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Weekly E-Newsletter from the Superintendent of Schools
Volume 3, Issue 17 (January 6, 2023)
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UPDATE FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT | |
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PLANNING & SETTING GOALS FOR THE 2023-24 SCHOOL YEAR
High school students are currently in the process of working with their school counselors on a one-on-one basis to finalize course requests for the 2023-24 school year. This process, which will continue until mid-February, can have a significant impact on a student’s academic trajectory. Parents and families of high school students are encouraged to work with their children to best prepare them as they engage in this process and set goals for themselves for the coming year. Families are encouraged to have conversations with their children about their interests and familiarize themselves with graduation requirements. Families can look at course options available based on grade level and prerequisites for opportunities beyond required coursework. Families are also encouraged to engage with their child’s counselor during this process. You can find contact information on the Kenmore East Counseling website and Kenmore West Counseling website. It's important to note that course requests are only the first step in determining which classes a student will take in the coming year. Other factors include seat availability, scheduling, sufficient interest for courses to be offered, etc.
A valuable resource throughout this process is the 2023-2024 Curriculum Handbook for your child’s high school, which is available to view and download on the district website. These booklets have a wealth of information about graduation requirements, diploma options, potential course offerings, course sequences, career pathways, and programming requirements. Potential class options are organized by subject or program area including a description along with prerequisites, credits earned, and relevant exams. Booklets also contain recommendations for college-bound students. You can access these documents here.
It is valuable for families of younger students to understand the options and opportunities their children will have when they attend high school. The Ken-Ton School District is extremely fortunate to have exceptional high school opportunities. This includes outstanding core academic options, the rigorous International Baccalaureate (IB) Program, extensive Advanced Placement (AP)/Honors offerings, the Project Lead the Way (PLTW) Pre-Engineering Program, the four Career Academies (Pre-Engineering, Computer Networking, Information Technology, and Finance), two art career pathways (Fine Arts and Media Arts), phenomenal music programs, and much more. Remember families, it is never too early to explore interests, helping to shape decision-making for students' post-secondary plans.
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The events that transpired on Monday during the Bills/Bengals game have reinforced the importance of understanding how to respond if someone around you experiences sudden cardiac arrest. Cardiac arrest, which is what Damar Hamlin suffered, is the abrupt loss of heart function which can come on suddenly or in the wake of other symptoms. It is often fatal if appropriate steps aren’t taken immediately. More than 356,000 cardiac arrests occur outside a hospital in the U.S. each year.
The American Heart Association cites high-quality CPR and the use of an AED (automated external defibrillator) as vital steps in responding to sudden cardiac arrest. According to research from the National Institutes of Health, a combination of CPR and early defibrillation boosts survival rates to 70%. This is often carried out by bystanders, since the first minutes immediately following an event are crucial for the patient’s survival and paramedics are often not yet on scene. (It is important to note that all of our facilities include people that are trained in CPR as well as AEDs on site.)
For this reason, everyone should consider becoming CPR/AED trained. There are many resources available in our community that provide CPR and AED training. These are just a few examples:
Action CPR LLC CPR & AED Training:
https://actioncpr.enrollware.com/schedule#ct82288
Centers for CPR Education CPR & AED Training:
https://www.kenmorecpr.com/index.php/en/
Buffalo CPR Inc. CPR & AED Training:
https://www.buffalocpr.com/
American Red Cross CPR Training:
https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class/cpr
American Red Cross AED Training:
https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class/aed
The events of the past two weeks have also shown the importance of understanding how to talk to and guide children through traumatic events. These can be very difficult to communicate with children, especially when we as caregivers are coping with the trauma ourselves. The National Child Traumatic Stress Network has provided an excellent resource specifically for families in coping with traumatic events and communicating with their children. You can access this resource here. It's important to note that we also have resources available through our Family Support Center for families in need of assistance.
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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/Staff Show Support for Damar Hamlin
Across the district, students and staff are finding creative ways to show support for Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin. For example, Wendy Haseley's 7th-grade Spanish classes at Hoover Middle School made cards to send to Hamlin and his family, team, and coaches. Inside the cards, they express (in Spanish and English) their heartfelt sympathy for the events on Monday night and their well wishes for the future. Additionally, the Kenmore East High School Band is paying tribute to Damar by creating a wall of well wishes while the art club is working on an amazing painting for the hallway.
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Lindbergh Students Spread Holiday Cheer Throughout the Community
Lindbergh Elementary School students spread love and holiday cheer in the days leading up to the holiday recess. Kristina Marzec’s third-grade class bagged up cookies for St. Vincent De Paul Soup Kitchen while several other third-grade classrooms contributed toward helping to make holiday cards for residents of Schofield Nursing Home. Great job!
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Franklin Middle School Collects Food/Toiletry Items for Caring Pantry
In the weeks leading up to winter recess, Franklin Middle School set out to collect food and other household necessities to provide for families in need in the community. By the end of the drive, the school community had collected a total of 534 food items and nearly 800 toiletry items. All of these donations were provided for their Caring Pantry. Way to go Franklin Middle School!
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Hoover Middle Students Donate 1000+ Items for the Homeless & Families in Need
Throughout the month of December, students in Elizabeth Curley's class at Hoover Middle School organized a collection drive for the homeless. They collected, separated, and counted each donation and wound up gathering 1,089 items that included toiletries, clothing, books, and other necessities. The majority of the items were donated to the Harbor House before the winter storm hit with the rest going to the Ken-Ton Closet. The students also made more than 80 holiday cards that were then put into pouches with candy and a hot chocolate packet. "I am so proud of my students,” Ms. Curley said. “They took charge, problem solved, and organized this community service project. Everything they collected went straight to the hands of people who desperately needed it, and with the blizzard that arrived, I know they couldn't have received it at a better time.”
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Board Members Visit Hoover Elementary School
On Wednesday, members of the Ken-Ton School District Board of Education and I visited Hoover Elementary School as part of our monthly visitations across the school district. The visit included a meet-and-greet with teachers and staff then visits to several classrooms to see our students and staff in action. We were also able to observe progress being made on the Capital Project, which will include a new parent pick-up/drop-off loop that is under construction to address traffic/safety concerns on Thorncliff.
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RECOGNITION: WINTER STORM
RESPONSE & RECOVERY
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The blizzard that struck Western New York was unprecedented in scope and intensity. There were countless individuals who responded to emergencies during the duration of the storm or contributed to recovery efforts. Their efforts were nothing short of heroic. At Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting, we will be recognizing some of these heroes whose extraordinary efforts saved lives in our own district community. I encourage everyone to attend or watch Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting, which begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Kenmore Middle School Community Room. You can livestream the meeting at www.ktufsd.org/BOELive.
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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, January 10th:
- Board of Education Meeting (6:30 p.m. Kenmore Middle School)
- Monday, January 16th:
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day (No School)
- Tuesday, January 24th-Friday, January 27th:
- High School Regents & Local Exams
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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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