KENMORE EAST SENIOR PROM & KENMORE WEST SENIOR PROM (JUNE 2ND, 2023) | |
Left photo, Kevin Ryder from Kenmore East. Middle photo, English teacher Lisa Holler and special education teacher Leah Rivas from Kenmore East. Right photo, Maria Colosimo from Kenmore East. | |
Left photo, social studies teacher Nicole Pauly, Dillon Sujka, English teacher Brennan Hanagan, and Assistant Principal Joe Greco from Kenmore East. Middle photo, Jessica Neubert, Daniel Reinhart, Jordan Mullins, Nora Jetter, Antonio Gullo, and Emily Schirrmacher from Kenmore East. Right photo, Patrick Molnar from Kenmore East | |
Left photo, Luci Liu Cryan and Peyton Williams from Kenmore West. Middle photo, Da'Nayah Tillmon from Kenmore West. Right photo, science teacher Danielle LaBue, math teacher Alissa Ganci, and science teacher Chelsea Grosskopf from Kenmore West. | |
Left photo, students Carolyn Bourgeault, Delia Lake, Leo Stokes, Cameron Murdie, and guest from Kenmore West. Right photo, Richard Pike, Olivia Stotz, Isabela Rodriguez, Abigail Miller, Matt Haun, and Carrie Stotz from Kenmore East. | |
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FREE MEALS FOR ALL STUDENTS
We are extremely excited to announce that all Ken-Ton School District students in Gr. K-12 will receive free breakfast and lunch meals next year thanks to the hard work of our Food Service Department led by Director Kim Roll and Assistant Director Kristin Kryszczuk. Beginning next year, all schools will be designated as CEP (Community Eligibility Provision) schools for the very first time. Until now, only five schools had this designation. All students at these five schools were able to receive free meals. Other schools were not designated as CEP schools, so students at those buildings who were not eligible for free/reduced-price lunch had to pay full price for meals. This will change beginning July 1st. This means summer school breakfast will be free for all students.
We were fortunate to be able to provide free breakfast/lunch for all students during the COVID-19 pandemic, but this expired at the start of the 2022-23 school year. During the New York State budget development process, there were proposals to make meals free for all students across the state. Ultimately, this proposal was not included in the final budget approved by Gov. Hochul and the NYS Legislature, though the budget did include expanded eligibility. Our Food Service Department immediately took steps to apply and secure the CEP designation for all schools district-wide and we learned on Tuesday that this application was approved.
Studies consistently show that students who have access to nutritious meals perform better in school. Now that all Ken-Ton School District students will once again be eligible to receive free breakfast/lunch at each of our schools, we strongly encourage all families to take advantage of this opportunity. Our Food Service Department is second to none and works extremely hard to provide delicious and nutritious meals for students every day of the year. We pride ourselves on providing a diverse selection of options that students enjoy, incorporating fresh locally-grown fruits and vegetables whenever possible.
Although students will automatically be eligible to receive free meals beginning July 1st, it is important to note that families will be asked to complete food service paperwork in the fall. Completing the form ensures individual eligibility for certain state and federal programs as well as additional school funding, so it is extremely important for all families to return it. You can expect to receive additional information in September.
COMMUNITY BUS TOUR: JUNE 29TH
The next Ken-Ton School District community bus tour will take place Thursday, June 29th at Kenmore Middle School (155 Delaware Road). The bus will depart promptly at 6:30 p.m. from outside the Community Room at Door #9 (north side of the building). The tour will take approximately 90 minutes and will pass by numerous locations of historical significance for the Town of Tonawanda, Village of Kenmore, and Ken-Ton School District. The bus tour will conclude at approximately 8 p.m.
The bus tour is free and open to all school district residents. Registration for the bus tour is required since seats will be limited. Seats will be provided on a first-come/first-serve basis and a waiting list will be maintained if needed. You can register for the bus tour by clicking here. Registration confirmation and updates will be sent via email so it is important for participants to provide an active email address. If you have any questions or are unable to complete the registration form, you can email pfanelli@ktufsd.org or call 716-874-8400 ext. 20699.
We are very excited to once again offer this opportunity for our community and educate residents on the rich history of our school district. I hope you will consider joining us!
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On May 23rd, the U.S. Surgeon General issued a new advisory about the effects of social media usage on the mental health of children and teenagers. According to the advisory, excessive social media usage has been linked to a significantly higher risk of mental health challenges for children and teenagers such as depression and anxiety, body dissatisfaction, eating disorders, low self-esteem, and trouble sleeping. This was the first time such a warning has been issued by the Surgeon General, the nation’s leading spokesperson on health-related matters. For parents, families, and caregivers, the Surgeon General recommends making plans to curb social media usage such as establishing tech-free zones that better foster in-person relationships, teaching kids about responsible online behavior, modeling that behavior for them, and reporting problematic content and activity.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has a wonderful free tool that allows you to create an age-appropriate Family Media Plan which can help achieve these objectives. This tool identifies practical ways of limiting social media and screen usage in your home as well as information on why it’s so important. The plan can be customized to fit your family's needs and adjusted over time. All you need to do is add some information such as the child's age and different priorities/commitments, and this tool will create a printable and savable Family Media Plan which can then be posted in your home.
