Principal Ward's Family News #2

Greetings LNCS Keewaydin Families,

We are in week 2 of kicking off our school year and it has been an amazing couple of weeks. The smiles, laughter, skipping, hugs, and joy for one another has been stronger than ever. It was almost as though the later Labor Day school start created excitement and anticipation that continues to carry into week 2.

Today, I am writing to you directly regarding the Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) District Transformation process. I know that seeing our school community—LNCS Wenonah and Keewaydin—included in the transformation options may create feelings of uncertainty and concern. I want to assure you that I am committed to walking alongside you every step of the way.

What is Happening?

Following a Board Resolution and direction from the School Board, Superintendent Dr. Lisa Sayles-Adams and the Senior Leadership Team have presented three distinct options to address districtwide programming and building use across the district.

While the LNCS community is included across all three presented options, it is important to emphasize that no final decisions have been made.

The "Why" Behind Transformation

MPS is engaging in this process to reimagine a district where every student thrives academically, socially, and emotionally through a holistic, culturally sustaining education. The district's goal is to ensure all students across all grades have equitable access to:

• Aligned Core Academic Experience: Grounded in Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) Academic Standards.

• Individualized Support: Academic interventions tailored to each child.

• Holistic Development: Social-emotional growth, career-connected learning, advanced academics, athletics, arts, and extracurricular opportunities.

From now until October 16th, We Are in the Engagement Phase

We are currently in the critical Engagement Window which runs through October 16th, where MPS is actively seeking input from families, staff, high school students, and community members before any plans are finalized and voted on by the MPS School Board.

Your voice matters in shaping the future of our district and our school.

I have included a "BUTTON" below that you click which invites you to visit the MPS School Transformation Webpage to review:

1. Detailed breakdowns of all three presented options.

2. The complete timeline of events leading up to the Board's final vote.

3. The various avenues available to submit your feedback, questions, and ideas.

I will keep you informed as new details and specific meeting schedules are made available. As always, if you have specific questions or just need a space to process, please do not hesitate to reach out to me directly.

Next week, we will hold our first LNCS Wenonah/Keewaydin Site Council/PTA meeting here at Keewaydin to answer any questions that we may have for families. I have shared information about this below. In the meantime, I encourage you all to please engage in the conversation as it pertains to the three options presented. If you would like to attend a Community meeting, see the information below:

Attend a Meeting

All meetings will be held from 6 - 7:30 p.m.

Interpreters (Spanish, Hmong & Somali) and childcare will be available.

• Camden High School: Sept. 30, 2026
• Washburn High School: Oct. 1, 2026
• Edison High School: Oct. 2, 2026
• South High School: Oct. 6, 2026
• North High School: Oct. 7, 2026
• Southwest High School: Oct. 8, 2026
• Roosevelt High School: Oct. 9, 2026

Thank you for your dedication, engagement, and advocacy for our students during this pivotal time.

It is always a GREAT day to be part of the Keewaydin community—because together, we have Keewaydin PRIDE!

See you all soon!

💖 Kristi Ward

Principal LNCS Keewaydin

We wish a meaningful and easy fast to all of our families observing Yom Kippur!

May this year bring peace, health, and sweet new beginnings to you and your loved ones.

Join us for a Joint LNCS Wenonah/Keewaydin Site Council and PTA meeting on

Thursday, September 24, 2026.

Details Below:

• Date: Thursday, September 24, 2026
• Time: 5:00pm - 7:00pm
• Location: LNCS Keewaydin Campus (5209 30th Ave S. Enter Through Door 1)
• Details: Childcare and Pizza will be provided by the LNCS PTA

We hope to see you there!

When your child doesn't arrive home on time, every second counts. To get the fastest updates regarding missing or late buses, please reach out to the right contacts immediately:

• If it prior to 4:20pm, First Call - School Main Office at 612-668-4670: Someone will be able to answer and support you during this time.
• For after 4:20pm, We Ask That You Call — MPS Transportation (612-668-2300): Contact them directly for real-time tracking and location updates on your child's bus route. Do not drive up to the school, as there are not MPS school staff onsite. Mpls. Kids is onsite, but they do not have access to support transportation issues.
• After-Hours Emergency Text (612-814-3471): This is my work cell phone. Please send me a text me directly if you need urgent support after office hours, and I will respond as quickly as possible.

There is nothing more stressful than not knowing where your child is at the end of the day. We do our best to notify families about delays, and we deeply appreciate your continued patience as we work through busing challenges together.

Please click the Buttons Below for Instructions on "What I can do in the Parent Portall".

Picture Day is coming on Monday, September 28!

