Kennedy News
🐾 End of the School Year Edition 🐾
Dear Kennedy Families,
It is hard to believe that we have already been out of school for more than a week, and it’s still May! We had another fantastic year at Kennedy, and I am incredibly proud of our students for their continued growth socially, emotionally, and academically.
If you drive past the school, you'll see that construction is humming along on our new safe and secure entrance and office area. While the new office space should be completed in July, the heating and cooling upgrade throughout the rest of the building will be an all-summer project. It took a massive amount of work for our staff to pack up and move out of the building, but returning to a fully climate-controlled school next year will be well worth the effort!
As we look ahead to next year, we have a few changes coming to our teaching staff. Here is our grade-level lineup for the 2026/2027 school year:
Kindergarten: Mrs. Lout & Mrs. McConkey
1st Grade: Mrs. Brennan & Mrs. Dahline
2nd Grade: Mrs. Imhoff, Mrs. Ward, & Mrs. Wiste
3rd Grade: Mr. Meyers & Mr. Wischnack
4th Grade: Mrs. Schulz & Mr. Winning
5th Grade: Ms. Kelly, Mrs. Peterson, & Mrs. Uhrich
We are so fortunate to have such an incredible group of classroom teachers at Kennedy!
As is the case every year, we must say goodbye to some amazing staff members while welcoming others. This year, we are saying goodbye to 1st-grade teacher Mrs. Olmanson, who has been with us for the past two years. Her calming, caring demeanor will be deeply missed, and we are so grateful for everything she has done for our Cubs. We also have one familiar face moving grade levels: Mrs. Peterson will be moving up to teach 5th grade. Additionally, we are thrilled to welcome back Mrs. Ward to the classroom! Mrs. Ward previously taught 3rd grade at Kennedy before serving as a Mentor Coach across Kennedy, Washington, and Monroe over the past four years. She will be returning to us to teach 2nd grade.
Of all the changes coming to Kennedy next year, the biggest will be the relocation of our Setting III ASD program. Mrs. Hopkins, her staff, and our students will be moving to Rosa Parks Elementary as part of a larger special education restructuring within our district.
Mrs. Hopkins has been our lead ASD teacher at Kennedy for nine years. She, her staff, and her students have taught our entire building what it truly means to be inclusive and accepting of all Cubs. While we know they will flourish at Rosa Parks, we will miss them tremendously. They have left a deep, lasting impact on our school culture.
The upcoming 2026/2027 school year is already shaping up to be another wonderful chapter for our Cubs. Kennedy families, thank you, as always, for your partnership and support. Kennedy is an amazing school because of the shared commitment of our students, staff, and families.
As we head into summer, please note that you won't find me at Kennedy due to the construction. I will be working out of the East High School office and taking some vacation time. The best way to reach me over the break is via email at srusta1@isd77.org.
I hope you all take some time to relax, recharge, and enjoy the summer with your families!
It’s GREAT to be a Cub!
Steve Rustad
Kennedy Principal
Kennedy B.E.S.T.
Be Safe - Engage - Show Empathy - Together WE are Kennedy!
We encourage all families to get into Parent Portal and check their students final progress report for the year. Click the button below for step-by-step directions for how to access the end of year progress report.
We celebrated the Kennedy Class of 2026 at the East High School. We followed our tradition of walking over to East as a whole school, led by the graduates and their families. It was a great day for our school community! We wish all the best to our 5th grade graduates!
The Kennedy PTO is a great committee that supports our school by hosting events that celebrate the school community and connect families to each other. Learn all about the PTO through the Kennedy PTO Facebook page. Click the button, give the group a like, and follow the group to stay up-to-date on the latest happenings at Kennedy!
- SUMMER BREAK! Stay tuned for updates!