McKinley Elementary
January 2021
Message from Principal Michelle Nelson
Greetings everyone! I hope you all had a fun and creative winter break. We were happy to see students back on Tuesday. As the month moves forward we will be learning more about what the Governor’s order on December 23rd means for resumption of in-person instruction. The district is working with Oregon Health Authority and will share information directly with you when it is available. In the meantime, McKinley staff will continue to provide the best instruction we can in Comprehensive Distance Learning. Your student’s continued good attendance will help them do that. Thank you for the support you provide for McKinley by supporting your children. McKinley has great kids!
Important Dates
January 12 - PTC Eat Out Fundraiser at Manna Japanese for Lunch or Dinner- details below
January 13 - PTC Virtual Meeting @ 6:30 PM - Link will be emailed before meeting
January 18 - Martin Luther King Jr. day - NO SCHOOL
News from the PTC (Parent Teacher Community)
PTC Family Eat Out (take out) Fundraiser
Counselor Corner - from Mrs. Tanikawa
Welcome back to 2021! It’s wonderful to be back to a year full of hope.
This month, I am starting a McKinley Native Club in tandem with South Salem High School. Native Club is an opportunity to share and learn about our Native American community in Salem. Native Club will take place on Monday afternoons via Zoom and will begin January 11 at 1 PM. Students may access this on Google Meets using code: native
In classrooms, primary grades will finish a unit on “Calming Down Strong Feelings.” Students are learning about breathing, positive self-talk, and counting as ways to calm their bodies. At the end of the month, 1st through 3rd grade will enjoy some books written by black authors. We will be talking about Martin Luther King Jr. as well as several other voices from the civil rights movement.
Fourth and fifth grade students will be working from our district SEL curriculum “Harmony” on communication skills with peers and technology. Students in the 3rd through 5th grades have the opportunity to meet with me for small group counseling. Students can access this through my classroom Canvas page. Please e-mail me if you would like your child to participate in small group. These groups often help students talk through the stress of on-line learning, concerns around COVID, and general anxiety and depression that result from our world being turned upside down right now.
I am excited to be back and looking forward to a spring of trying new things!
Amy Tanikawa, MS LPC
School Counselor
tanikawa_amy@salkeiz.k12.or.us
971-915-4428
Immunizations up to date?
Please stay current with your immunizations. If your child needs a shot, please schedule it ASAP. Don’t wait for Exclusion Day—Feb 17th. It is difficult to schedule appointments when it gets closer to that day.
Little Sharing Library
In our courtyard, we have a sharing library. There are lots of books to choose from for all reading levels and topics. Come check it out any time. Please take one or two books. When you are done, return them to the bin on top and take a couple more. If you have books at home you would like to donate, please add them to the bin on top.
FREE GRAB-N-GO MEALS
Salem-Keizer Public Schools is distributing free grab-n-go meals for any child or teen ages 1-18 years old, and anyone with special needs 21 years old or younger. McKinley will no longer be a grab and go site. See the locations list below for the complete list of locations. Bush and Salem Heights Elementary Schools are the next closest to McKinley.
Grab-N-Go Meals are now available from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on school days at nearly all Salem-Keizer schools and now at almost 60 bus stops. We are proud to offer this essential service to youth, and to young adults with special needs, in the entire Salem and Keizer community.
Go to this link for list of sites: https://salkeiz.k12.or.us/grab-go-meals/
SCHOOL MESSENGER
At the start of each school year, information from student registration forms is input into the student information database.
SchoolMessenger, the system the district uses to send out phone notification to parents, receives updated information from this database once each day.
It is very important that parents keep their contact information current.
Be sure to let your school office know if you have a new address, email or phone number.
The parent or guardian marked as the primary contact in the student information system will receive automated communication.
Messages will also be sent to the student’s home phone number contained in the database, if different from the primary contact phone number.
Oregon Health Plan Free For Youth
Through the Oregon Health Plan, youth 19 years of age and younger have access to free health coverage, regardless of immigration status if they meet the income requirements.
More information, including income requirements and how to apply for coverage, is available online.
District Calendar
HOW DO I STAY CONNECTED?
Read our newest format of the school Newsletter via email, remind or on the school website!
Follow us on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/mckinMLFollow us on our school website. https://mckinley.salkeiz.k12.or.us/
Download the free Remind App on your phone. https://www.remind.com/log_in
Check your email inbox. Update your email in Parent Vue if it's not accurate.