You can place your order on mylifetouch.com using your Picture Day ID: EVT49S6SR. Order before midnight on Picture Day to get FREE shipping!

Your child can also bring their completed flyer with cash or check on Picture Day. Orders after Picture Day must be placed online on mylifetouch.com

Join MPS Community Education this fall for classes and events across the city designed for families, caregivers, and kids of all ages. Whether you want to move together, pick up a new hobby, or celebrate the season, there’s something for every family. Register here.

Standard Response Drills

We are proud to be able to serve you and your children and we will continually strive to provide a safe learning environment for them.

The safety of your child and all children in our schools, as well as the safety of the school staff, is one of our biggest priorities. In order to maintain a safe environment for our children to engage and learn, it is necessary that we practice our emergency and crisis response plans by having drills designed to practice our procedures.

Each year, we are required to conduct a total of 11 primary emergency drills throughout the school year. We hold our first practice Fire/Evacuation Drill on Tuesday, September 15, 2026. The information below is to help you understand the new language and what each one means. They are SECURE, LOCKDOWN, EVACUATE, and SHELTER. Each type of drill is explained below. HOLD does not require us to practice but is explained below.

HOLD

The purpose of HOLD is to keep our hallways clear for a limited time. Hallways may need to be kept clear due to a medical emergency, large spill, etc.

SECURE and LOCKDOWN

The school will conduct a total of five SECURE and LOCKDOWN drills throughout each school year. During these drills we will secure the school building and safely shelter all students, staff, and visitors. The purpose of these drills are to keep the students safe from any danger outside or inside the building.

A SECURE DRILL practices procedures if there is a threat OUTSIDE of the building.

A LOCKDOWN DRILL practices procedures if there is a threat INSIDE of our building.

During both drills all of the perimeter doors to the school building will remain locked with specific staff and student directions for each one (SECURE & LOCKDOWN). During these drills NO ONE will be allowed to enter the building or exit the building.

EVACUATE

The school will conduct a total of five EVACUATE drills per school year. During this drill all children and staff will evacuate the building and walk a short distance (roughly to the nearest corner) from our school. We want each child to understand and be aware of the importance of this drill and know where to go if the fire alarm sounds.

SHELTER

A SHELTER Drill will be conducted once each school year during Severe Weather Awareness Week. The purpose of this drill is to be prepared to move to a safe location within the building in case of severe weather or tornados.

For the safety of everyone involved and to maintain order, we respectfully ask that you would abide by the following during these drills:

• Please make sure that your contact information is current at all times so that you can be reached without delay in the event of an emergency.

• In the event of an actual emergency evacuation, you will receive notification where to pick up your child as soon as we are able to.

Please remember that these safety practice drills are done to help maintain our schools as a safe place to learn and work.

If you have any questions regarding any of these safety drills or other safety concerns, please call the main office at 612-668-4670.

Standard Response Protocols (SRP)

• Hold: All occupants remain in a specific location until it is safe to return to normal operations
• Secure: A threat or potential threat is outside of the building. Exterior doors are locked until it is safe to return to normal operations.
• Lockdown: A threat or potential threat is inside of the building. All exterior and interior doors are locked and no one is allowed to move around the building until it is safe to return to normal operations.
• Evacuate: An emergency requires all occupants to evacuate the building. In some cases occupants move outside, and in other cases occupants move to a predetermined location.
• Shelter: Protective action is required based on a threat or hazard such as severe weather. All staff and students transition to a designated safe space within the building.

All Principals/Administrators, Staff and students are trained on what these protocols mean and what to do when an event is initiated. These protocols also include training and planning for reunification after a serious safety incident.

Click on the Link to watch the video that we will be showing to our students as we engage in the Drills for this school year. The top on is in English and the one below is Spanish.

Have you wondered about how you can give back, and be part of your child's school experience - even for a small part of their week - Join our Volunteer Team! Here is one way that volunteers really made a difference:

Last year we were informed that we would transition from on-site cooking to pre-packaged meals. However, with the advocacy of our community, the increase in student lunches in the spring, and the conversation with the Culinary leadership team, in June we learned that Keewaydin would remain an on-site cooking site - which was the BEST NEWS ever!

Much of this advocacy came from the cafeteria volunteers to had experienced and saw the impact that these meals had on our students. Their voice and advocacy played such a role in this decision being reversed. This is one reason why, having volunteers in our school make a difference.

Right now, we are looking for Cafeteria Volunteer for Mondays and Thursdays - but we would welcome you ANY day of the week.

