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.
  

• Sept. 2: First Day of School for Grades 1-5
• Sept. 4: First Day of School for Kindergarten.
• Sep. 4: Coffee and Kleenex for Kindergarten Caregivers 9:30-10:30 am

Please reference these calendars throughout the year, or go to the Kenwood Website to take a look at the calendar in the "About" section there.

Dear Kenwood Families,

We’ve had a wonderful start to the school year! The building is sparkling, our staff are amazing, our students are brilliant, and our community of families just can’t be beat. It’s been a joy to see so many of you this week to celebrate the first days of school. Kenwood is a vibrant place to learn and grow because of you all!

I hope to see you tomorrow (Saturday) at Woodystock, a celebration of our new outdoor classroom! Come to Kenwood from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm for live music, crafts, food trucks, and Sebastian Joe’s Kenwood-themed ice cream (Just Woodchuckin’ Along), and time for connection. It’s also a great opportunity for us to thank our generous donors who’ve made this dream come true.

Thank you for your patience with the new transportation platform and delays in the morning and afternoon. The office staff and I are working with Transportation several hours a day to improve routes, bus stops, and timeliness. Things will get better, but it will take a little more time. We’ll notify you of afternoon delays via email and Talking Points until GPS and My Ride are “talking.”

As we launch the school year, please keep these important expectations in mind:

• Children cannot be left unsupervised on the playground before 9:15 in the morning. School doors open at 9:15, which is when staff begin to supervise our students. Thank you for following this safety expectation.

• When dropping off students on Penn Ave., please do not park (even briefly) in the bus zone. Pull up past the Kenwood gate to allow buses to safely drop off students without delay.

• Students should leave personal devices, cell phones, and smart watches at home. All students have access to school phones if they need to contact someone at home, and families are always welcome to contact the main office if they need to pass on a message to their child. If you require an accommodation to this expectation, please write a letter/email to me (Principal Johnson) and to your child’s classroom teacher to explain your circumstances. If permission is granted, students are expected to keep cell phones and smart watches turned off and in their backpacks, in their lockers, every day. Thank you for helping us reduce unnecessary distractions during the school day!

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us with questions and concerns, and to share celebrations. We’re so excited to partner with you this year!

Warmly,

Heidi Johnson, Principal at Kenwood

Minneapolis Kids is the district’s before/after school school-age care program for students in grades K-5. Register now! An important update for the 2025-26 school year, Mpls Kids will continue to offer its before-school program at Kenwood. For after-school care next year, the afternoon Kenwood program will be consolidated into Emerson Mpls Kids. This means that students who wish to participate in after-school programming will have the opportunity to join Mpls Kids at Emerson school. Families who wish to utilize after-school care may request transportation between Kenwood and Emerson to meet their scheduling needs.

For questions contact: Anita Adams | Anita.Adams@mpls.k12.mn.us Mpls Kids-Kenwood Program Coordinator

Dear Kenwood Caregivers:

It's time to plan transportation for the 2025-26 school year! We're excited to introduce My Ride, a new GPS app for caregivers to request busing for students. Download the app, create an account, and submit a Save Your Seat form for each student who needs busing.

You'll receive your bus schedule through the app before school starts and can track the bus in real time during the school year. If you prefer not to use the app, contact your student's school to submit a request on your behalf. All families must complete the transportation form by June 6, even if your schedule remains the same. Reach out to your student's school with questions.

Adding a student to My Ride will now require:

• Student first name
• Student last name
• Student ID

More Information can be found here: https://www.mpschools.org/departments/transportation/myridek12

• The Application for Educational Benefits (formerly known as Free and Reduced-Price Lunch) lets families know if they qualify for certain benefits and is one of the ways funding is determined for schools. Families of all income levels should complete the application regardless of perceived eligibility.

  Applying matters! This information helps to:

  • Determine benefits for students and families (e.g., no-cost school meals, free bus cards, discounted internet, PEBT)
  • Generate about $100 million in district funding each year;
  • Qualify schools and community sites to serve no-cost food to youth 18 and under after school and in the summer months.

  • The Application for Educational Benefits can be completed through SchoolCafe

    1. Visit the SchoolCafe
    2. Click on Complete the Application for Educational Benefits Online (login not required but preferred);
    3. Follow the instructions to complete your online application.

The PTA invites you to join us at Woodystock this Saturday, September 6th from 11-2 to celebrate the grand opening of the Kenwood Outdoor Classroom. The MTV’s, a lively cover band, will be performing along with art activities from Highpoint Printmaking Center & ARTrageous, and food trucks from OG ZAZA wood fire pizza and Kurb Side Catering. Sebastian Joe’s will also be serving up Kenwood’s signature ice cream flavor “Just Woodchuckin’ Around”. The Minnneapolis mounted police & Minneapolis firetruck have been requested for the event along with a special surprise guest!

Entrance, music, art activities, and ice cream are sponsored by the PTA. Hope to see you there!

Who loves ice cream? Woodchucks do of course! During the month of September Sebastian Joe’s on Franklin Avenue will be selling our new ice cream flavor, Just Woodchucking Around, to benefit Kenwood School. Vanilla ice cream with a blue hue! Layered with blue & yellow m&m's, chocolate pretzel bark (made special by Cafe Latte) & a caramel swirl! Come get a scoop or a pint of this special collaboration!

Upcoming Kenwood PTA (Parent Teacher Association) Meeting Information

Are you interested in getting more involved at school? Learning more about how the PTA supports Kenwood kids and staff? Meeting other Kenwood parents and caregivers? Join us at one of our upcoming monthly PTA meetings. Our first meeting of the school year is Thursday, September 11, from 6 - 7:30 pm in the Media Center (Library) at school and online, via Google Meet - https://meet.google.com/drj-qpeh-ebc Childcare is provided for potty trained children 3+ To reserve childcare, please email KenwoodSchoolPTA@gmail.com You can always find our meeting schedule on our website https://www.kenwood-pta.org/ under Events, along with dates for other school events, as well as other helpful information for Kenwood families. If you have any questions about the PTA, please feel free to email us. Hope to see you at a future meeting!

We are exited to offer the Weekly Every Meal Program! This program provide 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 would like to sign up, please pick up a brochure from the main office, give us a call and we'll send one home in your student's backpack. Victoria Johnson, Kenwood Family Liaison, is also available to help with any questions or registration.

The Second Harvest Heartland Care Center helps people find food through our network of food shelves and community resources, as well as assistance with applying for SNAP. The Care Center is free, friendly, and confidential. Talk to an advisor 8:00am-4:30pm Monday-Friday, and 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.

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