Spring 2021 Partner Agency Newsletter by Kennedy Catholic High School

Office of International Education Newsletter ISSUE 7, MAY 2021

Dear Partner Agents and Friends, Spring is in full swing here in our state! Cherry blossoms are coloring the city in pink and tulips in the Skagit Valley, famous for tulip farms, are adding more colors up north of Seattle. The mornings are not yet warm, but I can definitely feel the coming of summer with the bright sunshine and flowers. This is exactly how I feel about our life these days. Businesses are recovering and I see more foot traffic in town. Life is revitalizing day-by-day as more people are vaccinated for COVID-19. In our state, COVID-19 vaccinations are proceeding at full speed; a football stadium, a convention center, local pharmacies and grocery stores, the Amazon campus, and many locations are serving as a vaccination site. Even walk-in vaccination sites are set up throughout our state! According to the Washington State Department of Health website, our county (King County) has administered over 2 million vaccines, and the state as a whole over 6 million. This shows the strength of our state leadership. I am very proud to inform you that Washington state is ranked #1 state in the U.S. for US News’s 2021 Best States rankings. This includes health, education, economy, environment, etc. Students had a chance to get vaccinated at school in partnership with the pharmacy at Safeway SeaTac in late April and throughout May. In mid April, we shifted to four days a week face-to-face instruction (with an option for students to attend classes fully online or be in school twice a week.) Safety is our number one priority and we are accommodating every student’s comfort level. Continued >>

A message from Mariko

Skagit Valley Tulip Festival in April 2021

This requires enormous planning, preparation, and effort of our staff and faculty, but it makes a big difference in the quality of education and support for students. In this edition, we would like to showcase our international seniors who have been accepted to the top ranked universities. As one of the board members for the office of admissions at University of Washington (UW), I am proud to announce that all international students who applied to the UW, Seattle campus with a GPA of 3.7 and above have been accepted for their desired majors. Students with a GPA of 3.5 and above have been accepted for the noncompetitive majors. Kennedy Students with a GPA of 2.75 and above have been accepted for UW’s other campus. Kennedy is the backyard of UW.

Cherry Blossoms at University of Washington Campus in April 2021

Lastly, we will continue accepting applications until the end of May this year. Unlike other private schools, Kennedy Catholic locks the international student tuition rate for two years to make it easy for the students’ family to budget their child’s education. Also, during summer, our international students have an opportunity to attend college courses to head start their higher education in the U.S. Please visit our website to learn more about Kennedy Catholic High School. Online seminars, virtual tours, and agent trainings are also available! Sincerely, Mariko Fujiwara Director, Office of International Education

Kennedy Catholic offered the vaccine for all staff and faculty in March 2021

IMPORTANT DATES FOR 2021-2022 SCHOOL YEAR* August 2021 • Airport arrival for new and returning students (from overseas and out of state): August 7 • School-sponsored hotel stay and COVID-19 Testing: August 7-13 Upon arrival to the U.S. and prior to housing arrival (approximately 1 week). All students who signed up for the Kennedy Catholic Housing Program will be covered by the housing fee. • Housing check-in for new and returning students (from overseas and out of state): August 14 • Virtual New Student Orientation: Week 1, August 9-13 • In-Person New Student Orientation: Week 2, August 16-20 at 9am • Optional Parent Orientation: August 16 at 10am • No school for students: August 23 • One-on-one meeting and class schedule adjustment day: August 24 & 25 • All returning students must be back in Seattle by August 25 • All school Welcome for New and Returning Students: August 27 • Freshman-only mini schedule: August 30

WE ARE HERE TO HELP!

FREE US High School Prep Course. Invite your students to register here.

Contact INT@kennedyhs.org for more information.

Click the icons below.

• School starts: August 31 Fall Holiday Breaks • Thanksgiving break: November 24-28, return to school November 29 at 8am • Christmas break starts: December 17 after school, return to school January 3, 2022 at 8am Second Semester 2022 Dates • Second semester begins: January 24, 2022 8am • Easter Break starts: April 15 after school, return to school: April 25 at 8am • International Senior Graduation Dinner: June 2, 2022 • Graduation: June 3, 2022 • Year end: June 10, 2022 *Dates are tentative and subject to change.

