McKinley Monthly
December 2017
A Word from Mrs. Hoffmann
Dear Families,
Welcome December--the holiday season is officially upon us! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. I had a full house last week--wonderful times with family, and a nice balance of fun, rest, exercise, and work. It felt just right. It is so important for parents to remember at this hectic time of year that self-care is essential. Schedule in time to fill yourself up, whatever that means to you, so that when times get trickier they can be handled with calmness and ease. This is a wonderful time to get kids thinking and learning about the traditions that bind families and the different ways that people celebrate, in our community and around the world. While I love talking to children about school, I also love hearing about the things they care about outside of school. Their willingness to share about their traditions and the pride with which they do so is delightful.
Another delight of the season is the City of Wauwatosa Tree Lighting Ceremony, which will be at 5:45 tonight, December 1st, at the Little Red Store in the Village, (under the Harmony Bridge, across from where the Farmer’s Market is held). Our students will provide entertainment with standard holiday songs, and fourth grader Claire Denson will be the special guest lighting the tree this year!
Next week Thursday, December 7th, we look forward to the Secret Holiday Workshop after school from 3:20-6:30. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this amazing boutique event, I want to expand, since this is always my favorite shopping day! Over 30 vendors will be in the gym selling their handmade items. Everything is priced below $10 so that students can do their holiday shopping. Green Team members sell recycled art, and orchestra students provide entertainment. The Girl Scout and Brownie Troops will be on hand to help younger students shop and even take them to the gift wrap table, so that parents and siblings can be surprised. There will also be a bake sale, hot chocolate, and raffle table! 100% of the proceeds raised will support a family in need over the holidays. Parents, too, will find many gifts worth giving or even items for yourself! If you haven’t been to this event, this is the year to check it out!
Concerts: SK through 3rd grade students perform their Winter Sing Concert on December 14th; and on December 15th grades 4 and 5, as well as the Orchestra, Band, and Choir will perform. Both concerts begin at 2:00. Please note that because students are at recess and our lunch area is still being cleaned until 12:50 on concert day, we would ask that parents, grandparents, and other family members and friends arrive at or after 1:00 for seating. Bake Sale items will be available for purchase!
Although the weather is still mild, temperatures will be dropping next week. Please remember to send hats, coats, and gloves to school every day. When it snows, children need snow pants, boots, scarves, and gloves or mittens for playground play. Students without proper snow gear stay on the blacktop only during recess, which can be disappointing when there is a fresh pile of snow outside.
Teachers have been busily compiling information and providing comments on student progress this first trimester. Look for report cards on Friday, December 8th. We will not send home Tuesday folders on December 5th—instead they will come home Friday. Along with the report card you will receive a letter from the district explaining the new math benchmarks, your child’s MAP report if you did not receive it at conference time, and our School Report Card, with a letter that explains it. This is a lot of information. If you have questions, please feel free to contact me at any time.
I look forward to seeing you all at the wonderful December events and wish you happiness and peace throughout the holiday season!
Mrs. Hoffmann
Dates to Remember
Please mark these dates and times on your calendar:
** December Dates **
1 - Tosa Tree Lighting
7 - Secret Holiday Workshop
14 - Winter Sing Grades SK-3 at 2 p.m.
15 - Winter Concert Grades 4 & 5 at 2 p.m.
14 & 15 - Bake Sale from 1-4 p.m.
25-Jan 1 - Winter Break
** January Dates **
2 - Classes Resume
(Math Night has been moved to April 10)
11 - PTO Meeting
15 - MLK Day - No Classes
17 - Monday Schedule
17 & 18 - Kindergarten Registration
19 - Family Game Night from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Cold Weather
We go outside every day, unless the weather is extreme. Our district rarely closes, since few students in the district stand outside to wait for buses. District policy is that a “feels like” temperature of five below is the standard for indoor recess; however, we will be reasonable with the call. Negative five degrees and sun with no wind after a week of 20 below can feel like a welcome heat wave; whereas, negative five with biting wind feels terrible for kids having to be out for 20 minutes. Before school we will continue to use the blue dots on the doors to help inform you if we need to be inside.
Giving Tree
Food Services at McKinley
On November 9th, McKinley’s first School Culture Advisory Committee met. As a place to begin, we discussed the school perception survey results from the 2016-2017 school year.
As I mentioned in the July newsletter, overall the survey results were very good, showing a high level of family engagement, a faith in our staff, a feeling that academic and behavioral expectations are set high, and a strong feeling of safety at school. Many of the comments in the survey were specific and helpful, giving suggestions for changes that were implemented this year. For instance, some people thought it was hard being new to the McKinley community, since they didn’t know what the events were (Field day? Cake Walk?) or how to navigate established school traditions (there are two holiday concerts?). This year the PTO began a mentoring program for new families that has helped to address those needs. Concerns about after school care last year were specific, so I was able to provide that input to the district as they considered a new provider. Custodial concerns and questions have helped me to be more specific when working with our custodian, Juan, and our Dan Plautz night crew.
The committee recommended that I conduct a series of information pieces on those items that generated the most concern. This is the first of the series. On the 5 point scale, our lowest score of 3.0 registered on the item, “I am satisfied with the food options provided at lunch.” In discussing food options with the committee, they agreed that parents might not know what is available and the changes implemented by the district’s Food Services this year.
