School Registration

2023-2024 School Year

School Registration Window: August 7 to August 13

If you missed our School Registration window,
please call us at (720) 424-5600 so we can work with
your family to register before the first day of school.

Students are not able to attend school until they have been registered.

Welcome to McKinley-Thatcher Elementary School’s Online Registration for the 2023-2024 school year! Please read the following information carefully and complete all registration tasks to ensure that your family has a smooth start to the year.

If you need help with registration, please call our main office at (720) 424-5600 or
email us at McKinley_Thatcher@dpsk12.org!

Para obtener ayuda con el registro en otro idioma, llame a nuestra oficina al (720) 424-5600
o pase por nuestro edificio. ¡Nos complace proporcionarle un intérprete!

For assistance with registration in another language, please call our office at (720) 424-5600
or stop by our building. We are happy to provide an interpreter!


Returning Families & Families Who’ve Been Accepted Through SchoolChoice

Please complete each registration step below. Our front office staff are here to assist you in any way, so please call us at (720) 424-5600 if you have questions or need in-person help!

Neighborhood Families Without a SchoolChoice Application

If you live in our school’s neighborhood boundary zone but did not complete a SchoolChoice application, please call us at (720) 424-5600 so that we may help you begin the enrollment process.

If you aren’t sure whether you live in our boundary zone, please refer to the SchoolFinder tool.

Families Who’ve Been Accepted Through the Universal Preschool Program

To access UPK funding for 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

If you have matched with McKinley-Thatcher through your UPK application but have not yet completed a SchoolChoice application, please do so ASAP. Families may complete the SchoolChoice application here.


Families Who Have Already Completed DPS Online Registration through Parent Portal

If you have completed your DPS Online Registration through Parent Portal already, thank you! However, please note that you must ALSO complete the additional steps below.

STEP 1: DPS ONLINE REGISTRATION & IMMUNIZATION RECORDS

Using a Parent Portal account, families will verify that the information in their students’ school records is correct. If you completed this step earlier in the summer, you do not need to do it again. If you can’t remember if you’ve already completed this step, please call us at (720) 424-5600.

What to Do

To begin your Online Registration, log into Parent Portal here, click on “See All Apps,” then click on “Online Registration.”

The online registration process gives families the opportunity to verify or update their student’s household and other information.

If your child’s immunization record has changed since last school year, or if your child is new to McKinley-Thatcher, please upload their immunization record or exemption.

In order to submit your student’s online registration, please be sure to click both the red “SUBMIT” button and the smaller “Confirm” button (see screenshot below!). Families will receive an email notification that your online registration has been completed.

Need to Know

  • Online registration is not mobile-friendly. Please use a computer or call us if you need to borrow a Chromebook or receive a paper form.
  • Only parents/guardians listed as members of your student’s primary household in their school record can complete online registration.
  • To create a Parent Portal account, use this guide. To create your account, you must use the email address associated with your name on your student’s school record. Please call us at (720) 424-5600 if you’re unsure which email address we have listed.
  • If you’ve created a Parent Portal account and need to recover your username, click here. To recover your Parent Portal password, click here.
  • if you are unable to upload your child’s immunization record during Online Registration, you may email it to us at McKinley_Thatcher@dpsk12.org.

I Need Help

STEP 2: YOU BENEFIT! APPLICATION + SCHOOL MEAL INFORMATION

Complete the 2023-2024 You Benefit! form to help our school access all available federal funds to cover the cost of meals and other nutritional programs for students. All household income information provided through this form is strictly confidential and protected by law. Only one form is required for all children in the household. Immigration, migrant, citizenship or refugee status is not required when completing the form.

NEW THIS YEAR: Healthy School Meals for All!

All students in DPS have access to free healthy, nutritious school meals this school year thanks to the Healthy School Meals for All program approved by Colorado voters! While meals will be provided for free to all DPS students through Healthy School Meals for All, families still need to complete the You Benefit! application form to ensure DPS gets full access to available federal funding for our school.

What to Do

To complete the You Benefit! application, visit www.myschoolapps.com and follow the instructions on the website. You will need your student’s DPS ID number and, if you have one, your SNAP number to complete this application. Please call our office at (720) 424-5600 or use the DPS ID Retrieval Tool to find your student’s ID number.

