Welcome Back Gaels!

Welcome Information – Summer 2024

Dear Parents, Guardians and Students:

We hope that this summer is proving to be a time of rest and rejuvenation that will leave you prepared to meet the challenges of a new academic year. The 2024-2025 school calendar is available on the Kennedy website.

Regarding class schedules, every effort has been made to accommodate course requests. Note, however, that the master schedule has its limitations and that the priority is to enroll students in required courses before electives. Please be aware that not all requests for a schedule change can be honored. The date of schedule availability will be sent to you in a different communication.

If you have not done so already, please place orders with Flynn & O’Hara for uniform items to ensure proper fit and quantity. Students grow, laundry accumulates, and the school continues its message of acceptable, neat, modest, and dignified grooming and attire. https://flynnohara.com/

All students are required to have two school locks, one each for their academic and gym lockers. On the day of their orientation all 9^th graders and transfer students should bring $20.00 for the purchase of their two school locks, either in the form of cash or a check made payable to Kennedy Catholic Preparatory School. If a returning student does not have the two required school locks, then he/she will need to bring in $10 for each lock needed.

The schedule for the opening days of school is as follows:

Tuesday September 3^th

Orientation for 10^th and 11^th grade transfer students and newly-admitted international students will be held from 1:30 PM until 3:00 PM. Report to the main office.

Wednesday September 4^th

Sophomores, Class of 2027 – Report at 7:55 AM (dress uniform). Dismissal is at noon.
Juniors, Class of 2026 – Report at 7:55 AM (dress uniform). Dismissal is at noon.
Seniors only, Class of 2025 – Report at 10 AM (casual uniform). Dismissal is at noon.

Thursday September 5^th

Freshmen only, Class of 2028 Full day – Report at 7:55 AM (dress uniform). Dismissal is at 2:34.
Mary’s Academy will hold its orientation concurrently on this day.

On September 4^th and 5^th student ID/yearbook photos for freshmen, sophomores, and juniors will be taken by Upstate Images studios. If you wish to order personal photographs, you may use the order forms that will be mailed to your home by the company. Checks should be made payable to Upstate Images. Please ensure that your son/daughter brings the order form and payment to school on the day of his/her photo. Students are to be properly attired in the dress uniform.

Friday September 6^th

First full day of school – All students report to school (casual uniform). The first bell rings at 7:55.

We wish you well for the remainder of the summer and look forward to seeing you soon for the start of a new academic year.

Sincerely,
Ms. Gretchen Teifer
Dean of Students

Greetings from the Health Office

GREETINGS FROM THE HEALTH OFFICE: INFORMATION FOR PARENTS

ABSENCES

If your child is sick and will miss school, please call the Main Office #914-232-5061 each morning. Outside of school hours, call the Health Office #914-232-5061 x109 or if you have questions for the nurse. In addition to calling the Main Office each time your child is out sick, a written absent note from the parent is required for each absence. This needs to be given to the Attendance Officer in the Main Office on the child’s return. An absence of 3 consecutive school days also requires an MD note to return to school (and sports if applicable).

ILLNESS

Any student who has been out of school for an extended period, has had surgery, hospitalization or a serious injury needs medical clearance to return to school. Please submit the paperwork to the Health Office.

Please do not send your child to school if:

Fever is present. Student needs to be fever free for 24 hours without fever reducing medications to return
Has Pink Eye, should be 24 hours on medication to return
Vomiting or diarrhea within 24 hours of school, please keep at home
Positive for Strep Throat, unless treated for at least 24 hours on antibiotic and fever free to return, and able to tolerate the school day
Has severe cough that distracts student in class or keeps student up at night, or is persistent
Your student has COVID19 symptoms. Please have your student tested to ensure they are not positive. Please note that guidelines and safety protocols for COVID19 may change in the future.

It is sometimes difficult to determine if a student is well enough for school early in the morning. Therefore, a working, reachable contact number for the parents, guardians, or a designated emergency contact family or friend must be on file in the Main Office in case a student needs to be sent home. This needs to be updated each year. Parents/guardians are expected to pick up their student in a timely manner.

If and when your child can drive to school and requests to leave due to illness or any other reason, parent permission is needed for the student to leave school.

PHYSICALS and VACCINE RECORD

All freshmen students need a copy of their vaccine record and current physical exam to be submitted at Registration. All junior students require a physical exam for 11^th grade. Please send completed physical forms (and medication forms) to the Health Office. All new Transfer students also need their vaccine record and current physical to start school.

SPORTS

Students participating in High School Sports need a physical ideally every 12 months. If the physical is outdated (they expire after one year) at the start of try-outs they will not be permitted to try out or practice until a new physical is obtained.

