News
- News from the Nest — March 6, 2026 March 6, 2026
- A Warm Welcome to Our New 2026-2027 School Families! March 4, 2026
- News from the Nest — February 27, 2026 February 27, 2026
Posted March 4, 2026
Read this information in Arabic here. (PDF)
यो जानकारी नेपालीमा यहाँ पढ्नुहोस्। (PDF)
Xogtan oo Soomaali ah halkan ka akhri. (PDF)
Lea esta información en español aquí. (PDF)
You Are Receiving This Message Because:
Your student has been accepted at McKinley-Thatcher Elementary for the 2026-2027 school year. Kindergarten through 5th grade families received communication about their acceptance from the Denver Public Schools (DPS) Office of Choice and Enrollment Services. ECE-4 families received communication about their acceptance from the State of Colorado’s Universal Pre-K (UPK) Program. If this is incorrect, or if your plans for next year have changed, please let us know by calling our main office at (720) 424-5600 as soon as possible. Thank you!
We are excited for your family to join us for the 2026-2027 school year.
McKinley-Thatcher is a neighborhood school with over 300 students in ECE-4 through 5th grade. Our students represent our community’s rich cultural background and come from a wide variety of countries and family experiences. We are also proud to be a 2021 National Blue Ribbon School!
Our teachers and staff are committed to offering your child hands-on, individualized learning filled with opportunities for academics, visual arts, technology, physical education, and field trips. At McKinley-Thatcher, we inspire authentic, joyful learners who are ready to explore the world!
We want to make the transition to McKinley-Thatcher as easy as possible for our new students and families. With that in mind, please mark your calendars for some important upcoming dates and events!
Families with incoming students who are new to McKinley-Thatcher are invited to complete our New Student Information Google Form here. Completing this form lets us get to know your child better and helps to guide our school team’s class placement decisions.
Click each headline below to expand its subsection.
Our school hours for all grade levels are 7:30 AM to 2:30 PM. Our main office is open from 7:15 AM to 3:15 PM.
Discovery Link (DL) after-school care is available for students in all grade levels. To register for the 2026-2027 Discovery Link after-school program, visit the DL website here. DL registration will open in April or May 2026.
Bus Transportation: McKinley-Thatcher students who live within our enrollment zone (called the Southwest Central Enrollment Zone) and whose home address is more than one mile away from our school are eligible to ride our school bus.
We strive to create educational experiences that meet each child’s specific needs through differentiated instruction. All our students participate in hands-on learning and unique experiential opportunities. Our building also houses a state-of-the-art Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics (STEM) SmartLab, art studio, library, and flexible learning spaces.
In 1st through 5th grade, we use an instructional model called “platooning” for our core content instruction. In these grades, our teachers specialize in teaching either literacy or math, science, and social studies. This model allows teachers to develop deep expertise in their content areas, create more individualized support for students, and implement more experiential learning opportunities in our classrooms!
Under the platooning model, all 1st through 5th grade students have two grade level classroom teachers – one who teaches literacy and one who teaches math, science, and social studies. Students start their day with their homeroom teacher, then transition mid-day to their afternoon teacher. This ensures that students receive daily instruction in all of our core content areas.
In kindergarten, students are assigned to a homeroom classroom and engage in structured learning activities throughout most of their day. We do not use the platooning model in kindergarten – instead, our kindergartners have one homeroom teacher who is their primary academic instructor for mathematics, literacy, science, and social studies. Kindergarten students also attend daily specials classes which include visual arts, physical education, and technology.
In ECE-4, we use a play-based instructional approach in which our teachers work together to create a curriculum that meets the needs and interests of our unique classes. Children remain in one homeroom classroom and engage in activities of their choice for most of their day, such as working with peers, creating, exploring, investigating, and problem-solving. ECE students also attend daily specials classes which include visual arts, physical education, and technology.
In order to attend ECE-4 at McKinley-Thatcher, ECE-4 students must be placed at our school through their UPK application. Families must also complete a Denver Public Schools SchoolChoice application. If you have not yet completed a SchoolChoice application, please let us know as soon as possible! If you need assistance with either application, contact our main office at (720) 424-5600 or McKinley_Thatcher@dpsk12.org.
We look forward to meeting you as we build the foundation for a fun and successful school year together. Thank you for choosing McKinley-Thatcher!
Sincerely,
Ms. Sonia Geerdes
Principal