November 2022

McKenny Hawks Are Kind, Safe, Respectful and Responsible

Nov Up-coming Events:

1 - First Day of American Indian Heritage Month
2 - Walk N Roll
6 - Daylight Savings (Turn Clocks Back 1 Hour)
7 - Picture Retakes
8 - Election Day
8 - PTO Meeting at 6:30 p.m. McKenny Library
9 - McKenny Veterans Day Assembly
10 - School Board Meeting at 6:30 p.m. Knox Building or via Zoom
11 - Veterans Day - No School
23 - 25th: Thanksgiving Break - No School

Walk N Roll -November 2nd

Our school hosts a Walk N Roll event one day each month. These are optional days that students can bike or walk to and from school, and once they arrive, can receive special prizes and hot chocolate! Please wear helmets when riding, and make sure students are crossing roads safely. Walking or biking to school is not only amazing for your health, but it is also helpful to the environment!

Annual Turkey Hunt at LBA!

Turkeys will be hidden along a 1 mile loop trail at LBA during the week of Thanksgiving break. Get outdoors with your family and see if you can find all 10! More information to follow.

Picture Retakes November 7th

Picture retakes will be on November 7th. Order forms will be sent home or you can order online by clicking here.

Remember To Vote!

Ballots for the November 8, 2022 General Election have been sent to registered voters and must be mailed or dropped off in postage-free ballot drop boxes by Election Day to be counted.

While there are no Olympia School District measures or candidates on the November 8 election ballot, our district regularly shares election information with the community, including how to register to vote and a reminder to vote on Election Day.

Ballot drop boxes are open 24 hours a day during elections and will continue to accept ballots until 8 p.m. on Election Day. For a list of drop box locations in the Olympia School District, visit the Thurston County Auditor’s Office Elections Division website.

District seeks feedback on two new board policies by November 18

We invite families and community members to provide feedback about two new board policies that went before the Olympia School Board for first reading last month and will likely return for second reading in December.

Please review the following two new policies and procedures and share any feedback by November 18, 2022:

Language Access Policy 4218 focuses on increasing language access in public schools. It supports the district’s commitments to improving meaningful, two-way communication and promoting access to district programs, services and activities for students and their families. The policy and procedure references oral interpretation and written translation and calls for a formalized Language Access Plan and annual self-assessment of the plan beginning in the 2023-24 school year. You can see a copy of the policy and procedure on the Board Policy Review page.

Effective Communication Policy 4217 is focused on serving families/community members who request assistive listening, vision or speech aids or services for school district meetings, programs, activities or events. A copy of the policy and procedure, as well as a form for requesting the aids/services, is also posted on the Board Policy Review page.

To provide feedback, please email [email protected]

New Attendance email:

Does your child have an upcoming appointment or a change in their school routine? Have a planned vacation coming and need to submit a planned absence form to the office? If so, please send an email to [email protected].

News from Our PTO:

Wreaths for Sale:

Outdoor education for 5th grade students is back! Your purchase of a wreath can help ensure that all 5th grade students are able to attend. Please see the attached wreath fliers and order by November 1st. You can order (or just donate) online at https://www.olyedfoundation.org/the-wreath-fundraiser.

Read-A-Thon:

You all are doing a super job! We have already raised over $2000. Help us meet our goal of $6000 so that we can give money to our library, specialists, and teachers to support the work they are doing...and to witness Mr. Havens get a pie in the face. The Read-A-Thon ends on Friday, November 4th and packets are due by Monday, November 7th. Be sure to submit your minutes and/or donations to be eligible to win prizes! (You can also register online for easy donating with credit cards http://app.99pledges.com/fund/readathon222.) You can turn your Read-A-Thon envelope into your teacher or submit your minutes at the end of the Read-A-Thon by going to https://forms.gle/3JfUVYQS2SD1Ei3Z8.

PTO Meeting:

Tuesday, November 8th from 6:30 to 8:00 in the library
Join us to hear updates from our principal, share your thoughts about our events and fundraising, hear about some new opportunities, and help make decisions about how best to support our students and staff. To join us on zoom go to https://osd111.zoom.us/j/86490818048?pwd=YlZ4Mm5qcEFKMnVSd1RBVGMxTkQ0QT09
or use the following codes:

Meeting ID: 864 9081 8048

Passcode: 330723

Hawk Wear:

Orders went home last week. Please let us know if you have any questions about your order. We will have another opportunity to order Hawk Wear later in the school year.

Movie Night:

We hosted our first movie night in over two years and we are so thankful to everyone who attended and to all the parents and volunteers who made the evening possible. We also would like to express our appreciation for everyone's patience with the checking in and out process as we worked through the logistics of the evening. We already have brainstormed ideas to help make the second movie night even better than the first. Stay tuned for another movie night that will be in December.

Family Photo Fundraiser:

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Family Photo Fundraiser and a special thanks to Janice Houghton for donating her time! We brought in over $1000. All participants should have received a Pixieset link with your images to the email you provided at sign up. If you have not seen it, please check your junk mail and if you still don't see it, email [email protected].

MOD Pizza:

Thank you to everyone who participated in our MOD Pizza Fundraiser. We raised $390.29!

Playground:

We are so excited that this month our new playground equipment is getting installed! We are grateful to Paul Sierra and Frank Wilson for finding funding from the district to cover the remaining costs of installation. Be on the lookout for information about a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony. We wouldn't have this new equipment without the generous donations from McKenny families and friends over the past few years. A special shoutout to McKenny parent Jessie Moreno-Graham for all the hours of work she has put in to make all of this happen.

Free Fundraising Opportunities:

Did you know there are several free and easy ways to support the McKenny PTO? Please consider signing up for one or more shopping rewards programs, including things like AmazonSmile and Fred Meyer Community Rewards. A portion of the proceeds gets given to the McKenny PTO every time you shop! To see all the different options select the following link: http://www.mckennypto.org/how-to-support.html. If you have any questions about the process please e-mail: [email protected]

Be sure to follow us on social media!

Instagram: @mckennyhawkspto

Facebook: facebook.com/mckennyhawkspto

Visit our website for the latest information: www.mckennypto.org

Principal's Corner

As we enter the month of November, I would like to share with you how grateful I am to be a part of the McKenny community.
Every single day, I am astounded by the kindness with which I see students treating each other in class, in the hallways, and on the playground. In small ways, and large, students are accepting of others, supportive of their peers, and interested in learning about what makes each student unique and special. Sure, there are times when some of the children need some guidance and support in this area, but that is what we do and we are encouraged by the growth we see.
Every single day, I see students stretching themselves academically, showing grit, determination and perseverance to learn as much as possible about all topics at school.
Every single day, I see teachers and staff members giving their all to help students grow both academically and socially. The dedication of our staff members astounds me and I am so appreciative of what they do for students and families day in and day out.
Every single day, I see family members greeting the children after school with smiles and love. And every single day, I communicate with parents who are true advocates for their children and hold our school to a high standard, which is appreciated.
And finally, every single day, we reap the benefits of the support we receive from our amazing PTO. Your participation in, and support of PTO efforts such as read-a-thon, Trunk or Treat, and the upcoming Boosterthon, make it possible for our school to provide amazing facilities and experiences for our students. Thank you for the difference you make.
Gratefully,
Michael Havens