Kennedy News
#Kennedy BEST 2/29/2024
Note From Mr. Rustad
It has been a great winter at Kennedy! The weather has been nice, we haven't had any snow days, and the kids have been able to be outside for recess nearly everyday. I hope this trend continues as we move ahead into March.
We have some exciting things happening at Kennedy. Today is the Leap into Reading event, we have conferences coming up in a few weeks, and to cap it all off, we had our second teacher in less than a year get honored as a Golden Apple educator by KEYC. You can read all about these things in this edition of the Kennedy News.
Thank you so much for your continued support and partnership with us at Kennedy!
Steve Rustad
Be Safe * Engage*Show Empathy*Together WE are Kennedy!
Congratulations to Mrs. Smith for being named a Golden Apple Educator by KEYC!
Leap into Reading Night and Book Fair is TODAY - Thursday, 2/29
Spring Conferences are Coming - March 11, 14, and 19
Conferences are on Monday, March 11th, Thursday, March 14, and Tuesday, March 19th. Conferences are from 3:30 pm to 8 pm. We hope to see all of you!
Here is the sign-up link: Kennedy Spring Conferences
January Students of the Month
January Students of the Month were celebrated on Thursday, February 15th. Students of the month are selected by their teachers for showing Kennedy BEST throughout the month. Congratulations to all of our students of the month!
Kindergarten Students of the Month
First Grade Students of the Month
2nd Grade Students of the Month
3rd Grade Students of the Month
4th Grade Students of the Month
5th Grade Students of the Month
Attendance Matters
Kennedy families, did you know that if your Cub misses 17 or more days of the school year that they are considered chronically absent by the state of Minnesota? We know that students miss school for many reasons such as illness, vacation, or family emergencies. It is expected that a student will miss a few days throughout the year. However, when students start to miss more than a few days of school, it can be detrimental to their academic growth. Research shows that students who miss 7 or more days of school are more likely to struggle to be at grade level academically. Here at Kennedy, we want to see our Cubs in school as often as possible so that they can continue to get what they need to succeed in school.
Here are some important things to know about how we will be approaching attendance for the remainder of the year:
- Mr. Rustad will be sending a message out to all families who have students on pace to miss more than 17 days of school this year. We have about 10% of students who are at this point. Our school goal is to have less than 5% of our students missing 17+ days this year. If you receive that message from me, know that we are looking to partner with you to make a plan for better attendance for the remainder of the year.
- If you have had a student who has missed up to 7 days because of illness, we will be requiring a doctor's note to excuse any further absences for illness. If your child isn't feeling good but they seem like they could be at school, I encourage you to bring them to school and have them checked out by our school nurse, Wendy Allen. She will let you know if your student should stay at school or go home for the day.
- When a student has 8 or more unexcused absences, our school partners with Blue Earth County to support families with a plan to get their students to school more often.
- Please take a few minutes to watch a great video on the importance of students being at school every day. Click here or on the Attendance Matters picture to watch the video.
Thank you for your partnership around attendance. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at srusta1@isd77.org.
Thank you,
Steve Rustad
Schoolwide Title I at Kennedy
Kennedy is a schoolwide Title 1 School. In the past, Title 1 funds were available to
provide additional support to students who qualified based on their test scores. As a schoolwide Title 1 school we are now able to utilize those resources more flexibly to support any students that would benefit. This fits wonderfully with our small group instruction blocks when students receive acceleration or enrichment based on their specific needs. For further information, contact Steve Rustad, principal at Kennedy Elementary.
Check out the Sales at the Kennedy Spiritwear Store!
This store will be open and accepting orders all year long, at any time! All orders will be shipped directly to your home and 10% will come back to our Kennedy PTO. Check out all the great styles of Kennedy gear!
Shop Now: https://1stplace.sale/49843