival to get to know teachers, staff, and administrators. Then, after classes begin, they tour the building and visit classrooms to see our staff and students in action. Franklin Elementary School was excited to host the first school visit of the year with additional events scheduled at all other schools in the district.
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RECOGNITION: SUMMER STAFF | |
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It is a common misconception that school district staff do not work in the summer. In reality, there is a tremendous amount of work that takes place every summer to prepare for the coming school year. This week, we recognize district staff whose work this summer facilitated all the learning and growth our students will experience this year. Some examples include:
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Buildings & Grounds: Every summer, our B&G staff perform extensive cleaning, maintenance, and repair work that can only be done when the buildings are unoccupied. They also played a vital role in the extensive construction that took place throughout the district.
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Technology: Our Technology staff worked hard throughout the summer deploying new technology and equipment in classrooms, as well as implementing enhancements and maintenance for our technology infrastructure. They also prepared thousands of devices for student use this year.
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Transportation Office: Many Transportation staff work throughout the summer to carry out all the necessary planning and routing to ensure transportation for the thousands of students who ride our buses to school. This is especially impressive when considering our buses transport students to more than 100 different locations each day, including specialty programming sites outside our district.
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Curriculum & Instruction: Many administrators and instructional staff worked throughout the summer to implement curriculum enhancements, secure instructional resources for the coming year, organize workshops and professional development, and carry out many other important tasks to support and enhance the educational experience for our students.
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Central Office Staff: Summer is an especially busy time for administrative and support staff in various departments such as Finance, Central Registration, and Student Services/Special Education. These departments are responsible for a variety of critical tasks such as purchasing/budgeting for the upcoming year, registering new families for school, arranging all necessary supports for students, and laying the groundwork for programming in the upcoming year. Our Human Resources staff also oversaw the hiring for more than 120 teacher, support staff, and administrator positions.
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School Office Staff: In each school, office staff carried out a number of vital functions to set the stage and prepare their buildings for the start of school.
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Summer Programs: Staff involved in all of our summer programs such as elementary, middle, and high school summer school, summer music, and our new sports skills program made it possible to provide amazing educational experiences for hundreds of students. This better prepared them for success in the coming school year.
Thank you to all of our staff who worked this summer to help set the stage for what is sure to be a great year!
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Visit www.ktufsd.org/calendar to access website calendars and Google calendars with
up-to-date event information for the district and each of its schools.
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- Tuesday, September 13th:
- Board of Education meeting (6:30 p.m. at Kenmore Middle)
- Wednesday, September 14th:
- Kenmore East Open House (5:30 to 7:30 p.m.)
- Thursday, September 15th:
- Franklin Middle Open House (5:00 to 6:30 p.m.)
- Hoover Middle Open House (6:00 to 8:00 p.m.)
- Tuesday, September 20th:
- Hoover Elementary Open House (6:00 to 8:00 p.m.)
- Wednesday, September 21:
- Holmes Elementary Open House (6:00 p.m.)
- Lindbergh Elementary Open House (6:00 p.m.)
- Thursday, September 22nd:
- Edison Elementary Open House (6:00 to 8:00 p.m.)
- Franklin Elementary Open House (6:00 to 7:30 p.m.)
- Kenmore West Meet the Teacher Night (6:00 to 8:00 p.m.)
- Friday, September 23rd:
- Kenmore East Homecoming
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Thank you for reviewing this information. As always, we remain Ken-Ton Proud, Ken-Ton Strong, and Ken-Ton Moving Forward!
Sabatino Cimato,
Superintendent of Schools
For previous editions of the Ken-Ton Weekly Connection, visit
www.ktufsd.org/connection
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