Welcome to Kennedy Elementary

Attendance Line: 651-480-7220
Health Office (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

March

1 - Evening Conferences

2 - Evening Conferences

3 - NO SCHOOL - Morning Conferences

1-3 Scholastic Book Fair during Conferences in Media Center

13-17 NO SCHOOL - Spring Break

22 - Hastings Reads Author Visit - Kiersten Hall, author of Jellybeans (more info below)

20 - Monthly PTA Meeting 7 pm in Kennedy Media Center

April

7-10 NO SCHOOL - Spring Holiday

17 - Monthly PTA Meeting 7 pm in Kennedy Media Center

May

29 - NO SCHOOL - Memorial Day

Knox (Grade 2), Trinity (Grade 3), Harrison (Grade 3), Kassidy (Grade K), Emmett (Grade 1),

Parker (Grade K), Sophia (Grade 1)

William (Grade 4), Freya (Grade K), Cece L (Grade K), Brixton (Grade 1),

Henry (Grade 1), Kennedy (Grade 2)

This month, our schoolwide theme is friendship skills. In our morning announcements and school assembly, we’ll be reminding students to invite others to play, play in fair ways, take responsibility for mistakes by making amends, and how to handle name-calling assertively. These skills help students make and keep friends.

Second Step lessons specifically teach these friendship skills. You will be receiving Home Links describing why friendship skills are important and including fun activities to do with your child to help him or her learn and practice the skills.

If your family or someone you know that has a student that will be entering Kindergarten, please register by February 28th. The student must be five years old on, or before, September 1st, 2023.

To enroll, visit the Kindergarten enrollment website.

We invite you to watch our introductory video to meet our kindergarten teachers.

Kindergarten Readiness information is available on our district website.

Click HERE to order your Kennedy Yearbook.

All orders must be placed online by Wednesday, April 5th.

ONLINE orders only, no cash or check sales.

Enter School Code: 141685

Class placement form are available in the office if you wish to provide specific input into your child's 2023-24 classroom assignment. Please have these forms returned by Wednesday, April 12th. Please do not phone or email this information to us.

Wednesday, March 22 during school

Minnesota author Kiersten Hall will be

visiting with students at these schools and

talking about her book and writing process.

Order your copy ahead of time online at

bit.ly/JellybeansOrder, to be delivered

during her school visits.

Visit www.hastingsreads.com for more events and information.

Thank you to Dr. Ahn, Ms. Rene and Ms. Marie for teaching us about dental health from

The New Art of Dentristry clinic

Animal Adaptations

Students studied the snow and ice

Hastings Reads is a community-wide reading program that seeks to encourage reading and discussion of books and the ways in which they can help us understand the lives and experiences of ourselves and others. Everyone is invited to read the books and participate in the events. Let’s start reading and talking today!

Visit www.hastingsreads.com for more information

Please be sure your child is dressed appropriately for winter weather. Students spend twenty minutes outside for noon recess. Winter coats, gloves or mittens, and hats are required to make their time outside more enjoyable.

If the temperature is below 0º fahrenheit, or the wind chill is around that level, we will keep the students inside during recess.

As we continue to look to support our students’ mental health and well-being, please connect with your child’s classroom teacher, school social worker, Dirk Wassink at dwassink@isd200.org or 651-480-7260, or building principal, Mr. Latch at klatch@isd200.org or 651-480-7221 with any questions, concerns or safety related issues.

Throughout the year, there may be times that your child may be sick, need to go to medical appointments, etc. If your child is absent, please call the attendance line by 8:50 am at 651-480-7220.

Being on time to school is very important. If you are late to school, please check your student in at the main office.

If there is ever a change to your child’s normal dismissal plan, please contact the main office at 651-480-7220 by 2:30 pm.

If you are picking up your student early for an appointment, bring your ID. If someone other than the parent/guardian is picking up, office must be notified in advance and their ID also is required.

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.

Please continue to monitor your child every morning for symptoms of COVID-19 that could indicate that they are not well. If your child has any COVID-19 symptoms or they have been exposed to a person with COVID-19, please keep them home and call the attendance line. Symptoms of COVID-19*

● Fever or chills (T = 100.4 or higher)

● Cough

● Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

● Fatigue

● Muscle or body aches

● Headache

● New loss of taste or smell

● Sore throat

● Congestion or runny nose

● Nausea or vomiting

● Diarrhea

*This list does not include all possible symptoms (see Symptoms of Coronavirus for more information).

We learn more about COVID-19 every day, and as more information becomes available, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) will continue to update and share information with us. As our knowledge and understanding of COVID-19 evolves, this guidance may change.

During the school day if your child develops illness symptoms we, the school, will notify you and help you and your family take needed actions. Students who develop illness symptoms during the school day will be sent home.

It is important that you have accurate phone numbers on file for your student with the school district. Although we are using a calling system to contact families in case of inclement weather, the district will still continue to post school delays or closings in the following ways:

Official school closing announcements will be made on Hastings KDWA Radio 1460, WCCO-Channel 4, KSTP-Channel 5, KMSP-Channel 9 and KARE-Channel 11 television and Hastings Public School Website.

Click HERE for instructions on how to update contact information in Infinite Campus Parent Portal

Lunch Menus can be found here.

More Information about Lunch programs can be found here.

The district has adopted a wellness policy. We are still celebrating student birthdays; we are just not doing so with birthday treats. We ask that students not bring any treats in honor of their birthday.

We have updated our student sign in/out system and will need to re-scan all driver's licenses when students are picked up early.

Please bring your driver's license with you when you are checking out your student.

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. If you need to update your address, please complete this form to turn into the office Thank you for your help in this matter.

If the Hastings Public Schools are closed due to inclement weather conditions, the Kids Campus Program will also be closed. If school is delayed two hours in opening, Kids Campus will be open at the regular time (6:30 am).

If school closes two hours early, then Kids Campus sites will close two hours early

(4:00 pm). Parents will be called and notified by Kids Campus staff to pick up their child.

Please pick up your child by 4:00 pm or authorize someone else to pick up your child by that time. Please listen to the radio and TV for school closing announcements.