Kennedy News
🐾 September 25, 2025 🐾
Kennedy Families,
We are one month into a great school year at Kennedy! It has been exciting to watch the students jump into their learning, reconnect with all of their classmates, and make new friends.
We have so many fun things happening at Kennedy! We have the open house and book fair tonight, the Adventure Run tomorrow, as well as the wrap up of the PTO fundraiser. Next week we will celebrate East Homecoming with a Spirit Week.
As always, thank you for your partnership and support! Kennedy is an amazing school because of the partnership between our students, staff, and families.
It’s great to be a Cub!
Steve Rustad
Kennedy Principal
We are so close to our $10,000 goal!
Our community is doing an amazing job of supporting Kennedy! As of this morning, we are closing in on $9,000 raised for our PTO fundraiser. Go Cubs! So far the Cubs have unlocked music in the cafeteria, extra recess time, popcorn and PTO snack cart, and new Kennedy t-shirts for all Cubs! If we get to $10,000, Mr. Rustad will spend the night sleeping at Kennedy!
Picture Day is on Friday, September 26 in the morning. You can fill out the order form that your student brought home or you can order pictures online through Lifetouch. Use the link below to access the website. The Kennedy event code is EVTS964GD.
Did you know that if your Cub misses 17 or more days of the school year that they are considered chronically absent by the state of Minnesota? We know that students miss school for many reasons such as illness, vacation, or family emergencies. It is expected that a student will miss a few days throughout the year. However, when students start to miss more than a few days of school, it can be detrimental to their academic growth. Research shows that students who miss 7 or more days of school are more likely to struggle to be at grade level academically. Here at Kennedy, we want to see our Cubs in school as often as possible so that they can continue to get what they need to succeed in school.
Here are some important things to know about how we will be approaching attendance for the remainder of the year:
- Stay below 17 Days Absent: Mr. Rustad will be sending a message out to all families who have students on pace to miss more than 17 days of school this year. We have about 10% of students who are at this point. Our school goal is to have less than 5% of our students missing 17+ days this year. If you receive that message from me, know that we are looking to partner with you to make a plan for better attendance for the remainder of the year.
- 7 Sick Days=Med Letter Needed: If you have had a student who has missed up to 7 days because of illness, we will be requiring a doctor's note to excuse any further absences for illness. If your child isn't feeling good but they seem like they could be at school, I encourage you to bring them to school and have them checked out by our school nurse, Ikzela Estrada. She will let you know if your student should stay at school or go home for the day.
- Doctor's Note Needed: Every time your student goes to an appointment (doctor, dentist, therapy, etc.), they must come back with a note from the visit excusing them from the time they were absent. If they have no note and it is just called it, it will be marked as unexcused until a note comes in verifying the absence.
- County Involvement: When a student has 8 or more unexcused absences, our school partners with Blue Earth County to support families with a plan to get their students to school more often.
Thank you for your partnership around attendance. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at srusta1@isd77.org.
Kennedy is currently looking for a playground supervisor. We have one supervisor and she is amazing. Her name is Stacey Schulz Pope (or Mrs. Stacey to the Cubs). Stacey has been working at Kennedy for the past 5 years and loves supporting our Cubs. We are looking for someone to partner with her from 10:45 AM - 1 PM each day. It should be someone who loves working with kids and enjoys being outside. The job is perfect for someone looking for a just a few hours a day. It could be a parent, a college student, or a retired member of our community.
If you or anyone you know is looking to work at a great school with amazing kids, send them our way! Click here to email Principal Steve Rustad for more details. Click the link below for the official posting on the district website.
Are You on Facebook? Follow the Kennedy Facebook Page!
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!
- October 1 - Walk and Bike to School Day
- October 8 - Early Release
- October 13 - No School - Indigenous Peoples' Day
- October 16 and 17 - No School - MEA Break
- October 23 - No Cook Night at Noodles