News from the Nest — September 29, 2023

Posted September 29, 2023

Celebrate National Walk / Roll to School Day on 10/4 with Our Celebrity Crossing Guard!

We are celebrating National Walk / Roll to School Day on Wednesday, October 4 with a special celebrity guest crossing guard, drag artist Dixie Krystals, stationed at the Logan & Louisiana intersection!

Walk, ride your bike, use your wheelchair, scooter, skateboard, or ride RTD on October 4 to receive a raffle ticket to win a restaurant gift card for your family! Raffle tickets will be handed out by our celebrity crossing guard. 

If you need to drive to school, please park one or more blocks away from the school and come through the main crosswalk to receive your raffle ticket. Our goal is to have everyone use human-powered transportation on this day!

Want to Connect with Other Families to Drive, Walk, or Bike to School Together?

Many schools participate in the free Schoolpool program offered by the Denver Regional Council of Governments. Using Schoolpool’s free mapping tool, you can connect with other nearby families to drive, walk, or bike to school together. Families contact one another to make their arrangements and use their own vehicles for carpooling (Schoolpool is not a shuttle or Uber-type service). 

If you’re interested in learning more, visit the Schoolpool website here!

Family / Teacher Conferences Are the Week of October 9!

We are hosting our annual Family / Teacher conferences after school during the week of October 9! Teachers have shared a digital conference sign-up link with their families. Please use this link to sign up for a conference with your child’s teacher!

Does Your Family Want Interpretation During Your Conference?

Please let us know by telling your child’s teacher, calling our office at (720) 424-5600, or emailing us at McKinley_Thatcher@dpsk12.org.

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, complete the form at tinyurl.com/DIMCT23. Also, every team will need a team manager – if your child wants to sign up, please consider volunteering as their team’s leader.

Want to learn more about DI? Watch this video! 

Contact Allison Gleichman at agleichman@gmail.com or (303) 229-6011 with questions!

In Other News!

  • Mark your calendars: we have NO SCHOOL on Thursday, October 12, Friday, October 13, or Monday, October 16 (DPS October break)! School resumes on Tuesday, October 17.

  • Save-the-date: our first Collaborative School Committee (CSC) meeting of the year is happening on Tuesday, October 17 from 5:00pm to 6:30pm virtually on Google Meet! Our CSC is a group that includes all of our school stakeholders (educators, families, and community members) and serves as a leadership body for our school. CSC meetings are always open to the public, so anyone can participate at any time! For more information about our CSC, please visit our school website!

Community News & Resources

  • None at this time!

Upcoming School Events

Click here to view the McKinley-Thatcher school calendar.

  • Wed., 10/4 – Celebrity Crossing Guard Celebration for National Walk / Roll to School Day, 7:00am-7:30am
  • Thurs., 10/5 – 2nd Grade: NGAT Assessment (more info available from your teachers!)
  • Thurs., 10/5 – 3rd Grade SPREE Field Trip: Confluence Park
  • Fri., 10/6 – 2nd Grade: NGAT Assessment (more info available from your teachers!)
  • Mon., 10/9 – Thurs., 10/12 – Family / Teacher Conferences (sign up with your teacher!)
  • Thurs., 10/12 – NO SCHOOL: DPS Planning Day
  • Fri., 10/13 – NO SCHOOL: DPS October Break
  • Mon., 10/16 – NO SCHOOL: DPS Planning Day

Upcoming DPS & Community Events

  • None at this time!