Welcome to Kennedy Elementary
September 2018
About Us
Nurse: 651-480-7224
Kids' Campus: 651-480-7257
Hastings Bus Company: 651-437-1888
Website: kennedy.hastings.k12.mn.us
Location: 1175 Tyler Street, Hastings, MN, United States
Phone: 651-480-7220
We are ready to start a new and exciting school year! Welcome back to all of our returning families and a special welcome to the new students and their families for the 2018-19 school year. Please contact us with any concerns you may have, as we want the school year to be a successful one for each of you.
Monthly newsletters are available to you online each month. It will be posted just prior to the beginning of the month.
Dates to remember
4 - First day of school for grades 1 through 4
4 - Kindergarten Orientation (See invitation for assigned time)
5 - Kindergarten's first day of school
20 - Picture Day
28 - Early dismissal at 12:00
October
15 - Evening Conferences & Book Fair
16 - Evening Conferences & Book Fair
17 - NO SCHOOL - Morning Conferences & Book Fair
18 & 19 - NO SCHOOL (Teacher Association Days)
24 - Picture retakes first thing in the morning
WHAT TIME DOES SCHOOL START?
8:30am: Buses begin to drop students, classrooms are open, and breakfast is served.
8:50am: School begins. Students may bring unopened food from breakfast to use for snack break to classroom.
3:25pm: Dismissal for all students.
END OF DAY PICK UP FOR STUDENTS
In order to minimize interruptions to the classroom, students should not be picked up early unless it is an emergency. On those occasions when it is necessary to pick your child up during the school day, please go to the school office to sign your child out. The office secretary will call the classroom and have the student sent to the office. Teachers will not release students unless the office gives prior approval. This practice has been established to help protect your child.
FALL CONFERENCES
Elementary conferences are scheduled in the evening of Monday, October 15th and Tuesday, October 16th and during the morning of Wednesday, October 17th.
Sign-up will be online. As soon as the sign-up is up and running you will receive an email notice.
BUS TRANSPORTATION
The Hastings Bus Company will be transporting the rural and city elementary children (if you live more than 0.75 miles from school) to and from school. The bus company phone number is 651.437.1888.
Parents of kindergarten and 1st grade students should pin a tag on their child indicating the bus route number, name and address where the child is to be dropped off. These tags should be worn all year for kindergarten and the first two weeks for first graders or until your child is comfortable riding the bus.
CHANGE OF ADDRESS OR DAYCARE
If during the school year your address or daycare changes and this requires a change in transportation, please contact the school, not the bus company. If you give us the information we will work with the bus company to make the changes. The only changes that can be made are those that are permanent or for an extended length of time. It is very difficult for the bus company to make brief or sudden changes in the routes. Thank you for your help in this matter.
ATTENDANCE MATTERS
Please call the Main Office each morning to report when your child(ren) will not be attending school.
Research shows that attendance is directly linked to achievement. In tracking students that drop out of school, one thing they have in common is poor attendance.
Being late for school also hurts a child’s learning. A student who is 10 minutes late every day will miss close to 30 hours of instruction during the year.
Children can make up an assignment, but they can never get back what’s most important: the discussions, the questions, the explanations by the teacher and the thinking that makes learning come alive. Your child’s success in school depends on having a solid educational background – one that can only be gained through regular school attendance.
You may ask, how can I help?
- Enforce a regular bedtime.
- Make sure your child is organized so he/she can get out the door with what they need.
- Remember that everything you add to a schedule means something must be taken away. For example, if you add lots of before and after school activities, you take away time for your child to read, play and study.
We appreciate all you do to ensure that your child(ren) attend school regularly.
Please review the attendance policy on page 3 of the Elementary Handbook.
NURSE
Each school in Hastings has a licensed school nurse on duty. If your child has a health concern, please discuss an action plan with the building RN. The nurse will be on duty from 8:15 to 3:45.
If your child is saying they don’t feel well or showing symptoms, it will be important for you to decide whether they are well enough to attend school that day.
