The Kenwood Courier

We’re eager to connect and partner with you the 2025-26 school year in support of your children’s academic, social, and emotional growth. You can expect to receive the Kenwood Courier every Friday.

• On the top of the page, you will find ADA and Translation features. To translate, click on the Translate button and choose your desired language.
• En la parte superior de la página, encontrará funciones de ADA y traducción. Para traducir, haga clic en el botón Traducir y elija el idioma que desee.
• Dusha sare ee bogga, waxaad ka heli doontaa ADA iyo sifooyinka Turjumaada. Si aad u turjunto, dhagsii badhanka Turjumka oo dooro luqadda aad rabto.
  
• В верхней части страницы вы найдете функции ADA и перевода. Для перевода нажмите кнопку «Перевести» и выберите нужный язык.
  
• د پاڼې په سر کې، تاسو به د ADA او ژباړې ځانګړتیاوې ومومئ. د ژباړې لپاره، د ژباړې تڼۍ باندې کلیک وکړئ او د خپلې خوښې ژبه غوره کړئ.
  
• در بالای صفحه، شما ویژگی های ADA و ترجمه را پیدا کنید. برای ترجمه، روی دکمه ترجمه کلیک کنید و زبان مورد نظر خود را انتخاب کنید.
  

• June 8: Kindergarten Completion Ceremony, 3:00, Outdoor Classroom

• June 9: 5th Grade Completion Ceremony, 10:00, Gym (please enter through Door 8)

• June 10: Last Day of School!

Dear Kenwood Families,

As we wrap up another incredible year of growth, community-building, resilience, empowerment, and joy, I’m deeply grateful for your partnership. Our students shine brightly because of our collective efforts to show them and teach them how to thrive in an inclusive and rigorous learning community. We all have so much to celebrate!

I want to thank Mr. P (our physical education teacher), staff, and all the parent and caregiver volunteers who made Field Day on Wednesday such a success! The day couldn’t have been better – the activities, the weather, the healthy competition between students (and some staff!) made it a memorable day. It’s also been wonderful to have the MPS bikes on loan for our 4th and 5th graders’ use the past couple of weeks. Biking around the lakes on these summery days has been such a treat, and we thank Mr. P for bringing the bike “lending library” to Kenwood.

As promised, I have staffing updates for the next school year to share with you.

We have three dear colleagues who are moving on to new professional adventures: Ms. Kronmiller (4th grade), Ms. Sue (3rd grade), and Ms. Amber (Associate Educator). We will miss them and we wish them nothing but the best. We welcome Lori Thompson, currently at Pratt, as our new Advanced Learner Teacher, and Alyssa Bernett, currently a 5th grade teacher at Loring, as our new 4th grade teacher. We are still in the process of filling the 3rd grade vacancy.

Here are our teaching teams for 2026-27:

Kindergarten (no changes)

Cathy Sullivan

Dana Elfering

Grace Dormanen

1st Grade (no changes)

Christy Thompson

Stacey Maupin

Jenny Emerson

2nd Grade (no changes)

Maya Ziegler

Emerson Martin

Caitlin Fellows

3rd Grade

Katie Torresani

TBD

4th Grade

Sierra DeMery

Alyssa Bernett

5th Grade (no changes)

Jade Sklar

Megan Crawford

Instructional Coach

Alyssa Polack

Reading Interventionist

Robyn Eller

Special Education Teachers (no changes)

Claudia Bello, Resource

Jess Kochick, Resource

Amanda Meidl, ASD

Natalie Rummel, ASD

Erin Smith, ASD

Multilingual Teachers (no changes)

Torben Rothgeb

Suzy Martin

Specialists (no changes)

Sue Pehrson (Music)

Kara Van Wyk (Art)

Jason Phillippi (PE)

Maureen Hunt (Band)

Advanced Learner Teacher

Lori Thompson

ESP Staff

Iker Olivier Salas (Spanish Bilingual Program Assistant)

Kris Prince (Associate Educator)

Jack Strand (returning to Kenwood as a Student Success Program Assistant)

Victoria Johnson (Family Liaison)

Munira Saleem (Resource)

Taneisha Miller (Resource)

Anne Rummel (ASD)

Dana McKenna (ASD)

Andrew Lee (ASD)

Paul Lucke (ASD)

TBD (ASD)

TBD (ASD)

I will continue to work on hiring excellent staff for the vacant positions this summer and provide updates to you on new members to the team in late August.

