Weekly Update from the Office of the Superintendent
Volume 2, Issue 22 (January 28, 2022)
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35TH JERRY STARR
KEN-TON SCHOOLS' SLEEPOUT: FEB. 4TH
We are just one week away from the 35th annual Jerry Starr Ken-Ton Schools’ SleepOut! We need the support of the Ken-Ton community to make this event a success. The SleepOut also serves as a reminder about the importance of serving others. With this in mind, the SleepOut supports two organizations that have a significant impact on countless children and families in our community: the Ken-Ton Closet and the Family Support Center. It is for this reason that it is named after the late Jerry Starr, who was always known for putting the needs of others before himself.
The SleepOut represents what is most special about Ken-Ton: the spirit of giving that is so prevalent in our community. It is an annual tradition that has taken place the first Friday in February every year since 1988. Many people choose to brave the winter weather and sleep outside in refrigerator boxes to raise awareness about the needs of the less fortunate in our community. Countless others support the SleepOut in other ways, such as donating money, food, clothing and other items. All contributions are appreciated.
The event will take place next Friday, February 4th beginning at 8 p.m. Once again, here is what you can do to support the SleepOut:
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Donate online via GoFundMe
- Cash/checks made payable to “Ken-Ton Schools – E.T.C." sent via U.S. Mail to Ken-Ton Schools’ SleepOut, c/o Kenmore West High School, 33 Highland Pkwy., Buffalo, NY 14223
- Dropped off in person the day of the SleepOut (monetary donations, food, personal care items, new/gently used clothing and small furniture items will be accepted)
- Staff can also donate in the following ways:
- Interoffice delivery to the address listed above
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Given to a KTA SleepOut building representative, which you can identify here.
MASK UPDATE
We have not seen any changes to the current requirements on masking in schools since our last communication about this topic on Tuesday, which you can read here. The stay issued by the Appellate Division will remain in effect indefinitely while New York State appeals the Nassau County decision. This means the statewide masking requirement remains in effect. There is no indication of how long it will take for a decision to be reached in the case.
The statewide requirement is one of two masking requirements that impacts schools in Erie County. The other is the emergency order issued November 23 in Erie County that requires masking in all indoor locations, including schools. County Executive Mark Poloncarz announced that this order would not be impacted by the Nassau County decision. In order for students/staff to be able to be in school without a mask, both of these requirements would need to be lifted. Until that happens, all students, staff and visitors must continue to wear masks in all Ken-Ton Schools.
I appreciate the cooperation of our families as we have navigated these confusing developments. As I communicated on Tuesday, I know many of us are looking forward to the time when the masking requirement is lifted. This may come to pass as cases continue to drop, as the County Executive indicated earlier this week. Until then, it is our priority to continue to keep you updated on any new information we receive.
TEST TO STAY
We are now completing the second week of our Test to Stay Program, which began on Tuesday, January 18th. As a reminder, Test to Stay is available for unvaccinated asymptomatic students who are identified as close contacts in school and have to quarantine for five days. Families are notified of their child's eligibility for Test to Stay when they are informed of the student's close contact status. These students are able to return to school during their quarantine period as long as they test negative. Testing takes place at Kenmore Middle School before the school day begins.
Our Test to Stay Program has been very successful so far. We have had 36 students participate in Test to Stay over the past two weeks with a total of 55 tests. That means 36 students have had the option of attending school in person during their mandated five-day quarantine period. In that time, we have only had one student test positive, which is consistent with results seen elsewhere in the region. This data continues to indicate that the risk of spread among students identified as close contacts remains very low.
Thank you to everyone for their hard work that has made this possible and to the families of all participating students for your cooperation and continued support. Our continued small steps will ultimately result in big gains.
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Each week, we will highlight some of the exciting things taking place in our schools. Be sure to follow the Ken-Ton School District on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@ktufsd) for more school highlights! |
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Edison Elementary School: The Edison Elementary School community is once again supporting the annual Jerry Starr Ken-Ton Schools' SleepOut through its annual "Links 4 Love" campaign. As part of this initiative, students, teachers, staff and families are invited to "purchase" a chain link made of construction paper for 25 cents each. These links will be joined together as part of massive chains that will be hung and proudly displayed throughout the school as a demonstration of the giving spirit of the Edison community. Last year, the chains comprised nearly 4,000 individual links, raising nearly $1,000 for the SleepOut!
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Hoover Middle School: On the Hoover Middle School Facebook page (@HooverMiddleSchool), you can find photographs of beautiful works of art by students on the Kenmore West Girls Modified Soccer Team which includes players from Hoover Middle and Kenmore West. Modified Coach Laura Lukowski invited players to take part in a “paint night” as a team-building activity to foster positive relationships during the off season. The students did an amazing job and had a great time.
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Kenmore East High School: We were extremely excited to see Kenmore East High School alumnus Maria Krasinski competing on an episode of "Jeopardy” earlier this week. You may remember Kenmore West Library Media Specialist Mary Kamela as a contestant in November, so that makes Maria the second person from our school community competing on this national stage in less than 3 months! The Buffalo News reports that, after graduating from Kenmore East, Ms. Krasinski went on to earn three degrees from the University of Chicago, join the Peace Corps, and illustrate a book in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She currently works in Paris for Buffalo native Nelson Graves, who founded News Decoder, a news service used by schools around the world.
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Lindbergh Elementary School: This week, students, teachers and staff at Lindbergh Elementary celebrated Love of Literacy Week to show their appreciation for reading and to promote literacy. The week kicked off on Monday with the school’s annual Guest Reader Day, which included many special guests who came to Lindbergh to read a favorite book for a class. Other activities included Readable Shirt Day, in which students were encouraged to wear a favorite shirt with words, and a reading of "Share Some Kindness, Bring Some Light" by Apryl Scott in each classroom.
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RECOGNITION: UNSUNG HEROES
OF KEN-TON
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Each week, I use the Connection to highlight individuals in our community for their outstanding efforts or contributions to the district and community. Celebrating these contributions continues to be an important part of our Connection. It shows the world what a special place Ken-Ton is and serves as an inspiration for others.
It is impossible to highlight everyone who is worthy of recognition. In fact, the vast majority of people who are worthy of recognition do not get recognized. Most people don’t realize how much is taking place every day behind the scenes. It could be a teacher who devotes so much effort to perfect a lesson plan, an administrator who works around the clock to plan for an entire community, a member of the staff who donates their time and money to help students or families in need without any hesitation, or all those who routinely demonstrate their extraordinary talents and dedication in their daily work.
These are the countless unsung heroes of Ken-Ton and this week, I’d like to recognize them. I want them all to know their efforts and achievements do not go unnoticed. We see countless examples of this throughout the year. Our teachers, staff and administrators are truly irreplaceables. I hope everyone in the community takes a moment to reflect on how lucky we are to have such dedicated, talented and supportive individuals as part of our team.
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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!
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