Each sports season (3 seasons) require a parent to complete FAMILY ID/Arbiter Sports registration 30 days before the sport starts. FAMILY ID/Arbiter Sports is an on-line sports registration program accessed through the Kennedy Catholic website. You will need to create an account within FAMILYID/Arbiter Sports. Go to the Student Life page and click on FAMILY ID/Arbiter Sports under Important Student Links. If you have difficulties after you access the form, please call 800-311-4060 for technical assistance with FAMILY ID/Arbiter Sports.

Click here for link to sports registration page.

Any injury requiring an MD visit or school absence of 3 days or more must be reported to the Health Office during your child’s sports season. Your child will need medical clearance to resume Gym and Sports.

All physicals, MD notes, and clearance notes must be sent or brought in to the Health Office. They can also be faxed to 914-232-3416. These forms are part of the student’s medical file. If you give a note to a coach, a duplicate copy must be sent into the Health Office.

MEDICATIONS

All medications, including over the counter medications such as Tylenol or Advil, given at school, must have parent and MD written permission and must be administered by the school nurse. If your child has medication that hasn’t been approved with parent and doctor permission, it will be locked up in the Health Office. The medication form needs to be on file in the Health Office each new school year. The parent needs to bring the medication to the Health Office unless the doctor has deemed it to be self-carry. Prescription medication needs to be in the original container and the label must be attached with student’s name, drug name, dosage, dose time and length of time to be administered. Over the counter medication must be unopened.

If your child requires an emergency medication such as Epi-Pen for a severe allergy or an inhaler for asthma, they may self-carry these with written parent and MD permission. There is a section om the medication form that must filled out by the doctor and signed by a parent (called Provider Attestation and Parent Permission Required for Independent Medication Carry & Use). These medications should be at school at the start of the school year and the student should have them at all times. The medication form is on the Kennedy Website on the documents and forms page.

Any medication that can be taken at home before or after school should be given at home. Medications not picked up by the parent at the end of the school year will be discarded.

If you need to contact the Nurse over the summer months, email communication is preferred.

If you have any questions please feel free to call the Health Office.

Kind Regards,
Tracey Longo, BA, RN
School Nurse

Uniform Guidelines for 2024-2025

The Kennedy Catholic Preparatory School uniform is designed to develop and promote a sense of conservative business attire that allows for active, uninterrupted participation in the vibrant school day. The end result needs to be a comfortable fit and a professionally neat appearance. The uniform polo, V-neck sweater, vest, and crewneck sweatshirt must have the uniform crest logo. Please note that fleeces are no longer used.

Girls’ Dress Uniform

Main apparel consists of the khaki uniform kilt, white blouse with collar (not polo), and school uniform V-neck sweater.

The blouse is to be tucked in and the collar is to show (not to be covered by the sweater). The properly fitted kilt is to fall at the student’s knee. It is not to be rolled up at the waist. It is to be worn with the tights.

Leg-wear includes only opaque, solid (navy or white), non-design tights. Leggings or ripped tights are not permitted. For sensitive skin or extra warmth, search the web for hypoallergenic or fleece-lined tights.

Footwear includes only black or brown polish-able leather shoes with a substantial, non-sneaker-like sole and good foot support. Sperry-type boat shoes are preferred, but only brown/tan leather ones are permitted. See https://flynnohara.com for examples. The following are not allowed during uniform hours at school: platform shoes, open-toe shoes, sandals, flip flops, boots, sneakers – including black – or shoes with sneaker-like soles, suede shoes, moccasins, slippers or slipper-like footwear, footwear with fuzzy or faux-fur interior, or extra color/bling on the shoe.

Girls’ Casual Uniform

All of the above remain in effect, with the substitution of the navy uniform polo shirt for the blouse and V-neck.

The uniform polo is required. A plain, white, short sleeve tee shirt that does not extend below the uniform polo may be worn as an under-layer for comfort/warmth. The casual crewneck uniform logo sweatshirt may be worn over the polo for extra warmth, if needed. This is a recommended item. Note: If the student chooses to wear the uniform sweatshirt, it does not replace the polo, and the polo collar should be worn so that it shows outside.

Boys’ Dress Uniform

Main apparel consists of khaki, Docker-style pants that must be purchased from Flynn & O’Hara, plain brown or black leather dress belt, white long-sleeve oxford button down shirt, business tie, and school uniform V-neck sweater or vest.

The shirt collar and business tie are to show, and the shirt must be tucked in. Pants are to be properly fitted at the waist and should not bunch up at the ankle. Jogger style pants are not permitted.

Footwear includes only brown or black, polish-able, leather dress shoes. Sperry-type boat shoes are preferred, but only brown/tan leather ones are permitted. Socks are to be white, brown, navy, or black. See https://flynnohara.com for examples. The following are not permitted during uniform hours at school: sneakers (including black) or shoes with sneaker-like soles, walking shoes, footwear with faux-fur or fuzzy interior, slippers, boots, suede shoes, or moccasins.

