A warm welcome to our new 2025-2026 families!

News from the Nest — April 4, 2025

Posted April 4, 2025

PTA’s April Restaurant Fundraiser: Chook on 4/7 & 4/8!

Families are invited to our PTA’s April restaurant fundraiser at Chook’s Pearl Street location (1300 S. Pearl St.) on Monday, April 7 and Tuesday, April 8!

To participate, mention McKinley to your server or enter the code “SCHOOLS20” online on Chook’s website here to have a portion of sales donated to our school!

NEXT FRIDAY: Join Us for International Night!

McKinley-Thatcher’s International Night is ONE WEEK FROM TODAY! Join us on Friday, April 11 from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM for our community potluck & a special dance performance! 

Community Potluck Dinner – 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM 

Bring a dish from your home country or culture to share with our community and wear your favorite ethnic clothes! Our dinner will be hosted in our cafeteria.

Potluck dish check-in & setup begins at 4:30 PM. NO nuts, please! To see other information about bringing a dish, check out the International Night news post on our website here.

Lion Dance Performance – 6:00 PM 

Join us in the gym to enjoy a lion dance performance by the Colorado Asian Culture Heritage Center Dragon & Lion Dance Association. Last year, the lion dance was a huge hit, so make sure you don’t miss it!

Can You Help Out for 30 Minutes?

The International Night committee needs your help! Please sign up for a 30-minute volunteer shift here. We are so grateful for your support!

Get Your Tickets For The McKinley-Thatcher PTA Auction!

The McKinley-Thatcher PTA Auction is almost here, and we can’t wait to celebrate with you on May 9, 2025 at Moss Denver! This is our biggest fundraiser of the year, and your participation makes a huge impact on our school.

SECURE YOUR TICKETS TODAY! Join us for an evening of catered bites, refreshing beverages, and an exciting live auction—all in support of our students and teachers. Get your tickets now on our auction site! 

Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with our school community and help make a difference. We can’t wait to see you there!

Other School News

  • Spring CSC Meeting: our CSC (Collaborative School Committee) is holding their spring meeting  virtually on Tuesday, April 8 from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM on Google Meet at this link. For more information about our CSC, visit our website here.

  • CMAS Testing for 3rd, 4th, & 5th Grade: our 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders will participate in our annual CMAS testing throughout the month of April. For more information about CMAS, please check out the news post on our website here.

  • Mark your calendars: we have NO SCHOOL on Friday, April 18. This is a DPS staff planning day!

  • Volunteer with Our Free Book Friday Giveaways! We are looking for help with our Free Book Friday giveaways on most Fridays from now through May. During Free Book Friday, we hand out books from our donation boxes for FREE to our students after school, and we need volunteers to make this possible! If you’d like to assist, please sign up here.

  • 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, 4/7 & Tuesday, 4/8 – PTA Restaurant Fundraiser @ Chook
  • Tuesday, 4/8 – Kindergarten, 1st, & 2nd Grade Field Trip: Denver Zoo
  • Tuesday, 4/8 – Spring CSC Meeting, 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM on Google Meet
  • Friday, 4/11 – International Night, 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM
  • Tuesday, 4/15 to Wednesday, 4/16 – 5th Grade OVERNIGHT Field Trip: Balarat
  • Friday, 4/18 – NO SCHOOL: DPS Planning Day

Upcoming DPS & Community Events

  • None at this time!