Dear Parents/Guardians:
Welcome Titans. We are going to have a great year this year.
First of all, I am proud to announce Dr. Carol Halbe and Mr. Edward Velez will become permanent in their new administrative positions of Vice-Principal and Assistant Principal, respectively. Mr. Brian Weeks will be returning as an Assistant Principal. I will become the permanent Principal this summer. JFK staff members love this school, and this starts with me. I am honored to serve this school community and district by being the Principal of John F. Kennedy High. As far as new teachers, there will be fewer changes this summer than in past years. We are working hard to have the budget reductions not reach students in the classroom. This continues to be a district and school priority. I am doing my best to make this happen.
I want to revitalize a message for Kennedy High School. A message of high expectations for all students is talked about, but not as often as I like. Most of what we do here should be directly tied to supporting lofty achievement goals. The focus of this school is going to be college readiness for every student. JFK is committed to having students succeed in rigorous courses that make college a post-secondary option.
We are expanding AVID to include 9th and 10th grades. This is a great college preparatory program. Kennedy will also schedule 10th grade English and Social Studies together for the entire grade, building strong teaching families in grade 10 as we maintain grade 9 families. The teaching teams for grade 10 are going to include Phys. Ed., English, and World History teachers. The Small Learning Community work at Kennedy has shown us what we are best at in the classroom, as well as where we still can improve. We think this is going to be very powerful and positive for students and teachers. We are in our third of five years of SLC work at Kennedy.
I want to encourage every student to purchase a planner during maze days. For parents, please join JFK PTSA! PTSA will increase membership this fall and be able to offer even more support to the school. We also need parent involvement in building SLC strands in grade 11 and 12 next year. We need community to be involved in this development. I look forward to working with you, and meeting you at Back to School Night on September 18th.
I want to close with a thank you to the JFK community for continuing to support the school, teachers, and students. Thank you for being a part of this campus and community. Again, this is going to be a great year.
Go Titans!!
Sincerely,
Thomas Hanson
Principal, John F. Kennedy High School
John F. Kennedy High School