Food Services at McKinley
Each day, lunch program choices include two different hot entrees and a cold option. There is also the cold bar which will have more fruit and vegetable options for students to add to their plates. All offerings comply with USDA regulations for school distribution. Take a look at the infographic to get an idea of what students are offered.
The district contracts with Sodexo for our food services, and Joe Maiorelle is the district General Manager. He is continually looking for more ways to improve service to ensure that students’ options contain healthy, tasty, appealing choices. This year some of the behind the scenes changes include include more seasonal locally-produced organic fruits and vegetables. A new cold option, the Fun on the Run bagged lunch, includes items such as a whole grain bagel, cheese stick, yogurt, fresh fruit. On occasion Chef Paul comes to the cafeteria with his farmer’s cart with items for kids to try or to learn more about, most recently mushrooms!
Mr. Maiorelle also looks for ways to bring healthy choices in with an element of positivity and fun. Recently we had a hot lunch voting day. All students who voted had at least one favorite that they were excited to vote for. As I helped out with the voting I noticed that while pizza dippers, walking tacos, and chicken nuggets generated a fair amount of enthusiasm, there were also students who expressed a passion for the Fun on the Run choices. No student said, “There is nothing that I like.” I suppose those students are bringing cold lunch each day! We will have a smoothie bike coming for a visit soon, so students can see what you can throw into a blender to create a healthy snack or meal.
While it is impossible to please all of the kids all of the time, it helps if families know what is on the menu for the week in case they want to discuss the options ahead of time, so I recommend checking the menu for each month, which is posted online.
Also, sometimes students like some of the items they receive, but don’t care much for others. The adults in the cafeteria wonder about reducing the amount of food that is thrown away each day. One option that we are considering that I would like your input on is a food exchange table for fully wrapped items that come with their lunch. Parents and staff members have sent me links to news articles circulating about schools across the country that have implemented Food Share Table programs: Food Exchange Florida, and Food Share Table Article. I am in contact with other WSD principals and Mr. Maiorelle about this, looking into School Board policy and USDA regulations for these types of programs. Please let me know if you have any input.
Overall, I believe that the hot lunch program provided by the district is much better than what I had available as a child, and the parents at the meeting also agreed that the options they see are better than what they had as children. Keeping in perspective the number of students served by the program and the considerations taken by the Food Services staff, we have a strong program. Please visit the Sodexo Nutrition Solutions Website or their Facebook Page for more information and feel free to contact them via the link on the homepage to offer up more suggestions. They have been a strong partner in feeding our students and working toward establishing healthy eating habits.
Mrs. Hoffmann
McKinley Messengers
Ms. Kumferman’s Korner
News from your school Social Worker
This month, I wanted to share a great resource that families don’t often know about. I do believe that parenting is one of the toughest jobs in the world, and it’s always good to know about resources that provide support for that important role. The Parenting Network is a local, community organization that offers a variety of services and programs, often free of cost and always confidential.
The Parenting Network works to empower anyone in a parenting role - mothers, fathers, grandparents or other relatives raising children, whether stepparents, foster parents, adoptive parents - to provide a safe and nurturing home for their children.
They offer classes for parents and caregivers (often free childcare is provided during these meetings) and also support for individuals and families. They even have confidential phone counseling services about any parenting issue:
Just call them at 414-671-0566. Available M-Th 8:30-5:30, Fri 8:30-5:00. Parents can call 211 (community info line) after hours for assistance and support. Their website is www.parentingnetwork.org
*Also, please check out the free brochure (courtesy of the Parenting Network) that we have right outside the main school office: What Moms and Dads Can Do About Stress.
No Chess Club in December
The Chess Club will NOT be meeting in December.
McKinley Culture Committee
Office Max / Office Depot Gives Back
* * Tosa Cares * *
Tosa Cares is a local, non-profit organization located in Mount Zion Lutheran Church that helps families with food donations and so much more. Here are the dates for the monthly food distributions. You are encouraged to contact Linda Ertel before you come either by email Tosacares@gmail.com or phone 414-861-4725, or you can just show up on one of these dates.
2018 dates:
January 13
March 10
April 28
June 16
Aug 11
Sept 29
Nov 17
Tosa Cares is also always looking for donations of food, or cash. There are 3 permanent donation sites/times which you can find on their website: tosacares.org
Here is a list of the most needed items:
- Cereal
- Nonperishable fruits, vegetables and juices
- Peanut butter and jelly
- Spaghetti sauces and noodles
- Pastas and rice
- Canned protein, such as chicken, tuna and beef stew
- Snacks such as granola bars, crackers, popcorn and cookies
- Packaged dinners, especially those with meat
- Hearty soups
- Toilet paper, diapers, baby wipes, paper towels and tissues
- Personal care items such as shampoo, hand soap, lotion and toothbrushes and tooth paste
- Dish soap and laundry soap
McKinley contact info
Website: http://www.edlinesites.net/pages/McKinley_Elementary_School
Location: 2435 N 89th St, Wauwatosa, WI, United States
Phone: (414)773-1500