Need to Know

  • Starting in August 2023, breakfast and lunch meals will be provided at no cost to all students.
  • Families can see monthly school meal menus using SchoolCafé.

I Need Help

  • For questions about the You Benefit! form, please contact the DPS Food & Nutrition Services department by calling (720) 423-5600 or emailing foodservices@dpsk12.org 
STEP 3: SCHOOL FEES PAYMENT FOR SUPPLIES & FIELD TRIPS

McKinley-Thatcher asks that each kindergarten through 5th grade student pay a $50 supply fee and a $25 field trip fee during registration. ECE students are asked to pay a $50 supply fee. Teachers use this money to buy supplies to distribute to all students and to pay for field trips throughout the year.

What to Do

Families may pay their school fees through our online payment website, MySchoolBucks.com. Log into MySchoolBucks.com using your Parent Portal username and password or access the site by clicking the MySchoolBucks link in Parent Portal.

Families in need of financial assistance to pay their school fee or to purchase backpacks and school clothes may complete this Google form to request help.

Need to Know

  • McKinley-Thatcher does not have school supply lists for students; instead, school fees are used to provide supplies for all students.
  • You may make a financial donation to our school through MySchoolBucks to help cover fees for other school families and/or you may make a financial donation to our PTA here to help purchase Target and Walmart gift cards for families who need assistance with backpacks, clothes, and other school supplies.
  • You may also pay your school fees using cash or card in our main office. Please call us at (720) 424-5600 to arrange this.

I Need Help

STEP 4: REVIEW MCKINLEY SCHOOL INFORMATION

What to Do

Please review our school-specific registration information below.

NEW THIS YEAR: Half Day Schedule for August 21, 22, & 23!

New for the 2023-2024 school year, McKinley-Thatcher’s first three days of school are HALF DAYS for assessment purposes! This means that all students in kindergarten through 5th grade will have an assessment meeting with their teacher on the afternoon of August 21, 22, or 23.

ECE students will also follow a half day schedule, but will not have assessment appointments.

For students who ride our school bus, the bus will pick up at 11:30am on August 21, 22, and 23.

First Week of School Schedule
  • Mon., 8/21 — K-5th Grade: FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL + Half Day
    • Class hours: 7:30am-11:30am. Students will eat lunch before dismissal.
    • ECE ONLY: ECE students have no school on Monday, 8/21.
  • Tues., 8/22 — ALL GRADES: Half Day / ECE: FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
    • Class hours: 7:30am-11:30am. Students will eat lunch before dismissal.
    • ECE ONLY: The first day of school for ECE students is Tuesday, 8/22.
  • Weds., 8/23 — ALL GRADES: Half Day
    • Class hours: 7:30am-11:30am. Students will eat lunch before dismissal.
  • Thurs., 8/24 — ALL GRADES: Full Day Classes Begin!
    • Class hours: 7:30am-2:30pm
Discovery Link Half Day Programming for August 21, 22, & 23

Our Discovery Link (DL) program will offer half-day care from 11:30am to 6:00pm for registered ECE through 5th grade students on Monday, August 21, Tuesday, August 22, and Wednesday, August 23. Discovery Link programming takes place in our cafeteria. 

Discovery Link does not offer drop-in care, so families must register on the Discovery Link website and add the half days to their child’s schedule in advance.

ECE families: Discovery Link is not offering morning care on Monday, August 21, but your ECE student may attend the DL program from 11:30am to 6:00pm on this day. If you’d like your ECE student to attend, please bring them to the front door of our building at 11:30am.

K-5th Grade Students: Assessment Sign-Up

All students in kindergarten through 5th grade will also have an assessment meeting with their teacher on the afternoon of August 21, 22, or 23. We’ll send out a sign-up form soon for assessment appointments. 