I’m also pleased to share that we’ll have two Reading Corps volunteers and potentially two Math Corps volunteers to support interventions in 2026-27. Additionally, Ms. Crawford, Mrs. DeMery, and Mrs. Ziegler will mentor teacher candidates from the University of Minnesota College of Education in their classrooms for the academic year. It will be great to have additional members of the team to learn from our excellent educators while also supporting our students’ academic, social, and emotional goals!

In the last three days of school, let’s lift up the many successes of the year, celebrate our students’ progress (especially our kindergarteners and our 5th graders!) and leap into our summer plans with delight. See you at the K and 5th Grade celebrations next week and at Open House on September 3!

Warmly,

Heidi Johnson

The Kenwood Library Summer Reading webpage has resources to support your reading adventures.

You'll find reading challenges, links to free eBooks, book lists, public library programming and locations, and so much more!

This summer go on adventures that spark your curiosity and read about your wonders.

Click on this link: Kenwood Library Summer Reading webpage

Or scan this QR Code

Kids have been planting in the school gardens and they will be green and growing like crazy. We are looking for families to help weed, water and enjoy the garden this summer and fall. No gardening experience necessary! 2-3 families share a week at a time - see signup to pick your weeks! https://signup.com/go/bgfBEGE

Questions or want to help with garden planning in the future?: Elyse Colpits elyse.erickson@gmail.com or Amy Sanborn amysanborn18@gmail.com or 612-868-8664.

Join Ms. Kris at Loring Park this summer for free drop-in art activities: June 13, July 11 and August 8 from 12- 2pm. Join Kris for the art activity outside the park building or if it is raining it will be inside.

Minnesota state law requires all incoming kindergarteners to be screened. The program helps find possible health and developmental concerns that may impact a child’s learning.

If you have completed screening either with MPS or another school district, no action is required at this time. If your child has not yet been screened, please make an appointment to complete this process before the start of the school year. For more information or to book an appointment, call 612-668-3715 or visit https://qrco.de/MPS-Screening.

Registration Opened Sunday, Feb. 22 at 5 PM

We’re thrilled to welcome back the Kenwood Musical, returning with even more creativity, excitement, and opportunities for young performers to shine. And that’s not all — we’re expanding our lineup of high‑energy outdoor classes to keep kids exploring, creating, and soaking up the sunshine all summer long.

Registration went live Sunday, Feb. 22 at 5 PM, and spots fill fast!

👉 Parents can sign up here: Kenwood Super Summer

Explore more this summer with innovative, immersive experiences that inspire students to discover new possibilities inside and outside the classroom. This includes programs like…

• Summer Scholars

• Minneapolis Kids

• Super Summer

• Summer long-camps

• Freedom Schools

This summer, Minneapolis Kids Before and After Summer Scholars Care (grades 1-7) will not be offered. Our Summer Scholars program will run from June 29 to July 23 this summer, which is slightly shorter than previous years. We understand this may impact summer care for students, and we apologize for the inconvenience. These changes allow us to continue to offer quality programming while addressing budget challenges. Learn more about MPS Summer Programming!

Attached is a PDF version, and here’s a link to the presentation slide: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ckMZ0jshUIsY9KqweuraUFgpg16vhJ9ZHCbBsRJc-ZI/edit?usp=sharing

Join the Family Directory via this Google Form. Those who opt in will have access to the directory to arrange playdates and connect with classmates' families. The directory cannot be used for business or political solicitations. The directory link should not be shared with people who are not in the directory.

Did you know you can subscribe to our Google Calendar to have PTA events added automatically to your Google Calendar? Click the link and simplify!

We sincerely hope you have enjoyed the PTA-hosted events you have attended this year. It is our goal to ensure that our PTA events are inclusive and welcoming to our entire school community. We would greatly appreciate it if you could take a few minutes to provide feedback to help us plan for the future. As much or as little perspective as you would like to share is much appreciated. Click here to share your feedback.

The Sanneh Foundation runs FREE summer camps across the Twin Cities.

What's offered (all free):

• Sports camps in soccer, basketball, pickleball, and golf, at parks across Minneapolis, St. Paul, Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Mounds View, Mendota Heights, and Richfield. Ages 6–12.
• Little Bellas mountain bike camps for girls.
• Summer Splash at Conway Community Center in St. Paul — a 10-week all-day camp (8:30am–5pm) for ages 6–14, blending science, arts and crafts, sports, health, and play. Meals and snacks included.

