November '21

Gratitude & educator "Brag"-itude

November is a time of thankfulness & gratitude. When our thoughts & actions are focused on gratitude, happiness increases. I'm not making it up, Harvard agrees. When the adults are joyful that joy spreads to children & learning becomes easier.

If you are feeling stressed, try one of these ideas to cultivate gratitude & grow joy.

Each family member can share one thing they are grateful for while in the car together, during dinner, or at a time the family regularly connects with one another.
Write 3 things you are grateful for daily.
Form a gratitude text group with family or friends. Text each other one thing you are grateful for daily.
Speak thanks & appreciation to others.
Write notes or emails expressing thanks. How about starting by emailing a Kingsley teacher you are grateful for? Staff list here. Your acknowledgement matters to teachers.

At Kingsley, I find many, many things to be grateful for.

Kingsley has amazing students! I'm grateful that I get to be a small part of their life's journey. #studentsfirst
I am incredibly grateful to work with caring, skilled educators! They go above and beyond to grow & provide resources for students. Check out the educator "bragitude" photos that share staff efforts to win grants & grow professionally. We want to serve our students & families in the best way possible. #growth
Families. Wow! I'm grateful for the passion & support Kingsley families show our staff. #community

With care, Ms. France, Principal

In the past 6 months, several staff have been awarded innovative grants, earned advanced degrees, & earned awards. Applying for grants & taking graduate courses are not employment requirements. These actions are driven by a servants heart to best care for Kingsley students & families. Kingsley is grateful to have caring educators growing our amazing students.

Start with Hello

Kingsley's Black Student Union is leading "Start with Hello" week, Nov. 15-19.

Start with Hello began as a part of the Sandy Hook Promise to end social isolation. Teachers will have conversations with students about building a strong community & growing new friendships. We will host Start with Hello spirit week & have other fun surprises planned to model positive communication & developing strong relationships. #community #growth #care

Yearbooks

2021-2022 Yearbooks can be ordered here. Yearbooks cost $30 until December 31. After that, the cost is $35.

Basketball Jersey Anyone?

First come first serve to purchase a past basketball jersey or apparel; order past jereys here. All proceeds go to support our basketball teams.

Infinite Campus Parent Portal Tutorials

Access the Infinite Campus Parent Portal. U5 Tech Coaches have developed a one-stop shop for families who want to use Infinite Campus to check attendance, grades, schedules, Food service and more.

Jordon Sonneblick, Author Visit, delayed

Due to challenging family circumstances for Mr. Sonneblick, we will be hosting Mr. Sonneblick this Spring instead of in November. We hope the best for him & his family, & we are looking forward to his Spring visit.

8th Grade only....is high school really next year?!

As future high school students (and families) in Unit 5, we are excited to provide a 9th Grade Orientation at both of our high schools to help prepare you for this next chapter in your life. We invite both you and a parent or guardian to attend this orientation at the respective high school you are slated to attend on December 1, 2021. Please click the appropriate link below for information pertaining to this orientation, which will include details on the time, location, and what to expect.

Normal Community High School

Normal West High School

We are excited to assist you in the next step along the way in your educational careers as future high school students!

Trevor Chapman, NCHS Principal

Dave Johnson, NCWHS Principal

KJHS PTO

Next KJHS PTO Meeting: 11.15.21 @ 6:30 p.m.

- In person, in the KJHS IMC, the north end entrance will be unlocked at 6:10 p.m.
- Online through Zoom: Meeting ID: 858 4233 7705 & Passcode: 777090

Future KJHS PTO Meetings: 1.31.22 & 4.4.22, @ 6:30 p.m. in the KJHS IMC & via Zoom.

KJHS PTO

N0 Hassle Fundraiser

We have already raised over $600 through the No Hassle Fundraiser. Thank you!

PTO provides $1,000 annually for the PBIS "K Cash" Store. Every Kingsley student can earn K Cash when they are caught being awesome & spend it at the K Cash Store, to get into KJHS home athletic events, or enter lunch time raffles. This week we are raffling a Bluetooth speaker!

Can you donate $5 to the KJHS PTO through PayPal or check, to help the PTO help our Kingsley Cougars? Click here to find out more.

Kingsley Athletics

We love having students & families cheer on our Kingsley athletes! Check out the Kingsley calendar for game dates & times.

Girls Basketball: Pack the Place, Monday, 11.8 @ 4:30

Boys Basketball: Pack the Place is 12.16.

Wrestling: Open mats, Tuesdays & Thursdays through November 18, 4-5 p.m. Season begins 11.29. Click here for more details.

Vollyeball: See "Announcements" (on the left) for open gym & tryout information.

Kingsley Logistics

E-Learning Days

Fall has settled in & we're already talking about snow or ice?! To help families be prepared in the event of inclement winter weather, we wanted to share the 21-22 plans for e-Learning Days at the middle school.

Our E-learning schedule will allow students to learn in the morning while staying warm & safe at home, enjoy lunch, then if weather allows, get out there and play in the snow!

Teachers will provide synchronous & asynchronous learning opportunities through Google Classroom then host office hours for students who need extra help at the conclusion of the E-learning day.

Covid-Related Items

Voluntary covid testing at Kingsley

If you previously signed your child up to participate in voluntary COVID testing, please remind your child of their testing time.

Tuesdays from 11:15-12:45
6th & 8th graders will test before eating their lunch.
7th graders will leave class at 11:45 a.m. for a few minutes to participate.

If your child is participating, directions to check their weekly results are ready. Have a question about SHIELD testing? Email Ms. France, francesm@unit5.org

Dates to Note

Month of November

5 - Picture Retakes

For students who did not get their photo taken or want to return their picture package for a new photo

8 @ 4:30 - Girls Basketball Pack the Place

10 - Late Start

11 - Veterans Day, We have school & will be celebrating Veterans all week in many ways.

11 - Start with Hello introduced to students

15-19 - Start with Hello Week (Spirit Days too)

15 @ 6:30pm - PTO Meeting

In person in the IMC, north doors open at 6:10 p.m.
Virtually through Zoom, Meeting ID: 858 4233 7705 & Passcode: 777090

17 &/or 18 - FastBridge aReading & aMath assessments (FastBridge replaced MAP this year.)

24-26 - Thanksgiving Break, No School

21-22 U5 Calendar & Daily Announcements: Oct 4-8

Daily Announcements are shown each lunch period daily & posted on the main page of the KJHS website.

#KingsleyCARES