Boletín de McKinley/ McKinley News
February 28th - March 4th 2022
Una nota de la Sra. Larson/ A note from Mrs. Larson
Can It really be March already? There are so many wonderful things happening at McKinley! We have lots of wonderful committees and I would like to give you a few updates:
Traffic Committee: The traffic committee meets this week with a member of the city engineering team and one of the wonderful traffic committee members. We looked at our crosswalks, the flow of traffic, and the timing of some of our lights at the East Washington signal. Hoping to get some things checked off our list. Please continue to do your part in helping with the flow of traffic.
ELAC: We had a lovely meeting last week where 25 participants came together to talk about ELPAC testing and we had a visit from Anna of the family resource center. I appreciate the conversation. Special thanks to Alicia Callejas and Rocio Victoria for calling families and handing out flyers.
Sustainability Committee: The Sustainability Committee continues to collect plastic bags through April in partnership with Sprouts. On March 25th we will have the ECO Hero show for the entire school. Looking forward to this fun virtual event.
School of Excellence Committee: We had a great first meeting where we took a look at the parent/ staff survey and narrowed it down to focus on standard two "Communicating Effectively" The focus will center on the question: "Our school helps families understand how they can support their child's learning." Our goal for the meeting on 3/1 is to come up with a plan to address this question and/or look at the National PTA resources that support this question. The meeting is this Tuesday 3/1 at 6:30 via zoom.
Ancestor's Table Committee: We are excited to have a wonderful community event on March 12th. I look forward to continued planning. We want to celebrate the diversity of our students by sharing food, music, and culture from where your family calls home. Don’t know where you’re from? We invite you to share anything you identify with as being part of your history, anything that shows where else you belong as a family. Join us for an event to come together as a McKinley family. Below is more information on how you can participate.
Playground Committee: We had a great meeting with the district and a playground contractor. Lots of great ideas were shared. We will be meeting in a couple of weeks to look over the designs that the contractor has come up with to approve.
Spring Fundraiser Committee: Looking for an exciting event in May? The committee has already been hard at work. How can you help? If you have anything to donate to the auction or some volunteer time to assist teachers with the student art projects, that would be AWESOME. More information to come.
I hope you all have a lovely week!
Warm Regards,
Mrs. Larson
Conferences THIS WEEK!
TK/K 11:45 Dismissal
1st-3rd: 1:05
4th - 6th: 1:15
If you also have a student in PACS they do not have minimum days just a normal week.
Celebrate Reading: Read Across America Week TK - 3
Celebrate Reading!
READ ACROSS AMERICA SPIRIT WEEK
Read Across America Week is February 28-March 4. This year's NEA (National Education Association) theme is "Create & Celebrate a Nation of Diverse Readers" with the hope that every student can see themselves as the main character in a story.
2/ 28 Monday: I see myself when I read!
No need to dress up today, you are the character! Dress to impress or dress in your normal clothes. Bring a book where the main character reminds you of yourself. This can be anything- appearance, attitude, friendliness, loves sports, etc.
3/1 Tuesday: Reading brings color to your life
Dress in your favorite color, bring a book that has to do with color or has BRIGHT and fun pictures
3/2 Wednesday: Rhyme Time!
Today we will celebrate rhymes and word families. It is Dr. Seuss’s birthday.
Dress-Up: Mismatched Day (mismatched socks, silly hats, conflicting patterns, etc.) or like your favorite Dr. Seuss character
3/3 Thursday: Be whoever you want to be!
Dress up as your favorite book character, bring the book to school if you have it!
3/4 Friday: Curl up with a good book!
Bring a blanket, wear your pajamas, and bring a book to read with a partner!
Spring Break: A Note from the district
Spring Break 2021-22
Dear PCS Community,
As you are likely aware, we have Emergency School Closure Make-up Days built into our school calendar in case of an emergency school closure, like the closures that happened in October of 2017, November of 2018, and October of 2019.
Fortunately for Sonoma County, we have not had an emergency school closure this year and, as such, there have been no changes made to the District 2021-22 academic calendar for both the year-round or traditional sites. At this point, it is safe to assume that schools will have the full week of April 4th-8th off for an extended Spring Break. We hope everyone has a chance to enjoy this time off!
The calendars can be found on the District website for year-round and traditional schools, for both this year (2021-22) and next year (2022-23).
Thank you and have a wonderful weekend,
Petaluma City Schools
New Drop Off table
Walk and Roll Challenge
PCS Film Festival
It's time for our annual PCS Film Festival! This year, the theme is Heroes. We have intentionally matched our theme to the Sonoma County Office of Education film festival so that students can enter their films in both festivals if they so choose. For students who are interested in making a film for our festival, this is your chance! Please see the details below.
- Films can be any length up to 5 minutes including credits.
- All submissions must be student-created and abide by Copyright and Fair Use Policy. Students may submit only one individual film, although additional participation in group submissions is permitted. All films must be uploaded to YouTube.
