KENNEDY CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL
BACK-TO-SCHOOL GUIDE
2021-2022
SCHOOL YEAR
WELCOME BACK, LANCERS! We are so excited to begin this school year in person and with all of our Lancer students on campus. We have compiled information to best prepare you and your student for the first few weeks of school.
COUNSELING INCOMPLETE SCHEDULES If you have an incomplete schedule (fewer than seven classes), please address this in person in the counseling center on the following date/times: • GRADE 12 | Thursday, Aug. 19 | 9am-Noon • GRADES 9-12 | Thursday, Aug. 19 | 1-3:00pm • GRADES 9-12 | Friday, Aug. 20 | 8am-Noon To provide you with the best possible service, schedule change requests are handled in-person only. Students will be required to follow any COVID-19 protocols set forth by the school administration when entering the building. CL ASS CHANGES Schedule changes will be made on a space-available basis for the following reasons: to meet graduation requirements, to complete summer school, and for academic placement issues. Please note: If you need to request a change to the published schedule, it should be made in person (no phone calls or emails, please) in the Counseling Center on: • GRADE 12 | Thursday, Aug. 26 | 8-10am • GRADES 9-12 |Thursday, Aug. 26 | 10am-Noon & 1-3pm • GRADES 9-12 | Friday, Aug. 27 | 8am-Noon CREDIT DEFICIENT STUDENTS Students who are credit deficient need to meet with their counselor to review their credit retrieval progress. Appointment times are on Wednesday, Aug. 18, 1–3pm and Friday, Aug. 20, 1-3pm. Email your counselor to schedule an appointment. Please bring your schedule with you. For schedule changes, students will be handled on a first-come, first-served basis. During busy times, there may be a waiting period. We appreciate your patience. If you misplace your schedule and need a replacement a $1 fee will apply. Copies will be available in the Main Office. The last day to process schedule changes will be Friday, Aug. 27.
ATHLETICS Kennedy Catholic offers 26 varsity sports. We are a member of the North Puget Sound League at the 4A level, and our student-athletes exemplify the qualities of passion, service, integrity, and grit as they strive to succeed in sports and in life. We are looking forward to a tremendous year in all facets of Lancer Athletics. REGISTER FOR FALL SPORTS Online registration for the fall 2021 sports season is now open through FamilyID on the Kennedy Catholic school website. All interested student-athletes must be registered online and have a current sports physical on file with the Athletic Office to participate on the first day of tryouts/ practice. Football officially starts on Wednesday, Aug. 18. The first day of practice/tryouts for Boys & Girls Cross Country, Boys & Girls Golf, Girls Soccer, Girls Swim & Dive, Boys Tennis, Girls Volleyball and Boys Water Polo is Monday, Aug. 23. Register HERE. SPORTS PHYSICALS Student-athletes must have a current sports physical on file with the Athletic Office (A108) prior to the start of the sports season. Physicals are good for two years from the date of the exam and must remain valid for the duration of the sports season. We encourage all freshmen to start high school with a brand new physical. To check if your returning student’s physical is still current, email Tracey Umeda at umedat@kennedyhs.org. Sports physical forms may be downloaded HERE. You may drop off the completed and signed forms to the Athletic Office (A108) during school hours; scan each page to a PDF and email to umedat@kennedyhs.org; or mail a hard copy to: Kennedy Catholic Athletics, 140 S 140th Street, Burien, WA 98168. UNIFORMS If your student-athlete has not yet turned in their clean, bagged and labeled uniform and/or equipment from last year, please bring them to their coach or the Athletic Office as soon as possible. ALL-SPORTS PARENT NIGHT Parents/guardians of all student athletes are asked to attend the All-Sports Parent Information Night on Tuesday, Aug. 31, at 6:30pm in the Goodwin Gymnasium. Athletic Director, Don Hoffman, will give an overview of our athletic programs and discuss schedules, grades, transportation, athletic training services, and more.