Limiting social media access and screen usage in general should be a priority for all families and it’s never too late to start. You can read the Surgeon General’s advisory, which includes more information on what families can do to help their children, by clicking here.
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SCHOOL & DISTRICT HIGHLIGHTS | |
Each week, we will highlight some of the exciting things taking place in the district. Be sure to follow the Ken-Ton School District on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (@ktufsd) for more school highlights! | |
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Elementary School Students Cheer On East & West Graduates
Tuesday, May 30th and Wednesday, May 31st were very special days for Kenmore East and Kenmore West students as they returned to their former elementary buildings for each school's annual Senior Walk. Kenmore West students paraded through the hallways of Holmes, Hoover, and Lindbergh Elementary on May 30th and Kenmore East students paraded through the hallways of Edison and Franklin on May 31st as the younger students cheered them on. It was wonderful to recognize members of our graduating class and allow them to walk through the schools which they themselves attended when they were younger. It also gave our younger students a first-hand look at what they have to aspire to. Click here to see video of the Kenmore East Senior Walk and click here to see video of the Kenmore West Senior Walk.
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Hundreds Attend District-Wide Wellness Festival at Edison
The district-wide Wellness Fair, which was hosted on Thursday, June 1st at Edison Elementary, was a tremendous success. The weather was perfect as hundreds of students and families from across the district came to enjoy a wide variety of indoor and outdoor activities including games, crafts, gardening, the district's blender bike, vendors, free harvest bags with fresh produce, and much more. The event was spearheaded by Nicole Zugelder, Edison Elementary physical education teacher, with assistance from the Food Service Department led by Director Kim Roll and many volunteers including those from Edison Elementary and the Administration Building. Thank you to everyone who helped make this event such a wonderful success!
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Kenmore East Students & Staff Present $5,000 Check to Kids Escaping Drugs
A long-standing tradition at Kenmore East High School has raised thousands of dollars for a very worthy cause. On Wednesday, May 31st, Kenmore East students and staff were on hand at the Kids Escaping Drugs “Televent” to deliver a check for $5,000. The money was raised through the school’s annual “Join The Winners” event, a school-wide celebration that brings together the entire student body for a fun evening of friendly competitions and activities. Seniors Maria Colosimo and Justin Stevens were interviewed by WGRZ Channel 2's Scott Levin about the pressures that students face in high school as a result of increased social media usage. They, along with student representatives from each grade, were on hand to present the check live on air. “Join the Winners” took place on Friday, March 24th. The event was spearheaded by science teacher Bob O’Connor and has been a Kenmore East tradition for nearly three decades.
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KW Band Ensembles Win Several 1st-Place Finishes at Darien Lake Music Competition
Kenmore West students did a phenomenal job at the Darien Lake Music Competition on May 26th with several first-place finishes. The event included ensembles from throughout Western New York performing in front of judges and ranked based on their performances. The Wind Ensemble, conducted by Ken Belote, won first place in the AAA Division. Also, the Blue Devil Big Band, conducted by Laura Anderson, won first place in the AA Division and also earned the Grand Judges Award, Outstanding Saxophone Section, Outstanding Rhythm Section, and Outstanding Trumpet Section with soloist awards given to Jack Gradzewicz on the alto saxophone, Everett Gianni on the baritone saxophone, and Heather Malkiewicz on the piano. Additionally, the Symphonic Band and Concert Band, both conducted by Mr. Belote, won first place in the AA Division and second place in the A Division respectively. Congratulations to all of the Kenmore West ensembles for such a fantastic showing!
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Kenmore East Students Compete in SUNY Erie Tech Wars
On May 25th, students from Kenmore East High School participated in the 2023 SUNY Erie Tech Wars Computer Science competition hosted at the SUNY Erie City Campus. Congratulations to all our students who worked so hard to prepare and did an amazing job during the competition. Congratulations also to students Ali Qamachi and Jayce Schulte who won second place for the cybersecurity app they created!
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Kenmore West Gives Away $33,000 in Prizes at Medieval Times-Themed Senior Celebration
Kenmore West High School seniors capped off an amazing weekend of excitement on Saturday, June 3rd with a spectacular Senior Celebration in the new gymnasium. The previous day included the Senior Breakfast, prom at the Foundry, and a post-prom party at Grand Island Fun Center. Saturday's big event was free for all graduating seniors and featured a Medieval Times theme which was a big hit with students. The event also included a staggering $33,000 worth of prizes given away to Kenmore West graduating seniors. Special thanks go out to Senior Celebration advisor Joseph Leone and the many faculty, staff, and administrators who worked so hard to make this event such a wonderful experience for our students!
