News from the Nest — January 13, 2023

Posted January 13, 2023

Vol. 7, No. 18

IMPORTANT:
Families with Students Going into ECE, Kindergarten, & 6th Grade, Please Complete a SchoolChoice Application for Next School Year!

Families with students who are entering ECE, kindergarten, or 6th grade NEXT school year (2023-2024), please plan to complete a SchoolChoice application during Round One of the 2023-2024 SchoolChoice Application Window! Round One of SchoolChoice runs from today (Friday, January 13) to Tuesday, February 14. Families with students entering ECE, kindergarten, or 6th grade should complete a SchoolChoice application for their transitioning students by 4:00pm on February 14. For more information, visit the SchoolChoice website or call us at (720) 424-5600. 

Families of current K-4th grade students do not need to complete a SchoolChoice application in order to return to McKinley-Thatcher next school year. 

Families with incoming ECE students: please note that there are important changes to the ECE SchoolChoice process this year! Keep reading below for full details. 

NEW Universal Pre-K Application for ECE Families!

The SchoolChoice process for ECE families will be much different this year due to the new Universal Preschool (UPK) program that is opening across our state for the 2023-2024 school year. The UPK program, signed into law by Governor Polis in 2022, gives families access to 15 hours/week of FREE, state-funded preschool for all children in ECE-4 (and 10 hours/week to eligible ECE-3 students). 

To access UPK funding and to apply for a spot in ECE-4 at DPS, families with incoming ECE-4 students must complete both a DPS SchoolChoice application and the UPK application on the State of Colorado website at the same time. Families are asked to apply as early in the application window as possible to best navigate the new process. 

  1. Step #1: complete a DPS SchoolChoice application.
    Apply on the DPS SchoolChoice website during Round One (Jan. 13 to Feb. 14). You will not select schools here –  instead, you will list the schools you’re interested in on your UPK application. 
  2. Step #2: complete a UPK application as soon as you’ve completed your SchoolChoice application.
    Apply on the UPK website between Jan. 17 and Feb. 15 to select the schools you’d like to apply to. 

Remember, ECE-4 families MUST complete
BOTH a DPS SchoolChoice application AND a UPK application together!

If you have questions or need help with SchoolChoice, please contact our office at (720) 424-5600 or McKinley_Thatcher@dpsk12.org. Thank you! 

RSVP for Our January 27 Chili Cook-Off!

Please RSVP for our PTA’s annual Chili Cook-Off! We are also looking for families to bring chilis, donate to our cake walk, and volunteer to help out with setup and takedown!

  • Who: All members of the McKinley community!
  • What: PTA’s Annual Chili Cook-Off
  • Where: Our school cafeteria
  • When: Friday, January 27, 2023; 5:30pm-7:00pm
  • Why: Enjoy food & fun ($1 cake walk entries & other free activities) + enter your chili to win a prize!

Please RSVP!

RSVP using this form!

Sign Up to Bring A Chili, Donate to Our Cake Walk, Or Volunteer!

Sign up to bring a chili, donate a cake to our cake walk, or help with setup/takedown using this SignUpGenius!

For full event details, including our chili guidelines & info on donating to our cake walk, visit our website.

In Other News!

Upcoming School Events

Click here to view the McKinley-Thatcher school calendar.

  • Mon., 1/16 – NO SCHOOL: MLK, Jr. Day
  • Tues., 1/17 – NO SCHOOL: Staff Work Day
  • Weds., 1/18 – FIRST DAY: Mad Science & Sticky Fingers enrichments, 2:30pm-3:0pm
  • Mon., 1/23 – FIRST DAY: Creative Dance, Little Vet School, & Movement Madness enrichments, 2:30pm-3:30pm
  • Tues., 1/24 – PTA Restaurant Day Fundraiser @ Park Burger (more details coming soon!)
  • Tues., 1/24 – FIRST DAY: Spanish, Chess Wizards, & Yoga Stars enrichments, 2:30pm-3:30pm
  • Tues., 1/24 – CSC Meeting (online via Google Meet), 5:00pm-6:00pm
  • Fri., 1/27 – Monthly School Value assembly, 7:45am-8:15am in our cafeteria
  • Fri., 1/27 – PTA Chili Cook-Off, 5:30pm-7:00pm in our cafeteria

Upcoming DPS & Community Events