
KENNEDY ELEMENTARY
JANUARY 2024 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
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 5-6:30 pm
26 - Family Movie Night, doors open at 6pm. All children must be supervised. No drop offs.
FEBRUARY
5 - NO School - Staff Development
19 - NO School - Presidents' Day
28 - Elementary Evening Conferences
29 - Elementary Evening Conferences
MARCH
1 - NO School - Elementary Morning Conferences
11-15 - NO School - Spring Break
29 - NO School - Spring Holiday
Featured Artists
Parker T, Harper B, Everlee T, Liam W, Greta H, Bailee S
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.
2024-2025 Kindergarten Registration
SAVE THE DATE! Our Countdown to Kindergarten event will be held on Tuesday, January 23rd from 5-6:30 pm. More information on this event and 2023-24 Kindergarten enrollment will be mailed out to families in early January.
Enrollment is now open! Please visit our website to apply online!
Kennedy Cougar PTA News
Upcoming Events:
- Culver's Nights - support your classroom by enjoying dinner at Culvers. A percentage of the sales will be donated to the grade/department that is volunteering that night.
JANUARY:
8th - Monthly Meeting at 7pm - Kennedy Media Center
8th - Culver's Night from 5-7 pm - Kindergarten/Art/Music
22nd - Culver's Night from 5-7 pm - 1st Grade
26th - Family Movie Night - doors open at 6pm (All children must be supervised, no drop offs)
FEBRUARY:
5th - Culver's Night from 5-7 pm - Special Ed / Intervention
12th - Monthly Meeting at 7pm - Kennedy Media Center
12th - Culver's Night from 5-7 pm - 3rd Grade / Mrs. Kerber
Check out the PTA Website for more information: https://www.kennedycougarpta.org/home
FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT sponsored by Kennedy Cougar PTA
Students will be voting on the movie options next week - stay tuned for the winning movie
Friday, January 26th
Kennedy Elementary Gym
Doors Open at 6:00 pm
- This is a family event, NOT a drop off. All children must be supervised by their adult
- Bring your favorite chair/pillows/blankets
- Concessions will be available for purchase
- Outside food/drinks can be brought in
Winter Weather / E-Learning Information
Dress for the Weather
Please be sure your child is dressed appropriately for winter weather. Students spend twenty minutes outside for noon recess. Winter coats, gloves or mittens, and hats are required to make their time outside more enjoyable.
If the temperature is below 0º fahrenheit, or the wind chill is around that level, we will keep the students inside during recess.
"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.
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
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.