Lunch Times are Below:

• 11:00 - 11:30 - 4th Grade
• 11:30 - 12:00 - 5th Grade
• 12:00 - 12:30 - 3rd Grade

• 12:30 - 1:00 - 2nd Grade

Other Volunteer Opportunities:

Reach out to your child's classroom teacher - they are always needing additional support. If you are wondering if there are volunteer opportunities outside of the classroom, please reach out to Ms. Deb, our secretary.

All Volunteers are required to go through the volunteer procedures that MPS requires. Click the button below to find out what that entails.

Any other questions, please reach out to Deb in the front office.

MPS is currently recruiting new members to join the MPS Equity and Diversity Impact Assessment (EDIA) Committee! The EDIA Committee partners with MPS as a voluntary advisory and consulting committee that – through an equity lens – reviews, assesses, discusses, and makes recommendations to improve district-level policies and practicesthat directly impact staff, students, and families. This committee is composed of MPS students, caregivers, community organizations, and school/district staff that are representative of our larger MPS community.

We will be hosting virtual informational sessions for interested candidates to learn more about the EDIA committee and ask questions to staff and current members:

• Tuesday, September 15 from 4:30-5:30 p.m.

• Wednesday, September 16 from 4:30-5:30 p.m.

Please complete the registration form if you would like to attend one of these sessions and we will send you a meeting link.

If you are interested in applying or want to learn more, visit the EDIA webpage. Interested applicants must submit an online, paper, or audio application by September 22, 2026 at 11:59 p.m.

ALL families with children enrolled in Minneapolis Public Schools should complete an Application for Educational Benefits each year.

This used to be called the “Free and Reduced-price Lunch” form.

Even though in the fall of of 2023 Minnesota enacted the Free School Meals for Kids where every student receives one breakfast and one complete lunch at no cost, we still need ALL families to complete the Application for Educational Benefits each year.

Did you know?

Eating school meals helps to support Minneapolis Public Schools and the greater community! The more meals that MPS serves, the better for the district. The same applies to other districts in Minnesota. We encourage all students to participate in the Free Meals Program by eating meals at school!

Applications completed by our families…

1. Generate millions of dollars in funding for MPS and our schools, students and families.

2. Determine benefits for students and families like free bus cards and discounted internet service.

3. The income thresholds are higher than for some programs, so many families are surprised to find they DO qualify for benefits.

If you wish to decline benefits, do so on the paper application, or email info.cws@mpls.k12.mn.us with your student's names.

An eligibility notice letter will arrive via mail or email within 10 business days of completing your application.

Here is the correct link: https://www.schoolcafe.com/minneapolispublicschools and a link to the information on our website: https://www.mpschools.org/departments/cws/schoolcafe

We will have paper copies available at the start of the school year. If you would rather have a paper copy, please reach out to your child's teacher, and they will send one home.

If you need support in completing the form, please reach out to our school secretary or school social worker.

Here at Keewaydin, we have set a goal that 100% of our families complete the Application for Educational Benefits by December 15, 2026.

September

• Thursday, September 3, 2026 ~ OPEN HOUSE ~ 4:00pm - 6:00pm
• Monday, September 7, 2026 ~ No School ~ Labor Day
• Tuesday, September 8, 2026 ~ First Day of School ~ Grades 1-12
• Thursday, September 10, 2026 ~ First Day of School ~ Pre K and K
• Monday, September 21, 2026 ~ No School - Yom Kippur
• Thursday, September 24, 2026 ~ Site Council & PTA Kick-Off Meeting at Keewaydin (pizza and childcare provided)
• Friday, September 25, 2026 ~ Back to School BBQ at Wenonah 5:00pm - 7:00pm
• Monday, September 28, 2026 ~ LifeTouch Picture Day

• Monday, October 6, 2026 ~ LifeTouch Picture Day
• Tuesday, October 13, 2026 ~ Evening Conferences
• Wednesday, October 14, 2026 ~ No School - Day Conferences
• Thursday, October 15, 2026 ~ No School - MEA
• Friday, October 16, 2026 ~ No School - MEA
• Thursday, October 22, 2026 ~ Site Council/PTA Meeting ~ Location TBD

• Tuesday, November 3, 2026 ~ No School - Election Day, Teacher Professional Development Day
• Monday, November 5, 2026 ~ LifeTouch Picture Re-Take Day
• Saturday, November 7, 2026 ~ LNCS PTA Pancake Breakfast, Scholastic Book Fair, Flu Shot Clinic and Much More
• Thursday, November 12, 2026 ~ Last Day of Quarter 1
• Friday, November 13, 2026 ~ No School - Record Keeping Day
• Monday, November 16, 2026 ~ First Day of Quarter 2