KMA September Newsletter

Dear KMA Families,

We have had a wonderful start to the 2026–2027 school year! It has been great to welcome our students back, and I have been so pleased with the level of engagement, positive energy, and sense of community we have seen throughout these first few weeks.

To begin the year, we held a whole-school assembly where I shared expectations for the year ahead. Together, students discussed what it means to be Safe, Kind, and Responsible at KMA and identified ways we can demonstrate these values throughout our school community. Each student also selected one word to guide their school year, encouraging them to think about their own goals, growth, and aspirations.

As a staff, we are focused on several key priorities this year: increasing student engagement, using strategies that support the diverse profiles and experiences of our students, and continuing to strengthen our curriculum through alignment with the Massachusetts standards. I am excited about the work ahead and the opportunities we have to continue growing as a school community.

I am incredibly pleased with how our year has started, and I cannot wait to see where it takes us!

We also look forward to welcoming families to KMA for our Meet the Teacher Night on September 16 from 6:00–8:00 PM. We hope to see you there!

Warmly,

Dr. Emily Luuri

Beginning of the Year Forms - Students received paper copies of important beginning-of-the-year forms that need to be reviewed and completed by families. Please return all required forms to KMA as soon as possible.

YMCA Activation Instructions: Families must complete the online YMCA waiver in order for their student to participate in YMCA activities. As a reminder, KMA students attend the YMCA as part of their Physical Education requirement, so completion of this waiver is important to ensure your student can participate.

Thank you for your attention to these beginning-of-the-year requirements!

Meet the Teacher Night – September 16 | 6:00–8:00 PM

We are excited to welcome KMA families to our Meet the Teacher Night on Wednesday, September 16, from 6:00–8:00 PM! This evening is an opportunity to learn more about the year ahead, meet your student’s teachers, and experience a glimpse of their school day.

Schedule for the Evening

6:00–6:30 PM | Welcome & Presentation – Cafeteria

Dr. Emily Luuri will welcome families and share information about KMA’s mission, vision, and core values, along with some of our key priorities for the year, including the WIN Block, SEL programming, student voice and engagement, and family-school communication.

6:30–7:45 PM | Meet the Teachers & Classroom Rotations

Families will follow their student’s Thursday schedule, visiting each of their five classes. Each rotation will be approximately 15 minutes, giving families an opportunity to meet teachers, learn about course expectations, and hear about what students will be learning this year.

We hope you can join us! Strong partnerships with our families are an important part of supporting our students, and we look forward to spending the evening with you.

i-Ready Assessments - Students in grades 7–10 will complete their beginning-of-year i-Ready assessments this month:

i-Ready provides our teachers with valuable information about each student’s individual learning strengths and areas of need. We use this data to help guide instruction, identify areas where students may need additional support or enrichment, and adjust our teaching to best meet the needs of each learner.

These assessments are an important part of helping us understand where students are starting the year and how we can best support their continued growth.

The Student Council is back and better than ever! This year we opened applications on 9/4 and received a tremendous response from our student body! Due to increased demand we have decided that Student Council applications will be on a rolling basis and students may join throughout the semester if they would like. 

We have some incredible things planned for this year already. Discussed were all school field trips, school wide celebrations, and what we would like to do for our weekly activity blocks along with many other fun filled opportunities. Our goal as a Student Council this year is to increase our school pride and continue to make KMA an awesome place for all! If you think your student would benefit from from this amazing opportunity please have them reach out to Mrs. Gorman or Mr. Doiron for more information. 

Dear Families,

Welcome back! I hope everyone had a wonderful summer and is ready for a healthy, happy, and successful school year. As your school nurse, I look forward to working with you and your children throughout the year to support their health and well-being at school.

As we begin the new school year, please take a moment to review these important health reminders:

📋 Updated Physicals

Please provide the school nurse with an updated physical examination for your child when required. Keeping health records current helps ensure that we have the most accurate information to support your child while they are at school.

🤒 When to Keep Your Child Home

Please keep your child home from school if they have:

Students should remain home until they have been symptom-free for at least 24 hours without the use of medication to control their symptoms.

If your child will be absent due to illness, please contact the school’s front office to report the absence.

📝 Emergency & Health Forms

Please make sure your child's emergency and health forms are completed and up to date. It is especially important that we have current emergency contacts and phone numbers in case we need to reach you.

These forms also provide the necessary parent/guardian permission for the school nurse to administer approved over-the-counter medications, when appropriate and according to school policy.

👀 School Health Screenings

Unless you have opted your child out of school health screenings, I plan to conduct the annual health screenings during the week of October 19, 2026. Additional information will be provided as needed.

Thank you for helping us maintain a healthy and safe school environment. Your partnership is an important part of keeping our students healthy, in school, and ready to learn.

Wishing everyone a wonderful school year!

We are so excited to welcome our students back for the 2026–27 school year! We are looking forward to another year of learning, growing, and connecting with our students through group counseling.

This year, our group counseling sessions will focus on building skills for success in school, relationships, and life. Throughout the year, students will have opportunities to explore and strengthen six important areas:

Our goal is to provide students with a supportive space where they can learn, reflect, practice new skills, and grow with one another. These are skills that extend far beyond the classroom and can help students navigate challenges, build healthy relationships, and become confident, capable individuals.

We are grateful to partner with families as we help our students develop the skills they need to thrive—this year and for years to come!

Statewide Call for Student Artwork for Hispanic and Latino Heritage Month - The Hispanic and Latin Organization of Leaders in Action (HOLA), an employee resource group at DESE, invites student artists to submit their artwork about Hispanic or Latino identity or culture to be featured in DESE’s Board meeting rooms in late September in honor of Hispanic and Latino Heritage Month. The theme is “Our Diversity is Our Strength.” Students may submit originals or copies of visual art – including but not necessarily limited to drawings, collages, paintings, murals, sculptures, computer illustrations, and photographs. Students may submit work created specifically for this event or work created previously that fits the theme.

The selection committee will prioritize showcasing work from a variety of schools across the Commonwealth. Submissions are due by Monday, September 14. HOLA will make their selections and share their decisions by Friday, September 18. All entries should be submitted using this student art submission form. The submission form includes space for the artist’s name, school, grade, sponsoring teacher, a scan or photo of the piece, the media used, and an optional space for an artist statement. 

9/16 - Meet the Teacher 6-8

9/21 - No School