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Hoover Middle Classes Featured by Ch. 7 for Spreading Kindness Throughout the Community
Seventh graders at Hoover Middle School are making a difference and spreading kindness in their community. Every year in the fourth quarter, students in Kelly Bacon’s English Language Arts classes complete kindness projects of their choosing. This year’s projects have included making cookies for the Town of Tonawanda Police Department and Hoover Middle staff, making muffins for nurses at ECMC, and making goody baskets for patients at Roswell Park. Their most recent project involved making birthday bags for the Ken-Ton Closet. Approximately 115 bags were made by five different classes and they included birthday plates, napkins, cake mix and frosting, birthday candles, balloons, some small toys, and candy. Mrs. Bacon and her students were featured by WKBW Channel 7 for their outstanding work. You can see the story on the WKBW website.
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KW Engineering Prototype Showcase Features Amazing Student Projects
Students in Kenmore West teacher Michael Sierzchula’s pre-engineering classes recently showcased months of hard work, creative thinking, and problem-solving. A total of 25 students from two classes took part in the annual Engineering Design and Development (EDD) Prototype Showcase. The event challenges students to work in teams to develop a solution to an open-ended engineering problem. Students work on their projects over the course of 25 weeks and during that time, they research, go through background materials, find a problem, and work on a solution. All of the projects went on display on Wednesday, May 24th in the Kenmore West library. Each team set up a board with information on their project, along with a prototype if applicable, for a hands-on learning experience. Staff, classmates, and community members were then able to make their way around the room to hear more about each individual problem, the steps and process of each team’s work, how they got to their solution, and their final testing results. Click here to read the story and click here to see photographs of students and their work.
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Board Members Visit Kenmore East
Board members enjoyed their final school visit of the year on Wednesday with a stop at Kenmore East High School. They began the morning with a meet-and-greet in the library, then Principal Trevor Brown showed them around parts of the campus that will soon be transformed through the ongoing Capital Project. Upcoming work includes an enhanced entrance, a new bus loop, a pick-up/drop-off lane, and more.
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Holmes Elementary Hosts 4th-Grade Concert
Fourth-grade students at Holmes Elementary School did an amazing job on Thursday, June 1st at their spring band, orchestra, and chorus concerts. The fourth-grade band and orchestra ensembles were directed by music teacher Maria Aurigema and the fourth-grade chorus ensemble was directed by music teacher Jenifer Grasha. Students worked extremely hard over the past few months to prepare for the concert and had a wonderful time performing for their families. Great job to everyone involved!
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RECOGNITION: COMMUNITY ALL-STARS | |
Top row, from left, Maria Colosimo from Kenmore East, Charles Anzalone from Kenmore West, and Zaharaa Alshuwaili from Kenmore East. Bottom row, from left, Tilynn Robinson from Kenmore West, Angelina Khouri from Kenmore East, and Mason Forney from Kenmore West. | |
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We were extremely proud to see six outstanding students from Kenmore East and Kenmore West recognized for making Western New York a stronger, healthier, and more inclusive place to live. These students were recognized by Business First in its 2023 Community All-Stars publication. Students who were identified by their high schools as exemplary community servants and leaders earned the Community All-Star designation. Additionally, student leaders who were recognized for promoting diversity were named Diversity & Inclusion All-Stars and students who were recognized for promoting wellness were named Wellness All-Stars. The following students earned one of these three designations:
- Maria Colosimo from Kenmore East and Charles Anzalone from Kenmore West were recognized as Community All-Stars
- Zaharaa Alshuwaili from Kenmore East and Tilynn Robinson from Kenmore West were recognized as Diversity & Inclusion All-Stars
- Angelina Khouri from Kenmore East and Mason Forney from Kenmore West were recognized as Wellness All-Stars
Please join me in congratulating these outstanding student leaders for their contributions and efforts to make our community a better place.
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Visit www.ktufsd.org/calendar to access website calendars and Google calendars with
up-to-date event information for the district and each of its schools.
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Tuesday, June 13th
- Board of Education Meeting (6:30 p.m. at Kenmore Middle School)
Wednesday, June 14th - Friday, June 23rd
- High School Regents & Local Exams (exam attendance only in Gr. 8-12)
Monday, June 19th
- Juneteenth Holiday (no school)
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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!
Sabatino Cimato,
Superintendent of Schools
For previous editions of the Ken-Ton Weekly Connection, visit
www.ktufsd.org/connection
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