Some important things to remember and go over with your child to help them stay healthy are:
- Properly covering mouth when coughing
- Wash hands often
- Keep your child home until 24 hours after they have had a fever.
More information can be found at the health services website.
DOES YOUR CHILD NEED EYEGLASSES?
The eyeglass program helps individuals that would find it a financial hardship to purchase eyeglasses. This would be a person without insurance for eye exams, lenses and frames, or they may have a high deductible that prevents them from utilizing their coverage. Contact your school nurse for information.
Breakfast and Lunch Prices
Click here for a cost breakdown of meals for each month
Breakfast Prices
Full Pay Meal Prices:
Kindergartners FREE
Grades 1-4: $1.30
Reduce Pay Meal Price:
All grade levels: FREE
Adult Meal Price:
All grade levels: $1.80
Extra Milk or Milk Only $0.50
Lunch Prices
Full Pay Meal Prices:
Grades K-4: $2.70
Reduce Pay Meal Price:
All grade levels: FREE
Adult Meal Price:
All grade levels: $3.80
Extra Milk or Milk Only $0.50
Kennedy Snack Program
NEW STAFF TO KENNEDY
Kindergarten
Arinn DiSalvo is a new Kindergarten teacher at Kennedy Elementary. A recent 2017 graduate of Minnesota State University Mankato with a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education. After graduating in December, she was a Title 1 teacher in the Forest Lake Area School District, teaching students K - 6 in mathematics and literacy. She grew up in a small town in Western Wisconsin and currently resides in Hudson, WI with her fiance Connor and their puppy Remi. She looks forward to meeting and working with students, staff, and families at Kennedy Elementary.
Grade 2
Samantha Woebke is the new 2nd grade teacher at Kennedy Elementary! This will be her first year teaching. She graduated from University of North Dakota this past May with a degree in Elementary Education and a minor in Special Education. She currently lives in Burnsville. Outside of the classroom, she enjoys cheering on the MN Twins, Timberwolves, and UND Hockey. She also loves spending time outdoors with her family and friends. Sam is very excited to take on this year with positivity and instilling a passion for learning and exploring in all of her students.
Special Ed. Resource
Amy Davis attended school at University of North Dakota for her undergrad in elementary education and Bethel for her master’s degree in special education. She worked as a special education resource teacher at Como Park Elementary and Twin Cities German Immersion School in St. Paul. Amy lives in Cottage Grove with her husband, Ryan, and one-year-old twin daughters, Kenna and Kyla. She enjoys camping, rock climbing, and reading.
Right to Know
Parents have the right to request and receive information on the professional qualifications of their children’s classroom teachers.
Parents Right to Know Act Concerning Use of Pest Control Materials:
(M.S. 123B.575, Subdivisions 1-14)
Our district utilizes a licensed, professional pest control service firm for the prevention and control for rodents, insects, and other pests in and around the district’s building. Their program consists of:
1. Inspection and monitoring to determine whether pests are present, and whether any treatment is needed;
2. Recommendations for maintenance and sanitation to help eliminate pests without the need for pest control materials;
3. Utilization of non-chemical measures such as traps, caulking and screening; and
4. Application of EPA-registered pest control materials when needed.
Pests can sting, bite, cause contamination, damage property, and spread disease; therefore, we must prevent and control them. The long-term health effects on children from the application of such pest control materials, or the class of materials to which they belong, may not be fully understood. All pest control materials are chosen and applied according to label directions per federal law.
An estimated schedule of interior pest control inspections and possible treatments is available for review or copying at each school office. A similar estimated schedule is available for application of herbicides and other materials to school grounds. Parents of students may request to receive, at their expense, prior notification of any application of a pest control material, should such an application be deemed necessary on a day different from the days specified in the schedule.
Community Education Recreational Opportunities for Kids
https://hastingscommunityed.com/ or 651-480-7670
Community Education's Fall catalog was recently sent out to the public. You can also view the wonderful classes they have by clicking on the link above. They have a large selection that you will find appealing. Check the catalog out.