School News News Summary

Cambridge School Committee Votes to Reassign all Kennedy-Longfellow School Students Effective the 2025 - 2026 School Year

Wed, 18 Dec 2024 18:52:00 GMT

Cambridge Public Schools will focus on ensuring a smooth transition for students into other elementary schools within the district.

On Tuesday, Dec. 17, the Cambridge Public Schools (CPS) School Committee unanimously approved Interim Superintendent David Murphy’s recommendation to reassign all Kennedy-Longfellow School students to other schools in the district for the 2025-2026 school year, effectively closing the school.

In the recommendation to the School Committee, CPS District Interim Superintendent Murphy cited systemic factors such as:

Persistent under-enrollment and lack of demand from families under the district’s controlled choice system for student registration.
Infrastructure concerns, including necessary renovations to a building rated as most-in-need of repair, and the opportunity to repurpose physical space district-wide to better serve students.
Disproportionate concentrations of students designated as high-needs perpetuating cycles of inequity.
Chronic performance challenges as measured by several metrics pertaining to student achievement.

The recommendation follows a series of public discussions surrounding systemic factors expressed by Interim Superintendent Murphy to have “led to learning conditions that are unfair to students.” Interim Superintendent Murphy emphasized that this decision “is a difficult but necessary step in creating more equitable and high-quality educational opportunities for the students of the Cambridge Public Schools.”

“I am deeply saddened by the decision to transition the Kennedy-Longfellow students and staff to other CPS schools, but I do not disagree with the ultimate analysis of the systems and structures that led to this recommendation,” said longtime Kennedy-Longfellow Principal Christine Gerber. “I am committed to successfully completing the remainder of the school year while guiding our families and staff through their transition into their new learning communities."’

The remainder of the 2024 - 2025 school year will be uninterrupted. CPS will focus on working with families on placements at other CPS schools for the 2025 - 2026 school year and providing necessary support to students and staff as they prepare to transition to other school communities.

The district will prioritize both continuity and choice in supporting families in this transition. Through the more strategic utilization of space in existing schools, Kennedy-Longfellow students will have the opportunity to transition as grade-level cohorts to specific CPS schools. Families choosing not to participate in the grade level cohorts will have the opportunity to participate in a special lottery, giving their children priority opportunities to enroll in available seats in any CPS elementary school.

An overview of Interim Superintendent Murphy’s Kennedy-Longfellow recommendation and transition plan is available on the Cambridge Public Schools website here.

About Cambridge Public Schools
Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge Public Schools (CPS) is deeply committed to delivering a world class and rigorous academic experience to every student. Our students reflect the rich racial, ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and socio-economic diversity of the City of Cambridge, elevating the critical importance of centering equity in education.

With over 1,600 faculty and staff serving approximately 7,000 students from preschool to grade 12 in 18 schools as of the 2024 - 2025 school year, CPS is a well-resourced, supported, and strongly positioned urban public school district from a financial, educational, community, and civic perspective.

Pairing Learning & Fun After Hours at K-Lo

Thu, 04 Jan 2024 15:08:00 GMT

Books & Ballers
Two winters ago, a small team at K-Lo started planning a new afterschool program for 3rd-5th grade students. The goals of the program were to get kids reading in a fun, interactive way and to work on social emotional skill building. We named the program Books & Ballers because it paired small student book clubs and basketball skills and play. It was so successful that the following year we added a soccer season in the fall along with our spring basketball. We are now in our 3rd year and we just wrapped up our soccer season. It was great! We are looking forward to basketball in the spring.

Girls on the Run
This fall we added another program for 3rd-5th graders called, Girls On the Run. There are chapters of this program all over Massachusetts. The girls work on social and self esteem building through activities and journaling. They build up their running skills. By the end of the fall they join the other chapters for a 5K race! Like Books & Ballers, there is an autumn session and a spring session. We encourage girls to pick opposite seasons so they can do both programs.

Learn with Legos
This winter we are starting up another program for student in need of additional math support. We are calling it Learn With Legos because it will pair i-Ready math work and hands-on problem solving with Lego Education kits. Like the other 2 programs, there is a social-emotional element as well. The students will work in small teams on the Lego projects that are designed to build critical thinking and collaborative skills. We are so excited to get started!

Universal Free School Meals Now Permanent in Massachusetts

Mon, 14 Aug 2023 18:09:00 GMT

Dear Parents and Caregivers:

We are excited to share that Universal Free School Meals have been made permanent in Massachusetts! This means school breakfast and lunch will be at no cost for all students who select a complete meal through the 2023-2024 school year and beyond!

Additionally, as Kennedy-Longfellow School is part of the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), families DO NOT need to submit a Free and Reduced Priced Meals Application.

