McKinley Monthly
August 2021
Dear McKinley Families and Staff,
Well, here we are moving into mid-August, and facing some of the same challenges and uncertainties that we were hit with last year. I do believe that we are better prepared to face whatever comes our way this year, given that we have more knowledge and experience living in these pandemic times.
For those who stayed up and stayed tuned to last night’s school board meeting, we learned that the School Board and our superintendent, Dr. Demond Means, do have the health and safety of all staff and students in their minds and hearts as we move forward into this next school year. I appreciated the fact that the survey generated more that 7000 responses and that two-thirds of the respondents felt that masks were a reasonable mitigation strategy. I understand that the final decision indicates that moving forward we will adhere to recommendations of specific mitigation measures depending on the community, district, and school specific spread that we are faced with at any given time.
Here is the document that lays out our course of action.
I feel comfortable with the decisions made, and feel that, as a staff, we will be prepared to jump in and get started. I ask that you begin to prepare students for returning to school by helping your children get comfortable with masks again, as this will be a part of our protocol when in the building. At recess and when outdoors, students and staff will be able to shed the masks and breathe freely.
As for our big back-to-school event which we hoped would entail tours, a meet the teacher time, and family information sessions, I will be looking at adjusting to be sure we will be able to have something that will be acceptable and easily adjustable whichever level we hit on that date. We have reserved August 31st for the event. I envision at least being able to celebrate outside, weather permitting! We will introduce teachers, have stations for PTO, Registration, Chess Sign Up, Right at School, and Sodexo information, and possibly staggered times for meet the teacher. More details to come as we figure this out!
Most of all, I want you to know that we are getting excited about returning to school with kids five days a week. The furniture and fixtures continue to arrive, and every day something new is happening on the exterior. A new school year is upon us, and I cannot wait to see everyone again.
Enjoy your last precious days of summer! Please reach out to me with any questions that you have in the next few weeks and throughout the year. I am here for you!
Dr. Hoffmann
Upcoming Dates to Know
.
Please note the dates below - they have been updated.
Aug 13 - Teacher Reveal on Infinite Campus
Aug 31 - All-School Back to School Celebration scheduled 4:30-7:30 p.m. more details to come
Sep 1 - SK-5th Grade - First Day of School
Sep 1-3 - JK Jump Start Conferences (teachers will send Signup Genius)
Sep 6 - Labor Day (Schools Closed)
Sep 7 - JK - First Day of School
Sep 9 - PTO Meeting at 6:30 p.m.
Sep 15 - Coffee & Donuts with the Principal - at 8:20 a.m. & 12:30 p.m.
Sep 21 - Picture Day
Sep 30 - McKinley Mile
Your Chance to Work at McKinley!
Welcome to McKinley!
My name is Lynnae Ortiz and I am excited to be joining the wonderful community of educators at McKinley Elementary as an educational assistant this year. My days will be shared with Washington Elementary where I started as a literacy aide in February 2019. I’m thrilled to be re-joining the Wauwatosa School District after spending the last year at home assisting my son learning virtually and caring for our baby daughter.
I’m originally from Michigan and received my BA in Education from Michigan State University. Over the past decade I’ve been privileged to teach Head Start Preschool, first grade, and even sixth grade. I also spent a few fun years with First Stage as an Education Teaching Artist traveling and performing at schools throughout Southeast Wisconsin.
I’m married and have 5 children (2 biological and 3 step-children). In my free time I love spending time with my family, reading, working out, cooking, watching movies, traveling, being outdoors, and singing. I’ve been singing with the Milwaukee Choristers since 2006.
Welcome to McKinley!
Hey McKinley! My name is Victoria (Tori) Durand and I am excited to be joining the team at McKinley as a 5th grade teacher! I grew up in northern Wisconsin in the Hayward area and love to go back home often to visit my parents and younger brother. I went to college at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and made my way to the Milwaukee area during my student teaching internship, working in the Milwaukee Public Schools where I also taught 2nd grade for a year. I was then hired as a 2nd grade teacher in Merton, WI where I have spent the last 5 years teaching both 2nd and 3rd grade. I am also currently working on getting my master’s degree in educational leadership from Carroll University, and looking forward to completing my program this coming May! Some fun facts about me... I’m a lifelong learner and am always finding new ways to grow and expand my knowledge, skillset and outlook on life! I LOVE to travel, anywhere and everywhere! I love to read, anything Brene Brown is amazing, but Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens is one of my all time favorites. I love to be active and workout, I’m an instructor at Barre District New Berlin, teaching barre classes twice a week. I love to travel back home to see my family and to spend time on beautiful Lake Superior. I am going to be an auntie this November!
