Kennedy News
9/8/2020 Back to School Update #KENNEDYBEST
Note from Mr. Rustad: Things to Know For the Upcoming School year
Kennedy Families,
Back to school week is here! This newsletter is filled with important information that all families need to know before we start school on September 10.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
We Are Kennedy!
Steve Rustad
Kennedy Arrival and Dismissal Information Fall 2020
We are so happy to be able to welcome students back into our building! Arrival and dismissal times involve a large number of students moving through common locations, so we are adding safety precautions and staggering the times students should be arriving and leaving the building. To make this process as safe and efficient as possible, we rely on everyone doing their best to follow the times and locations for drop off/pick up.
Arrival
If walking or dropping off please follow the staggered arrival times by last name:
Last names A-H 7:45
Last name I-P 7:50
Last name Q-Z 7:55
Students must enter and exit through the designated doors for their grade level. Siblings who are not assigned to the same door will have to part ways outside.
All Kindergarten - Door 2
All 1st - Door 1
All 2nd + 4th - Door 14
All 3rd + 5th - Door 13
Please park only in the designated areas for drop off (see map below).
Parents and other visitors will not be able to enter the building.
Parents who are walking their students to school must stay on the sidewalk during drop off.
Students will not be allowed to enter the building until 7:35.
Students will go directly to their classroom (no outdoor morning recess).
School breakfast will be served in the classroom, but should be requested the day before.
Dismissal
- Students will be walking out with their classroom teacher and gathering in their outdoor pod spot.
- Students will tell their teacher when they are leaving.
- Siblings should choose a meeting location on the sidewalks away from the other pods.
- We will begin our dismissal process at 1:30.
- If you are waiting for your child outside of a car, please wait on the sidewalks along the roads and your child can meet you there.
Thank you for your help and cooperation to make this run as smoothly as possible. We appreciate your patience as we all learn this new routine. Let us know if you have any questions!
Drop off and Pick Up Map for Kennedy
Requests to Transfer Between the Safe Learning Plan and the Distance Learning Option
We appreciate the thoughtfulness your family has put into making the best decision for your student to start the school year. While we would like families to stay committed to their decision, we understand that based on a number of reasons that influence your decision, you may need to change your student's delivery model.
If you would like to be considered for a transfer from the Safe Learning Plan to the Distance Learning Option, please contact the Kennedy office by 3:00 Thursday each week.
If you would like to be considered for a transfer from the Distance Learning Option to the Safe Learning Plan, please contact both the Kennedy office and Jody Ritmiller by 3:00 Thursday each week.
The elementary administrative team will review requests on a weekly basis every Friday.
After your transfer request is received in the school office, you may be contacted by Mr. Rustad to talk through the reason for the request.
Depending on the capacity at both the school and distance learning class, staffing could be impacted. Approval to change options may come as early as the following week, but could also take weeks.
Once your request can be approved, you will be notified of the change to begin the following week.
Daily Home Screening for Students
Important Information from the MAPS Health Service Office
Parent Information regarding Covid-19 and Health Services
As we start the 2020-2021 school year amidst Covid-19 pandemic, please be aware that we will need to follow established guidelines in order to promote the health and safety of all staff and students. These guidelines are developed with an abundance of caution in order to prevent transmission of the Covid-19 virus. The protocols we will follow are in alignment with guidance from the Minnesota Department of Health. In order for schools to be open for in-person learning, it is essential to do all that we can to prevent and/or slow the spread of the virus.
Here are the things you need to know:
Please check your student for signs or symptoms of illness every morning before they come to school. If they are ill or have a fever (100.4 F or more) they need to stay home. Please do not give them tylenol, advil, or any other fever reducing medication, before school as this may mask a fever and possible illness. Students who develop a fever at school will be sent home. If they have a new onset cough OR shortness of breath, keep them home. These may be signs of Covid-19.
If your student has at least two of any of these symptoms or one symptom and a fever, they should stay home as these also may be a sign of Covid-19: Chills, Muscle pain, Sore Throat, Fatigue, Nasal or chest congestion, Diarrhea, Vomiting, Nausea, Loss of smell or taste, Any other new symptom of illness with no other diagnosis. Contact your primary clinic to find out if your student needs to be seen and if and where they can be tested for Covid-19.
Please call the attendance line to report an absence due to illness and include the reason for the absence, including your student’s symptoms.
When a student becomes ill at school we will need to contact you. Please provide the school with at least 2, and preferably 3 emergency contacts, with up to date phone numbers. This can be added to the registration process in Infinite Campus. Ill students will need to go home as soon as possible to prevent the spread of illness. Please make arrangements to be able to have your student picked up promptly.
Students who are ill and need to go home will be escorted by staff out of the building to the parent or emergency contact. Parents will need to call when they arrive at school to pick up their child, as they will be instructed to not enter the school building.
Students who are ill with Covid-19 symptoms will need to be home for at least 10 days since the symptoms first appeared AND until no fever for at least 24 hours without pain reducing medication. Siblings and household members, including those in other school buildings, will also need to be picked up and stay home for at least 14 days, to monitor for symptoms of Covid-19.
If your student has a known health condition, please contact the school health office and fill out an Individual Health Condition/Emergency Plan Form. If symptoms are related to the health condition we will discuss this with parents. We may require a note from your healthcare provider which indicates a specific diagnosis, if other than Covid-19.
Students will be required to wear masks in the building. This can be a cloth mask made of at least two layers of material, and should not be a gator style mask or mask with a vent. All students will be expected to wear a mask. If there is a health condition that prevents the student from wearing a mask, the school will require a note from the student’s Primary Care Provider. Staff from school will contact you to discuss alternative protective measures.
If you plan to have medication at school for your student (prescription AND nonprescription) we will need a Primary Care Provider to complete the Consent Form For Administration of Medication During School Day form. Please call the school to arrange for a time to drop off medications. Please be aware that you will need to keep a supply of medication at home also, in case the school transitions to distance learning. If at all possible, medications should be given at home
We know that this year will be like no other. We ask for your patience and understanding as we go through this together. If you have any questions or concerns, please call Health Services at your child’s building.
School Calendar Change
Lunch Information for the upcoming school year
Register for the Backpack Food Program
Busing Update for the 2020-21 School Year
Tiered Busing Plan Continues
On December 16, 2019, the school board approved a transportation plan that will establish a tired busing system for the 2020-21 school year. Since that time, the district’s tiered busing implementation team has been working diligently to establish the new routes and other details for implementation. While we do not know for sure yet how school will be delivered in September, we do know that we will continue the implementation plan for tiered busing that was approved in December 2019. We will send you more information in August, once the start of school is more clearly defined.
Bus Registration Reminder
If your child is eligible for busing (Live at least 1.0 mile from school for grades K through 5 and 2.0 miles from school for grades 6 through 12), and plan to use bus services, please email tbaumg1@isd77.org the following information:
Student(s) name
Student's home address
Student's school beginning September 2020
Student's grade
Parent name
Parent phone number
One email listing all eligible students in your family will successfully register the students for busing.
Important Information for Kennedy Families
Kennedy Elementary School
Steve Rustad
Email:
Assuring learning excellence and readiness for a changing world
Email: ke@isd77.org
Website: https://ke.isd77.org/
Location: 2600 East Main Street, Mankato, MN, USA
Phone: (507) 387-2122
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ISD77MAPS/
Twitter: @ISD77MAPS