News from the Nest — March 22, 2024
Posted March 22, 2024
Destination Imagination Tournament Results!
On Saturday, March 16, four Destination Imagination teams from McKinley-Thatcher performed at the 5280 Destination Imagination tournament! This is a kid-driven, STEAM-based experience in which kids choose a challenge and solve it, with no adult interference.
McKinley-Thatcher had three Rising Stars teams, which is a non-competitive level for 2nd grade and younger:
- Amira’s Hissers (2nd grade): Odin D., Knox K., Everett S., Joseph S.
- Dragon Blazers (1st grade): Adelina A., Talula E.-H., Luke F., Fiona H., Armaan L., Lucy M., Owen S.
- Sea’ers (1st grade): Benjamin H., Quinn J., Camden R., Cuyler R., Penelope S.
Our team of fourth graders really challenged themselves and solved two different challenges this year – both Fine Arts and Service Learning. For their Service Learning challenge, this team created a service project of a mini-carnival to benefit the Denver Dumb Friends League, at which they raised $772.25!
- Screaming Sus Snakes: Olive C., Harper E., Brenden E., Elise F., Louisa N., Freya S., Elliott S.
Our fourth graders won first place in Service Learning and fourth place in Fine Arts, qualifying for the State Tournament for both! Check out their first place trophy in the McKinley-Thatcher trophy case by the art room!
McKinley-Thatcher is proud of all of these creative and collaborative kids!
Share Your School Photos for Our Yearbook!
Do you have photos from school events that we can include in the yearbook? We’d love to include your submissions so we can have the best chance at representing the whole school community!
All parents, guardians, caregivers, students, and staff are invited to please submit photos to our Lifetouch yearbook upload here.
We’re Looking for Photos of…
Events, library, staff appreciation, snow days, Movie Night, Glow Dance, field trips, Field Day, Discovery Link, enrichments, and more!
Some Tips:
- If you already have a Shutterfly account, you might have to log in with that account, or try using a different email address altogether!
- If you get prompted for a passcode for our school, it’s MKT_YEARBOOK-24.
- The Lifetouch link is the preferred way to submit, but if that doesn’t work, feel free to upload your photos via Dropbox here.
Have Questions Or Need Help?
The submission tool is easy to use, but for any questions, reach out to Matt, our yearbook committee volunteer, at matthew.l.safran@gmail.com.
We Need Your Help: Volunteer with Free Book Friday!
Volunteer with our Free Book Friday giveaways to help spread the love of reading to our children! Volunteer shifts are from 2:00pm to 3:00pm on Fridays from now through May.
We Need Volunteers On:
- Friday, April 5
- And several dates in May!
If you’d like to assist, please sign up here!
Requesting Clothing Donations for Our Health Office!
Our school’s health office is in need of donations of gently used clothing, especially sweatpants/joggers with stretchy waistbands.
We’re specifically looking for:
- Boys
- Pants and shorts: sizes 4 to 12
- Shirts (long-sleeve and short-sleeve): sizes 6 to 12
- NEW underwear (boys): sizes 6 to 12
- Girls
- Pants: sizes 4 to 12
- Shirts (short-sleeve): sizes 6 to 8
- NEW underwear (girls): sizes 10 to 12
Other School News
- Mark your calendars: we have NO SCHOOL from Monday, March 25 to Tuesday, April 2! This is our spring break (March 25 to March 29), the observation of César Chavez Day (April 1), and a McKinley staff planning day (April 2). School will resume on Wednesday, April 3.
- Kindergarten-5th Grade Spring Break Reading Bingo: kindergarten through 5th graders are receiving their Spring Break Reading Bingo card in Friday Folders today. Kids can fill in their bingo cards over break, then return them to our main office or to Ms. Goldberg in the library by Tuesday, April 9 for a special prize!
- International Night Potluck Sign-Up: our International Night (formerly called our Cultural Festival) is happening on Thursday, April 18 from 4:30pm to 6:30pm in our cafeteria and gym!
International Night is an opportunity for McKinley families to come together to celebrate the many beautiful cultural heritages that make up our community! Families are invited to bring a dish to our potluck dinner, and we’re hosting a martial arts demonstration and a lion dance performance, too.
Families will need to sign up to bring a dish – please keep an eye out for our food sign-up form coming home the week of April 2, along with more event info! And, remember that culture isn’t just from foreign countries! Bring a dish that is important to your family, no matter where you’re from.
Community News & Resources
- Decolonize your kids’ bookshelf with McKinley parent Mathangi Subramanian!
Would you like to introduce your kids to more diverse books, but aren’t sure where to begin? Learn how to curate a diverse library for your kids, practice researching and choosing titles with a community of like-minded parents, and compile a list of suggested titles you can purchase on-site! Join writer, educator, and McT parent Mathangi Subramanian, Ed.D., at Second Star to the Right Books (1455 S. Pearl Street), from 2:00pm to 4:00pm on Sunday, April 7. There are only ten slots, so if you’re interested, sign up soon!
- Save $50 on summer camps with Camp Galileo: one of our school sponsors, Camp Galileo, is excited to offer $50 savings to McKinley families who register for their summer camps using our special code, MCKINLEY50! Better yet, our school gets a $50 donation from Camp Galileo for every registration using our code. Check out the fundraiser flyer here!
- DPS Discount Days: support the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday, March 30 and have $5 from each ticket donated back to the DPS Foundation when you use this link!
Upcoming School Events
Click here to view the McKinley-Thatcher school calendar.
- Mon., 3/25 – Tues., 4/2 – NO SCHOOL: Spring Break, César Chavez Day, & McKinley staff planning day
- Wed., 4/3 – SCHOOL RESUMES!
- Mon., 4/8 & Tues., 4/9 – PTA April Restaurant Fundraiser: Chook
- Tues., 4/9 – April CSC Meeting, 5:00pm on Google Meet
- Thurs., 4/11 – K, 1st, & 2nd Grade Field Trip: Denver Zoo
Upcoming DPS & Community Events
