Kingston City Schools-Educating and Inspiring Students in Kingston, NY

The J. F. K. Elementary School is located in a residential neighborhood and borders a beautiful wooded city park that offers spectacular views of the mighty Hudson River. A small tree nursery, a butterfly garden, and a bird sanctuary occupy the hill next to the playground. This is a place where our city children can convene with nature. Inside our school, the hallways are clean, well lit and decorated with the students' colorful artwork. The main hallway contains a large fish tanks, giving children the opportunity to study the ecology of the Hudson River up close.

VISION/ MISSION STATEMENT

The Mission of the J. F. Kennedy Elementary School is to prepare all children to become self-directed learners who demonstrate responsible citizenship.

We facilitate this by providing a challenging and relevant curriculum in a safe, nurturing environment staffed by dedicated professionals.

MOTTO

"At the Kennedy School, we are learning today to lead tomorrow."

STUDENT EXPECTATIONS

We expect you to work to the best of your ability.
We expect you to come to the school prepared to work.
We expect you to obey all the rules.
We expect you to set goals and work toward them.
We expect you to treat others in a respectful manner.
We expect you to keep our school beautiful and clean.
We expect you to learn today and lead tomorrow.

PARENT INVOLVEMENT POLICY

At the Kennedy School, we recognize the importance of family involvement in student learning. To encourage family involvement we seek to:

Recognize families as partners: Education is a joint responsibility.
Make families more comfortable in our school.
Encourage parent and child participation in reading.
Empower parents so they feel more responsible.
Promote two-way communication.
Keep parents informed.
Build pride and help parents understand that they can help their children by being active in school life.

We believe that the best way to communicate with families is on a one- to- one basis. This policy will be shared with families through classroom teachers. We believe that we communicate through our actions as well as with our words. Living a philosophy is the best way to communicate it.

J. F. Kennedy School Parent-Teacher Association

The J. F. Kennedy Elementary School P.T.A. is an active group of parents, teachers and community members who work throughout the year on various programs for our students. The programs include: assemblies, field trips, Parents as Reading Partners, book fairs, teacher appreciation day, and several fund- raising activities.