McKinley Monthly
September 2017
A Word from Mrs. Hoffmann
Dear McKinley Families,
After a summer of eclipse chasing and rainbow chasing it is time to get to the business of teaching and learning! It was fabulous to see so many of you at our “Meet the Teacher/ Parent Information” nights and Forms, Fees and Photos day. Thank you to all of the volunteers that helped make these days successful and thank you to Jason Bott of the photo of the rainbow over McKinley.
I understand that so much information is coming your way. Please take the time to absorb it all.
Tomorrow morning, Friday, September 1st at 8:15 a.m., we will begin the day with a special Flag Raising Ceremony to kick off the year. All students should line up as usual in their classroom lines. At the 8:15 bell, 3rd through 5th grade teachers lined up on the north playground will walk their classes to the south playground where a group of our Cub Scouts will be presented with the colors and will raise the flag. Ron Deviller, our neighbor on Meineke and 89th Street, will play the Star Spangled Banner and then we will do the pledge before sending students to their classrooms. Parents are welcome to stay for the ceremony, and afternoon JK students are invited to attend with their parents. I will stick around on the playground for a little while for informal chat time and mingling. Right now the weather forecast says sunny and 70 degrees, which should be perfect!
I am excited about the PTO’s new family mentorship program to connect families new to McKinley. The wonderful willingness of our current families to bring in newcomers and advocate for our school continues a tradition of community building and pride that makes McKinley such a special place to grow and learn. One topic of interest for those new to McKinley is probably our drop off and pick up procedures. We ask that all drivers please respect the one way signs during drop off and pick up. Remember, we travel clockwise around the building. We drop off and pickup SK-2nd grade students on 90th Street; 3rd through 5th on 89th Street. Here is a link to the Safe Routes to School drop off and pick up rules. Please review them. Some of you will have others picking up or dropping off your children. Here is a video that you can share with others who need this information. One correction should be made in the video: we ask you to please remain in your car when in the hug and go lanes. Please call me if you have questions about this.
Another change this year will be that the Mechanics of McKinley programs that we have had before PTO meetings will change to an all video, separate entity. In an effort to shorten the PTO meetings so more parents can come, the meetings will be from 6:30-7:30 on their scheduled dates. Because of the vast viewership of our Mechanics of McKinley online, this component of communication will take on an informational video format and will be sent out as they are produced. My goal is to get six Mechanics videos out to you this year. Our first, which is in production, will be Meet our Staff. Last year’s Mechanics of McKinley are still available for viewing on the PTO Facebook page. What new topics would you like to learn about? Please drop your suggestions into the Google form, found here.
Our staff has been working tirelessly to prepare for the school year, and as you saw Tuesday night--teachers are ready and our building is set. Remember, children and adults will have a adjustment period as we move back into school mode. Be patient with one another and honor the time it takes to get back into routines. I look forward to continuing building on old relationships and forming new ones as I get to know all of you better this year.
Welcome to September, and welcome to School!
Mrs. Hoffmann
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
Dates to Remember
Please mark these dates and times on your calendar if you have not done so already:
* September 1st First Day of School! (Yes, on a Friday!)
* September 4th Labor Day, no classes
* September 7th 6:30-7 pm Mechanics of McKinley and 7 pm PTO meeting in the Library, 2nd floor. All are welcome to attend! Please enter on 90th Street and come up the stairs. The library is the first door on the right.
* September 8th Spirit wear orders due
*** October 27 is a day off for JK-5 grade. It is not listed on the district calendar that was sent to homes, but it is a no-school day for JK-5. ***
PBIS
Welcome back! PBIS (Positive Behavioral Intervention Supports) is a school wide system in place to ensure student success. The underlying theme which we call the McKinley Message, is to teach students to be respectful, responsible, and caring learners. Students are able to earn red, blue, and white tickets by following the McKinley Message. The tickets earned can then be used to participate in school wide privileges or to participate in prize drawings during assemblies.
For the first two weeks of school, students will sit with their homerooms during lunch. This is to promote classroom community, build relationships, and to ensure a safe and welcoming environment for new students. Once the two weeks has ended, students will be able to sit where they choose within their grade levels.
The PBIS leadership team is excited and eager to begin the year! We look forward to a positive year together.
A Message from the Wauwatosa School District
Dear parents and guardians –
We’re excited to welcome you back to school this week! Before we kick-off the school year, we have some important updates to share about changes to elementary math.
As we have previously shared, Wauwatosa School District is introducing its new board-approved math curricular resources for grades JK through 5 this school year as we work on improved learning in this area.
