News from the Nest — October 29, 2021

Posted October 29, 2021

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Vol. 6, No. 10

You’re Invited: Blue Ribbon Celebration on November 13!

Our students, families, staff, and other community members are invited to join us at our Blue Ribbon Celebration on Saturday, November 13, 2021 from 11:00am to 2:00pm on our playground! We’re hosting our celebration in honor of our 2021 National Blue Ribbon School Award, the community who made it possible, and of Mrs. Lynn Blackledge (fondly known as Mrs. B!) in special recognition of her 29 years of service to our school. 

We’ll have fun, games, food, and more, so please RSVP here!

Read-and-Review Contest in Our Library!

We’re holding a contest in our school library to encourage students to share reviews of books they read with other students throughout the school. To participate, students just read a book, write a thoughtful review on the forms provided in their homeroom, and return the review to the library. At the end of each month, one review will be randomly drawn as a winner! The winner and their entire class will receive a small prize. The more reviews written by students in a class, the better the chances of winning the prize! For readers in kindergarten and first grade, we encourage families to read at home, fill out the review form together, and return it to school. 

For questions or more information, please email our school librarian, Ms. Karyn Pocernich, at Karyn_Pocernich@dpsk12.org. 

Donation Request

Our main office is in need of Clorox wipes, bottled water for students, and tissue boxes! If you’re able to help out by donating any of these items, please stop by the main office to drop them off. Thank you! 

In Other News… 

  • Please click here to see our November 2021 lunch menu.

  • PTA News: save-the-date for our November 16 Restaurant Night with Birdcall and the November PTA meeting, which will be held virtually at 7:00pm, also on Tuesday, November 16.

  • Reminder: families are invited to join DPS for one of the upcoming Healthy Start Times virtual community events to provide feedback, ask questions, and learn more about this initiative! For more information and event links, and to register, please visit HealthyStartTimes.dpsk12.org or call (720) 423-3054.
    • English Meeting: Wednesday, Nov. 3, 6:00pm-7:00pm 
    • Spanish Meeting: Tuesday, Nov. 9, 6:00pm-7:00pm
    • Vietnamese Meeting: Wednesday, Nov. 10, 6:00pm-7:00pm
    • Arabic Meeting: Wednesday, Nov. 17, 6:00pm-7:00pm

  • We are excited to welcome Creede Repertory Theatre back into our building for a production of El Guayabo / The Guava Tree, which tells the story of a boy named Emiliano and his experiences moving from Mexico to Colorado in the 3rd grade. This is a tale of displacement and resilience, of thinking back on the bullies who hurt us and the friends who saved us. An original, bilingual musical, El Guayabo teaches students to be an “upstander” rather than a “bystander” in the face of bullying, while reinforcing the power of friendship. All grades will have a chance to see the performance during school hours on November 1 and November 2!

  • Destination Imagination at McKinley-Thatcher: does your child like solving challenges, working with others, being creative, and striving to reach a goal? If so, Destination Imagination’s STEAM-based (science, tech, engineering, arts, and math) challenges might be a great fit! Destination Imagination prepares kids to be the innovators of the future by combining the arts, sciences, and technology with creativity, teamwork, and problem solving. If your child would like to participate, return the flyer that went home in Friday Folders today or complete the form online at tinyurl.com/MCTDI2021. Contact Allison Gleichman at agleichman@gmail.com  or (303) 229-6011 with questions!

  • Two new community resources for families:
    • The Westwood Opportunity Center (WOC) is now enrolling students in grades 3 through 8 for their fall after-school programming, offered by the Colorado I Have a Dream Foundation! Located at 855 S. Irving St. in Denver, the WOC offers fun and engaging academic, emotional wellness, and college/career readiness sessions for kids and holistic support for families. Check out this flyer for more information and to get registered!

    • The University of Colorado Denver’s Student and Community Counseling Center provides counseling services for DPS children, families, and individual adults at a discounted rate of $10 per session! For more information, see this flyer.

Upcoming Events

Click here to view the McKinley-Thatcher school calendar.

  • Mon., 11/1 — Creede Repertory Theatre in-school performance for 3rd-5th, 9:00am
  • Mon., 11/1 — Creede Repertory Theatre in-school performance for ECE & K, 1:20pm
  • Tues., 11/2 — Creede Repertory Theatre in-school performance for 1st & 2nd, 9:00am
  • Tues., 11/2 — 3rd & 4th grade in-school SPREE “field trip”
  • Mon., 11/8 — Grant Beacon MS visits our 5th graders, 1:40pm
  • Sat., 11/13 — Blue Ribbon Celebration, 11:00am-2:00pm, details here!