School-sponsored COVID-19 Testing

ADMINISTERING THE KITE PRACTICE TEST Please copy and paste the following address to ensure you reach the correct page: https://testflight.takekite.com/register/kennedy8547 Students are anonymous users when they take this practice assessment. There’s no record of their results, aside from the screen displayed when the assessment is complete. The student should take a screen shot of the final screen and capture the information in order to share the results.

IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO APPLY!

Still accepting applications through May 2021 for students to begin school August 2021! APPLY NOW!

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR THE 2021-2022 SCHOOL YEAR!

SEPT

Priority Deadline for Applications September 30, 2021 for January 2022 February 15, 2022 for August 2022

Admissions Fact Sheet Review fact sheet here for application APPLY NOW! timeline, deadlines, criteria, and other details. Online application and instructions found here. Admissions and Placement Test Read here to learn more about our Admissions and English Placement test. When to Give the KITE Practice Test: •

I f the student does not have a TOEFL/ English score

•

I f the student has a low TOEFL or equivalent test score below 42

•

I f you are unsure of the student’s English skills and you want to determine their comprehension level

2021-2022 & 2022-2023 ANNUAL SCHOOL FEES (cost per school year) Tuition: $35,000 Housing: $12,000 + $250 (one time set up fee) Enrollment Fee: $550 Capital Building Fee: $500 Total: Approximately* $48,300 (including tuition, housing, and fees) *Approximate total due to exchange rates and bank fees Note: January students must pre-pay the following spring semester tuition.

SENIOR PROFILES We have 19 international seniors this year from the following countries: China (8), Vietnam (5), Philippines (2), Hong Kong (1), Korea (1), Taiwan (1), and Thailand (1). The college admission results are still coming in, but a 90% of our international seniors have received responses from universities and have been accepted by their desired universities! Top 3 private universities: • New York University (3) • Boston University (1)

ANDY C., CHINA Accepted to: New York University, Santa Clara University, UC Irvine, UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara, UC Santa Cruz, Pepperdine University, Ohio State University Main Campus Attending: New York University

RACHEL R., CHINA Accepted to: New York University, Santa Clara University, Rutgers University - New Brunswick, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Penn State University Attending: New York University

JASON L., HONG KONG Accepted to: UC Berkeley, UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego, UC Irvine, UC Davis, University of Washington, Penn State University (small business school), Ohio State University - Fisher Business School, New York University Attending: UC Berkeley

• Pepperdine University (2) Top public universities: • University of California Berkeley (1)

JEONGMIN (RACHEL) L., KOREA Accepted to: University of Washington, Boston University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Attending: University of Washington

• University of California Santa Barbara (3) • University of California San Diego (2) • University of Washington: Seattle Campus (7), Bothell Campus (5), Tacoma Campus (1)

YU-HSUAN (JEFF) L., CHINA Accepted to: UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego, UC Irvine, University of Washington, UC Santa Cruz, Pepperdine, LMU, USF Attending: UC Santa Barbara Why did you choose Kennedy Catholic? I chose Kennedy Catholic because of diversity, the study environment, and they offer a lot of AP classes. Why do you recommend Kennedy Catholic? Kennedy has the best staff members, including teachers and staff from the international department. Kennedy also has all kinds of extra curricular activities, including sports and clubs.

COVID-19 VACCINATION CLINIC FOR KENNEDY CATHOLIC STUDENTS Governor Inslee announced that all residents of Washington ages 12 and up were eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccination as of mid May. Kennedy Catholic has partnered with the pharmacy at Safeway SeaTac and have since offered several on-site COVID-19 vaccination clinics to our current Kennedy Catholic students. The mRNA vaccine produced by Pfizer is the only vaccine currently authorized to be administered to youth, so the pharmacy procured doses of this vaccine for our clinic. While vaccination will offer a degree of safety we have longed for since the start of the pandemic, it is not the only safety measure upon which we will rely. Kennedy Catholic is committed to maintaining all of the recommended safety measures to ensure the health and well-being of all of those in our community, especially the most vulnerable.

HOUSING OPTIONS St. Edward’s Dormitory (for boys) Living on campus in a residence hall puts boys at the center of school life, within easy walking distance of their classes and other campus locations such as the cafeteria and athletic fields.

For more information on Housing options, visit out website!

Homestay Program (for boys and girls) By staying with an American family, students can practice their English daily and learn more about local customs and culture.

EXTRAORDINARY AMERICAN EXPERIENCES!

Skagit Valley Tulip Festival Shopping Trip

Twin Falls Hike Ebey’s Landing