KHS Update

Somali | Spanish

Principal’s Welcome –

I hope your summer was filled with joy, rest, and memorable moments. As we begin the new school year, our focus remains on belonging, support, and excellence for every student. At Kennedy, every Eagle is welcomed into a community built on dignity, care, and respect. Our commitment to excellence means we set high academic expectations and work alongside students to help them achieve their goals.

We want every student to feel safe, valued, and challenged to do their best, with staff ready to connect them to the resources, encouragement, and opportunities they need to succeed. This year, we’ll continue creating spaces where students see themselves reflected in our classrooms, connect with peers and staff, and know their voices matter — all while striving for strong academic outcomes.

• 9th grade and 10th-12th grade new student family orientation: Monday, August 17: 6 PM - Kennedy High School Auditorium.

• Kennedy Connect Day: Wednesday, August 19: 1 PM - 6 PM - Kennedy High School - come anytime!

• Bloomington Schools Learning Link Up: Thursday, August 20 : 4:30-6:30 PM at the Valley View Play Fields - learn about school and community resources

• 🚨New this year! Fall Sports Kickoff: Monday, August 24: 6 PM - Kennedy Stadium - an introduction of all fall sport athletes complete with band and cheerleaders!
  
  

Feel free to reach out or introduce yourself when you see me around!

💙💛 GO EAGLES!

In partnership,

Molly Hollenbeck

Principal

952.681.5050

mhollenbeck@isd271.org

Students should expect to graduate on time with a plan for what’s next. 65 credits are required to graduate and credits need to be aligned to graduation course requirements. Students reach the next grade level by passing classes and earning credits , not by getting a year older. Each school year consists of three trimesters with six classes. This means on-track–graduate credit totals are generally 18, 36, and 54 at the end of 9th, 10th and 11th grade.

If students fail a course, they should work with their Counselor to ensure they have a plan to recover the course. Courses can be recovered via multiple ways, including after-school credit recovery and summer school. In order to be/remain eligible to participate in athletics, students must meet athletic eligibility requirements. Credits can be viewed in Infinite Campus > More > Academic Plan Progress. Students can see this too, so ask them to show you and review together!

All students will have the opportunity to review and are expected to follow the Kennedy Student Handbook. Families are also encouraged to review the handbook.

Attendance

Students who attend school and class regularly are more likely to graduate from high school. We expect students to be at school and in class on time every day. We’ve noticed that arriving on time is particularly challenging at the start of the school day, so we ask for your support in helping your student arrive promptly. Please talk with your student about these items and reinforce your expectations for class and school attendance.

• First hour starts at 7:50 AM. It is important for students to be at school by 7:45 AM . Free breakfast is available in the cafeteria from 7:15-7:45 AM.
  
  

• Morning Drop-Off: Students can be dropped off starting at 7:00 am. Kike (Kee-Kay) Guzman, Officer Nelson and Principal Hollenbeck are visible outside of school for morning drop-off. Mr. Guzman and Officer Nelson are incredibly skilled at directing traffic to ensure students and families are safe and lines keep moving. If you are dropping off from 98th, please encourage your student to get out of the car at any stopping point along the sidewalk. This allows for more cars to leave property in a timely manner and more students to get to first hour on time. Your attention to this is appreciated!

• Cars are not allowed to use the small bus loop parking lot during drop off or pick-up to ensure buses can safely access those lots.
  
  

• Students who are not in class at the final bell will need a pass to enter school and classes.
  
  

• After School Pick-Up: School ends at 2:37 pm on a 6-period day and 2:14 pm on a block day. If you are picking up your student, please expect them to exit the building quickly and find their way to your car. If you are blocking traffic while waiting for your child, know that you might be asked, and will be expected, to move forward to allow for cars to exit.
  
  

• After School Expectations: At 2:45 pm, all students must be off-campus for the day, with a coach or advisor in a designated sport or activity, or waiting for a ride in the front atrium. It is expected that students are picked up no later than 3:30 pm, except for rare exceptions. Students are not allowed to wait for rides in the Activity Center after school and families should not use this spot for drop-off or pick-up.
  
  

• Students are not eligible to participate in any after school sport or activity if they miss any part of the academic day as indicated by an unexcused or unexplained absence (AUX, A) or unexcused or unexplained tardy (TUX or T) in Infinite Campus. Students are also not eligible to participate when they have been out of school suspended for all or part of the day. Eligibility is not impacted by excused or exempt absences (AEX, AEM) or excused or exempt tardies (TEX, TEM).
  
  

• We are a closed campus. To ensure a safe learning environment and community, students should not leave the campus during the school day.
  