CONNECT WITH L ANCER ATHLETICS For sports registration, general information about programs, and to keep up with news and events, visit the Athletics homepage on our school website HERE. For tryout information, game and practice schedules, rosters, and team-specific information, head to our League Website HERE. To find your sport, select the season at the top of the homepage, then sport and level. Follow us on social media @OurLancerNation on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, for announcements, photos, achievements, updates, and more! BOOSTER CLUB Looking for a way to support our athletic program? Join the Kennedy Catholic Booster Club. Information about membership levels, events, ways to volunteer and offer support may be found HERE. Memberships are half off through Aug. 31. CONTACT US • Don Hoffman | Athletic Director | hoffmand@kennedyhs.org • Harley Wells-Schultz | Social media, uniforms, & summer programs | wellsschultz@kennedyhs.org • Tracey Umeda | Registration, sports physicals, & schedules | umedat@kennedyhs.org • Head Coaches Directory | click HERE
TRANSPORTATION Kennedy Catholic students have the option of using convenient school bus transportation. To stay COVID-19-safe, registration is required for bus transportation HERE. Anyone who has previously registered their student must re-register for your student to ride the school bus again this year. We will implement a COVID-19-safe ticket book system instead of using our traditional punch ticket cards. The new ticket books will cost $100 and allow for 20 rides ($5 per ride). Tickets are one-way only, so students will need two tickets for a round trip. Cash will not be accepted as payment from the student. If a student boards the bus without presenting a ride ticket, the driver will take their name and a $5 fee will be added to their account. SIGN UP FOR TRANSPORTATION REMIND 101 Remind 101 allows for communication and better messaging for early morning bus routes or afternoon route changes. Please follow the instructions for your route by sending the @ below to 81010. To receive messages via text, you need to text the following based on your child’s school bus route: ROUTE
TEXT THIS MESSAGE
TO THIS #
OR TEXT TO THIS #
West Seattle
@wseattle
81010
915.603.5384
Eastside & Renton/ Rainier Kent/Auburn
@eastrain
81010
915.603.5384
@kentaub
81010
915.603.5384
Federal Way
@fedway
81010
915.603.5384
CHANGES TO THE RENTON/RAINIER & EASTSIDE ROUTES The Renton/Rainier and the Eastside/Bellevue routes have been combined into a single route. This has dramatically affected the route stops, pick-up and drop-off times, particularly for the old Renton/ Rainier route. The new Eastside & Renton/Rainier Bus Route and the times for pick-up and drop-off may be found on the Kennedy Catholic High School website HERE.
VACCINATIONS Please submit proof of all vaccinations by Friday, Aug. 27 to Tracy Etzkorn in the Campus Life Office. You may email forms to etzkornt@kennedyhs.org or mail them to 140 South 140th Street Burien, WA 98168 with ATTN: Tracy Etzkorn.
CAFETERIA Kennedy Catholic is pleased to introduce the on-line cafeteria account management. This system replaced the prior system when classes resumed in person in Jan. 2021 for the 2020-2021 school year. If you have registered before in the new system, you will continue to use the same account profile and log in information. If you have never registered or are new to the school or have a new/incoming student, you must register in the new system in order to access the new cafeteria account system. The on-line student cafeteria accounts allow you to monitor your student’s meal purchases, track your student’s purchases, make deposits directly into their meal accounts, and have an email reminder sent to you when an account balance gets low. Student debit account deposits can be made through ACH payments or by credit card. Parents can also setup Auto Replenish for their student’s account. Sign up information is unique to each student and will be mailed directly to families the week of Aug. 23.
LOCKERS Students will select their lockers during the Back-to-School Orientation Day on Friday, Aug. 27. Freshman, sophomores, and juniors will all share lockers. Seniors will have their own lockers.
YEARBOOKS Yearbooks for 2021-2022 will be purchased online through Family ID. The cost is $75. Specific information about purchasing your student’s yearbook will be sent home with your student on Backto-School Orientation Day Friday, Aug. 27. Returning sophomores, juniors, and seniors will pick up their 2020-2021 yearbook in the gym foyer on their way out after they complete their Back-to-School Orientation tasks.
