McKinley Monthly
September 2018
The Scoop from Mrs. Hoffmann
Dear Families,
Welcome to the 2018-2019 School Year! To all of our new families, please be sure to sign up for a mentor through the Google Doc in the PTO Newsletter so you have someone to connect with if you have questions about McKinley. To all of our returning families, welcome back and thank you for welcoming in those who are new! We are a strong community and it shows through programs like this. I loved seeing so many of you for our Meet the Teacher events. All parents I spoke with agreed that it was good to have time to hear about expectations for the upcoming year. As always, I loved seeing all of the excitement and joy on the playground both nights.
This September newsletter is chock-full of important and useful information that you might want to reference again later in the year so be sure to bookmark it or keep the email so you will be able to call it up in the future. The PTO Newsletter comes out weekly on Mondays with important opportunities and event information. I want to thank Lindsay Stadler for continuing this amazing form of communication for families and staff making sure you stay informed.
For those of you who are super organized and have already put all of the McKinley events on your personal calendars, please note this change: The costume parade will be October 31st at 1:15 p.m. We had to change from the original date due to a mandatory training event. Because of conferences and days off in October, our options were limited. More reminders of this change will follow. I apologize for any inconvenience this change causes.
On the school end, teachers and staff have been working hard to get ready for Tuesday. Teachers have spent countless hours in their classrooms making sure all is set. I can confidently say: Bring on the children! We have two staff members in the building who were not here last year: Josh Zank, who will teach one section of fourth grade Phy Ed and all three sections of third grade Phy Ed; and, Tori Raddemann, who will teach 5th grade. Both Josh and Tori have taught at McKinley before and are happy to be back. Please welcome them when you see them!
A much-talked about issue is the Wauwatosa School District Facilities Referendum. On September 13th, we will hold a Referendum Information Session specifically for McKinley Families, Staff, and Neighbors in the Multipurpose Room from 6:30-7:00 p.m. before our 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. PTO meeting in the library.
You will find important information on the website, www.wauwatosaschools.org/ref2018.
All Wauwatosa residents will receive a Referendum Fact Sheet in mid-September and a Referendum Newsletter in early October in the mail. Watch your mailbox for these important informational pieces. District informational open house sessions to inform about the referendum in general will be held at McKinley on October 16th, 6:30-8:00 and at Lincoln on October 23rd, 6:30-8:00. Please feel free to pass this information along to your neighbors who do not have children in school. Everyone should feel that they are capable of making an informed decision when casting a vote on November 6th.
Some of you may have been following the news about the Wauwatosa School District receiving Safety Grants and might wonder how McKinley comes into play. We now have shatter-proof film on exterior door windows, and we are implementing a new Standard Response Protocol (SRP) that will include standardized language and a new schedule of drills. So instead of having a fire drill every month with the exception of April (tornado) and January (lock down) our schedule will look like this:
September: Lockdown
October: Fire Drill and Hold Drill (medical emergency)
November: Evacuation Drill (Off Site)
December: Lockdown
January: Fire Drill
February: Fire Drill and Hold Drill (medical emergency)
March: Lock Out (reverse evacuation)
April: Shelter (Tornado Drill)
May: Fire Drill
June: Fire Drill
July: Fire Drill
August: Shelter (Tornado Drill)
Please see the red button below labeled Standard Response Protocol, check out this video, and visit the website http://iloveuguys.org/ for more information. You will also receive hard copies of the SRP parent information with a letter from Dr. Ertl in the near future in Tuesday folders. We are working to be sure everyone is aware of the new procedures and language.
And speaking of safety, please be sure that anyone who is dropping off or picking up your child or children from school views the Safe Routes to School Hug and Go video. Name cards for visors will be in the Tuesday folders for students in SK-2nd grade. Drop off and Pick up for SK-2nd grade will continue to be on 90th Street; 3rd - 5th will continue to be on 89th Street. Remember, before and after school traffic travels one-way clockwise around the school. Please do not double park causing children to walk between cars and do not do a U-Turn after children are in the car. We really want to create the safest possible situation for all.
Parents are invited to stick around for the Flag Raising Ceremony at 8:20-8:30 on the south playground Tuesday morning. Neighbor and retired MPS band teacher Ron Devillers will again play the trumpet for us and we will say the pledge together. I look forward to working with all of you this school year, and I hope you all have a wonderful, safe, long weekend before the official school year start!
Mrs. Hoffmann
Dates to Remember
Please mark these dates on your calendar:
Sep 4 - First Day of School
Sep 13 - Referendum Information Session 6:30-7 p.m.
Sep 13 - PTO Meeting 7-8 p.m.
Sep 27 - McKinley Mile 5:15 p.m.
Oct 2 - Picture Retake day
Oct 10 - Walk to School day
Oct 11 - PTO Meeting 6:30 p.m.
Oct 16 - Facilities Referendum Open House at McKinley 6:30-8 p.m.
Oct 19 - No School
Oct 23 - Facilities Referendum Open House at Lincoln 6:30-8 p.m.
Oct 23-26 - Scholastic Book Fair
Oct 25 & 30 - Conferences
Oct 25 - Change to a Friday Schedule
Oct 26 - No Classes
Oct 31 - Costume Parade 1:15 p.m.
