FEBRUARY
10 PTA Monthly Meeting at 7pm -Kennedy Media Center
17 No School
21 PTA Sponsored Book Bingo: 6:15-7:30PM
26 Elementary Evening Conferences
27 Elementary Evening Conferences
28 No School Elementary Morning Conferences

MARCH
10 PTA Monthly Meeting at 7pm - Kennedy Media Center
17-21 No School: Spring Break
27 PTA Sponsored STEAM Night 5:30-7:30PM

School Hours
8:30 am: Buses begin to drop students off, classrooms are open, and breakfast is served. *Students may not enter the building before this time*
8:50 am: School begins
3:25 pm: Dismissal for all students

Franklin F, Caitlyn M, Alec K, Shelby S, Kirra S, Taylor S

Beginning Semester 2 (January 22, 2025), parents/guardians are able to submit full day absence requests directly through their Infinite Campus Parent Portal account. This can be used to inform the school attendance office in advance when your child is not going to be in school. This may be done using a computer or the Campus Parent Portal app on your mobile device. The portal absence request process is only available for full day absence requests. Absence requests for late arrivals or leave early requests must still be done by contacting the school attendance office. You also still have the option of calling the attendance office to report full day absences if you prefer. If you do not have a parent portal account, please contact your child's school to request one. More information including step by step instructions for how to submit an absence request directly through your portal account can be found on our website.

Link: HERE

If you wish to provide specific input in regards to your student's 2025-2026 classroom assignment, you may pick up a Class Placement Form in the Main Office. Please have these forms returned by Friday, April 11th.

In January, Carpenter's Nature Center came to school! The students learned about the Animals of The Mississippi.

Elementary Conferences are scheduled for the evenings of February 26 and February 27th, as well as the morning of February 28th. Click the button below to sign up for a 20-minute conference time with your student's teacher.

Change of Address or Daycare

If your address or daycare changes during the school year, and this requires a change in transportation, please complete this form and turn it into the office. We will work with the bus company to make the necessary changes. It is very difficult for the bus company to make brief or sudden changes in routes. Call 651-480-7220 if you should need assistance.

Ready For Recess?

It is important for students to get outside for some physical activity every day. They are provided with a 20-minute daily recess.  We expect everyone to come to school dressed for the weather. 

Our school will have indoor recess on days when the weather is not suitable for outside play:

• If the temperature with wind chill is below -11°.

• Some schools may choose to have a 10-minute outside recess for temperatures around -11°.  Outside supervisors will make this decision in cooperation with the office.

• Students with health plans on file in the health office may have special considerations that will be followed.

During the winter months, your child needs to wear a coat, mittens/gloves, snow pants and boots since the children will go outside for recess unless the wind chill temperature is below -11°. Once it snows, children who do not have boots or snow pants will need to stay on the blacktop area. Please contact our School Social Worker, MacKenzie Condon, at 651-480-7260 or mcondon@isd200.org if you need any assistance with winter gear.

This month, our schoolwide theme is friendship skills. In our morning announcements and school assembly, we’ll be reminding students to invite others to play, play in fair ways, take responsibility for mistakes by making amends, and how to handle name-calling assertively. These skills help students make and keep friends.

Second Step lessons specifically teach these friendship skills. You will be receiving Home Links describing why friendship skills are important and including fun activities to do with your child to help him or her learn and practice the skills.

Emergency School Closings

In case of inclement weather, activities will be shared with families in the students’ take-home folders, as well as being posted on the school's webpage. Students with an Individualized Education Plan will follow lessons provided by their classroom teacher and/or lessons modified by their case manager. Please return completed work to school or submit it through Seesaw as directed by your teacher. The due dates for e-Learning day assignments will typically be due the next day.

*Please note, the first inclement weather day will not have e-learning expectations in place.

Link to the district e-Learning Day Plans

This year we are conducting routine vision and hearing screenings for Kindergarten, 2nd, and 4th grade students. If you want to opt your child out of this health screening, contact the health office (651-480-7224 or by email to kmeier@isd200.org) by November 4th. Screenings will be completed during the school day in November. You will be notified (phone call and email) if your child has any concerns with vision or hearing after the screenings are completed.

