Kennedy News
🐾 December 8, 2025 🐾
Kennedy Families,
Winter has arrived, and our students are having an absolute blast in the snow! This time of year brings so much joy to our school. Along with all the learning happening each day, you can feel the excitement of the holidays and the upcoming winter break throughout the building.
As I reflect during this holiday season, the Kennedy community is truly at the top of my gratitude list. Our incredible students, dedicated staff, and supportive families make Kennedy such a special place. I am genuinely grateful to serve as the principal of this fantastic school.
We have some wonderful events coming up! Our winter concert is this Friday, Bingo Night is on the 18th, and our last day of school before winter break is December 23rd. I hope to see many of you at these fun community events.
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.
It’s great to be a Cub!
Steve Rustad
Kennedy Principal
The winter concert is on Friday, December 12th. There are two concert times. The first concert is at 9:30 AM with doors opening at 9 AM. The second concert is at 1:00 PM with doors opening at 12:30 PM. The concert lasts for about an hour.
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.
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!
