Notes From Your Principal
September 2, 2022 ~ Volume 2, 2022-23
Running Full Steam Ahead!
- Monday, Sept. 5th - No School (Labor Day)
- Tuesday, Sept. 6th - Kindergarten begins their 1:30pm dismissal
- Wednesday, Sept. 7th - School Site Council (3:30pm), Zoom
- also...............................Back To School Night (6-7:30pm), more below
- Thursday, Sept. 8th - Picture Day
- Friday, Sept. 9th - Back to School BBQ and Movie Night (all families invited!), 6:15p
- Monday, Sept. 12th - General PTA Meeting, 6:30pm Library (and Zoom option)
- Tuesday, Sept. 13th - BSD School Board Meeting
- Friday, Sept. 16th - Principal's Coffee/Cafecito, 8:45am, front of school
For other important dates, please see our school calendar.
Book Fair
Time out for reading!
Can you make 9 squares?
Building community and graphs!
Sharing our mornings.
Morning Meeting - Every Monday, we hold a school-wide meeting via Zoom. Each week I send out the link and password for parents to watch. Here is this week's video. (Password: 5g!k%f8!) We are hoping to hold one meeting a month (in person) with parents in attendance to celebrate our students. Stay tuned!
Back To School Night
(This is a change, due to a conflict with BHS from the originally scheduled date.) We are back in person! You will have a chance to hear from the principal (me!), our PTA, BCE, and your child/-ren's teachers.
6-6:25 All school assembly on black top (please join us as I introduce our entire staff, and to hear from me, PTA and BCE.
6:30-6:50 Teacher presentations #1
6:55-7:15 Teacher presentations #2
We are going back to an old format where teachers will give their presentations twice - to make it easier for those with children in multiple classrooms to see presentations that may have otherwise occurred at the same time.
Please note this is an event for adults only. There will be no supervision available for children. Please do not bring your student/s with you.
Please walk ,or park and walk, to avoid overcrowding our narrow, small streets. Thank you!
Who Should I Contact?
- Is it about your child and/or their class? Please contact the teacher. (This includes all things to do with your child--academic, social, emotional, etc, as well as questions about any incidents, curriculum, class procedures or possible referrals. We always start with our teachers.)
- Is it about an absence? Please contact Mrs. Soohoo. 650.259.3870 (Please provide your child's full name, teacher, days of absence, a number you can be reached at and the reason for the absence.)
- Need to pick your child up early? Please let the teacher know. Once you arrive in the office, we can call them out of class. Students will only be dismissed from the office (parents must sign them out).
- Questions about the calendar? Please refer to the school calendar, then contact whomever is sponsoring the event (PTA, school, etc) if you have further questions.
- Questions about PTA? See this executive board listing.
School Site Council
The McKinley School Site Council (SSC) is a group of teachers, parents, and classified school employees that works with the McKinley principal to develop, review, and evaluate school improvement programs and school budgets. The McKinley SSC welcomes input and ideas from the entire McKinley School community.
All parents are invited to attend any SSC meetings which are held on the first Wednesday of each month, with a few modifications (3:30-4:30pm on 9/7, 10/12, 11/2, 12/7, 1/11, 2/1, 3/1, 4/12, 5/3, 6/7). For more information please contact ssc.mckinley.ca@gmail.com.
Next Meeting: September 7, 2022, 3:30 p.m.
Agenda, Zoom Link can be found in the calendar information above.
Safety First
Thank you to the many parents who are walking with their children to school (and home!), or parking a few blocks away. It made a huge different the first few days, and we'd like to see it continue. The less cars we have on Paloma at our busiest times, the safer we are.
Paloma is ONE WAY (Southbound) during drop off (8:15-8:45) and pick-up (2:45 - 3:15). Please do not park on Paloma and try to drive Northbound, or try to turn onto Paloma from Oak Grove during those hours.
Drop off and Pick up Reminders:
- Please pay attention while dropping off/picking up your child. Always pay extremely close attention to your surroundings, looking for students who may be crossing.
- The loading zone in the front of the school is just that. Please do not park and leave your vehicle. Approach in a line on Paloma. As you approach the pick up zone, please pull over to the right and up as far as you can. Once your child is in your car, please pull out from the curb. Our staff will ask you to pull forward as each car leaves. Please help us in keeping our pick up smooth, orderly and safe.
- Do not drop off or pick up your child from the middle of the street.
- Please do not block the sidewalk so others may not pass. We know it gets crowded. Please line up along Paloma, allowing room for those pedestrians that need/want to pass. And for those of you who bring your family pets, please be respectful of those around you. While you and your children adore them, not every child is comfortable. And...if you are chatting and your dog is with you, please stand in an uncrowded area so that community members may pass.
All visitors to our campus MUST check in to the office first. All visitors, once signed in, MUST wear a visitor sticker or badge at all times while on campus. No exceptions.
Please do not allow your children to climb on our trees or on our school sign in front of the school. This is both for your children's safety and the respect of our campus. Our trees are not meant to hold humans, nor is our sign. Thank you.
COVID Information:
Coffee with the Principal & Superintendent
September 16th:
Each month, I hold a "Coffee with the Principal". Last year we met mostly via Zoom. This year we will rotate between in person and Zoom so that those who want to meet in person can, and those who can't have an opportunity to join from wherever they may be. These coffees are your opportunity to informally ask your questions. Twice a year our superintendent joins us. Our first one is coming up on Friday, 9/16. You'll have both of us as your captive audience. We hope you will join us in front of the school for coffee, treats and conversation.
Hot lunch:
Students must "order" a lunch each morning by raising their hand when the teacher takes the lunch count. Please ask your child not to take a lunch if they haven't ordered one. (If they've forgotten a lunch, we promise, we will feed them!) Please check out the menu to see if the items interest your child. School lunches include a "salad bar" of different vegetables students can pick from, as well as a fruit and a beverage. Those who order lunch, also receive a morning snack at recess.
4th/5th Grade Band
If your child didn't come home with a QR code, please click here to read more.
Volunteering
We currently have 107 cleared volunteers!!!! Thank you! McKinley Elementary loves our volunteers! If you are a new parent or did not get your volunteer clearance, I recommend you doing so. In order to get cleared you'll need three things:
- Either a negative TB test result of a Risk Assessment form signed off by a physician.
- Cleared fingerprints (Here is the form) We suggest going to the UPS store between Trousdale and Murchison, let them know you are coming from BSD.
- Proof of Covid-19 vaccinations
You can either submit all three to me to send to Alison Bell, or you can send them to her directly at <abell@burlingameschools.org>.
Thank you for all your support. ~Joy Shmueli
BCE Fall Drive Is Underway
Please join fellow parents and give during the BCE Fall Drive to support our school! Your investment helps fund teacher salaries and critical programs to ensure your student has every opportunity for a bright future.
Families that contribute any amount receive a Fall Drive lawn sign (while supplies last) to join the community in a show of support for our schools.