McKinley Staff at the District Opening Day
Mr. Roloff, Mrs. Petri, and Mr. Zank
Safe Routes to School video
Prevention
Dear McKinley Families,
I am writing this letter to you today to ask for your help in preventing the spread of lice. While the spread of lice in elementary schools is a fairly common occurrence—especially at the start of the school year—we want to do all we can to prevent it since it does cause the loss of instructional time and is a major inconvenience for our families. Please help us by regularly checking your child’s head for lice. If you notice your child distracted by itching of the scalp or unusual playing with his or her hair, take a look. Even after an occurrence and treatment, regular checking is needed because nits take 7 – 10 days to hatch. Should you discover your child has lice, please treat the scalp with shampoo designed to kill lice before sending him or her back to school. Please notify Mrs. Uden so that we can take measures to prevent the spread of lice at school. If you don’t know much about lice and the process for checking for them, you can refer to the following website: https://identify.us.com/idmybug/head-lice/head-lice-FAQS/index.html.
The staff at McKinley understands that even though lice don’t normally originate at school, they can be spread very easily at school. In order to make sure we don’t have a major outbreak of lice at McKinley we will take action to prevent the spread of lice by:
- Educating staff members on lice prevention so that they can help educate our students and create a classroom environment with rules and guidelines that prevent the spread of lice (this includes library, art, gym and music).
- Including head lice education within all classrooms so that children understand head lice and what they can do to help prevent the spread of lice.
- Working with the students at lunch & recess to not share hats, not borrow hats/coats from the lost and found, not pile their coats on top of others in winter, and to maintain appropriate personal space.
- Communicating lice prevention efforts with our scouting troops, clubs, recreation department and daycare provider when necessary so that they can take precautions in their programs.
- Sending the child home to be treated when a case of lice is detected at school. We will also screen children that have had lice when they return to school. If a student has a bad case of lice we can check that student on a regular basis so that we can make sure that child is louse free.
The only way to stop lice from spreading is through a combined school and home effort. If you have questions or concerns, please contact me at 773-1510.
Thank you.
Jean Hoffmann
Principal
** Art - Start of Year Letter **
August 2018
Dear Families,
I hope your summer break was filled with rest, fun, and exploration! I am really looking forward to a new year of art adventures and explorations. The potential for so many new possibilities is always exciting to me.
This year in the art room the children will be working on quite a few assignments that could be made even better with your help. Throughout the year, volunteer opportunities are available in several areas. You may have seen the sign up genius in the PTO newsletter, this is a way you can get down and dirty with the actual art making. I also need people to mount finished art, display the finished pieces, and replace the art currently hanging in frames throughout the school. Please let me know if you have time to assist with any of these throughout the school year. The halls always look better when they’re full of student work. Lastly, the 3D printer is ready and at our disposal for creative possibilities. I send a plea to any parent who has any knowledge or expertise in this area and would be willing to assist myself and the students in manifesting the possibilities. Call or send an email if you are able to help in art in any way. leighje@wauwatosa.k12.wi.us or 414-776-1567
Every student artist will need a smock to cover her or his street clothes. So, please send a smock for your daughter or son to wear during art class. We get messy! An old t-shirt or button down works well. Below you will find a list of cleaning tips just in case something should stain your child’s clothing at some point in their visual communication endeavors.
I am always happy for your donations of art supplies, especially those not typically considered art supplies. The students use many items you may think of as trash. Some of these being: Styrofoam trays, plastic containers with lids, plastic or foam egg cartons, cardboard paper towel or toilet paper tubes, small boxes, and a plethora of other reusable containers. These items are always welcome for repurposing in the art room. I am also always looking for items with art making potential. *This year I am specifically looking for Styrofoam of all sorts. If you have blocks or pellets, chunks or sheets of Styrofoam, please send it in!
If you have any other creative ideas, old, new or otherwise that could be cultivated or explored within the art room, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Thank you!
With much anticipation of assisting in the untapping of creative potential~
Jenny Leigh
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Here is a list of possible stain removal tips, just in case…
PAINT (Tempera or Watercolor) and regular MARKER:
Apply laundry spot remover, Fels Naptha or Oxi-Clean
Scrub with a small brush
Wash with cold water and a non-detergent soap such as soap flakes.
Acrylic: Apply Goo Gone following manufacturers directions. (Goo Gone is available at most hardware stores.)
PERMANENT MARKER or INK:
Apply hairspray to area.
Wash as usual in regular detergent.
Repeat if necessary without drying in dryer.
GLUE and PAPIER MACHE:
Soak in warm water
Wash as usual
CLAY: 1. Brush or pick off dried clay.
Wash as usual
STAINED HANDS: Have your child manually wash the dinner dishes!
The stain remover called AWESOME may also be used to get out a stain that seemed impossible to remove. If the above techniques don’t work, give it a try. It is available at The Dollar Store. (Thank you to Mrs. Bonner for this hint.)
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:
Sept 29
Nov 17
Tosa Cares is also always looking for donations of food, or cash. There are three 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