About Michael Kennedy:

 

Michael Kennedy Elementary opened its doors in the fall of 1975, founded by the Alief Independent School District, in honor of an Alief student whose mother worked as a nurse for the district. Michael Kennedy (1957-1967) died of cancer at age 10. It is a beautiful elementary school built for the children of Huntington Village. It was built for approximately 800 students. At this time, Kennedy was one of a few schools being built in the Alief ISD with the "open concept" floor plan. It took the teachers some time to get used to all the sounds, but within a short time they adjusted.  The first principal was Betty Best. The students loved her very much. She referred to each child as her "Kiddo!" By Sam McMurray (former Kennedy student)

 

Kennedy has undergone many changes over the past year.  The open concept, as described above, is no more.  Walls and cabinets have been installed to enclose our classrooms.  Kennedy is much larger now and houses over 1,000 students in pre-kindergarten through fourth grades in monolingual and bilingual classrooms.

 

School Hours:

 

School hours for children are 7:55 to 3:15. District school bus riders and children eating breakfast may enter at 7:20 a.m. Walkers/car riders not eating breakfast may enter at 7:30 a.m. Children are dismissed to enter the classrooms at 7:45. The tardy bell rings at 7:55. Please be aware that we do not have staff to supervise children waiting outside our school before 7:15 a.m.

 

Kindergarten - Fourth Grade:     7:55 - 3:15

 

Pre-Kindergarten:     Morning Class 7:55 a.m. – 10:55 a.m.     Afternoon Class 12:15 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.

 

Remember that students are considered tardy if they are not in their classroom at 7:55 a.m. Five tardies count as one truancy/unexcused absence. Because of the state's compulsory attendance laws and regulations governing school attendance, excessive tardies and absences can result in official warnings and court hearings.

 

Kennedy continues to have excellent student attendance! Help us keep your children in class!

Registration:

 

District Registration Information

 

Visitor's Policy:

 

Parents and guardians are always welcome to visit Kennedy and observe in their child's classroom. You will be asked to follow these procedures when you come to visit:

 

- Sign in at the front office and put on a name tag identifying yourself as a visitor.

 

- If you need assistance, a staff member will escort you to the appropriate classroom and help you find a place where you may observe your child's class.

 

- The teacher will not be able to conference with you about your child's progress during instructional time.

 

- If you wish to observe another program at Kennedy you may make arrangements by contacting the school office at 281-983-8338. Please plan to end your visit before 2:30 p.m. so that classes may prepare for dismissal.

Arrival/Dismissal:

 

To help keep traffic moving to assure SAFETY of children, your cooperation with the driveway guidelines is appreciated.

- No parking along the driveway for pickups or drop offs.

- No left turns into school driveway between the hours of 7:30-8:15 a.m. and 2:30-3:30 p.m.

 

- Traffic enters, loads and unloads in one lane along the curb

 

- Cars need to remain in line, no passing is permitted - staff will assist in directing traffic

 

- The west drive (into the staff parking lot) is for school buses, Day Care buses, and staff ONLY. No car pick-up or drop-off is allowed.

*Rainy Days: Please complete the "Rainy Days" form and discuss with your child what to do in case of rain at dismissal time. These forms were in the first day of school packet or you can pick up another in the front office. These days can be a confusing and frustrating time if specific alternatives have not been arranged. If you will be picking up your child by car on rainy days, we ask that you have the child's name on a card in the windshield so that staff members may be able to get your child to the car safely and quickly. Please do not get out of your car because it will hold the line longer than necessary. On heavy rain days we will radio inside for your child to be dismissed.

School Supply List:

 

District School Supply List (by grade level)

Dress Code:

 

The Kennedy Shared Decision Making Council has designated the following mandatory dress code for grades Kindergarten through Fourth. There is no mandatory dress code for pre-kindergarten. Our colors are strictly white, navy or red collared tops and navy or tan khaki bottoms/jumpers or jeans.

Boys:

  • navy pants or jeans

  • navy shorts

  • tan khaki shorts

  • tan khaki pants

  • navy, red or white collared knit short or long sleeve polos with no logos

  • navy, red or white button down the front short or long sleeve shirts with no logos

  • navy, red or white cardigans or sweatshirts with no logos can be worn over shirts

  • navy, red or white socks

  • no earrings allowed

Girls:

  • navy pants or jeans

  • navy shorts

  • navy skirts

  • navy jumpers

  • tan khaki shorts

  • tan khaki pants

  • tan khaki skirts

  • tan khaki jumpers

  • navy, red or white collared knit short or long sleeve polos with no logos

  • navy, red or white long sleeve turtlenecks with no logo

  • navy, red or white button down the front short or long sleeve blouses with no logos

  • navy, red or white cardigans or sweatshirts with no logos can be worn over shirts

  • navy, red or white socks

  • hair accessories must coordinate

  • girls need to wear shorts under skirts/jumpers on P.E. days

Requirements for Girls and Boys:

  • short, skirt and jumper lengths must be no shorter than 2" above the knee

  • no hats or caps in the buildings

  • clothes must fit properly (not too tight or too loose)

  • official scout uniforms or shirts may be worn with appropriately colored dress code pants, skirts or shorts

  • spirit shirts may be worn on Fridays

  • no high heels or sandals without backs

  • rubber-soled shoes on P.E. days

Discipline:

Our staff is committed to providing a safe, nurturing environment for all our children. If a child is experiencing behavioral difficulties, parents will be notified by the teacher to obtain further insight into the child's needs. We have a full time counselor available for crisis intervention and a behavior specialist who can also intervene and help teach children appropriate behaviors. If a child is referred to the office for administrative intervention, a letter will be mailed home stating the problem and how it was resolved. Children needing extensive help may be assigned to the Alternative Education Program (AEP) for assistance in learning appropriate school behaviors.

 

Please assist us by helping your child understand that our job at school is to learn and that toys are to be left at home. If toys are brought to school they will be picked up by the teacher or staff personnel and parents may contact the teacher to make arrangements for the toys to be returned. Thank you for your help in keeping Kennedy a place to learn!

 

For more information about discipline try the District Code of Conduct.

School Lunches:

 

Breakfast - $ .50 (served from 7:20 - 7:50; serving line closes at 7:50)

 

Lunch - $1.00; Milk only is .30; Snacks are .30

 

Lunch and breakfast menus go home at the end of each month. Tickets may be purchased - please send the exact amount in an envelope with your child's name, teacher, and grade on the front of the cafeteria on Monday mornings. Checks are no longer accepted.  Money cannot be loaned by staff members--students without lunch or unused tickets will be given a peanut butter or cheese sandwich. Lunches or money that needs to be dropped off after school starts should be left in the front office by 10:30 a.m.

 

Federal Meals Program applications must be completed on a yearly basis. For further information look in the 1st day take home packet or call Nutrition Services at 498-8110, ext. 2420.

 

For more information on the lunch program and district nutrition programs check the School Meals site.