The Kenwood Courier

Spider webs, spider hats, and fun in kindergarten!

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.
  

Kenwood students have enjoyed 4,540 total minutes of learning this fall in the Outdoor Classroom, participating through both their physical education class and activities with their homeroom teachers. Way to go Kenwood Team!

Dear Kenwood Families,

A few brief updates:

• If your family is in need of food, please see the resources immediately following this message. Don't hesitate to call Kenwood at 612-668-2760 if you need assistance.
• If you celebrate, have a safe and fun Halloween! After trick-or-treating, be sure to check your children's treats to make sure everything is safe and appropriate for young people.
• A reminder that Tuesday, November 4 is a no school day for students. It's also Election Day! Don't forget to vote, and bring your child with you to the polls to witness democracy in action.
• Please label your children's winter gear, water bottles, backpacks, and lunch boxes so that misplaced items make their way home. The Lost and Found is filling up!
• Our students are developing excellent routines for practicing reading, writing, and math at school. Instruction, interventions, and enrichment are in full swing. To help all our kids make great growth this year, please read and write with your children at home whenever you can: sharing a book, writing a list or a thank you note, singing the alphabet song, counting to 31 and back down to zero, reciting the multiples of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, etc., looking for words or sums on license plates while running errands are all fun ways to practice together.
• I hope to see you at the first Coffee with the Principal on Friday, Nov. 7 at 9:45 in the lunchroom!

Thank you for being a part of the Kenwood School community. We're grateful to be partnering with you in support of all our students!

Warmly,

Heidi Johnson, Principal at Kenwood

As announced by the USDA, the federal government will not send out November SNAP benefits. We want to ensure Kenwood families are aware of the following food and nutrition resources. Every Meal works to fight hunger in our community by filling the food gaps children face during weekends, summers, and extended breaks. The program provides 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 are interested in receiving an Every Meal bag, please contact the Kenwood Family Liaison, Victoria Johnson [Victoria.Johnson@mpls.k12.mn.us or (612) 668-2760] to enroll or to ask questions.

Here are the current before and after school activities that are open to students who are registered to participate. Scroll down for more details or call the main office for details! 612-668-2760.

• Spanish: Tuesday and Thursday mornings, 8:30-9:20.
• French: Wednesday afternoons, 4:10-5:10, starting Oct. 22
• Chess: Friday mornings, 8:20-9:20
• Girls on the Run: Mondays and Thursdays at 4:10 through mid-November
• Kenwood Daisy Girl Scouts!: Biweekly on Wednesdays after school, 4:05-5:15, Started (10/22), next one is 11/5.
• Math Club: Monday Mornings at 8:20 for registered students in grades 3-5
• ALC: Starts on November 11

Join the Kenwood Daisy Girl Scouts! 🌼
We’re starting a new Daisy Girl Scout troop for 1st grade girls at Kenwood! Meetings will be held Wednesdays after school and will include fun activities, friendship, and community projects. Meetings are biweekly on Wednesdays after school, 4:05-5:15, Started (10/22), next meeting is 11/5.

If your child is interested in joining, please contact Emily Prager at emily.o.prager@gmail.com or 630-362-0500.

Parents/Caregivers are invited to have coffee with Principal Heidi Johnson on Friday, Nov. 7, from 9:45 - 10:30 a.m. in the lunchroom. No RSVP needed. These open discussions cover updates, questions, ideas... anything that's on your mind related to the Kenwood community. We hope to see you there.

Our school will be participating in vision screening on November 7th.

Phillips Eye Institute’s Early Youth Eyecare (E.Y.E.) Community Initiative, part of Allina Health, will be at school to provide student vision screenings at school in the upcoming weeks for students in K, 1, 3 and 5. This screening helps to identify issues with a student’s vision but is not a full eye exam. If you have a student in one of these grades, please see the notice that was sent home with your student.

Feel free to reach out to Kenwood School Nurse, Traci Cruikshank at traci.cruikshank@mpls.k12.mn.us if you have questions.

This Tuesday was Picture Day! If you are excited to see your students school pictures they are ready to view.

Visit mylifetouch.com to log in or create an account, find your student and order using your student's student ID number (if available at your school).

All families can also log on and order a FREE Digital SmileSafe card.

More about the Smilesafe program here.

Retakes Thursday, Dec. 4th

Did you know that Kenwood has a yearbook club? If you are a 4th or 5th grader you can join this after school program on Thursdays (4:05-5:30), 11/13 - 1/29 & help create your school’s yearbook. Please fill out the ALC sign up sheet that went home earlier this week.

