Kennedy Families,

We are so excited to welcome back the Kennedy Cubs who are returning to in-person, hybrid learning! This newsletter is filled with important information that all families need to know before we return to school on January 19th. Much of this newsletter is review of the practices that we have had in place since the start of school in September.

Please remember that our school day goes from 8 AM to 1:40 PM. Although our official end of the day is 1:40, we encourage families to be ready for pick up by 1:30. This allows for us to have a staggered release at the end of the day.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

We Are Kennedy!

Steve Rustad

srusta1@isd77.org

• If you have not yet returned your Chromebook/iPad and charger (cord and brick), please bring it back on January 19th. Students can use them again as soon as we get them back, clean them, and assess them for damage.
• Students must wear a mask at school every day. Masks are still expected to worn at all times except while eating or drinking. Remember to pack an extra in your backpack!
• Students need to bring a coat, hat, gloves/mittens, boots, and snow pants every day. Students have a class recess with their teacher as well as their lunch recess time. We want students to stay warm while they play outside.
• Students should bring a full water bottle to use throughout the day. Drinking fountains are not available for use, only for filling of bottles.
• Parents, please remember to drop off and wait for your student at the sidewalk by the road. Do not come up to the school to drop off or pick up your child.

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!

Please click here to view the Daily Home Screening for Student document. It is very important that students do this check every day before coming to school.

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:

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. Please call the attendance line to report an absence due to illness and include the reason for the absence, including your student’s symptoms.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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

10. 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.

January 18, 2021 - Martin Luther King Day - No School

January 29, 2021 - Professional Development Day - End of Quarter - No School

February 10. 2021 - Distance Learning Day - students work from home

Please use this link to sign up for the Backpack Food Program. You fill out this short form (7 questions) and when you are finished, it will link you to the registration form.

Veteran families that have incurred a negative financial impact by implementing their schools hybrid/distance learning plan, or choosing to homeschool their children due to the current pandemic are eligible for a $3000 grant (per household) that the Minnesota State Department of Veterans Affairs is offering. To learn more about this opportunity, please click this link and scroll down to COVID-19 Distance Learning Support Grant.

Please consider donating any gently used winter gear to Kennedy as students return on January 19th. Donated items will be thoroughly washed and cleaned before sharing with students. Items to donate should be placed in a bag and brought into the school by the students in the morning.

Principal:

Steve Rustad

Email:

srusta1@isd77.org

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