CAMPUS LIFE If your student will be late or absent, please either call 206.246.3787 or email attend@kennedyhs.org by 9am to report the absence. If your student needs an early dismissal, please either call 206.246.3787 or email attend@kennedyhs.org prior to the dismissal time to request the dismissal. Please join the school emergency notification Remind 101 by texting @hafd8a to 81010. All school closures and emergency information will be communicated through this text line, AM radio stations, KIRO, KING, and KOMO TV stations and on the website at www.kennedyhs.org.
ATTENDANCE In the 2021-2022 school year, students missing eight (8) days, in each class period (per semester), will be required to meet with an administrator, counselor, parent, and teacher, to discuss the circumstances surrounding the chronic absenteeism. Should the student reach a total of 10 absences (excluding school-related absences) in a given class period, the student will be required to submit a written “petition for credit,” stating the justification for the teacher to grant credit, in spite of the chronic absenteeism. A panel review will then be scheduled for the student and parents/guardians to address the issue with a counselor, teacher, and administrator. At that time, medical documentation of chronic illness, injury, or other documented special circumstance may be presented and reviewed by the panel. A subsequent determination will be made whether the student can earn credit in the course, despite the chronic attendance issues.
DRESS AND PHYSICAL APPEARANCE PHILOSOPHY In accordance with our school mission statement, we expect students to make sound decisions in a healthy academic environment and to promote clean, modest, respectful, and professional dress and appearance. GUIDELINES Clothing is to be free of holes and tears. Clothing may not refer to alcohol, alcohol-related establishments, tobacco, drugs, anti-religious messages, sexual innuendo, politically divisive or violent images. In all dress code violations, the Campus Life Office will determine whether student attire adheres to Kennedy Catholic’s dress code policy. Dress code rules apply during school hours, on campus, on any school day, and/or school-sponsored events. ACCESSORIES Head coverings are permitted, although individual classroom rules apply while in class at the Teacher’s discretion. Exception: religious head coverings are permitted and not subject to discipline and/or Teacher discretion. Note: for safety reasons, students must ensure their face is not fully obscured, allowing faculty and staff the ability to identify them.
SHIRTS & TOPS Sleeveless dresses, tops, and tank tops must have at least a two-finger width on the straps. Tube skirts, tube tops, crop tops, spaghetti straps, and halter tops are prohibited. Clothing should fully cover undergarments and midsection. PANTS, SHORTS, DRESSES, & SKIRTS These clothing items should not fall below the natural waist, be in good repair, and free of holes or tears. Length should be no shorter than two inches above the knees for shorts, dresses, and skirts. Yoga pants, leggings, and athletic wear are not permitted. Pants or shorts that look like warm-ups and/or sweats are not permitted. Team-issued travel gear is permissible on game days only, except for Mass days (see liturgy section). LITURGY DRESS Faculty, staff, and students are required to dress formally for liturgy as a sign of reverence. Jeans and/ or team-issued warm-ups are not permitted on Mass days.
PARKING PASSES Parking passes are available at no charge on Back-to-School Orientation days. Students must sign up with the make, model, and license number of their car. Parking is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
IMPORTANT DATES Aug. 27 Back to School Orientation Day | times vary by grade level Link Crew Retreat | 8am–2pm Aug. 30 Freshmen Mini-Schedule | 8am-Noon Class of 2025 Welcome Event | Noon-2:45pm Back to School Senior Kick-off | 10am-Noon Aug. 31 First full day of classes Sept. 1 Freshman Parent Night | 7pm in the cafeteria Sept. 6 Labor Day | No School Sept. 8 First all school Mass | Mass of the Holy Spirit | 1:10pm Sept. 10 First ASB dance | 8:30–11:30pm in the cafeteria Sept. 15 Senior Parent & Student Information Night | 7pm in the library Sept. 16 Curriculum Night | 6pm in the Goodwin Gymnasium Sept. 22 Homecoming Mass | 1:10pm Sept. 25 Homecoming Football Game | 1pm Homecoming Dance | 8:00-11pm