News from the Nest — January 31, 2025

Posted January 31, 2025

We Need YOU to Sign Up for the Chili, Soup, & Stew Cook-Off!

We are in need of chili, soup, and stew dishes for our February 7 Cook-Off event, as well as dessert donations for our cake walk! Help us make this event great for our kids, and win a prize for your dish! 

  • Who: All members of the McKinley community!
  • What: PTA’s Annual Chili, Soup, & Stew Cook-Off
  • Where: Our school cafeteria
  • When: Friday, February 7, 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
  • Why: Food & fun ($1 cake walk entries & other free activities) + enter your chili, soup, or stew to win a prize!

Please RSVP or Sign Up to Help Out!

RSVP online using our Google form or by calling our main office at (720) 424-5600!

Sign up to bring a chili / soup / stew, donate a cake to our cake walk, or help with clean-up using our SignUpGenius or by returning the paper form in your child’s January 24 Friday Folder to the main office.

To see guidelines for bringing a chili / soup / stew or donating a cake, please visit our website here.

What Is A “Cook-Off” Event?

Our Cook-Off is a community event where school families prepare their favorite soup, stew, or chili at home, then bring it to school for other families to sample. Event attendees taste each soup, stew, and chili and then vote on their favorite one. Participation in the Cook-Off is optional – you don’t need to participate if you don’t want to!

I Have Questions or Need More Information!

Call our Cook-Off coordinator, Ms. Mona Manzanares, at (720) 518-5458 or email her at Ramona_Manzanares@dpsk12.net.

Do You Use Our Playground After School?

Families are welcome and invited to use the McT playground before and after school hours! We’d like to share a few reminders about playground usage and safety.

  • Families and visitors are not allowed on the playground during the school day unless they are attending a school event and have checked in with our main office. 
  • All users of the playground are asked to follow the same rules and expectations that McKinley-Thatcher Eagles are held to during the school day (see below!).  
  • The parent/guardian supervising the child is responsible for the student’s behavior and actions while on McT property.   

Playground Rules

  • Keep yourself and others safe.
  • Be a good sport, be a good friend, be a good teammate.
  • Be kind and considerate. 
  • Use all playground equipment as intended. 
  • Stay in the boundaries (stay out of the bushes!).

Playing Football After School

We are aware that students are playing tackle football after school. Please know that this is NOT allowed according to DPS policy – any family allowing their child to play tackle football will be asked to leave the playground. 

Here are our McT rules for football:

  • No tackling; touch football only.  
  • Anyone who wants to play may play.
  • 2 pass rushers only. Must count 5 seconds before crossing line of scrimmage.
  • New quarterback each series until no one else wants a turn at quarterback.
  • Non-contact. No stiff arms. No blocking.

Join PTA for Their February Meeting Next Week!

Join our PTA on Friday, February 7 at 7:30 a.m. in our library for their monthly meeting! If you’re attending the meeting, please enter through the main door and sign in as a visitor in our lobby. Coffee is provided – please bring your own cup!

Want to know what’s on the agenda, or can’t make it to the meeting? All PTA agendas and minutes are available through our website here — scroll down to the “Meetings & Minutes” heading!

If you’d like to sign up for our PTA newsletter, find volunteer opportunities, or provide your feedback, please complete this form.

REMINDER: SchoolChoice Round 1 Is Currently OPEN!

Round 1 of the 2025-2026 SchoolChoice application window opened on Wednesday, January 15 and runs through Tuesday, February 18. For more information about the SchoolChoice process, including an explanation of the Universal Pre-K application (required for incoming ECE-4 students), please visit our website.

Do I Need To Complete A Choice Application For My Student? 

Please refer to the table below to determine if you need to submit a 2025-2026 SchoolChoice application for your student.

