We are excited to announce in partnership with AAHPERD (American Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance) and Konami (makers of Nintendo brands, Wii active gaming systems) Kennedy Middle School will be participating in the  Massachusetts Dance Dance Revolution Tournament!  Mark your calendars!  The tournament will be held on Friday February 17, 2012 during the school day.  All students, grades 5 through 8 are encouraged to participate.  Students need to have their parent/guardian sign the official permission form and return it to their Phys. Ed. teacher.  The permission form and official rules can be found on KMS Virtual backpack.  The deadline for entry is Wednesday February 15.   Prizes will be awarded to the top sixteen (16) students (prizes from KMS Wellness) who will then compete/dance in a playoff during the last period of the day.  Official tournament prizes will then be awarded to the top two (2) winners; they will go on to compete in the Regional Finals in Boston on March 16.  The two winners along with their families will be awarded a hotel room in Boston and a $100 cash stipend.  They will compete against 22 other middle school students from the other competing schools. 
The grand prizes for the March 16 Massachusetts Tournament Finals held in Boston consist of:
1st place-$5000
2nd place-$2000
3rd place-$1000
Be sure to print out your permission form, have your parent/guardian sign and pass in your completed form to your Phys. Ed. teacher!  If you have any questions please feel free to contact Mr. Lyth, Mrs. Dwyer, or Mr. Vigue.  Keep moving, stay active and eat healthy!  See you on the dance floor!   

GREETINGS and welcome to what will be an exciting 60 days for the current 8th graders at John F. Kennedy Middle School!  Please see the "Letter to Parents" or "Student Expectations".  8th grade students will be participating in Fitness for Life during the last trimester (3rd).  They will then have elements of Fitness in Physical Education classes during the second trimester.  As a reminder, the Fitness for Life program focuses on helping students learn about their overall health and fitness with an emphasis on the cardiovascular system.  Students will again be using heart rate monitors to examine their fitness levels.  At course completion, each student should see a significant improvement in at least two of the five major fitness elements (cardiovascular endurance, flexibility, muscular strength, muscular endurance, and body composition).  They will also be able to demonstrate a working knowledge of how to manage their body composition (i.e. body fat) with exercise, a healthy diet, and proper nutrition.  And correlate the importance of how exercise and nutrition affect brain function and overall health throughout their lives.  Students will understand the activities that improve concentration, memory, reading, writing, organizing, listening, physical coordination and mood.  If you have any questions feel free to contact me at nvigue@natickps.org. 

Results are in ... I'm proud to inform everyone of the great results from this year's current 8th graders during Trimester Two last year as 7th graders from December 2010 to March 2011:

                 -    96% improved muscular strength

                 -    96% improved cardiovascular endurance

                 -    85% grew a half inch or more

                 -    61% lost body fat

                 -    59% lowered resting heart rate

                 -    19% lost weight (low number due to growth during adolescence)