Have you been to the new coffee shop & retail experience that celebrates Asian American & Asian Culture? Well now is your chance to check it out while supporting Kenwood School. Moona Moono has invited us to do a Kenwood Shop & Social on November 15th from 6-8 pm. Stop in for a drink, pick up a holiday gift or just socialize with others from the Kenwood Community. 10% of the proceeds from the event will benefit Kenwood.

Please keep your student home if:

• They have had a fever of 100.0 and above, in the past 24 hours. Keep your student home from school until 24 hours after the fever is gone, WITHOUT the use of fever-reducing medicine.

• They have vomited 2 or more times in the previous 24 hours.
• They have diarrhea and/or they are not feeling well and need to use the bathroom frequently.
• They have a rash of unknown cause. Please contact their healthcare provider before sending them to school.
• They have an illness that prevents them from participating in routine activities.

Please notify the Kenwood Attendance Line DAILY to report absences due to illness: 612-668-2766

Thank you for helping us keep our school community healthy and strong!

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

If you requested MPS transportation, bus stop details are now available in the My Ride K-12 app.

Get the My Ride app!

My Ride K-12 is the new GPS app that lets you:

• View your student’s bus in real time
• Get notifications
• Access bus stop details

Need transportation this year but didn’t request it yet?

• Complete a Save Your Seat form in the My Ride app, or Contact your child’s school directly to set up transportation
• Families will be notified once their students are assigned to buses.

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.

Volunteers needed! Please click here (with the link below embedded) to see all the upcoming volunteer opportunities with the PTA at school. Many hands make light work - give as much or as little time as you can. We will add any new events and signups to this link throughout the year, so you can always check back and see what is needed if you have time to spare.

We are still looking for caregivers to help in the lunch room. Unlike in years past, you don't have to sign up for a consistent rotation. Have an upcoming day off work? Stop in for an hour block during your student's lunch and help keep lunch running smoothly.

https://signup.com/go/iVKZheN

Are you looking for a small volunteer job at school? The PTA distributes a "library" of winter gear to each classroom for kids to use as needed. We could use help with the initial distribution, fulfilling occasional requests from teachers, and collection/cleaning/storing in spring. Contact Amy Sanborn at amysanborn18@gmail.com or 612-868-8664 if you would like to help.

Are you interested in a low-stress way to get involved in the Kenwood community? The following classes are in need of a Room Rep: Ms. Maupin (1).

We are looking for Room Reps- a caregiver from each classroom who serves as the connection between the PTA, teacher, and classroom community. The time commitment is about 1 hour/month (with many opportunities for extra engagement if you'd like!) and involves sending emails to the classroom community alerting them of upcoming activities, recruiting volunteers for class events, and organizing staff appreciation efforts.

If you'd like to volunteer or have questions, please contact Emily Prager (emily.o.prager@gmail.com, 630-362-0500).

As a fall fundraising event, Kenwood PTA has reserved a block

of discounted tickets for the Saturday, November 15 at 1 p.m.
performance of A Christmas Carol at the Guthrie Theater.
For every adult ticket purchased at $40, Kenwood Elementary School will
receive $14.50. Youth tickets (ages 5–17) are $25.50 each. To purchase tickets,
complete this request form and submit payment to Elizabeth Deacon by Wednesday,
November 12. Cash, check or Venmo (@EDeaconMpls) accepted.
To learn more about this beloved Twin Cities tradition celebrating 51 years this
season, visit guthrietheater.org/carol.
NOTE: Everyone must have a ticket and children under 5 are not admitted.

Minnesota Institute for Talented Youth (MITY) is now accepting applications for its fall session. Advanced learners in grades 1 - 5 take two unique classes each Saturday with peers from around the Twin Cities area who share their interests. Parents are invited to attend free speakers while students are in class. Go here to learn more.

Two great Opportunities for students who love math:

• Saturday Morning Math enrichment program for 5th - 7th graders
• Talented Youth Mathematics Program (UMTYMP)

Do you need help with rent, utilities, or a security deposit? Funding is available to support families who are experiencing financial hardship and need assistance maintaining stable housing.

If you are in need of support, please reach out to:

Ciara Graham, Stable Homes Stable Schools Site-based Lead
📧 ciara.graham@mpls.k12.mn.us

Let us help ensure your family has the housing stability it needs.

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