A warm welcome to our new 2024-2025 families!

News from the Nest — September 8, 2023

Posted September 8, 2023

Join Us for Back-to-School Night on Thursday, 9/14!

All McKinley families are invited to join us for our annual Back-to-School Night event on Thursday, September 14 from 4:00pm to 5:30pm! Back-to-School Night is the perfect opportunity to sit down with your child’s teachers to learn more about classroom rituals and routines, curriculum, and school policies. It’s also a great chance to ask questions!

Teachers will offer two identical sessions. Families can attend the one that works best for them, and families with multiple students can attend both!

Please arrive on time for your desired session to avoid disrupting the presentation.

  • Session #1: 4:00pm to 4:40pm
  • Session #2: 4:45pm to 5:25pm

Does Your Family Want Interpretation?

We are happy to provide interpretation services to families who would like them! Please contact our office at (720) 424-5600 or McKinley_Thatcher@dpsk12.org to request interpretation.

Interpretation requests must be received by 4:00pm on Friday, September 8. We will do our best to accommodate requests received after this date, but cannot guarantee services.

We’re Offering Back-to-School Night Childcare!

To support our families, we are offering free childcare during our Back-to-School Night event! Childcare will be provided by school staff in our library for ECE-2nd graders and in our gym for 3rd-5th graders. 

Back-to-School Night Childcare Policies

  • Children must be a McKinley-Thatcher student. 
  • Families must check their children in and out with staff.
  • Food is not provided; plan to eat before you come or after you go home.
  • Students already attending Discovery Link (DL) may stay in DL during Back-to-School Night.

If you have any questions or need more information, please call our main office at (720) 424-5600, email us at McKinley_Thatcher@dpsk12.org, or stop by our front door!

Principal’s Update: September 2023

Please click here to read our September 2023 Principal’s Update, which includes information from Ms. Geerdes about the importance of school attendance, tips for maintaining good attendance, and more! 

Help Us Reach Our 95% Attendance Goal!

Attention McKinley students and families! We are trying hard to reach the new DPS goal of 95% attendance. Did you know that, in order for a student to have 95% attendance, they can only miss 7 days of school in a school year? 

To start our year off with a celebration of attendance, any student who misses 0 or only 1 day of school in September will get to come to a DONUT DANCE PARTY in the cafeteria! We are here to support you in getting to school every day, on time, and we know you can do it!

Please refer to our September 2023 Principal’s Update for detailed information about school attendance policies, including our illness policies. 

In Other News!

  • Mark your calendars: we have NO SCHOOL on Friday, September 22 (DPS professional learning day)!
  • New this year: report student absences online through your Parent Portal! Starting this school year, DPS families can use their computers or smartphones to submit student absences or late arrivals. Guardians of DPS students must have an active Parent Portal account to use this new feature. Visit myportal.dpsk12.org to sign up or to check that your account is active. Directions for using the online absence report feature are available here in English and here in Spanish.

Community News & Resources

  • We all need internet access! The federal government’s Affordable Connectivity Program offers families up to a $30/month discount on your internet (up to $75/month if your household is on qualifying Tribal lands) and a one-time discount of up to $100 for a laptop, tablet or desktop computer! Visit www.affordableconnectivity.gov to see if your household qualifies!

Upcoming School Events

Click here to view the McKinley-Thatcher school calendar.

  • Thurs., 9/14 – Back-to-School Night, 4:00pm-5:30pm (click here for more details!)
  • Wed., 9/20 – ECE ONLY: ECE Health Appraisal Forms DUE!
  • Fri., 9/22 – NO SCHOOL: DPS Planning Day

Upcoming DPS & Community Events

  • None at this time!