To help all families get set up for success, we're inviting you to attend one of our three Elementary Math Family Success Sessions. The dates to choose from are:
September 26 from 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. -- Fisher C
September 28 from 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. -- Fisher C
October 2 from 4 - 5 p.m. -- Fisher C
Please review the attached flyer below for more details about the Elementary Math Family Success Sessions and to RSVP.
Each will be one hour long and will include:
* Brief overview of the Elementary Math Review and Adoption process
* Introduction to new resources for JK and SK-5.
* What students will learn.
* How students will learn.
* How families can help at home.
* Homework details.
* Workshop exploring a game and a problem that students will experience, along with tools students will use in class.
Special Education staff will also be on hand to help families navigate the changes for students who have special learning needs.
As always, don’t hesitate to contact your child’s teacher or your building Instructional Coach to get more information about math once school starts.
Background of Elementary Math Review process:
As we’ve previously shared, the new math resources are the result of a thorough process reviewing and assessing best practices for teaching and learning mathematics for students today. It started with an audit of the District’s K-12 math program in 2014-15. Recommendations were made to the School Board based on the audit.
Part of the process was then an internal review of our elementary mathematics program last year. This review resulted in another Board recommendation and approval of the new math resources for instruction at the elementary level.
You can also read more about the process in the article below:
Free and Reduced Lunch Application
This year you can register online to see if your family qualifies for free or reduced lunch fees. Forms will also be available at form pick-up day.
Right at School
The Wauwatosa School District is partnering with a new program, Right at School, for our before and after school care and for a wrap-around program with our JK students.
You can find more information on McKinley's website: http://www.edlinesites.net/pages/McKinley_Elementary_School/Right_at_School.
You can contact them on their customer service line: 855-287-2466
Wanted - Playground Supervisor at McKinley!
McKinley is looking for an individual who loves spending time with kids and who would love to get more involved in our community. We are looking for a playground/lunch supervisor. This is a two-hour-per-day position that works every day the students are in school. You would be able to interact with the kids during their lunch and recess. McKinley is a fun school with wonderful children and a great staff. Consider coming to work with us!
McKinley Culture Committee
From the District Technology Team
Every year we collect parent signatures on an acceptable use agreement for permission for students to use technology while in school. A new version of the agreement can be found here: https://goo.gl/hEZ1Wk. The signature page will be included in your family's form packet. We need a signature page for each student.
"Reading this Document"
This guideline is broken down into sections. Each section has, at the start of it, an overview paragraph titled “Plain English Summary". The “Plain English Summary” overview demonstrates, and talks simply, about some examples of the relative section so that the reader can better understand what is meant/expected. The “Plain English Summary” overviews only demonstrate examples and are not all-encompassing. If you still are unsure about your interpretation of a guideline after reading the “Plain English” overviews, then contact your teacher for clarification.
The “Plain English Summary” overviews are only included for your convenience. The sections titled “Verbiage” contain all language relevant to the specific topic. Understand that this document is to be read in its entirety and is the binding guideline document for technology resource use in the Wauwatosa School District (hereafter called WSD).
This document does not describe in detail every single instance of acceptable and unacceptable actions and activities that can occur while utilizing WSD technology resources. Due to the constantly changing environment related to technology, such a thing is an impossible task to achieve. However it attempts to cover, as broadly as possible, such items.
Most acceptable/unacceptable use can be determined via the use of “common sense” when taken in context with this document. However, if you are unsure if something you wish to do is permissible and it is not specified in this document, then you are expected to seek the advice of a teacher.
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
Girls on the Run
Amazon Smile
Office Max / Office Depot Gives Back
* * Tosa Cares * *
TosaCares is a nonprofit agency located inside Mt. Zion Lutheran Church on North Ave in Wauwatosa. TosaCares assists families in Milwaukee County with food and other services. Please contact Linda Ertel for more information at 414-258-0456 ext 410 or tosacares.gmail.com
Distribution dates:
Sept 30, 2017
Nov 18, 2017
Services available on those dates:
Light Breakfast
Food Pack
Clothes Closet (free, no limit)
Health Dept,
Vision, Chiropractic
Opportunity for Fellowship
Sometimes household appliances
_____________________________________________________
Hours: Monday, 1-3 p.m.; Saturday 9 - 11 a.m.; closed on legal holidays.
Clients select their desired food and pack the food in bags distributed according to family size.
Food available: non-perishable canned goods, eggs, protein.
Registration requirements: can register on site.
School Fees
Just a reminder, school fees are used to offset the cost of textbooks and other instructional materials including, but not limited to, consumable science and mathematics supplies, art supplies, copying of classroom materials for worksheets or booklets.