Weekly Update from the Office of the Superintendent
December 30, 2020
We are so excited to welcome back the remainder of our Gr. 5-12 students when we return from winter recess on Monday, Jan. 4. The Gr. K-4 return went extremely smoothly, and our middle schools and high schools have been preparing for months for the return of our remaining grade levels.

Letters have been sent to middle and high school families detailing everything to know about the return to school on Jan. 4. These letters can be found on each school’s homepage and on our Return to School & Testing Page on our website at www.ktufsd.org/return. This page includes a great deal of additional information and resources including a short video presentation about what Gr. 5-12 students and families can expect, more details about COVID-19 testing, a video demonstration of the BinexNOW test featuring one of our own students, and more.
Kenmore West High School faculty and staff spread holiday cheer on every street in their attendance area on Wednesday, Dec. 23 with a very special holiday car parade for students, families, and the community.
For Gr. 5-12 Hybrid Students:
  • Those who are being transported by bus should have received your bus letter this week. Contact the Transportation Department at 874-8611.
  • Be sure you know which days your child will be attending school (Group A attends Monday and Tuesday; Group B attends Thursday and Friday; and Special Classes/Big Picture students attend Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday).
  • Masks are required at all times in school.
  • Be sure to check your child’s temperature every morning. If your child has a fever or is symptomatic, keep them home.
  • Make sure you complete the EdVista daily health screening every day your child attends school. An email will be generated at 5 a.m. Please make this part of your daily routine.
  • More details on safety procedures and requirements can be found on our Requirements for In-Person Attendance Page, which is under the Reopening tab.

For VLA Students:
  • VLA students will continue with fully virtual learning.
  • If VLA families wish to return their children to hybrid instruction, place your request with your child’s school. Please note that the school will need time to arrange transportation and scheduling, which may take 1-2 weeks for your child to transition from VLA to hybrid.
  • Information for VLA families regarding programming beyond the end of the first semester (Jan. 29) will be communicated by mid-January.

Testing Update:

The week of Dec. 21 was our second week with our elementary school students back in the classroom. It was also our second week of COVID-19 testing. The following is a building-by-building summary of those tested and positive results for the week of Dec. 21:

  • Edison ES: 29 students, 11 staff (0 positive results)
  • Franklin ES: 27 students, 9 staff (0 positive results)
  • Holmes ES: 14 students, 7 staff (0 positive results)
  • Hoover ES: 33 students, 9 staff (0 positive results)
  • Lindbergh ES: 21 students, 7 staff (0 positive results)
  • Total: 124 students, 43 staff (0 positive results)

To date, we have completed 302 tests with 0 positive results. We will begin random COVID-19 testing in our middle and high schools when students return on Monday, Jan. 4. Remember, the state requires that 20% of students and staff are tested in order to stay open for in-person instruction. Families, we need your help and your consent to test.

Gr. 5-12 testing will take place during the school day on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday using the Abbott BinexNOW nasal rapid test. To meet this requirement, we will need to test 6-13 students each day depending on school. Students cannot be tested more than once per month and odds are that they would not be tested in back-to-back months. A great deal of information about our testing program, including videos and presentations, can be found on our Return to School & Testing Page at www.ktufsd.org/return.

As explained in our Dec. 11 testing presentation:

  • Only those students whose families provided consent will be tested (you may change your consent at any time by submitting a new form). We need as many families as possible to consent to test.
  • Students will be selected for testing using the Random Sample function in Microsoft Excel.
  • Student will be called to the nurse’s office, the nurse will conduct the test (if the student is comfortable and willing), and the student will remain until the test result is available 15 minutes later.
  • If the test result is negative, the student will return to class and come home with a hard-copy notification that he/she was tested and did not test positive.
  • If the test result is positive, the family will be notified right away and required to pick up the student immediately.
Recognitions: Scholar Athlete Teams
Congratulations to our fall athletics teams that received the New York State Scholar Athlete Team Award! This is one of the highest distinctions a team can receive for demonstrating high levels of academic success in the classroom, based on GPA.

  • From Kenmore East High School, teams were Boys Soccer, Girls Soccer, and Girls Tennis.
  • From Kenmore West High School, teams were Boys Cross Country, Girls Cross Country, Golf, Boys Soccer, Girls Soccer, and Girls Tennis.
  • Combined Kenmore East and Kenmore West teams were Field Hockey and Gymnastics.

Congratulations to all of our teams and families! The Scholar Athlete distinction is an indication that the entire school community, especially families and students, remain dedicated to their academics. We will continue to focus on the success of our athletic programs while simultaneously focusing on academic progress.
Family Support Center
For any families facing difficulties at this time, please take advantage of our Family Support Center, which provides individual and family counseling services and connects families with needed resources.

The Family Support Center offers a variety of services including fully virtual and confidential sessions for families, a food pantry on site, yoga sessions, parenting courses, meditation classes for stress relief, individual counseling for older students with parental consent, and more. They have expert staff on community services that can support individuals and families to get connected with community resources.

Call the Family Support Center at 874-8510 or visit them online at www.ktufsd.org/fsc if you would like to schedule an appointment or learn more about the services they provide.
Thank you for reviewing this information. As always, we remain Ken-Ton Proud, Ken-Ton Strong, and Ken-Ton Moving Forward!

For previous editions of the Ken-Ton Weekly Connection, visit www.ktufsd.org/connection