Commander Communicator: 3/6/25

Important Dates

March 1-31: Women’s History Month
March 2-8: School Social Workers Week
March 13: Kennedy Wellness Fair and Education Night
March 19 from 6-7:30 p.m.: Choir Concert
March 24-28:Spring Break; No school for students
March 31: No school in observance of Cesar Chavez Day
April 8 at 10 a.m.: SchoolChoice Round 2 opens
April 18: No School for Students
April 18 from 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.: HOSA Blood Drive

Good Luck to the Girls Basketball Team Tonight

We're wishing our Girls Basketball team the best of luck tonight as they head into their playoff match! Let's go, Commanders!

JROTC Celebrations: State Champions and A-to-Z Grant

The Honor Platoon won the overall championship in Unarmed Drill on Saturday. Congratulations to the new state CHAMPIONS!

Kennedy's JROTC program also was recently given an award from the Denver Public Schools Foundation! This award came from the Denver Public Schools Foundation’s A to Z Grant Program, which funds materials, resources and opportunities that fall outside classroom budgets, and have a lasting impact on students. The A to Z Grant has funded more than $3 million to schools in DPS since the program’s inception in 2006. You can learn more about DPS Foundation and support the A to Z Grants on their website.

Ms. Montoya and Scot Kinder pose for a photo after receiving the A-Z Grant from the DPS Scholarship Foundation.

Join the District Accountability Committee (DAC)

Are you a parent, teacher, student, educator, school leader or community member who is passionate about improving our local schools and ensuring that all DPS students thrive? Consider applying to join the District Accountability Committee (DAC)! As an advisory body, the DAC provides feedback to DPS on decisions that impact our schools.

The DAC is accepting applications for new members through March 21. The application is available in multiple languages. Learn more about the DAC and apply to become a member.

Your Voice/Tu Voz Survey is Open

The DPS “Your Voice/Tu Voz” Student Survey is open! Responses to the survey inform decisions on how DPS can better serve all our students.

Students in third- through 12th-grade should have received an email from Superintendent Dr. Alex Marrero with a unique link to complete the survey. Students will have the opportunity to take the survey in class on a date designated by the school, however, we encourage families to check in with their children to ensure they completed the survey. If you have questions, email surveys@dpsk12.net.

Possip Feedback

Thank you for sharing ideas through Possip last week! We’ve heard from 198 of you so far this year, and we are ecstatic to see that 80% of you are happy or mostly happy with Kennedy during this survey window.

Here's what members of the community are praising, appreciating and questioning:

Thanks for the ways in which the school keeps families informed of what's happening at the school
Appreciation for the commitment and skill of coaches and teachers
Feedback about the parking lot and family interaction with administration/staff
Need for more support on college and career planning once students graduate
Ideas to better support student experiences for those with IEPs

For families needing additional support with college and career planning, we encourage you to reach out to our College Advisors in the Future Center or attend some of their events! The College Advisors are experts on navigating and understanding application requirements, deadlines and financial aid.

We also asked you how we can better engage and build the Commander community. We wanted to share that the most popular responses were in favor of inviting community members to school-based events (27%) and planning more community events at the school (25%).

Again, thank you for taking the time to provide feedback. We will continue to incorporate feedback into our planning and communications.

Upcoming CSC Meeting

Reminder: the next Collaborative School Committee (CSC) meeting will take place next week on Thursday, March 13 at 4:15-5:15 p.m. All guardians are invited to attend! Join us!

Looking for other ways to get involved as a Commander Parent? Consider joining the Commander PTSA! For information on their meetings, email jfkcommanderconnection@gmail.com and dre_calloway@dpsk12.net

Choice of Studies Information for Rising Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors

The time is approaching for students to begin choosing their classes for the 2025-26 school year! Students who attended the PSAT practice testing this week were given a Choice of Studies planning sheet to take home. If your student didn't receive one or needs a new copy, they can pick it up from the counseling office (rm. 204). Please talk to your students about their options and take some time to review all of the opportunities available at JFK! The resources available are linked below!

Students should bring a completed version of their planning sheet with them when they meet with their counselor between 3/4 and 3/18. Choice of Studies meetings will occur during Math classes, so students should check with their math teacher for their assigned date.

Contact a counselor or Ms. Jonesz for questions regarding Choice of Studies

Thanks for Attending the Inaugural Thespian Cabaret

Thank you to the students, staff, community members and families that attended Kennedy's debut cabaret last week! If students are interested in getting involved in the Theatre program, please reach out to Theatre teacher Kristen Martin.