I am so very excited to be working in the Wauwatosa district and am very eager to start working with the 5th graders, or the “big kids” as my littles would say! I have a passion for making learning fun and building strong relationships with students and families. I can’t wait to get to know all of you and I’m looking forward to connecting with you in the first few weeks of school! Here’s to an amazing school year and getting back to “normal”!
Sincerely,
Tori
Welcome to McKinley!
Herb Kohl Educational Foundation
The 2022 Herb Kohl Educational Foundation awards for students, teachers, and principals are now open for nomination and application. Herb Kohl Teacher Fellowships and Principal Leadership awards are nomination-only awards, while the 2022 Herb Kohl Student Excellence Scholarship award is available for high school seniors who will graduate at the end of the 2021-22 school year.
The nominations and applications are entirely online, and available at www.kohleducation.org. There are no limitations for the number of applicants who can come from any one school (teachers and principals) or high school (students) or school district (all awards) in the state of Wisconsin. There are, however, limitations on the number of packets that can be forwarded from each CESA region to the Statewide Selection Committee for each award. Regional allocations are representative of the number of students who attend school in each CESA. We expect that the competition for awards will be rigorous.
Letters of recommendation are not shared with the applicant, and the requests for a person to submit a letter of recommendation are not sent to the recommenders until after the applicant submits an application. Therefore, schools are strongly advised to support early submissions, to allow time for recommenders to complete their work. A packet with less than the full 3 letters of recommendation will not be scored or advanced to the Statewide Selection Committee.
Other advice and instructions for the 2022 Herb Kohl Educational Foundation Awards can be found on both the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation website and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction website (https://dpi.wi.gov/teacher-year/program/selection-process/kohl-foundation)
Finally, if you have any questions related to student applications, please direct them to Kim Marggraf at (920) 457-1727 or via email at marggraf@excel.net.
Hello Wauwatosa Community
On August 24, 2021, I will be kicking off a Listening Tour to gain insight into the opinions and perspectives of our community members, including staff, students, district- and non-district families. The tour will consist of 15 public community sessions, which will be held at various locations throughout Milwaukee County. Each 90-minute session will include a brief presentation, followed by small-group discussions and time for sharing key takeaways.
I strongly encourage you to attend a session and provide honest feedback. Your input will help enhance our work and allow us to best serve members of our educational community.
Please review this web page and sign up to attend a session that best fits your schedule. You do not need to attend the session held at your neighborhood school..
I look forward to meeting you, learning more about your experiences in the Wauwatosa School District and discussing your opinions.
Sincerely,
Dr. Demond Means, Superintendent
USDA Summer Food Service Program
The Wauwatosa School District is pleased to announce the sponsorship of the Summer Food Service Program. As part of this program, free meals will be made available to children 18 years of age and under. Individuals 18+ years old who are determined by a state or local public educational agency to be mentally or physically disabled and who also participate in a public or private non-profit school program during the regular school year may receive free meals as well. This summer, meals can be picked up at Whitman and Longfellow Middle Schools on Wednesdays from 9 - 11 am. Click here to place meal orders or see the Virtual Learners Lunch Request Form in the Quick Links section of the district website (www.wauwatosaschools.org). Meals are provided to eligible children regardless of race, color, national origin, age, gender or disability and there will be no discrimination in the course of meal service. The district will continue serving the free meals for the remainder of the school year. More information about the Summer Food Service Program can be found here.
Enrollment!
** Current JK students DO NOT need to register for SK.
Family Resources
This is an unprecedented and challenging time for us all. But together, we will get through this. Taking care of your mental health is equally important as your physical health during this time.
Student and Family Assistance Program: District students and their families have access to six free counseling sessions through our Student and Family Assistance Program. They are teleservice at this time. Learn more.
DHS Counseling Hotline: Call 1-800-985-5990 to speak with a trained crisis counselor 24/7 provided through the Department of Health Services.
211 Info Hotline - Dial 211 for information about COVID-19 in Wisconsin
CDC Hotline - Get facts by calling 1-800-CDC-INFO
This is a rapidly changing situation and we will continue to keep you updated as information is shared.
For now, Stay Safer At Home and remember, we’re in this together.
* * Tosa Cares * *
Due to the spread of COVID-19, and social distancing, group distributions have been cancelled for the near future. If you need to schedule or change an appointment call, text or email Linda to leave a message for a drive-thru appointment.
Call: (414) 258-0456 x 410
Call or text: (414) 861-4725
E-mail: tosacares@gmail.com
Visit: https://www.tosacares.org/post/tosa-cares-and-covid-19 for more information.
Office Max / Office Depot Gives Back
McKinley contact info
Website: https://www.wauwatosa.k12.wi.us/McKinley
Location: 2435 N 89th St, Wauwatosa, WI, United States
Phone: (414)773-1500