News from the Nest — September 11, 2026

Posted September 11, 2026

Back-to-School Night: Thursday, September 17 (Next Week!)

Please join us for our annual Back-to-School Night event on Thursday, September 17 from 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM! Back-to-School Night is an opportunity to sit down with your child’s teachers to learn more about classroom rituals and routines, curriculum, and school policies. It’s also a great chance to ask questions!

Teachers will offer two identical presentation sessions. Families can attend the one that works best for them, and families with multiple students can attend both! Please arrive on time for your desired session to avoid disrupting the presentation.

  • Session #1: 4:00pm to 4:40pm
  • Session #2: 4:45pm to 5:25pm

Does Your Family Want Interpretation?

We are happy to provide interpretation services to families who would like them! Please contact Mrs. Erin Thiagarajah on ClassDojo or via email at Erin_Thiagarajah@dpsk12.net to request interpretation.

We’re Offering Back-to-School Night Childcare!

To support our families, we are offering free childcare during our Back-to-School Night event! Childcare will be provided by school staff in our library for ECE through 5th grade students. 

Back-to-School Night Childcare Policies

  • Children must be a McKinley-Thatcher student. 
  • Families must check their children in and out with staff.
  • Food is not provided; plan to eat before you come or after you go home.
  • Students already attending Discovery Link (DL) may stay in DL during Back-to-School Night.

Nomination for Cognitive Testing for Gifted and Talented Identification

If you are interested in nominating your McKinley-Thatcher student for cognitive testing for potential gifted and talented identification, please complete the 2026 Fall Gifted and Talented (GT) Cognitive Testing Nomination Form before Friday, October 2.  

Please note: all students in 1st and 5th grade automatically participate in GT cognitive testing as part of the Denver Public Schools Universal Screening process. If your student is in 1st or 5th grade, you do not need to nominate them as they are already scheduled to complete testing this month.

If you have any questions about cognitive testing, gifted and talented identification, or programming available at McKinley-Thatcher, please reach out to our Gifted and Talented teacher, Stephanie Thielen, at Stephanie_Thielen@dpsk12.net.

School News

  • Mark your calendars: we have no school on Monday, September 28. This is a district-wide staff professional development day. School resumes on Tuesday, September 29. 

Upcoming School Events

  • Thursday, September 17 – Back-to-School Night, 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM
  • Tuesday, September 22 – 3rd Grade Field Trip: Hammond’s Candies
  • Thursday, September 24 – 1st Grade Field Trip: Commons Park
  • Friday, September 25 – Monthly School Value Assembly 
  • Monday, September 28 – NO SCHOOL: District Staff Planning Day

Click here to view the McKinley-Thatcher school calendar.

PTA News

  • Thinking of the ski season? Save the date for October 5-12 when we’ll have our fundraiser with Denver Ski Co (just around the corner from school) for a discount on season ski rentals with a percentage going back to our school! We’ll share more details as it gets closer.
  • Want to start a morning Bike Bus for McT kids to bike to school? Apply for a $500 micro-grant to help get started! You can use the grant to cover your expenses for things like stop signs, high viz vests, traffic cones, sandwich boards to promote it, tuneups and tire pressure checks, and more. Let the PTA know if you’re up for it so we can help spread the word, and here is the link with more information. 
  • Sending a reminder for a few important deadlines coming up next week, Friday 9/18:
    • Submit your contact information for our School Directory! We’d love to get everyone to fill out this form to make the directory as complete as possible. Click here to start.

    • Fill out the School Meal Benefits Application to help McKinley-Thatcher’s eligibility for more funding! We’ve outlined what to do along with the link to get started on our website here.

Upcoming PTA Events

Community News 

  • None this week!

Upcoming Community Events

  • None this week!

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!