I have an incoming ECE-4 student.Yes, you must complete a SchoolChoice application and aUniversal Pre-K (UPK) application (due Monday, February 3) for this student. See the UPK section below for more information.
I have an incoming kindergarten student.Yes, you must complete a SchoolChoice application for this student.
I have a kindergarten – 4th grade student currently enrolled at McKinley.No, current McKinley students in kindergarten through 4th grade do not need to complete a SchoolChoice application. These students are guaranteed a spot at McKinley until they graduate.
I have a 5th grade student currently enrolled at McKinley.You are strongly encouraged to complete a SchoolChoice application for 6th grade.
I have a kindergarten – 4th grade student at a different school but I would like them to attend McKinley next year.Yes, you must complete a SchoolChoice application for this student.

McKinley-Thatcher Elementary Yearbook – We Need Your Help!

Do you have photos from school events that we can include in the yearbook? We’d love to include your photo submissions so we have the best chance at representing the whole school community! We’re looking for pictures of specials, library time, staff appreciation, snow days, field trips, Movie Night, Glow Dance, International Night, and more!

Parents, guardians, caregivers, students, staff please submit photos here! 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-25.

The Lifetouch link above is the preferred way to submit, but, if that doesn’t work, feel free to upload your photos via Dropbox here!

The submission tool is easy to use, but, for any questions, please reach out to Matt, one of our volunteer yearbook coordinators, at matthew.l.safran@gmail.com. Thank you!

Other School News

  • February 2025 lunch menu: in case you missed it, here’s our February 2025 lunch menu in English. We’ll share translated versions as soon as they’re available!

  • Save-the-date: we will be celebrating Valentine’s Day at school on the morning of Thursday, February 13. Keep an eye out for more details coming from your child’s teachers!

    If you prefer that your student not participate in our Valentine’s Day celebration, you may complete the opt-out form that will be coming home next Friday – both in our newsletter and in Friday Folders.

  • Mark your calendars: we have NO SCHOOL on Friday, February 14 (DPS staff planning day) and Monday, February 17 (Presidents’ Day holiday).

  • We need picture book donations for Free Book Friday! We invite you to donate children’s picture books that are in good condition, with clean pages and intact covers, to our Free Book Friday giveaway program. Please note that we are specifically looking for picture books and are not accepting chapter books at this time. Our grey donation bin will be located just outside the main office during regular school hours.

    Donating your gently used picture books helps provide new reading opportunities for our children while giving these beloved stories a second life. Thank you for supporting our reading community!

    If you have questions or need more information about making a donation, please contact our school librarian, Ms. Karen Goldberg, at MaryKaren_Goldberg@dpsk12.net.
  • Help Our PTA Stock the Lounge! Our PTA’s Wellness Committee is asking for your help to stock the McKinley staff lounge with goodies. The Wellness Committee created an Amazon wish list here that has all of our staff’s favorite foods. Please take a look and make a purchase if you are able to. The items will be set up in the staff lounge as they arrive! Thank you!

Community News & Resources

  • None at this time!

Upcoming School Events

Click here to view the McKinley-Thatcher school calendar.

  • Monday, 2/3 – UPK Application Window CLOSES
    Families with incoming ECE-4 students next school year MUST complete their UPK application by 2/3! See more information here!
  • Monday, 2/3 – 4th Grade Field Trip: Denver Museum of Nature & Science
  • Friday, 2/7 – February PTA Meeting, 7:30 a.m. in our library
  • Friday, 2/7 – 4th Grade Field Trip: Tattered Cover Book Store
  • Friday, 2/7PTA Chili, Soup, & Stew Cook-Off, 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in our cafeteria 
  • Thursday, 2/13 – Valentine’s Day celebration (more info coming next week!)
  • Friday, 2/14NO SCHOOL: DPS Staff Planning Day
  • Monday, 2/17NO SCHOOL: Presidents’ Day
  • Tuesday, 2/18 SchoolChoice Round 1 CLOSES

Upcoming DPS & Community Events

  • None at this time!