Jaunary 2025

McKenny Hawks Are Kind, Safe, Respectful and Responsible

 

 

Important Dates:

• 1-3: Winter Break
  
• 6: School Resumes
  
• 8: Walk N Roll
  
• 10: PTO Movie Night
  
• 14: PTO Meeting @ 6:30 pm. in the library
  
• 15: 5th Grade Field Trip to WA Center for the Performing Arts @ 9:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
  
• 16: 4th Grade Field Trip to WA Center for the Performing Arts @ 9:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
  
• 16: 2nd Grade at Thurston County Food Bank @ 5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
  
• 20: Martin Luther King Jr. Day - No School
  
• 24: PTO Fundraiser at Chuck E Cheese 3:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
  
• 31: Elementary Grading - Early Dismissal @ 11:35 a.m.
  

Walk N Roll -January 8th

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. 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!

  

2024-2025 OSD Snow Letter

Every year, snow or severe conditions seem to lead to the closure or late start of our schools, and we want to keep you updated about those decisions.

Communications Protocol

The Olympia School District will inform you of school schedule changes as soon as possible through our ParentSquare communications platform (text/email), website and social media platforms. We also encourage you to monitor local radio and/or television stations for up-to-date information about weather-related closures or delays.

School Closure

If OSD schools close due to inclement weather, students do not report to class, regardless of whether they attend school in person or through ORLA online. OSD has a “Snow Make-Up Day” built into the calendar on May 23, 2025, to be used as a school day in the event there is a weather-related school cancellation prior to this date. Additional snow days (if needed) will be made up at the end of the 2024-25 school year.

To continue reading Superintendent Murphy's snow letter with additional information please follow this link.
 

Attendance

Attendance supports your students' social, emotional, and academic achievement, and it is mandatory by law. However, cold and flu season is among us and with that we understand comes absences. If your child is not feeling well, has a fever or vomiting please keep them home. Refer to the document, "When Should Children Stay Home?" for further guidance. You can excuse their absence by calling the attendance line at 360.596.8403 or email [email protected]. You can also send doctors notes and planned absence forms to the email provide to excuse absences.

If you are checking in your student late or taking them out early, please utilize our new computers in the office!

 

Lost and Found

Our lost and found is bursting at the seams with various items that have lost their way home. We kindly ask parents and guardians to take a moment to check if any of the items belong to your child. It's essential to label your child's belongings with their name to ensure a swift return in case they get misplaced. Let's work together to reunite these items with their rightful owners!

 

Volunteering 

Are you interested in volunteering this school year? Visit the district’s volunteer website for additional information. Please be sure to complete the volunteer application if you have not already done so. This application must be completed yearly.

 

News from the PTO

Movie Night:

Lilo and Stitch! Friday January 10th, doors open at 6:15pm. The cost is $5 for the first student and $4 for any additional. Tickets can be purchased at bit.ly/PTOCU. Pre-K and Kindergarten students are required to have an adult stay for the duration of the film. 

 

PTO Meeting Tuesday January 14th 6:30-8:00pm

Please join us in the McKenny library at 6:30 PM or connect via Zoom for a great evening of planning and discussing our recent events. This is a great opportunity to share your ideas, ask questions, and get involved.  We hope to see you there—whether in person or on ZOOM.  Meeting ID: 881 5468 3334 Passcode: 772214

 

Chuck E. Cheese:

Join the PTO on Friday January 24th for an evening of arcade and carnival style games and pizza. A portion of all sales that evening will be graciously donated to the McKenny PTO. The fundraiser will start right after school lets out and go until close of business at 9pm, we hope to see you there!

Hawk Wear

There is still time to order Hawk Wear! Head over to bit.ly/hawkwear2024 to explore the latest designs and show off your school spirit!

Bingo Night:

Mark your calendars and put on your favorite Hawaiian shirt and join us on Saturday February 8th for a luau themed Bingo night 6:30pm to 8pm! There will be fabulous prizes, raffles and silent auction items, as well as food and drink for purchase. Check back after Winter Break at bit.ly/PTOCU to purchase bingo cards and tickets for raffles and food. We also need volunteers to put on this event. If you would like to help you can find a signup via the link above. Alternatively, you can visit the PTO’s Amazon list and purchase items needed for the event.

We look forward to seeing you in the new year, ready for more exciting opportunities to come together and make a difference for our students!

PTO email: [email protected] 

PTO website:  mckennypto.org!

Instagram: @mckennyhawkspto
Facebook: facebook.com/mckennyhawkspto 

Principals Corner  

The Return of McKenny Science Night!

This Spring, we will be holding an evening community event focused on Science. This will be the first Science focused event at McKenny since March 2019 and we are really excited. The theme of this year’s event will be Ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest. Several staff members have offered to serve as leaders for this event and are having discussions regarding ideas and dates. However, as you can imagine a school-wide event such as this requires a lot of volunteers and support.

To that end, if you have an interest in volunteering to be a part of planning this event, participating in the event, or supporting the event, we welcome you to be a part of the team at whatever level you can.  If you happen to have a background in, or a passion for, Ecosystems of the PNW, we would love for you to join the planning team, or provide information and resources and/or contact information of community members or agencies that you believe could be supportive of these efforts.

Obviously, much more information will be coming related to this event including activities, student participation, and dates, both for the event itself and for the team’s planning meetings. We just wanted to get the word out early along with an invitation to participate.

If you would like to help out, please contact me at:
[email protected] or (360) 596-8400

Thank you so much.

Michael Havens

McKenny Elementary School Schedule

Grades K to 5  8:30 a.m.—2:45 p.m. 

AM Preschool  8:30—11:00 a.m. 
PM Preschool  12:15—2:45 p.m. 
Early Release Every Wednesday 1:55 p.m.  (No preschool) 
Half Day Dismissal 11:35 a.m.  (No preschool)