- Film Poster should be 11” x 17” in size and submitted in pdf format.
- All films must be submitted using the registration form by 11:59 PM on Friday, March 11th. In order to fill out the registration form, you will need to log into a Gmail account. Student @petk12.org email addresses will work as they are Google emails.
Community Resources
If you are looking for family resources, Buckelew Programs has a February community resources packet. Information on various support groups, rental assistance, community events, and much more is included. Please note: These are not school or District events. As such, Petaluma City Schools District does not sponsor, staff, supervise, support, or endorse the information, activities, or events posted.
Are you Returning?
We have started the registration process for the 2022-2023 school year. I can't believe it! Please take a minute to fill out our survey. Our classes are tight, so in order to plan for next year, we need to know if you are returning. Please click on the link, it only takes a few minutes.
Fechas Importantes/Important dates
Feb. 28th - March 4th Spring conference week (McKinley students only)
March 1st School of excellence Meetin via zoom at 6:30
March 1st - 4th Kickball starts for those that signed up.
March 4th Poster contest for SRTS ends
March 12th Ancestor's Table at 11:00 am
March 16th PTA meeting
Lion King Rehearsal Information
We will be rehearsing in the multi this week on Wednesday and Friday! Full rehearsal details are here
Got questions? Email Cate Bruce-Low at tribecayummymummy@gmail.com.
Online School Menu
Host a Table and Share About Your Culture at Our Ancestor’s Table Event – Saturday, March 12th at 11am.
We will be hosting an “Ancestor’s Table: You Belong at McKinley- Where Else Do You Belong?” on Saturday, March 12th at 11am.
We want to celebrate the diversity of our students by sharing food, music, and culture from where your family calls home. Don’t know where you’re from? We invite you to share anything you identify with as being part of your history, anything that shows where else you belong as a family.
Do you want to host a table with food, information or activities about your culture?
Please fill out this form to let us know and we will contact you with more details! The PTA will provide reimbursement for materials.
Tell us about your family’s culture and RSVP to be entered into a raffle!
Fill out this form to let us know more about your culture and share a favorite song for our playlist.
Questions? Contact Emily Oh at mckptapres@gmail.com or Alicia Callejas if you want to communicate in Spanish at alicia.callejas@gmail.com
Volunteer call for Ancestor’s Table and Our Spring Fundraiser
Ancestor’s Table – March 12th
The PTA is planning an Ancestor’s Table event to take place in March and we need your help. The Ancestor’s Table will allow families to share about their culture and discuss what we learned and what we have in common as a diverse group.
Spring Fundraiser – May 14th
We are looking for a few enthusiastic volunteers to help plan and execute the raffle portion of our spring fundraiser. (More details about the event coming soon!)
This is a great opportunity to connect with other families and help us raise much needed funds to benefit every McKinley/PACS student.
Support our teachers and students by volunteering for lunch duty!
In a recent survey of McKinley staff, the #1 request was for more parent support. One of the ways staff identified we could help is by volunteering out on the blacktop during recess and lunch, allowing staff more time to focus on meeting the complex needs of their students.
Volunteers will support recess and/or lunchtime eating/recess for 1st through 8th graders (parents of TK and K also welcome to volunteer). You will ensure students eat snack/lunch, clean up after themselves and stay safe during recess play. Volunteers have the opportunity to utilize or build skills in conflict management, basic first aid and social coaching skills will be developed.
Do you want to be in the room where it happens? Join the PTA Board!
Would you like to have a front row seat for PTA decision making (including how we spend our money?!)? We have started recruiting for our 2022-2023 board and we have a few key positions available!
Would you like more information about a board position or have any questions or ideas for the PTA? Email Emily Oh at mckptapres@gmail.com. We appreciate the collaborative and dedicated spirit of our McKinley family!
Spring After School Enrichment Sign Ups Start March 14th!
Our spring session is 6 weeks and it runs from April 18th – May 27th. Registration opens Monday, March 14th.
Registration will be online or by paper forms (available in the office). Classes begin immediately after school.
Some financial aid is available. To inquire about financial aid or if you have any questions, please contact ASE coordinator, Emily Betts at ase.mckinleyschool@gmail.com or 415-385-6914 (text)
Earn donations for McKinley when you shop at no additional cost to you!
- Shop at Petaluma Market or Oliver’s Markets: these grocers will donate 2.5% of your purchase amount to the McKinley PTA if you have the Store’s Community Card. Learn how to get started
- Shop on Amazon: Shop through smile.amazon.com and the charity of your choice will receive a portion of your purchase.
Follow these instructions to add McKinley as your chosen non-profit. You may also configure your Amazon mobile app to ensure all your purchases are credited to our school. - Scan your grocery receipts with the BoxTops app: Did you know you can now easily collect BoxTops on your phone? Simply scan your receipts with eligible items using the BoxTops app and you are done. No more clipping!
Follow the full instructions here to get started!