
KENNEDY ELEMENTARY
DECEMBER 2023 NEWSLETTER
About Us
Main Office: 651-480-7221
Nurse: 651-480-7224
Kids' Campus: 651-480-7257
Hastings Bus Company: 651-437-1888
Dates to Remember
DECEMBER
1 - Movie Night sponsored by the PTA - doors open at 6:00
1-9 - 10 Days of Giving Food Drive
11 - PTA Monthly Meeting, 7:00 pm in Media Center
15 - Schoolwide Grinch Day (more info below)
18 - 4th Grade Kennedy Cougar choir concert with HHS Jazz Band 9:00 - 9:30 am
25 - January 2 - NO SCHOOL - Winter Break
JANUARY
1-2 NO SCHOOL - Winter Break
8 - PTA Monthly Meeting, 7:00 pm in Media Center
15 - No School - Martin Luther King Day
22 - No School - Teacher Workshop
23 - Countdown to Kindergarten event for 2024-25 Kindergarten Students/Families
Monetary donations. Hastings Family Service can turn a $10 donation into 10 pounds of food. If each student at Kennedy brought in $2 we could provide 1,000 pounds of food to families in need! Any monetary donations should be turned into the main office.
Featured Artists
Harper T, Carson K, Jett L, Cece L, Kiley N, Samnang K
Second Step Social Emotional Topic
This month, our schoolwide theme is emotion management. In our morning announcements and school assembly we’ll be prompting students to notice their own feelings by paying attention to clues in their bodies, and we’ll be reminding them to use their Second Step skills to calm down:
Stop—Use your signal
Name your feeling
Calm down: Breathe, count, use positive self-talk
These skills help students calm down strong emotions when faced with learning and social challenges, which helps them succeed academically and get along well with others.
Second Step lessons specifically teach about calming down strong emotions such as anger, disappointment, frustration, and anxiety. You’ll be receiving Home Links that describe why managing strong emotions is important and include fun activities to do with your child to help him or her identify strong feelings and calm down. We hope the Home Links will give you tools to use together when your child is upset.
Please tell your child’s teacher if you have questions about how you can help your child learn to calm down at home.
Kennedy Cougars CARE
These students have been showing Cougar CARE in our building and were recognized in our biweekly drawings. Ask your students about how they can earn Kennedy Cougar CARE tickets.
Kennedy Cougar PTA News
Come One, Come ALL!
PTA Monthly Meeting
Monday, December 11th at 7:00 pm in the media center
Come for a snack, stay for the meeting!
Check out the PTA Website for more information: https://www.kennedycougarpta.org/home
Join the Kennedy Cougar PTA for a Grinch Party!
Friday, December 1st MOVIE NIGHT
Kennedy Elementary Gym
Doors Open at 6:00 pm
- Bring your favorite chair/pillows/blankets
- Concessions will be available for purchase
- Outside food/drinks can be brought in
Volunteers Needed --> https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/70A0949ABAF28A5F49-46387364-kennedy
Schoolwide Grinch Day - Friday, December 15th
On Friday, December 15th our whole school will be having lots of grinchy fun! We will enjoy math and literacy activities all centered around The Grinch.
Your child is welcome to dress up for this fun day. Ideas include: wearing green, trying out some Who inspired hairdos, or wearing antlers like the Grinch’s dog Max to name a few. Have fun!
Winter Weather / E-Learning Information
"Snow Day" E-Learning Plans
Click here to learn more about our E-Learning Plan to understand the plan for days in which school may be closed due to inclement weather.
*Please note, the first inclement weather day will not have e-learning expectations in place. Students will use the day to catch up on anything they would like.
Dress for the Weather
As the weather begins to cool, please be sure your child is dressed appropriately for playing outside. Students spend twenty minutes outside for noon recess.
When the temperatures start to dip into the 40’s and 50’s, we do require students to wear a light jacket or sweatshirt outside. When winter arrives, winter clothing will be required.
Don't wait until Winter ... Prepare for a "Snow Day"
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
2024-2025 Kindergarten Registration
Information for registering your 2024-25 kindergarteners will be mailed out in early January. Additional information regarding an opportunity to visit our school on Tuesday, January 23rd in the evening to meet kindergarten teachers will also be included in that mailing.
Birthday Parties & Treats at School
Birthday Parties
Just a reminder that if your child is having a birthday party and wants to invite their friends from school, we are not able to give out names, phone numbers or addresses of the students. While we know it is exciting for children to have a birthday party and invite their school friends, we ask that you not send invitations to school with them to pass out. It can cause hurt feelings for those students who did not get invited to the party.
Treats at School
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.
Health Services
Illness and Keeping your Child Home
A student should not come to school (and may be sent home from school) if they have or have had:
a fever of 100 degrees F or more in the past 24 hours
vomiting or diarrhea in the past 24 hours
an undiagnosed skin rash
Reporting Absences
If your student will not be at school, please call and report the reason for their absence at 651-480-7220. If your student is ill, please report their symptoms and/or any diagnosed communicable condition like chicken pox, strep throat, cough and fever, influenza, or pink eye. It is recommended that you follow the MDH and CDC exclusion guidelines for communicable diseases.
Immunizations
In order to attend school, students must show that they're in compliance with Minnesota School Immunization Requirements (see the Minnesota Department of Health Link below for more Information). Hastings School's immunization policy states that students who are not up to date on their immunizations will not be allowed to start school until they provide the school with documentation that they have received the required immunizations.
Parents/guardians may check their student's immunization status by logging on to the parent portal in Infinite Campus. To see the immunization records, click on the HEALTH tab. If your student's immunization status says "current for grade" in ALL immunizations required by law, then the student is up to date and ready for the start of school. If your student is not current, they will need to get the required immunizations to attend the first day of school. Yearly physicals with their healthcare provider are strongly encouraged for students to have optimal health.
Parents/guardians may choose to decline immunizations for their students by filing a legal exemption with the school. Student Immunization Form
If you have further questions, please reach out to your building nurse.
School Safety
Your child's safety is of prime importance to us. There are a few procedure guidelines that help us maintain a secured building and limit the number of distractions to our classrooms. Our building is designed to have a single entry point during the school day. Please keep the following in mind:
- Always check in at the office whenever you are at school.
- We have a new secure entrance, please ring the doorbell and state your reason for visiting.
- When delivering things for your child (ex. snow gear), please drop them off at the office. We will deliver articles or call your child down to the office.
- When picking up your child early from school, please do so by signing them out at the office. The office personnel will contact your child’s teacher to dismiss them and meet you in the office.
Bring your ID
Please bring your driver's license with you when you are checking out your student, volunteering, or visiting at lunch.
Early Pickup for Students
Links
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.