#3 Principal Ward's Family News

Greetings LNCS Keewaydin Families,

Happy October! Fall is officially here, and it is hands-down my favorite season of the year. It has been such a joy watching our students settle so smoothly into their school routines over the last few weeks—the building is filled with energy, learning, and bright smiles every day.

With the cooler autumn weather rolling in, we’ve noticed an increase in sweatshirts and light jackets around the school. Naturally, this also means our Lost and Found pile is growing! As the afternoons warm up during recess, many children take off their extra layers and forget to bring them back inside. We hate seeing sad kiddos when a beloved jacket goes "lost forever" instead of making it back home, so please help us by chatting with your child about remembering to bring their layers inside after outdoor play. Labeling tags with their name is also a huge help!

Looking ahead, we have some wonderful fall happenings on the horizon:

• Parent-Teacher Conferences (Tuesday 10/13 evening and 10/14): We are so excited to connect with you soon to share all the wonderful progress your child is making in their classroom.

• Spirit Week (Last Week of October): Get ready for an extra dose of school spirit, joy, and fun throughout our entire building as we celebrate together.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support.

Wishing you and your family a cozy, joyful October!

And Remember...It is always a GREAT day to be part of the Keewaydin community—because together, we have Keewaydin PRIDE!

See you all soon!

💖 Kristi Ward

Principal LNCS Keewaydin

As a reminder, there are two more Community Meetings as it pertains to the Transformation.

Details Below:

All meetings will start at 6 p.m.

Interpreters (Spanish, Hmong & Somali) and childcare will be available.

• Southwest High School: Oct. 8, 2026
• Roosevelt High School: Oct. 9, 2026

There is no school on:

Wednesday, October 14th - Parent/Teacher Conferences

Thursday, October 15th - MEA Break

Friday, October 16th - MEA Break

Good Morning,
Please see the links below to sign up for your child's conferences. As a reminder, when you come to conferences, please enter through Door 1, as we will have Mpls. Kids programing onsite, so doors must continue to be secured. We will let you in door 1 and then you will head to your child's conference. Specialist teachers (PE, Art and Spanish) will be availble as well to meet with you. Just stop on in their rooms.

2nd Grade Team

• Mr. Buddington - Room 106
• Ms. Doll Room - 107
• Ms. Athey - Room 118

3rd Grade Team

• Ms. Quinton - Room 214
• Mr. Sanjay / Ms. Bezier - Room 218

4th Grade Team

• Ms. Johnson - 204
• Mr. Pete - Room 206
• Ms. Piper - Room 207

5th Grade Team

Caregivers - Please only sign up with HOMEROOM Teacher - 1 conference only. If you sign up for more than one teacher, we will cancel those signups and keep you with your child's homeroom teacher. Thank you for your cooperation with this.

• Mr. Webster - Room 200
• Ms. Kraft - Room 201
• Ms. Eystad - Room 203

SpEd Team

• Ms. Alanah Luger-Guillame - Room 108
• Ms. Lanning - Room 109

Fall 2026 Bike-to-School day is, FRIDAY OCTOBER 9TH and you are invited to join fellow LNCS students and caregivers on the LNCS Bike Bus!

A bike bus is a group of folks riding their bike along a predefined route picking up other riders, on their own bikes, as they ride toward a final destination. It's just like a school bus, but way cooler. Caregivers are expected to ride with their child to their school.

The LNCS Bike Bus will leave from near Agrarian Seed and Garden (52nd St at 47th Ave) at 8:30 AM, then work our way towards Wenonah, picking up riders at designated stops along 52nd St. Keewaydin students will peel off at 30th Ave. At 26th Ave we will head South, toward Wenonah along Shoreview Ave. See the "rough" schedule below for the location of each stop.

Rough Schedule for LNCS Bike Bus (5/8):

8:15 AM: Rendezvous at Agrarian Seed and Garden (47th Ave and 52nd St), this is where most people like to join the ride

8:30 AM: Leave from Agrarian Seed and Garden

8:35 AM: Stop 1: 40th Ave and 52nd St

8:40 AM: Stop 2: 35th Ave and 52nd St

8:45 AM: Stop 3: 30th Ave and 52nd St (Arrive at Keewaydin School)

8:50 AM: Stop 4: 26th Ave and 52nd St

8:55 AM: Stop 5: 54th St and Shoreview Ave

9:00 AM: Arrive at Wenonah School - Coffee and connecting for adult bikers!

Because of various after school activities there will not be a bike bus for the ride home after school. Caregivers are responsible for making sure their child and their child's teacher know how the student will be getting home from school - include a note, email, or message via Talking Points if it's different than usual.

**Caregivers are responsible for making safe choices for getting their children safely to and from school. All participants must wear bike helmets.

**Remember a bike lock!

Please share this message and flyers with your community to get volunteers for the new Taste Tests in our cafeterias:

Looking for volunteers to bring the fun to lunch! On the second Thursday of each month (Minnesota Thursdays), we need helpers to hand out local vegetable taste-test cups and encourage students to try new flavors. It’s a great way to support our kids. [Enter lunch hour here].

• Taste New Flavors

• Butternut Squash Bake

Save the Date: Thursday, October 22, 2026!

Join us for a Joint LNCS Wenonah/Keewaydin Site Council and PTA meeting. For this meeting, we will first hold Site Council, and then at 6:15, we will transition to PTA.

Details Below:

• Date: Thursday, October 22, 2026
• Time: 5:00pm - 6:15 - Site Council
• Time: 6:15 - 7:30 - PTA Meeting
• Location: LNCS Keewaydin Campus (5209 30th Ave S. Enter Through Door 1)
• Details: Childcare and Pizza will be provided by the LNCS PTA - Room 116

Agenda:

• State of Our School Presentation for Wenonah and Keewaydin

We hope to see you there!