Boys’ Casual Uniform

All of the above remain in effect, with the substitution of the navy uniform polo shirt for the oxford shirt, tie, and V-neck. The uniform polo is required. A plain white, short sleeve tee shirt that does not extend below the navy polo is to be worn beneath the polo. The Kennedy Catholic polo must be tucked in, and a brown or black belt must be worn. The casual crewneck uniform logo sweatshirt may be worn over the polo for extra warmth, if needed. This is a recommended item. Note: If the student chooses to wear the uniform sweatshirt, it does not replace the polo, and the polo collar should be worn so that it shows outside the sweatshirt.

Boys’ and Girls’ Gym Uniforms

Boys are girls are required to wear a Kennedy Catholic tee shirt or sweatshirt and a pair of Kennedy Catholic shorts or sweatpants. These items may be purchased from the school store. Students may wear items that they have received from a Kennedy Catholic athletic team.

General Uniform Guidelines

The uniform polo, sweater, vest, and crewneck sweatshirt must have the school uniform logo.
The dates for the changes between the casual and dress uniforms will be determined only by the administration and will be communicated to the KCPS community by the administration as indicated on the school calendar.
Students will wear the uniform when representing KCPS at off- campus functions.
Hats and hoods are to be removed upon entering the building.
A student who arrives to school in non-uniform attire may be required to remain in the main office until a parent arrives with proper attire. A student who is not in proper uniform will not be permitted to attend classes until the situation is remedied, or will receive a uniform detention.
Students are expected to be properly groomed in order to attend classes; anyone in need of grooming attention will address it in the health office. This includes (but is not limited to) facial shaving or nail polish removal, as needed.
Boys are to be clean shaven. Hair must be cut, neatly combed, may not hang over the shirt collar, ear or face, and may not be bushy around the side. The following arranged in any style are not permitted: spiked hair, mohawks or mohawk fades, bleached or dyed hair, themed or bizarre hair. The dean will determine whether a haircut is appropriate and any inappropriate haircut must be remedied.
Non-uniform sweatshirts are not to be worn during the uniform school hours. Hoodies are not allowed.
Uniform crewneck sweatshirts are only to be worn during the casual uniform period.
At no time is a long sleeve shirt to be worn under a short sleeve polo.
Jogger style khaki pants are not permitted.
The following are not permitted: fad haircuts such as mohawks or mohawk fades, bleached or dyed hair, choker chains or choker necklaces, chains hanging from pants pockets, tattoos, face/ear/tongue or other body piercings (with the exception of a small pair of earrings for the girls), excessive or inappropriate makeup, jewelry, or nail polish.
Camelback backpacks or any other hydration-type backpacks are not permitted during the school day.
Backpacks or large bags are required to be stored in the student’s assigned locker prior to the beginning of homeroom until the end of period 8.

Availability of Uniform Items

Flynn & O’Hara: Uniform khaki kilt, khaki pants, uniform logo polo shirts, sweaters, vests, crewneck sweatshirts, white oxford shirts (and pastel for the seniors), belts, tights, shoes To ensure that your daughter has a properly-fitted kilt for the start of the current school year, the following information was provided from Flynn & O’Hara in order to help meet your kilt uniform-ordering needs. They may be contacted directly by phone at (800) 962-4816, or online at www.flynnohara.com

For the torso: It is possible to use a measurement either around the waist or around the top of the hip. Please choose the one that provides the better, more comfortable fit.
For the length: The XL length provides an extra two inches. For example, a kilt with 19” length will change to 21” length if ordered as an XL.Kilts may be put on Special Order for up to 23” in length. This type of order may take 4 to 6 weeks to fill.
The end result needs to be a comfortable fit and a conservative business, professionally neat appearance, with the kilt length ending at the knee. This allows for active, uninterrupted participation in the academic activities at school.

Kennedy Catholic School Store (as available): gym uniform, casual uniform logo crewneck sweatshirts, spirit wear (not team-related)
Local retail stores: white blouse, tights, white oxford shirts, belts, shoes

Special Notes

All students are expected to comply with the school’s uniform dress code. Wearing the Kennedy uniform is part of the school’s requirement for all matriculating students. The inability to meet this requirement will render a student ineligible to attend classes. The inability to wear the complete uniform renders an individual ineligible to be a Kennedy student. Any exception to this rule must be granted by the administration.
Students who are unable to fully comply with the school’s uniform policy because of doctor’s orders recognized by the administration may not be allowed to participate in any school-sponsored athletic or extracurricular event.

The school administration reserves the right to judge new trends as they emerge on the market and to determine if they are in conformity with the dress code and other school regulations. The administration also reserves the right to alter the existing dress code, or other regulations, based on student behavior and performance for the good of the school.