  

• Food deliveries from outside vendors (such as DoorDash, Uber Eats, etc.) are not allowed during the school day. These deliveries are disruptive to the learning environment and pose safety and security concerns. Students should bring meals from home or eat school-provided meals.

What You Can Do -

At Home

• Keep a routine for sleep and getting ready

• Ask your child how they feel about school

• Schedule appointments after school

• Track days missed - every day counts. Missing 2 days a month means you are chronically absent.

• Get involved with school - involved families often lead to strong attendance

If Your Child Misses School

• Call attendance at (952) 681-5002 or khsattendance@isd271.org and explain why

• Ask for any classwork they missed

• Help them return to school feeling supported, not stressed

Personal electronic devices include cell phones, headphones, Airpods or earbuds and some wearable devices, specifically meta glasses.

What does the research say?

Three groups of students took a quiz:

• One group kept their phones on the table

• One group had their phones in their backpacks next to them

• A third group had their phones outside the room

In all three cases the phones were switched off. Students with their phones next to them, either on the table or in bags, did worse and were more likely to report thinking about whether they had been messaged. (Ward et al., 2017)

At Kennedy, to support focus on learning, all classrooms are expected to be personal tech free during the class period.

What students can expect:

• Once the final bell rings to start class, the expectation is that there are no personal electronic devices anywhere in sight in the building. This means all spaces, including classrooms, the cafeteria, flex spaces, administrative and counseling offices, the media center, hallways, and bathrooms.

• 🚨UPDATED FOR 26-27: Every student will put their phone in a pouch in their classrooms at the start of class. Phones will stay in pouches until the final bell, even if students are finished early with class work.

• 🚨UPDATED FOR 26-27: If a student says they do not have their phone in school, this will need to be verified via a search or a phone call to a guardian from the office. Students who do not bring a phone to school should come to the attendance office before the school day to get a verification pass.

• If a student chooses not to follow this expectation, staff will follow the school response plan.

If a student has a diagnosed medical need and/or IEP that requires phone access they should talk with their counselor, nurse or social worker to get a verification pass. Accommodations must be documented.

Parents will be able to contact their student via school staff by calling the Kennedy main office: 952.681.5000.

This fall, Kennedy High School will offer the PSAT/NMSQT (Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test) to interested 10th and 11th grade students on Tuesday, October 27, 2026. This is an optional test, but one we encourage students to consider.

Here’s why it matters:

• 11th grade students who take the PSAT may qualify for the National Merit Scholarship Program, which offers academic recognition and scholarship opportunities. The test is also a great way for students to practice for college entrance exams, assess their college readiness, and receive feedback in reading, writing, and math.
  
  

• 10th grade students can use the test as a practice opportunity to gain early exposure to college entrance exams and identify areas of academic strength and growth. 10th grade students may take the test again as 11th graders.
  
  

The cost is $18 and will be charged to your student's Campus account. If you would like to inquire about fee assistance, please contact your counselor or Ms. Jennings.

If you register and later need to cancel, cancellations must be made by October 13 at 3:00 PM. We cannot guarantee a refund after that deadline. Students who register but do not attend the test on test day also cannot be guaranteed a refund.

Important Registration Deadlines:

• Tuesday, September 4 - for students requesting testing accommodations (based on an IEP or 504 Plan, or needing language support).
  
  

• Thursday, September 25 - for all other students
  
  

Click here to register: PSAT Registration Form

To learn more about the PSAT and how it fits into college planning, visit the College Board PSAT/NMSQT page.

Have a question? If it is class related, start with your student’s teacher. If you need a place to start, our student support team members are here to provide support.

All Families To Do: Please help our students receive additional funding and reduced fees for programs by completing this Educational Benefits & Free and Reduced Lunch application.

School Supply Lists: Class-specific supplies will be shared on the first day of school. General supplies students may need include:

• Backpack

• Writing Utensils: pencils, black and blue pens; some classes ask for red pens

• Paper: Notebooks or looseleaf paper

• A planner: 9th graders will be given a paper planner. 10th - 12th graders should have a paper planner or system for using a planner on their Chromebook

• Organizational System: Common items include:

• A 3-ring binder with a tab for each of the 6 classes and loose leaf paper

• A notebook + folder for each of their 6 classes

• A multi-subject notebook

• A pencil bag or box

• Miscellaneous: some students and classes may use scissors, glue sticks, markers or colored pencils, a graphing or scientific calculator. Class-specific supplies will be shared during the first week

You are an important member of the pathway to career and college team! One way you can partner with us is to monitor and support regular attendance and academic progress for your student(s). Here are some tools you can use:

Need help?

BPS Login Help

Canvas Parent Help

Infinite Campus Parent Portal Help

Email kenn_geniusbar@isd271.org