News from the Nest — January 26, 2024

Posted January 26, 2024

IT’S TONIGHT: PTA Chili Cook-Off!

We’re so excited – our PTA’s annual Chili Cook-Off IS TONIGHT (Friday, January 26) from 5:30pm to 7:00pm in our cafeteria! All of our community members are invited to join us for food and fun, including $1 entry tickets to participate in our cake walk and other FREE activities. We’ll also have free ice cream samples thanks to Stir-Pan Creamery! Most importantly, we need you to come help our local firefighters judge the best chili! See you there!

If you signed up to bring a chili or to donate a sweet treat for our cake walk, check out our website for a reminder about food guidelines for this event.

Our Biggest Fundraiser Is Coming Up – Here’s How You Can Help!

Our annual auction is coming up soon on Friday, March 1, and our PTA auction committee is collecting bottles of wine for the auction wine pull! We will have an in-person collection drive on the morning of Tuesday, February 13 (just outside of the school grounds). In the meantime, you can coordinate wine donations with Erin at (303) 947-7845 to arrange a porch drop-off on a different day. We will be collecting wine donations until Wednesday, February 21. Thank you for considering!

Get Ready to Shine!

Tickets to this year’s PTA school auction, Shine, are now live! The auction, our largest school fundraiser of the year, is Friday, March 1, 2024 at Moss Denver, with appetizers, drinks, and fun!

Get your tickets today on our auction website!

Share Your Skills, Talents, and Other Auction Items!

Our PTA auction committee is looking for auction items! This is our largest fundraiser of the year, and we need you all to help make it a success! We love highlighting the incredible talents of our community, and would appreciate adding handmade items or sharing a skill. Whatever it is you have to give, we’re so grateful!

Please let us know using this Google form!

We’re happy to take donations until February 9, and request donation items in hand by February 14 so we can get them posted to our auction site.

Announcing Our February Attendance Contest!

If you have over 95% attendance in the month of February, you will be invited to a hot chocolate and movie party!! That means you can only miss ONE day in February for this special reward.

Families, please schedule appointments for after school to maximize your student’s time to learn in class this month. Keep your attendance strong and get ready for some amazing prizes coming up in March, April, and May like Chick-Fil-A gift cards, parties, and more! YOU CAN DO IT!

Help Spread the Love of Reading to Our Students!

We are looking for help with our Free Book Friday giveaways this semester! Most Fridays from February through May, we are planning to hand out books from our donation boxes for FREE to our students after school, and we are looking for volunteers to help run these giveaways! If you’d like to assist, please sign up here!

What Does Volunteering Look Like?

Free Book Friday volunteering involves:

  • Arrive at 2:00pm and check in as a visitor in the main office.  
  • Set up folding tables and preselected books on the playground. 
  • From 2:30pm to 2:50pm, facilitate book giveaways by helping children select books and restocking tables as needed. 
  • At 2:50pm, return leftover books to the boxes. Move boxes and folding tables back inside the building. 

Other School News

  • Save-the-Date for our school Valentine’s Day celebration! On Wednesday, February 14, we’ll be celebrating Valentine’s Day with classroom parties for students only. Keep an eye out for more information coming from your child’s teachers, including ways to donate or volunteer for classroom parties and a list of student names for valentines! Students who don’t observe Valentine’s Day will be able to opt out of the celebration.

    We’re also accepting donations of unopened boxes of valentines in the main office. If you’d like to receive free valentines for your student, please call us at (720) 424-5600!

  • We have a part-time custodial position open in our building! We are currently looking for a part-time custodial worker to join our school facilities team. Position hours are 5:00pm to 9:00pm, Monday through Friday. Candidates must be 18 years of age. If you’re interested in applying for this position, please contact our Facility Manager, Michael Potter, at Michael_Potter@dpsk12.net or (720) 979-8611. Thank you!

Community News & Resources

  • None at this time!

Upcoming School Events

Click here to view the McKinley-Thatcher school calendar.

  • Fri., 1/26 – PTA Chili Cook-Off, 5:30pm-7:00pm, in our cafeteria  
  • Tues., 1/30 – Eagles Basketball Game, 5:00pm, in our gym (enter through the alley door!)
  • Tues., 2/6 – 4th Grade: NAEP testing
  • Weds., 2/7 – Eagles Basketball Game, 4:30pm, in our gym (enter through the alley door!)
  • Thurs., 2/8 – 3rd Grade Field Trip: Hammond’s Candy Factory
  • Fri., 2/9 – 4th & 5th Grade Field Trip: Tattered Cover

Upcoming DPS & Community Events

  • None at this time!