Where to register: thesannehfoundation.org/programs/free-community-camps

The hub page routes families to the registration system for whichever city runs their nearest park. If a family gets stuck on a municipal rec-department portal, the TSF office can help directly: info@thesannehfoundation.org or 651-690-4855.

During Spring Break families can get FREE state park pass at the library. If you are not traveling over break, this can be a great way to have an adventure close to home.

Just like you check out a book at the public library, you can also check out a state park. With a library card, you can get a free day pass for admittance to any state park. The pass is good for 7 days.

Here is the website.

https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/minnesota-state-parks-library-program.html

You can get a library card and your pass at most public libraries. Here are a few in the area.

Brookdale

Brooklyn Park

East Lake

Franklin

Hosmer

North Regional

Webber Park

Here is a list of state park you can visit: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/list_alpha.html

Please click here to see the resources in a variety of languages.

The Department of Human Rights recently created a landing page that details what is (and is not)

covered under the Minnesota Human Rights Act, when it comes to discrimination against

immigrants. State law clearly prohibits discrimination based on national origin, race, color, and

religion in the areas of employment, housing, public accommodations, public services, education,

credit, and business. While the Minnesota Human Rights Act does not explicitly prohibit

discrimination based on “immigration status” or “citizenship status,” discrimination that targets people

because they were born outside of the United States, speak a different language, appear to be

immigrants, or are perceived as undocumented may be covered under the Minnesota Human

Rights Act’s national-origin and race protections. Anyone who believes they may have been

discriminated against should contact us by completing this online form. Learn more on our

webpage here: Discrimination Related to Immigration Status.

We want to ensure Kenwood families are aware of the following food and nutrition resources. Every Meal works to fight hunger in our community by filling the food gaps children face during weekends, summers, and extended breaks. The program provides students with 4-5 pounds of food to take home in their backpacks every Friday. We have five different food bag options available to accommodate various cultural, dietary, and situational needs. If you are interested in receiving an Every Meal bag, please contact the Kenwood Family Liaison, Victoria Johnson [Victoria.Johnson@mpls.k12.mn.us or (612) 668-2760] to enroll or to ask questions.

Additionally, the Second Harvest Heartland Care Center helps people find free food through a network of food shelves and community resources. Find the best resource for you here You can also talk to a Care Center an advisor 8:00am-4:30pm Monday-Friday. The Care Center is free, friendly, and confidential. Help is available in English, Spanish, Hmong and Somali with interpreters available for other languages. Call or text 866-844-3663, or visit 2harvest.org/carecenter for more information.

If you are in need of immediate assistance reach out to our school Social Worker, Alex Holzchuh [Alexandra.Holzschuh@mpls.k12.mn.us or (612) 668-2760]

Finally, if you are in the position to help, the Kenwood PTA is collecting monetary donations to purchase gift cards for our school Social Worker, Alex Holzchuh to distribute to families. If you can contribute, please venmo the Kenwood PTA at @KenwoodPTAMpls

When school is not in session, children can eat free meals and snacks at many

community sites, including Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board and Hennepin County

Library locations. Visit the MPS Culinary & Wellness Services community sites webpage for

details about no-cost meals. Contact a site for specific hours and meal types.

Do you need help with rent, utilities, or a security deposit? Funding is available to support families who are experiencing financial hardship and need assistance maintaining stable housing.

If you are in need of support, please reach out to:

Ciara Graham, Stable Homes Stable Schools Site-based Lead
📧 ciara.graham@mpls.k12.mn.us

Let us help ensure your family has the housing stability it needs.

United Way 2-1-1 provides free and confidential help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on many topics; housing, childcare, mental health, employment, transportation, and more! Call 211 or toll free 800-543-7709. Visit https://211unitedway.org/ for more information. Interpreters are available for all languages.

Click here to find a step-by-step guide to finding the right place for your child's care.

HelpMeConnect is a groundbreaking interagency collaboration between Minnesota’s Department of Children, Youth, and, Families; Education; Health; and Human Services. Click here to explore HelpMeConnect and find the support you need.

• School Secretary: Danielle.Sanders@mpls.k12.mn.us
• Family Liaison: Victoria.johnson@mpls.k12.mn.us
• Main Office Number: 612-668-2760
• School Website
• Kenwood Staff Directory