McKinley PTO Newsletter
March 27, 2017
Co-President's Update
Has your family recovered from the Under the Sea school dance? We are so thrilled that our third annual dance was such a success! A big thank you to dance co-chairs Lori Hagopian and Chuck Schmidt for all of their hard work in putting together this fun event.
Have you been thinking about attending the Adult Social? Now is the time to act! There are a few remaining tickets for this fun night. Read below for more information and see the fantastic auction items which will be available that evening!
Did your family submit artwork for the Under the Sea dance? If you did and would like it back, please visit the office to look through our artwork box. All remaining artwork will be recycled after end of the school day on March 31.
Molly Hannan & Chris Riley
PTO Dates to Remember
Make sure to put the following dates on your calendar!
March 31 - McKinley Spiritwear Day (wear McKinley shirt or red)
April 1 - Adult Social at Blue's
April 7 - McKinley Spiritwear Day (wear McKinley shirt or red)
April 14-23 - Spring Break
April 28 - McKinley Spiritwear Day (wear McKinley shirt or red)
April 28 - High Interest Day
Hats off to...
McKinley Adult Social
We are less than a week away from the McKinley Adult Social and we are looking forward to an amazing night!! If you are still interested in attending, there are only a few tickets left, so please get your tickets by Wednesday!
Also, we would like to thank all of the businesses, families, teachers and staff for donating items for the event and a BIG thank you to our event sponsors: Tosa Pediatrics, Brett’s Auto Repair and Corey Double Boldt - Power’s Realty Group. Without all of you, this night would not be possible. See you Saturday!!
Clink HERE to see a description of all the silent auction and raffle items.
Shoes Wanted
Destination Imagination
Band Night to Support Tosa West We The People
Head to Tosa Lions Club from 6-11 on Saturday April 8 for a Band Night to help raise money for Tosa West’s We the People team who is competing in a national competition in DC in April. The band Fellowship of the Strings, playing from 6-7, includes former McKinley students Simon Ng, Max Herteen, Adam Brener, and Adam Fendos.
Publishing Center - FINAL CALL!
The McKinley Publishing Center is back! Beginning in February, every student in 1st through 5th grade can sign up to create a book. Each student who signs up will receive a book packet with all the information and materials needed to create a one-of-a kind keepsake. You can sign up online or simply return the signup form to the office. Sign up ends on April 14, so don't delay! Click the box below to sign up. Contact Lori Brandenburg at Crashburg@yahoo.com with any questions.
High Interest Day
Volunteer Form Correction
Please note that the HID volunteer form that came home on Friday, March 17th had the wrong month listed for set-up and take-down. Set-up will take place after school on Thursday, APRIL 27th. Take down begins at 3:00 on Friday, APRIL 28th. A corrected form is linked below. If this information changes a form you already submitted, please contact Heidi Engbring at hengbring@wi.rr.com.
This year’s High Interest Day will be April 28th. 1st through 5th grade students should have brought home a packet containing Registration Instructions, Class Descriptions, a Registration Form and a Volunteer Form. Registration forms are due back to school by March 31st. Students not returning a registration form may have classes assigned for them. K4/K5 students should have received information on the Kindergarten HID program and a volunteer form.
Be a part of this fun day. Consider filling out the yellow volunteer form your student brought home. There are opportunities for everyone. You can help in the school setting up classrooms after school on April 27th or volunteer any time during the school day on the 28th. Can’t make it during the day? Please sign up below to bring in breakfast goods or treats for volunteers or to donate materials used for classes.
SignUp Genius for breakfast goods or treats for volunteers.
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0a4bacaf22abfe3-breakfast1
SignUp Genius for items needed for classes.
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4BABA62EA7FB6-high1
If your student did not bring home the HID materials, you can find them here:
Registration Instructions, class descriptions, registration form, and volunteer sign up form.
K4 & K5 HIGH INTEREST DAY
We are gearing up for another exciting High Interest Day at McKinley! The schedule for the K4/K5 is different than that of the older students in school; the K4/K5 students stay with their class all day and move together as a group from room to room. The following is a list and brief description of all of the presenters that will be working with the K4/K5 classes. Not all classes will participate in every presentation.
Bees – Students will see a living Observation Hive! Learn amazing honeybee facts about a Langstroth hive, a bee’s reproductive phases, beekeeper gear and how important honeybees are for pollination.
Black Belt Leadership Academy – Children will learn karate skills (such as jumps, blocks and kicks) through karate games.
Bubble-ology – The always amazing Karl Debelak from Adventures in Science will perform a wild bubble demonstration for the students. Students will get some hands on experience in bubble making!
Havenwoods State Park – Children will meet some Wisconsin critters close up. They’ll learn where these animals live, what they eat, how they move and how they are adapted to survive. Students will have an opportunity to touch the animals if they wish.
Percussion – Bang on the bongos with McKinley dad Kerwyn Splude, Sr. All the parts to a rock drum set will be introduced and demonstrated. There will also be various hand drums and shakers. Then the real fun starts! Students will be given the opportunity to try things out…it may get a little loud!
Sunset Playhouse – A member of the Sunset Playhouse will introduce students to theater and theater games. Students should be ready to use their imagination!
2 Liter Bottles Needed
The High Interest Day committee is collecting rinsed, CLEAR 2 liter plastic bottles for use in the Master Gardner Class. Please bring your bottles to the HID container in the office. Thank you for your help.
EFW Run/Walk
Need Spiritwear?