Illness and Keeping Your Child Home

A student should not come to school (and may be sent home from school) if they have or have had:

• a fever of 100 degrees F or more in the past 24 hours

• vomiting or diarrhea in the past 24 hours

• an undiagnosed skin rash

Reporting Absences

If your student will not be at school, please call and report the reason for their absence at 651-480-7220. If your student is ill, please report their symptoms and/or any diagnosed communicable condition like chicken pox, strep throat, cough and fever, influenza, or pink eye. It is recommended that you follow the MDH and CDC exclusion guidelines for communicable diseases.

Immunizations
In order to attend school, students must show that they're in compliance with Minnesota School Immunization Requirements (see the Minnesota Department of Health Link below for more Information). Hastings School's immunization policy states that students who are not up to date on their immunizations will not be allowed to start school until they provide the school with documentation that they have received the required immunizations.
Parents/guardians may check their student's immunization status by logging on to the parent portal in Infinite Campus. To see the immunization records, click on the HEALTH tab. If your student's immunization status says "current for grade" in ALL immunizations required by law, then the student is up to date and ready for the start of school. If your student is not current, they will need to get the required immunizations to attend the first day of school. Yearly physicals with their healthcare provider are strongly encouraged for students to have optimal health.

Parents/guardians may choose to decline immunizations for their students by filing a legal exemption with the school. Student Immunization Form

If you have further questions, please reach out to Kim Meier, our building nurse. kmeier@isd200.org or 651-480-7224

The district has adopted a wellness policy. We are still celebrating student birthdays: however, we are not doing so with birthday treats. Healthy or non-food items are encouraged.

Early Pick Up & Dismissal Changes

In order to minimize interruptions to the classroom, students should not be picked up early unless it is an emergency. On those occasions when it is necessary to pick your child up during the school day, please go to the school office, with your ID, to sign your child out. If someone other than the parent/guardian is picking up, the office must be notified in advance and their ID also is required. The office personnel will contact your child’s teacher to dismiss them and meet you in the office.

When there is a change to your child’s normal dismissal plan, please contact the Main Office at 651-480-7220 by 2:30 pm if possible.

Teachers will not release students unless the office gives prior approval. This practice has been established to help protect your child.

Your child's safety is of prime importance to us. There are a few procedure guidelines that help us maintain a secured building and limit the number of distractions to our classrooms. Our building is designed to have a single entry point during the school day. Please keep the following in mind:

• Always check in at the office whenever you are at school.

• We have a secure entrance, please ring the doorbell and state your reason for visiting.

• When delivering things for your child (ex. snow gear), please drop them off at the office. We will deliver articles or call your child down to the office.

Bring Your ID

Please bring your driver's license with you when you are checking out your student, volunteering, or visiting for lunch.

Attendance

Throughout the year, there may be times that your child may be sick, need to go to medical appointments, etc. If your child is absent or will be late, please call the attendance line by 8:50 am at 651-480-7220.

Being on time to school is very important. If you are late to school, please check your student in at the main office.

Parents of students with special needs are invited to join Hastings' Special Education Staff in discussing how to support one another and providing input on district programming. Please mark your calendars for the Special Education Advisory Council (SEAC) 2024-2025 meeting dates!

• February 24th - time and location to be announced

• April 2025 - All Dakota County SEAC - Date, time, and location TBD

For more information about SEAC or if you are interested in becoming a member, please contact Jill Petersen at 651-480-7008 or jpetersen@isd200.org

Community Education Recreational Opportunities

TO REGISTER: Call 651-480-7670 or register online at www.HastingsCommunityEd.com

Hastings Public Schools

The Hastings School District consists of approximately 4,300 students. Please click on the links below to email the building principal or site leader. We've also included the phone numbers to the main offices of each of our district's sites:

• Tilden Community Center 651-480-7670

• Kennedy Elementary (K-4) 651-480-7221

• McAuliffe Elementary (K-4) 651-480-7390

• Pinecrest Elementary (K-4) 651-480-7280

• Hastings Middle School(5-8) 651-480-7060

• Hastings High School (9-12) 651-480-7470

• Hastings Alternative Learning Center 651-480-7690

*If you need any assistance in translating this newsletter, contact us at kgorr@isd200.org.

Website: www.hastings.k12.mn.us
Location: 1000 11th Street West, Hastings, MN, USA
Phone: 651-480-7000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hastingspublicschools