General Back-to-School Information

  • School hours for students: 7:30am to 2:30pm
  • Office hours: 7:15am to 3:30pm
  • Mark your calendars for our upcoming August events!
    • Attend our Open House on Thursday, August 17 from 4:00pm to 5:30pm. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet your teachers, say hello to other families, and tour classrooms.
    • K-5th grade families: join us for our First Day Celebration, 7:15am to 7:30am on Monday, August 21!
  • Review, save, or print the 2023-2024 McKinley-Thatcher School Year Calendar.
    • Please note that we have four NO SCHOOL days specific to our school on:
      • Friday, September 1, 2023
      • Tuesday, January 16, 2024
      • Friday, March 8, 2024
      • Tuesday, April 2, 2024
  • Review our Family & Student Handbook for information on all things McKinley-Thatcher!
  • For questions about DPS school bus transportation, or to see if your child is eligible to ride our school bus, visit the DPS Transportation Department website.

OPTIONAL for New Students: Complete Our “New Student Information” Form

Help us get to know your new McKinley student by completing our New Student Information form here.

OPTIONAL: Walk Home / Public Transit Permission Form

if your student will be walking or taking public transit home from school unaccompanied, please complete our “Walk Home / Public Transit” permission form here. Students will not be allowed to walk or take RTD home without a completed form.

OPTIONAL: Discovery Link After-School Care

Visit the Discovery Link website to learn about and register for our after-school care program for ECE-4 through 5th grade students. After-school care runs daily from 2:30pm to 6:00pm. For assistance, contact Discovery Link directly at (720) 423-1781 or discovery_link@dpsk12.org.

OPTIONAL: Sign Up for PTA News & Updates

Sign up here to receive news and information from our Parent/Teacher Association (PTA) and visit PTA’s page on our school website to learn more about the many ways they support our school.

FOR ECE FAMILIES ONLY: STEP 5: ECE-SPECIFIC FORMS & INFORMATION

ECE-4 families are required by the Colorado Department of Education to complete additional registration forms before they can begin school. If you do not have an ECE student, please skip this step!

NEW THIS YEAR: SchoolChoice AND UPK Applications Required for ECE Students

To access UPK funding for 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

If you have matched with McKinley-Thatcher through your UPK application but have not yet completed a SchoolChoice application, please do so as soon as possible. Families may complete the SchoolChoice application here.

What to Do

ECE-Specific Registration Forms

  • Please click here to download the ECE-specific registration forms. To receive our ECE forms in another language, please call our office at (720) 424-5600.
    • You may use the Adobe Acrobat PDF program to view and complete the forms on your computer. Adobe Acrobat may be downloaded for free here.
    • IMPORTANT: to successfully complete these forms, please download them to your computer and complete them using Adobe Acrobat, then save them to your desktop using a different file name. This helps make sure your information isn’t lost when emailing your completed forms!
    • Completed forms may be emailed to our office at McKinley_Thatcher@dpsk12.org.
  • Families may also choose to:
    • Download and print the forms, complete them by hand at home, and submit them to our office in-person.
    • Pick up a paper packet from our office and submit completed forms in-person.

ECE-Specific Welcome Information (previously shared in May 2023)

  • ECE First Week of School Schedule
    • Tuesday, August 22 First Day of School: first day of school for ECE students.
    • Tuesday, August 22 & Wednesday, August 23 — Half Day Schedule
      • Class hours: 7:30am-11:30am. Students will eat lunch before dismissal.
    • Thursday, August 24 — Full Day Classes Begin!
      • Class hours: 7:30am-2:30pm
  • Please click here to read our welcome letter for ECE families. This letter includes a welcome video presentation by our principal, skills to practice with your incoming ECE student, and other helpful links for new families!
  • If you did not do so already, help us get to know your new ECE student by completing our New Student Information form here.

Need to Know

  • The following ECE forms are included in the packet (see above or click here to download) and MUST be submitted BEFORE your ECE student can attend class on the first day of school (Tuesday, August 22).
    • Parent/Guardian Information & Permissions (pages 4-6)
    • Parent/Guardian Acknowledgements (pages 7-8)
    • Immunization records (received from your child’s doctor)
  • The “Child’s Statement of Health Status for Enrollment” form (page 9) MUST be submitted within 30 days of the first day of school. Health forms for McKinley ECE students are due by Wednesday, September 20. Students will not be able to attend class after this date without a completed health form on file.
    • Health forms MUST be signed by your child’s doctor, so please plan ahead!
  • The DPS ECE program is tuition-based. Families can estimate their monthly tuition payment by using this tuition chart.

I Need Help

  • For help completing or submitting your ECE registration forms, please call our main office at (720) 424-5600.