Welcome to Kennedy Elementary
September 2020
About Us
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
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 2020-21 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. Please check out our website as it is updated monthly with upcoming events and information.
Dates to remember
SEPTEMBER
22 - Picture Day (Cohort 1)
24 - Picture Day (Cohort 2)
OCTOBER
12- Evening Conferences (tentative, more details to come)
13 - Evening Conferences (tentative, more details to come)
14 - NO SCHOOL - Conferences
15 & 16 - NO SCHOOL (Teacher Association Days)
PICTURE DAY
Cahill Studios will be taking McAuliffe Elementary School Photos on
Tuesday, September 22nd (Cohort 1)
Thursday, September 24th (Cohort 2)
To ensure a clean and safe picture day environment, Cahill Studios is strongly encouraging online ordering for all photos this year. Paper forms will not be sent to students. If you need to order via a paper form, you can request one from your school’s office.
KENNEDY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PHOTOS!
All parents pre-ordering online will be emailed a free social media image.
All orders placed after the pre-order deadline will not be distributed at the school but mailed to your home so there will be a shipping/handling fee.
Your pre-order deadline is Saturday, September 26th.
WHAT TIME DOES SCHOOL START?
9:20am: Buses begin to drop students, classrooms are open, and breakfast is served. **Students may not enter the building before this time.**
9:40am: School begins.
3:25pm: Dismissal for all students.
CHANGES TO SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM
Effective Monday September 14, 2020 free meals will now be available to all children enrolled in the Hastings ISD 200 school district. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced it will waive all fees for school meals through December 31, 2020, or earlier if funding runs out.
How will my student get their free meals?
When learning at school: Breakfast and lunch will be available at no cost to students when they are in school or an in-person or hybrid learning schedule.
Hastings Online Academy
A week’s supply of both breakfasts and lunches will be available for pickup on Monday (unless otherwise noted for holidays, etc.) from 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. at Hastings District Office. Order Thursday at noon the week before.
Elementary Hybrid Learning
Order lunches for the days your students are not onsite only. Meals will be picked up by your student at their designated location at the end of the day.
Students in Cohort 1 (attending onsite Monday/Tuesday): Order lunch on Monday by noon for students to take at the end of the day on Tuesday for Wednesday, Thursday & Friday.
Students in Cohort 2 (attending onsite Thursday/Friday) order lunches on Thursday by noon for students to take at the end of the day Friday for Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday
Fill out those Free & Reduced Application forms!
Even though meals are free for the first few months of school, you still need to fill out your Free & Reduced Application form. This ensures you will have help paying for meals after December 31, and also helps you cover costs for other school-related activities. In addition, it grants our district access to federal funding to support our schools. Complete the 2020-2021 Free & Reduced Meal Application online or contact Food Service to request one.
Please Note: Families MUST fill out a new application for benefits at the beginning of each school year or benefits will expire.
HOA - LENDING LIBRARY CART
Need Books?
H.O.A. Lending Library Cart
Open: 8am-3pm
Located: outside McAuliffe Office doors (in the school entry way)
Contact-free option
Available to all HOA students
No book check out required!
Take what you need, return what you can, donate more books if able!
Always use the provided hand sanitizer on the cart before selecting books. If there is a family looking at the books on the cart, please practice social distancing and wait at least 6 feet away for your turn.
ATTENDANCE MATTERS
In line with state requirements, schools will track attendance during their at-home days (distance learning days). We do this by having students interact with learning tasks & materials. If learning tasks need modifying or are not being completed, parent/teacher communication will be needed. Please feel free to reach out with your teacher on Flex days.
Although attendance is required, we value students thoughtfully engaged in their learning. Accountability for learning (completing assignments/assessments) will be separated from “showing up for distance learning” (attendance). For the purpose of accountability, students are expected to complete tasks daily and demonstrate evidence of their learning. This expectation applies for both the Hastings Online Academy and Hybrid Learning.
To report an absence, parents/guardians can notify the school's attendance line at 651-480-7220.
MESSAGE FROM THE NURSE
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.
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.
EARLY 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.
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.
NEW KENNEDY STAFF
FIRST GRADE
I grew up in Lino Lakes, MN where I attended Centennial High School. I am the youngest of 6 kids in my family. For college, I went to Mayville State University in North Dakota and I played basketball there! One of my favorite ways to learn is by adventuring and traveling, so before finishing me elementary education I worked for an educational travel program where I lead hundreds of students, parents, and teachers on trips to Washington D.C. and New York City. Some of favorite things include camping, the Minnesota Twins, The Office, and diet coke!
THIRD GRADE
My name is Katie Nye, and I was born and raised in Hastings. My husband and I now live in town, with our one year old dog, Graham. I am SO excited to be teaching here in Hastings after teaching in other surrounding area districts, in both 5th and 3rd grade, for the last 6 years. Let me tell you a little more about me to see if we have anything in common- my favorite food is queso from Las Margaritas, my favorite color is green, I am the oldest child of 3 kids, I love dogs, I like to have a nice cup of coffee here or there, and I love chocolate! I am active in our community, so I am sure I will see you around. I am excited to watch all of you learn and grow this year!
SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST
SPECIAL ED RESOURCE TEACHER
My name is Sadie Thole and I am a new resource teacher. I grew up in Lakeland MN and recently graduated from the University of Minnesota Duluth. I enjoy spending time outside doing things such as hiking, kayaking, and camping. If I'm not outside I am either reading or spending time with my friends and family. I am so excited to join the awesome group of staff here at Kennedy!
SPECIALIST TEACHER
My name is Bri and I am very excited to be at Kennedy this year! I grew up in Hastings and still live here with my mom, Sandy, and my brother, Tyler. We each have our own pet, making our house full with three animals! We have two dogs, Mela and Hattie, and a cat, Jiji. They keep us all busy! I graduated from Minnesota State Mankato in 2018 with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, primarily focusing on health education and human development. I am currently finishing up my initial licensure/Master’s program in Elementary Education, making this fall the time when I am student teaching! Although it is a different approach to student teaching, I am grateful for the opportunity to learn from several teachers and work in different grade levels. When I’m not at school, I enjoy hiking at a state park and spending time with friends and family. I am excited to work with and learn from everyone!
Here is a picture of my family J
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.
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.