We appreciate your patience awaiting this exciting news! We are grateful to be able to continue to provide nourishing and healthy meals to all of our students at no cost. For more information on school meals, check out the Food & Nutrition Services webpage. Please reach out to our office with any questions or concerns at 617.349.6858.

Sincerely,
The Food & Nutrition Team

K-LO Pollinator Project

Mon, 05 Jun 2023 17:51:00 GMT

In 2022, the students in Ms. Steyer's class studied how writing can be a powerful tool to bring about change in our community. They were inspired by the text Rise Up and Write It by Nandini Ahuja to write about a topic that they were concerned about in their community.

As the students ate snack and lunch outside, they noticed that the outdoor space in front of the Kennedy-Longfellow School needed some help. They wanted to see more nature. With the generous support of the Cambridge Rotary Club, the students' hopes for the Kennedy-Longfellow's outdoor space became a reality…..they planted a pollinator garden!

Here's the website about the project. Check it out!

Books & Ballers Wrap-up

Mon, 05 Jun 2023 17:49:00 GMT

This was our last day of Books & Ballers: Basketball. It was a great season! Here are the season highlights:

Each team picked a high-interest books that they read together. They also engaged in vocabulary building and writing activities that were connected to their texts. One team, that read the book Simon B. Rhymin’, actually wrote their own rhymes!
All participants went on a field trip to the Harvard Athletic Complex to meet the head coach and some varsity players. They got a tour of the facilities, did a Q & A with the players, and got to take shots on their court. It was a great way to learn about the importance of team work and perseverance in the pursuit of success.
Families joined us on our 2nd to last day to watch a student demonstration. Our players got to show-off their skills and growth. It was great to have families cheering them on!
Books & Ballers received a grant from the Equity Collaborative. We wrote a proposal for funds to buy pinnies and to pay for the bus to bring us to Harvard.

We’re looking forward to our 23/24 Book & Ballers season. Thank you teams, coaches, and families.

Observing Ramadan

Tue, 11 Apr 2023 18:40:00 GMT

We are so fortunate to be surrounded by community members from many different cultures! Grade 1 SEI thought it would be great to learn about how some members of our community observe Ramadan. We invited Ms. Hanan to read to our class. After listening to My First Ramadan, the JK and Grade 1 SEI classes made lanterns. First graders wrote about what they learned in regards to the observance of Ramadan. Our goal is to foster an appreciation/celebration of cultural diversity!

Kennedy-Longfellow Social Worker Completes the Ice Mile

Fri, 10 Mar 2023 18:19:00 GMT

Kennedy-Longfellow School Social Worker, Natalie Lang, completed yet another impressive swim! On Sunday, February 19, Mrs. Lang finished the Ice Mile, a one-mile swim in the Boston Harbor, in about 34 minutes. The water temperature was 39.5 degrees. Even more impressive, swimmers were not allowed to wear wetsuits. Assistant Principal Rolanda Prophete was there to greet her with a warm towel after the swim.

You may remember that last August, Mrs. Lang achieved her dream of swimming the English Channel. Congratulations to Mrs. Lang on another incredible accomplishment!

2022 School Report Card

Mon, 06 Mar 2023 13:45:00 GMT

Dear Families:

Every year, each public school and school district in Massachusetts receives a report card. Just as your child’s report card shows how they are doing in different subjects, the school’s report card is designed to show families how our school is doing in different areas. A link to our school’s report card is available here.

The report card includes multiple measures of a school’s performance – more than just MCAS scores. It represents a new way of looking at school performance, by providing information on student achievement, teacher qualifications, student learning opportunities, and more.

Report cards are designed to be useful tools for everyone connected to our school. Families can use the information to have meaningful conversations with us about what the school is doing well and where there is room for improvement. Community and education leaders can use the information to better understand how to support students and our school.

You will notice on our report card that we are making moderate progress toward targets . To improve student performance in our school, we are working to improve attendance and meeting the percentage of students meeting or exceeding grade level targets in ELA, Math and Science/Technology. We are monitoring student progress using ELA and math data and providing high quality intervention to students requiring additional support. We encourage you to become involved in helping us improve our school. We see parents as critical partners in the success of our students and school, and we are grateful for your continued support.

Finally, if your child attends a school that receives federal Title I funds, you also have the right to request the following information about the qualifications of your child’s classroom teachers:

Whether your child’s teacher is licensed in the grade levels and subject areas they teach
Whether your child’s teacher is teaching under an emergency license or waiver
The college degree and major of your child’s teacher
Whether your child is provided services by paraprofessionals and, if so, their qualifications.

If you have questions about our school’s report card, would like to become involved in school improvement activities, or would like to request information about the qualifications of your child’s classroom teacher, please contact Christine Gerber, School Principal at cgerber@cpsd.us. To see our district’s report card or to search for other schools’ report cards, click here.

Sincerely,

Christine Gerber