McKinley PTO Newsletter
Where Every Parent Is A Member
May 4, 2020
Presidents' Update
Hello McKinley Families,
This week is National Teacher Appreciation Week and the PTO, along with our wonderful room parents have been planning a variety of ways to express our appreciation for all that the teachers do each and every day for our children.
The teachers and staff will be receiving a card that states "Thank you for helping our kids to think, kick off Teacher Appreciation Week with a drink", they will also receive a gift card to Ray's. Thank you Gina Johnson for designing the card. With the help from the very talented Jenny Leigh, she provided step-by-step instruction to students for portrait drawing, and then invited each child to draw one of their favorite teachers. Thanks to Double Boldt Real Estate for their time and resources, we compiled the portraits into a video that was shared with the teachers. Click HERE to view the video.
Also this week we will be celebrating Bike to School Day 2020 from a distance, see below for daily activities. On Friday, May 8th, please support Yo Mama and McKinley School at the dine out fundraiser.
In this edition of the PTO newsletter look for more information about:
-Shady Lane Greenhouse
-Yo Mama Fundraiser
-New Mentor Program Volunteers Needed
-Safe Routes Bike to School Day: From a Distance
-Curbside Pick Up for Library Books
-Pop Up Food Pantry
Have a great week!
Kayla Merker and Mike Hansen
Support McKinley When You Buy Your Flowers at Shady Lane Greenhouses - Gift Certificates Are Now Available
Now until June 1, Shady Lane Gift Certificates are available for purchase in $10, $25, and $50 increments. The McKinley PTO makes 25% from each gift certificate purchase. Please submit your order here and make your secure payment here. You will be contacted about gift certificate delivery or pickup within two days of placing your order. Gift certificates are valid until July 31, 2020. Thank you for your support!
You can also support the McKinley PTO by shopping at Shady Lane Greenhouse through August 2020. If you mention McKinley Elementary when you check out, Shady Lane will donate 25% of your full-price in-store purchases to the McKinley PTO. Please note that this option does not apply to purchases made with gift certificates.
Questions? Contact Terri Holzen at tmholzen@yahoo.oom or 303-523-5391.
Yo Mama Fundraiser This Friday
This Friday 5.8.2020 is a good opportunity to support a small business, Yo Mama and the McKinley School. Sales from the whole day that mention McKinley will generate 30% back to our school!
Here's how you can participate:
To order, click HERE. While choosing items (including the pint party pack), there is a "special instructions" section where you can write notes. Just write "For McKinley" in the notes section. You can order at any time, there is a 15 minute pickup time for the fastest pickup otherwise you can order at any time for pick up between 2 and 9 pm on May 8th and there is a curbside option (this is strongly recommended and was easy when our family did it last week). As long as McKinley is written in the special instructions it will count.
In the same way, on the website, there is a gift cards and rewards tab on the top right of the page, click on that and that will lead you to the online e gift cards. You can buy yourself or someone else a gift card and they can track it again if in the notes it says "For McKinley". They said they can also do physical gift cards with a handheld that can be brought out when the food is picked up. If the person forgets to mark it on the order, they can tell them at pickup and they can save receipts if necessary.
Thank you for supporting McKinley!
New Family Mentor Program Volunteers Needed
McKinley's New Family Mentor Program connects existing McKinley families with families new to McKinley with the goal of welcoming new families to the school as well as providing a resource for information and questions throughout the school year.
In order to make this program successful, we are in need of veteran McKinley families to volunteer to be mentor families this year. The time commitment is minimal and the impact is lasting. Please consider becoming a Mentor Family by contacting Paige Brown at brownpa@wauwatosa.k12.wi.us
McKinley Safe Routes to School - Bike to School Day 2020: From a Distance
Grab your helmets and lace up your shoes! The week of ideas to celebrate Bike to School Day 2020 from a distance kicks off on Monday, May 4. We will be offering an idea each day to support safety, fun and community connection.
Be sure to look for information in daily emails and follow us on the McKinley PTO Facebook page, as we’ll be posting the “idea of the day” each morning. And remember to post photos on social media using the tag #McKinleySRTS #BiketoSchoolDay to continue the strong sense of community that makes Bike to School Day so powerful.
Here is a preview of next week’s activities:
Monday, May 4
INSPIRE: Decorate your sidewalk, windows or bike with signs of encouragement for your neighbors to bike and walk.
Tuesday, May 5
PREPARE: Conduct a bike safety and helmet fit check. Do you have a bicycle? If so, have you done a basic safety check? Do you have a new bicyclist ready to ride? Look for information on how you can receive a new bike helmet.
Wednesday, May 6
GET OUT THERE: Get out for a walk or ride with your family! Can you take a test ride to your school or around your neighborhood?
Thursday, May 7
SHARE: Do you have some favorite walking or biking routes? Do you have safety concerns with walking or biking around your neighborhood?
Friday, May 8
TALK: Join a Zoom meeting to ask questions with local bike experts and community leaders or hold a five-minute interview with family members about their experience walking or biking.
SEVERAL SURPRISES are in store next week! Stay Tuned!
And Let’s Ride Together, apart!
Curbside Pick Up for Library Books!
Wauwatosa Elementary & Middle School Libraries
are now (sort of) open:
Now offering “Curbside Pick Up” for library books 1 day each week!
Click HERE for more information.
Pop - Up Food Pantry
McKinley Food Pantry Update!
Please keep donating. McKinley keeps getting feedback from members of our community that the food pantry is greatly appreciated and utilized locally. When you pass Sendik’s please pick up a couple of extra items to add to the box on the corner of 90th and Meinecke.
Tosa Community Food Pantry at Mt. Zion church will accept food donations on Saturdays from 10-11. If our volunteers could check the box on Fridays. If there are more than about three bags of food in the box please bring donations to the Tosa community food pantry or any food pantry.
Thank you community.
How Do I Become a Member of the PTO?
You already are! If you are a parent, guardian or teacher at McKinley Elementary School, you are a member of the PTO.
Interested in becoming more involved? The PTO is always looking for help. Volunteer opportunities in areas of marketing, communication, social media coordination, event coordination, website design, merchandising and more! There are volunteer opportunities that fit everyone's schedule - during school hours, after school hours, work from home hours and one time event hours.
Please plan to attend the PTO Meetings at 6:30 p.m. on the followings date:
May 14th
For more information about how you can become involved in PTO efforts, contact Kayla Merker at kaylamerker@gmail.com or Mike Hansen at academymike@gmail.com