- Gildan kids shirts in youth sizes XS through XL. Some sizes have very limited quantities. (We are out of XS and S shirts, M is size 10-12, L is size 14-16, and XL is size 18-20). Gildan youth shirts are $10 each.
- Bella womens shirts in womens sizes S through XL. Bella shirts are a more fitted style (S is size 2-4, M is size 6-8, L is size 8-10, and XL is size 10-14). Bella womens shirts are $15 each.
- Bella Canvas shirts in unisex adult sizes S through XL. (S fits chest sizes 34"-37", M fits chest sizes 38"-41", L fits chest sizes 42"-45", and XL fits chest sizes 46"-49"). Bella Canvas shirts are $15 each.
Shirt samples will be displayed on the PTO bulletin board outside the office. Orders can be places by emailing tosamckinleypto@gmail.com and will be filled in the order received. Some sizes are sold out! Shirts will be available for pick up in the office every Friday. Payment is due via cash (exact amount please!) or check at pick up.
PTO Committee Help Needed!
We have an immediate vacancy for someone to chair the Dining Out fundraising events. This role involves contacting restaurants, making arrangements to hold events, and following up after the event. You would not be required to attend the actual event. This position could be handled by one person or a small committee. The PTO has ideas and contact information for restaurants that have been successful fundraisers in the past.
We are also in need of a new PTO Treasurer for the coming school year. If you are interested, please contact current treasurer Phil Janowski for more information.
If you are interested in learning more about these positions, please contact Kristi Knoedler, Chris Riley, or Molly Hannan for more information. Thanks!
Safe Routes to School
Happy Spring! We are looking forward to seeing more families walking and biking to school. If you are driving, please obey traffic signs, be stay off your cell phones, and avoid blocking crosswalks. The police have been patrolling the area around school more and will ticket if you are speeding, not stopping at stop signs, parking in crosswalks or no parking zones.
Do you have questions about drop off or pick up? Watch our video- https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=hmQNxfeMZHw&sns=em1
Volunteers are needed to help plan our 6th Annual Bike to School Day! We are looking for new ideas and input. Please contact Sarah Lerand, sjlerand@yahoo.com if you would be interested in helping in the planning. A separate request will be made next month to get volunteer help for the day of the event. Past activities have included bike helmet fitting, new bike helmets, bike safety checks, bike registration and coloring contest.
S.O.S.
Learn about Tosa School Board Candidates
S.O.S. Wauwatosa recently put together a voter's guide for the upcoming Tosa School Board election on Tuesday, April 4th. A link can be found on their home page: www.soswauwatosa.org or the direct link is HERE.
The election for Wauwatosa school board and State Superintendent is April 4. Absentee voting in Wauwatosa has already started. Qualified electors may come to the City Clerk's office during regular business hours (8 am - 4:30 pm) March 20-24 and March 27-31 to cast an absentee ballot for the April 4th Spring Election. The office will be open until 5 pm on Friday, March 31st.
Budget Updates:
The Wisconsin budget process is underway and the Joint Finance Committee will hold six regional hearings around the state to hear public comment. Our children need you to be their voice in this conversation. Restoring public education funding to ensure thriving communities for all should be the cornerstone of this budget.
· Monday, April 3 – UW-Platteville, Platteville
· Wednesday, April 5 – State Fair Park, West Allis (Milwaukee)
· Friday, April 7 – Berlin High School, Berlin
· Tuesday, April 18 – Spooner High School, Spooner
· Wednesday, April 19 – Ellsworth High School, Ellsworth
· Friday, April 21 – Marinette High School, Marinette
The Governor has proposed restoring some funding to our public schools, and delivering funds for much-needed mental health services, rural sparsity aid, and high-cost transportation [more about the budget here]. But many of our partners have concerns. They worry that $200 per pupil isn't nearly enough for struggling districts - and it's well below the minimum $300/pupil minimum our partners have called for. They worry about equity -- the Governor is proposing "per pupil aid" that does not increase revenue limits, and is not subject to the equalization formula. They are worried that the budget as it stands doesn't include a single dollar in new aid for special education - which will have been frozen for a full decade if we don't see a much-needed change here. They also worry that we are perpetuating a system of haves and have nots and that this budget doesn't do nearly enough to address the funding inequities currently facing our students and schools. The stakes are very high for our children and our communities.
But the bottom line is that none of this is a "done deal" and there's no guarantee that even the proposed $200/pupil increase will see its way into classrooms. In previous years, the Joint Finance Committee has made major budget and policy changes impacting our schools by putting them into a hastily-passed, late-night "omnibus package" not subject to public hearing. And now we are hearing reports that prominent lawmakers may wish to reject the Governor's budget, throwing the increases to education out the window, starting from zero with a "base budget" once the bill moves to Executive Committee. Maybe they will increase funding, maybe they won't -- but anything below $200 would be a cut.
The Governor's budget shows us that there is more than enough money to prioritize K-12 funding, and members of the legislature themselves have cited $2 billion available in additional revenue. There is no excuse to deny children the resources that they need.
Please consider attending one of the Joint Finance Committee meetings or contact your state representatives and share your concerns.
Art Room Volunteers
Looking for an opportunity to get involved in your child's classroom? Please consider volunteering to assist in the art room! Sign ups are available through the link below.
For questions, please contact Lisa Kimpler: lkimpler@yahoo.com
Wanted: Pencils
Please save and donate your old regular and colored pencils to be re-purposed. 4th graders will be making art from them. There is a box in the office to collect any you are able to give. Thank you!
Teacher Treats
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/