A warm welcome to our new 2026-2027 families!

News from the Nest — May 15, 2026

Posted May 15, 2026

Mark Your Calendars for the Last Day of School! 

Please note that our ECE students have a different last day of school than kindergarten through 5th graders! 

  • Wednesday, May 27 – ECE ONLY: Last Day of School for ECE (half-day with dismissal after continuation)
  • Friday, May 29 – LAST DAY OF SCHOOL for K-5th Grade (half-day with dismissal at 11:30 AM)
  • Friday, May 29 – Last Day of School Party, 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM on our playground. See more information below!

You’re Invited: PTA’s Annual Last Day of School Party Is Friday, May 29!

All members of the McKinley-Thatcher school community are invited to attend our Parent-Teacher Association’s (PTA) Last Day of School Party on Friday, May 29 from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM on our playground! 

Please note: children may NOT attend the party alone. Please pick your child up at our 11:30 AM dismissal, then accompany them to the party. 

To help us celebrate the end of the school year, we’ll have the following activities (and more!) for families: 

  • Explore Denver Fire Department Truck #16 – 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM. 
  • Enjoy Sweet Cow Ice Cream’s MooMobile ice cream truck.
    • Our PTA is sponsoring a free single scoop + one topping for each student!
  • Enjoy Blackjack pizza, available for $2 per slice (cash or mobile wallet payments). 
  • Find some McKinley-Thatcher staff celebrities in our dunk tank.
  • Check out some great summer resources & organizations that will be on-site:
    • Colorado Parks & Wildlife’s Cherry Creek State Park – hands-on activities & visuals for kids.
    • Denver Public Library Bookmobile – free books, sign up for library cards, and yard games.
    • Denver Parks & Recreation – free swag + information about the MY Denver Card and summer programming.
    • Grant Beacon Middle School (GBMS) – connect with GBMS principal Jillian Watson (12:00 PM to 12:30 PM).
    • WeeCycle – program information, resources for families, and volunteer opportunities for families with young kids this summer. WeeCycle is also running a donation drive for gently used baby gear – click here to see information about accepted donation items!
    • The ZAG Project – a non-profit organization on a mission to promote joy.

Sign Up to Volunteer! 

Our PTA needs volunteers to make this event a success! If you’d like to help out, please sign up to volunteer using this Google form.

Reminder from Nurse Jen: It’s Time for Medication Pick-Up!

It is that time of year again! All student medications must go! If you have any medication for your student at school, please plan on picking it up no later than 12:15 PM on Friday, May 29. To pick up medications, come to the front office and the school nurse will meet you to sign them out. Colorado’s state guidelines state that medications are not permitted to be sent home with your child. Any medication not picked up by 12:15 PM on May 29 will be destroyed per school district policy.

For questions or concerns, please contact our school nurse, Ms. Jennifer Iltis, at (720) 424-5606 or Jennifer_Iltis@dpsk12.net. Thank you!

Free Summer Healthcare for DPS Students & Siblings

Denver Heath’s School-Based Health Centers will continue to see Denver Public Schools (DPS) students and their siblings for free at certain locations during the summer. The health centers offer free medical and dental care, run by Denver Health Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants. For more information, check out their summer flyer here (PDF file).

Other School News

  • Mark your calendars: we have no school on Monday, May 25 in observance of Memorial Day. School resumes on Tuesday, May 26!

  • Help shape next year’s Parent-Teacher Association (PTA)! Our PTA is conducting a short survey here (Google Form) and they want to hear from every family, especially if you’ve never been to a meeting, never volunteered, and / or don’t plan to. Those are the voices we’re missing most, and they’re the ones that will help us change what isn’t working. The survey is anonymous, short (about 5 minutes), and due by Monday, May 18.

  • May 20 Community Meeting: all families are invited to join our principal, Ms. Sonia Geerdes, at 4:30 PM on Wednesday, May 20 for a community meeting to learn about the changes to McKinley-Thatcher’s special education programming beginning in the 2026-2027 school year. Specifically, we will be sharing information about our transition from the Cross-Categorical special education model to a Multi-Intensive Autism classroom, as well as the effect of this change on our Mild / Moderate special education support.

Community News & Resources

  • Denver Public Schools (DPS) Sports Camp: DPS’s Department of Extended Learning & Community Schools (ELCS) is hosting a summer sports camp at Manual High School from Monday, June 8 to Friday, July 24. The camp is available for rising 3rd through 6th grade students (this school year’s 2nd-5th graders). Campers will participate in sport rotations, competitions, and non-sport activities including walking field trips (City Park, Fishing, Inflatables, and more), team challenges, and SEAL activities. 

    For more information, please click here to see the camp flyer. Flexible payment options are available!

Share Your Feedback with Us!

Please let us know how we are doing! Send us a shoutout, an idea you have to help us get better, or a concern that you would like addressed. Responses can be submitted using this Google form. Thank you! 

Upcoming School Events

Click here to view the McKinley-Thatcher school calendar.

  • Tuesday, 5/19 to Wednesday, 5/20 – 5th Grade Overnight Field Trip: Balarat
  • Wednesday, 5/20 – 4th Grade Field Trip: Grant Frontier Park
  • Wednesday, 5/20 – Community Meeting: Special Education Program Updates, 4:30 PM in our library
  • Friday, 5/22 – 3rd-5th Grade Talent Show, 1:00 PM
  • Monday, 5/25 – NO SCHOOL: Memorial Day
  • Tuesday, 5/26 – 4th Grade Walking Field Trip: End-of-Year Picnic @ Wash Park Playground
  • Wednesday, 5/27 – ECE ONLY: Last Day of School (half-day with dismissal after continuation) 
  • Wednesday, 5/27 – ECE Continuation, 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM
  • Wednesday, 5/27 – 5th Grade Continuation, 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM
  • Thursday, 5/28 – Staff vs. 5th Grade Kickball Game
  • Friday, 5/29 – K-5th Grade: LAST DAY OF SCHOOL (half-day with dismissal at 11:30 AM)
  • Friday, 5/29 – K-2nd Grade End-of-Year Awards Assembly, 7:45 AM
  • Friday, 5/29 – 3rd-5th Grade End-of-Year Awards Assembly, 9:30 AM
  • Friday, 5/29 – PTA’s Last Day of School Party, 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM
  • Monday, 6/1 – Main Office CLOSES for summer break, 3:00 PM

Upcoming DPS & Community Events

  • None at this time!