If you have a student with dyslexia or reading challenges, the Dyslexia Family Fun Connection hosted at Groves Learning Organization is a wonderful space where your whole family can feel truly understood, supported, and connected.

Originally inspired and started by a MPS Keewaydin student, this event is designed to bring families together in a welcoming, low-pressure, and fun environment. It’s a great opportunity to share experiences, build community, and remind children that they are never alone on their journey.

Whether you are looking to plug into a broader network of support or just want to enjoy a fun outing with families who "get it," we encourage you to check it out.

Want to learn more or see upcoming event details? Visit the event page: https://www.groveslearning.org/event/dyslexia-family-fun-connection/

When your child doesn't arrive home on time, every second counts. To get the fastest updates regarding missing or late buses, please reach out to the right contacts immediately:

• If it prior to 4:20pm, First Call - School Main Office at 612-668-4670: Someone will be able to answer and support you during this time.
• For after 4:20pm, We Ask That You Call — MPS Transportation (612-668-2300): Contact them directly for real-time tracking and location updates on your child's bus route. Do not drive up to the school, as there are not MPS school staff onsite. Mpls. Kids is onsite, but they do not have access to support transportation issues.
• After-Hours Emergency Text (612-814-3471): This is my work cell phone. Please send me a text me directly if you need urgent support after office hours, and I will respond as quickly as possible.

There is nothing more stressful than not knowing where your child is at the end of the day. We do our best to notify families about delays, and we deeply appreciate your continued patience as we work through busing challenges together.

Please click the Buttons Below for Instructions on "What I can do in the Parent Portall".

Have you wondered about how you can give back, and be part of your child's school experience - even for a small part of their week - Join our Volunteer Team! Here is one way that volunteers really made a difference:

Last year we were informed that we would transition from on-site cooking to pre-packaged meals. However, with the advocacy of our community, the increase in student lunches in the spring, and the conversation with the Culinary leadership team, in June we learned that Keewaydin would remain an on-site cooking site - which was the BEST NEWS ever!

Much of this advocacy came from the cafeteria volunteers to had experienced and saw the impact that these meals had on our students. Their voice and advocacy played such a role in this decision being reversed. This is one reason why, having volunteers in our school make a difference.

Right now, we are looking for Cafeteria Volunteer for Mondays and Thursdays - but we would welcome you ANY day of the week.

Lunch Times are Below:

• 11:00 - 11:30 - 4th Grade
• 11:30 - 12:00 - 5th Grade
• 12:00 - 12:30 - 3rd Grade

• 12:30 - 1:00 - 2nd Grade

Other Volunteer Opportunities:

Reach out to your child's classroom teacher - they are always needing additional support. If you are wondering if there are volunteer opportunities outside of the classroom, please reach out to Ms. Deb, our secretary.

All Volunteers are required to go through the volunteer procedures that MPS requires. Click the button below to find out what that entails.

Any other questions, please reach out to Deb in the front office.

ALL families with children enrolled in Minneapolis Public Schools should complete an Application for Educational Benefits each year.

This used to be called the “Free and Reduced-price Lunch” form.

Even though in the fall of of 2023 Minnesota enacted the Free School Meals for Kids where every student receives one breakfast and one complete lunch at no cost, we still need ALL families to complete the Application for Educational Benefits each year.

Did you know?

Eating school meals helps to support Minneapolis Public Schools and the greater community! The more meals that MPS serves, the better for the district. The same applies to other districts in Minnesota. We encourage all students to participate in the Free Meals Program by eating meals at school!

Applications completed by our families…

1. Generate millions of dollars in funding for MPS and our schools, students and families.

2. Determine benefits for students and families like free bus cards and discounted internet service.

3. The income thresholds are higher than for some programs, so many families are surprised to find they DO qualify for benefits.

If you wish to decline benefits, do so on the paper application, or email info.cws@mpls.k12.mn.us with your student's names.

An eligibility notice letter will arrive via mail or email within 10 business days of completing your application.

Here is the correct link: https://www.schoolcafe.com/minneapolispublicschools and a link to the information on our website: https://www.mpschools.org/departments/cws/schoolcafe

We will have paper copies available at the start of the school year. If you would rather have a paper copy, please reach out to your child's teacher, and they will send one home.

If you need support in completing the form, please reach out to our school secretary or school social worker.

Here at Keewaydin, we have set a goal that 100% of our families complete the Application for Educational Benefits by December 15, 2026.

October

• Tuesday, October 13, 2026 ~ Evening Conferences
• Wednesday, October 14, 2026 ~ No School - Day Conferences
• Thursday, October 15, 2026 ~ No School - MEA
• Friday, October 16, 2026 ~ No School - MEA
• Tuesday/Thursday, October 20 & October 22 - After School Programming Begins!
• Thursday, October 22, 2026 ~ Site Council/PTA Meeting ~ Location LNCS Keewaydin

• Tuesday, November 3, 2026 ~ No School - Election Day, Teacher Professional Development Day
• Monday, November 5, 2026 ~ LifeTouch Picture Re-Take Day
• Saturday, November 7, 2026 ~ LNCS PTA Pancake Breakfast, Scholastic Book Fair, Flu Shot Clinic and Much More
• Thursday, November 12, 2026 ~ Last Day of Quarter 1
• Friday, November 13, 2026 ~ No School - Record Keeping Day
• Monday, November 16, 2026 ~ First Day of Quarter 2