McKinley PTO Newsletter
Where Every Parent Is A Member
August 16, 2021
President's Update
17 Days Until the First Day of School!!!!
Hello, for those of you that don't know me, my name is Kayla Merker, and this is my third year as PTO President. I look forward to serving in this capacity for another year and hope to be able to continue the enjoyable, fun and educational PTO sponsored events of the past and add a few new ones. In order to be successful we need your help as volunteers. Every Monday the PTO newsletter will be emailed. Within the newsletter you will be made aware of important dates, upcoming events, and volunteer opportunities. Also, follow the McKinley Elementary School PTO on Facebook.Together we can make this one of the best school years for McKinley Staff and Teachers and for our children.
I am very excited to introduce the 2021/2022 PTO Board:
Vice President - Wendy Von Rueden
Treasurer - Aaron Knapp
Recording Secretary - Katie Petitt
VP of Committees - Mike Hansen
Member at Large - Carie Hertzberg
Member at Large - Erica Zipp
Community Outreach Chair - Monica Deluhery
Principal - Jean Hoffmann
In this edition of the PTO newsletter look for more information about:
- PTO Board Member Bios
- Room Parent Volunteer Sign Up
- Spirit Wear Sale
- Playground/Lunch Supervisor Position
Enjoy the last weeks of summer break!
Important Dates to Remember
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 - Colectivo Dine Out
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 8 - Last Day for Spirit Wear Orders
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
President - Kayla Merker
My husband Chris and I have two daughters, Sophia (3rd grade) and Grace (1st grade). I enjoy running, biking, hiking, skiing, paddle boarding, gardening and traveling. Previously, I was a director of marketing for an insurance technology company.
The teachers, staff, students, parents, and volunteers of McKinley make it a very special place. From the quality of the education to sense of community and the general caring attitude toward our children.
Vice President - Wendy Von Rueden
Hello McKinley! I am Wendy Von Rueden, Vice President on the PTO Executive Board. This is my third year being involved with the PTO and I am excited for another great year. I have 3 children - Deacon (8) 3rd grade, Xander (6) 1st grade and Addison (3). We have been in the Tosa community for almost 10 years now and love everything about it, and especially feel lucky that we are part of this great McKinley community - supportive, fun-loving families, teachers and staff! If I'm not busy running around, being active with the kids or watching them play sports you can find me baking, cooking, and spending much loved time with family and friends.
I love being a part of the school activities and supporting McKinley in any way I can...here's to a great 2021-2022 school year!
Treasurer - Aaron Knapp
Hi, my name is Aaron Knapp and I have been PTO Treasurer for the last year. I have two children Owen who is in 5th grade and Chloe (3 who is looking forward to starting McKinley in a year). I enjoy being in a neighborhood and community where my children can walk to and from school. I enjoy the summer and going to breweries and traveling. My family and I enjoy going to Brewer games!
Recording Secretary - Katie Petitt
Hello! My name is Katie Petitt. I wear many hats at McKinley: PTO Recording Secretary, SK Teacher and mom to a 5th grader. My husband, Kris, and I have two daughters: Rory (13) and Brina (10). We enjoy camping, movie nights, and spending time with family. You also might see us walking our dog, Flick, around Tosa. I am lucky to experience McKinley from both the teacher perspective, and as a parent. Our school has an incredibly hard-working and dedicated staff, and a community of families ready to lend support whenever it’s needed. McKinley is a wonderful place!
VP of Committees - Mike Hansen
My name is Mike Hansen. I have 3rd and 1st grade boys (Dash and Beckham). I love to run, I love the Cubs and I love to travel. McKinley rocks because the teachers and staff are the best.
Member at Large - Carie Hertzberg
My name is Carie Hertzberg and I'm happy to be serving on the board for another year but in a new role as a member at large! My husband, Aaron, and I have two kids: Sam is in 1st grade and Jane is in 5th grade. We moved to the Pasadena neighborhood/Wauwatosa 5 years ago from Rhode Island and absolutely love the community, access to the city and the many fun activities in the area. Fun fact: I have lived (for at least one year or more) in 6 different states in my adult life! Beyond being active at McKinley, I work at Marquette University as Director of the Burke Scholarship and like to run, camp, travel and visit our families in Racine and Denmark (WI!). Can't wait to create a great McKinley community in our new school!
Member at Large - Erica Zipp
I'm Erica Zipp and I've been living in the Wauwatosa community for nearly 11 years. My husband, Erik, and I have three students at McKinley - Mallory is in fifth grade, Gunnar in third and Bode in first. We love McKinley and I spend a lot of my time at school too. In addition to volunteering in the classrooms and serving as a room parent, I also began substitute teaching last year. PTO is a new role for me and I'm excited to help support our teachers and school community.
Community Outreach - Monica Deluhery
Hi! My name is Monica Deluhery and I'll be filling the newly formed role of Community Outreach Chair. Some quick intel on me - I'm First Generation Filipino-American. I'm a former Air Force brat and have lived in 8 different states, but plan on Wauwatosa being our forever home. My husband grew up in Madison so that's what initially brought us back to Wisconsin. I have 2 kiddos, Maleah and Miles. Maleah just graduated from McKinley last school year and will be starting Whitman this Fall and Miles will be starting 5th grade at McKinley. As this is a new position to the PTO I'm open to hearing any and all ideas of ways to reach out to the Wauwatosa and metro-Milwaukee communities. Looking forward to a great school year!
Principal - Dr. Jean Hoffmann
I am Jean Hoffmann, McKinley’s principal. I have spent my professional career in the Wauwatosa School District, with the first 19 years at Wauwatosa East--16 years as an English teacher and 3 years as associate principal. Both of my children are Tosa East grads and are now grown and out of the house. My son lives in Brooklyn and my daughter lives in Austin--two great places to visit! My husband and I live in Wauwatosa, not too far from school, so you may see me walking or biking to work on occasion.
As you can imagine, a big part of the summer work this year is getting ready to continue our educational excellence in our brand new building! I am thrilled to welcome students who have not been able to come to their home school due to accessibility issues, and I look forward to seeing our students and teachers adjust to the wonderful modern learning spaces. The overwhelming support of McKinley families is something that makes our school great, so find an area that fits to be involved. I look forward to working with all of you this school year!
Classroom Parent Volunteer Sign Up
If you are interested in being a classroom parent volunteer for the 2021-22 school year, click HERE.
Any questions or want to learn more about being a classroom parent volunteer, reach out to Summer Perez.
New McKinley Spirit Wear
T-shirt sizes begin at 3T and go to 3XL. The spirit wear sale will end on September 8th, this will allow for your order to arrive before the McKinley Mile and the schools spirit days.
To place your order and view the designs of the t-shirts, click on Order!
Your Chance to Work at McKinley!
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:
September 9th
October 14th
January 13th
March 10th
May 12th
For more information about how you can become involved in PTO efforts, contact Kayla Merker at kaylamerker@gmail.com or 414.399.3319.