McKinley PTO Newsletter
Where Every Parent Is A Member
July 2017
President's Update
I hope that everyone is having a fantastic summer break!
In this issue of the PTO newsletter you will find information about our New Family Mentor Program, Spirit Ware Campaign, Classroom Parent Volunteer Sign Up and Destination Imagination.
As always, feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the upcoming school year.
Thank you!
PTO Dates to Remember
Make sure to put the following dates on your calendar!
- August 17th 9 a.m.- 5:30 p.m. - Forms & Fees Packet Pick Up & Class List Posting
- August 22nd 1 - 5 p.m. - Forms & Fees Drop Off & Photos (in the Gym)
- August 28th 5 - 6 p.m. - JK Meet The Teacher (Junior Kindergarten Only)
- August 29th 5:45 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. - SK - 5th Grade Meet The Teacher
- August 29th 6:30 - 7 p.m. & 7- 7:30 p.m. - Parent Information Night Sessions
- August 29th 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. - Popsicle Social (North Playground)
- September 1st - First Day of School
- September 4th - Labor Day (No Classes)
- September 7th 6:30 - 7 p.m. - Mechanics of McKinley Presentation
- September 7th 7 - 8 p.m. - First PTO Meeting of the 2017-18 School Year
- September 8th - Spirit Ware Order Forms Due
- September 28th - McKinley Mile
New Family Mentor Program
Interested in volunteering, but short on time? Looking to meet new people? Willing to share your McKinley experience with someone new? Then join our New Family Mentor Program!
We all remember what it was like to be new to McKinley. If you’re like us, you had questions throughout the school year: How does drop off and pick up work? How do I sign up for conferences? What do I do with the “red tickets” my child is bringing home? What are the Tuesday folders? What/Who are room parents? Wouldn’t it have been nice to connect with someone who has been through the same experience to find answers to questions as well as get helpful tips. This is your opportunity to be a resource for a family that is brand new to McKinley.
Through the New Family Mentor Program you will be paired with a family new to McKinley to help explain procedures and give them insider tips. Mentor program is not meant to replace teacher communications/school communications/ or PTO messages, but simply enhance communication with new families. It is a simple exchange of contact information to allow the new family to have another reference point and learn the ins and outs of McKinley.
There are 42 new families joining McKinley during the upcoming school year. It is our goal to have each new family paired with a veteran family before the school year begins. As of today, we have 31 veteran McKinley families signed up. We would love to have 11 more families join us!
If you are interested in becoming a part of this new program, please contact Paige Brown or Lindsay Stadler.
McKinley Spirit Ware Campaign
Classroom Parent Volunteer Sign Up
Room Parents work directly with teachers to determine what their support role will be for the year. Duties may include: coordinating class parties, coordinating parent volunteers for projects, recruiting and coordinating chaperones for field trips and coordinating teachers gifts on behalf of the class.
If you are interested in being a classroom parent volunteer for the 2017-18 school year, please sign up by August 10th. Room parent assignments will be posted on August 17th along with the class lists.
To sign up to be a Classroom Parent, click HERE.
Destination Imagination is Back!
Destination Imagination is back for another school year! We had an amazing inaugural year last school year! McKinley not only had 7 teams, but also had 2 of our competitive teams take home trophies at the Regional level and one team making it to State! Quite a feat for our kiddos and managers.
What is DI? DI is an international program that allows students to be involved with creative problem- solving. McKinley students in 1st and 2nd grade can join as “Rising Stars”; 3rd -5th graders can join a competitive team. Students work as a team to solve an open-ended problem, or “challenge from the below categories:
Technical - prompts students to complete tasks by using engineering, research, strategic planning, and related skills.
Scientific - blends the research and curiosity of science with the thrill and creativity of the theater arts.
Engineering/Structural - asks teams to design, build and test load-bearing structures out of specific materials.
Fine Arts - students flex their acting and artistic muscles as they explore some of our most fascinating works of literature and media.
Improvisational - is all about spontaneity and storytelling. Teams receive topics and produce skits right on the spot.
Service Learning - is designed to engage students in community service to address real community issues through personal expression.
The McKinley DI teams will be determining teams based upon a student's interest. Here is a link briefly describing more specifically the 2017-2018 challenges - https://www.destinationimagination.org/challenge-program/2017-18-challenge-previews/. There is no right or wrong answer. It’s up to the team to solve their challenge! Each team will have one to two adult co- team managers supervising the work, but the adults have a “hands off” role in helping the students with their challenge.
Thinking about becoming a team manager? Here is some additional information to give you an idea of what your responsibilities would be - Destination Imagination – So You’re a Newbie Team Manager
Registration fees are not set yet, but they are approximately $50-70 for a Rising Star student and $80-100 for 3rd-5th graders on a competitive team. These fees help pay for T-shirts and other program expenses. Team managers have the option of collecting an additional fee of $10 to $30 per student, depending on the needs of the team, to pay for snacks, materials, and supplies. Full and partial scholarships may be available based upon need - please contact Monica Deluhery for more information.
We hope to have all the teams set by the end of September/beginning of October with teams starting to meet shortly thereafter. The season usually runs through mid-March.
If you or your student is interested please email Monica Deluhery at Monica.Deluhery@gmail.com
We Need Your Help!
We are still looking for Committee Chairs for the following positions:
- Kids Trivia Event Committee
- Art Room Volunteer Coordinator
- Composting Program/Green Team Coordinator
- Sock Hop Committee
- Teacher Treats Coordinator
- Math Night Committee
- McKinley Spirit Ware Committee
- Fifth Grade Celebration
Lego League
For more information about these positions, click HERE or contact Kristi Knoedler.
Office Max / Office Depot Fundraising
This year Office Max/Office Depot stores are offering local schools the opportunity to partner in a fundraising activity. 5% of all qualifying purchases made by parents or teachers for the entire year will be donated to the school in the form of a merchandise credit. McKinley's master ID # is 70113794. For more information, visit http://www.officedepot.com/a/content/back-to-school/5percent/
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.
For more information about how you can become involved in PTO efforts, contact Lindsay Stadler lindsaystadler@gmail.com