Principal’s Update — September 24, 2021

Posted September 24, 2021

Dear McKinley-Thatcher families —

Congratulations to the McKinley-Thatcher Elementary School community!  Our school has just been named a recipient of the 2021 National Blue Ribbon School Award!  This is an incredible honor, and one of the most prestigious awards given to schools in the United States. 

McKinley-Thatcher is one of two schools in the state of Colorado that has been identified as an Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing School, and we are being recognized for our success in narrowing achievement gaps for our students of color.  We attribute this incredible growth to holding tightly to our Mission and Vision, to our unique professional development program for our teachers, and to our AMAZING STUDENTS AND FAMILIES!  

We are so proud of what our students have accomplished and how they are living proof that demographics (like the color of your skin or how much money your family makes) shouldn’t predict what people are capable of.  We look forward to a future of breaking through more barriers and seeing everything that our students achieve!  

We are eager to host a HUGE celebration for our community later this school year!  Look for more details coming soon, and, in the meantime, check us out in the news at Chalkbeat and the Denver Post.

As we celebrate this achievement, we know we couldn’t do it without the support of our families and community.  Please consider ways that you can get more involved with our school, especially through our Parent/Teacher Association (PTA) and our Collaborative School Committee (CSC). The first CSC meeting of the year is coming up on Tuesday, October 19.  We’ll be meeting virtually on the third Tuesday of each month, from 5:00pm to 6:00pm from October through May.  We would love to have your voice and your perspective included to guide our school decision-making, particularly our decisions about our school budget and staffing.  Please consider joining our CSC; we need you there! 

Thank you again to all our students, staff, and families who make McT such an amazing place! 

Mrs. Sonia Geerdes (Principal) and Mrs. Courtney Waring (Principal Resident)