McKenny Elementary School
December 2017
McKenny Hawks Are Kind, Safe, Respectful and Responsible
Winter Break
No school December 18, 2017 thru January 1, 2018. School resumes on Tuesday, January 2nd, 2018 at 9:00am.
Mark your Calendars for Fifth Grade Outdoor School
Our fifth grade students will be attending Outdoor School at the Cispus Environmental Center in Randle, Washington, April 25th, 26th & 27th. This will be a Wednesday, Thursday and Friday trip. The Center has been developed specifically for students’ environmental studies and has excellent facilities for both study and research.
Cost is $150.00 per student. If you need to make payments or need financial assistance, please contact Debbie in the office to set up a plan. Also, if your student needs to take a prescription or over-the-counter medicine, the medicine and doctors permission form need to be at school by Friday, April 20th.
Save the Date: McKenny Science Fair
The McKenny Science Fair will be held on Wednesday, March 7th. It’s never too early to begin thinking about your science fair project.
Vision & Hearing Screenings
A big thank you to the Lion’s Club for helping with our vision and hearing screening this year and the following McKenny volunteers that helped: Jenee Kellogg, Rachel Fisher, Joy Scholz and Carrie DiStefano.
Doctor, Dentist or Appointment
If your student is at a professional appointment, please bring us a note from the doctor. This is for attendance purposes.
Lost and Found
Our racks are full; please check our lost and found for any missing items. We will be donating the left overitems to The Little Red School House during winter vacation. Please write your student’s name in his or her coat. We can return any lost coat to the correct student if their name is visible.
McKenny Battle of the Books for 4th & 5th Graders
The following is the reading list for the Battle of the Books: Alchemyst; Awkward; Closed for the Season; Dragon Slippers; Girl Who Could Fly; Keeper of the Lost Cities; Kensuke’s Kingdom; Menagerie; My Life in Dog Years; No Talking; One and Only Ivan; Rules; Sylvia & Aki; Tapper Twins go to War; Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Farmer; Who was Amelia Earhart? We have some great reading again this year. If you would like more information about Battle of the Books, please contact Nancy Hooper in the Library.
School Lunches
The school meal accounting system is a pre-paid system. Parents or guardians must deposit money into their child’s account before meals are served. Payments can be made daily, weekly, monthly or annually. In addition to sending cash or check to the school, parents can also pay online with their credit/debit cards, or by phone by calling either Debbie at 360-596-8410 or Alicia at 360-596-7022. It is the parent’s responsibility to make sure money is in the account or a home-prepared meal is sent to school with their child.
Start the New Year with a positive balance!
Extra Clothing Donations for the Health Room
McKenny is in need of extra clothing. If your student has outgrown sweatpants and socks, we could really use them in our Health Room for those rainy days. The Pacific Northwest is known for its wet weather!
Dress for the Weather
As the weather gets cold and wet, it makes sense the students will come to school with multiple layers of clothing. In order to ensure your students come home with the same clothes they arrived in, please make sure all coats, hoodies, gloves and hats are labeled with student names. If you provide a name, we will make sure to get clothing back to your children if they accidently leave it behind. With your help we could eliminate the need for a Lost and Found at school.
Let's Be Careful Out There
The days are growing shorter which means that it’s a good time to remind students, parents and community members to exercise extra caution in and around school zones, bus stops and roads that are frequently used by walkers and bikers. Reflective clothing is a good idea, especially for those students who walk or bike to school in the morning when it is dark.
Inclement Weather Conditions
Please keep the following information readily available in case you need to check if school has been cancelled or delayed due to weather or other emergency conditions. Radio: KGY 1240 AM or 96.9 FM; KMAS 1030 AM; KXXO 96.1 FM; and KAOS 89.3 FM. Internet: http://osd.wednet.edu. Parents, please keep in mind that there is no student supervision when school starts late or is cancelled. Web or media alerts will inform families if emergency/snow bus routes are being used. For more information access the EMERGENCY INFORMATION link on the OSD home page at http://osd.wednet.edu.
When Should Children Stay Home?
As part of the Olympia School Districts commitment to maintaining a healthy environment, the following guidelines are provided to assist you in determining when to keep your child at home.
When to Keep your Child Home: When to Return to School:
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Fever over 100 degrees
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No fever for at least 24 hours. Temperature under 100 degrees, without assistance of a medication, (e.g. Tylenol, Advil, etc.)
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Diarrhea or Vomiting
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24 hours after diarrhea and/or vomiting stops.
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Rashes with a fever or itching, (unless diagnosed by a physician)
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Physician note and/or no longer present for at least 24 hours. No fever for at least 24 hours, (see above “Fever Over 100 degrees”).
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Sore Throat
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Recommend consulting a physician. Stay home at least 24 hours after staringantibiotic treatment. Stay home if uncomfortable.
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Head Lice or Scabies
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Head lice or scabies treated & Nits/Eggs removed (wait at least 24 hours and must be rechecked by the nurse or health room assistant upon return)
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Cough with congestion or fever
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Cough has lessened, or illness has been treated by physician (coughing can be a real distraction to the class and/or student if severe)
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Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye) is highly contagious
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Physician note
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Strep Throat
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Diagnosed and at least 24 hours after starting antibiotic treatment.
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Chicken Pox
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May return to school after all lesions have formed crusts, usually 5-10 days after startof rash.
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These guidelines are meant to help decrease illness so your children can be in the best environment for learning. Please cover all wounds and encourage hand washing. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact your child’s school nurse. By working together, we can prevent the spread of illness and keep our children the healthiest they can be. THANK YOU! The Olympia School Nurses
Happy Holidays from the McKenny Staff
Have a wonder winter break with
families and friends!
January Upcoming Events
2 – School Resumes
3 – Release at 2:32
8 – OSD School Board mtg @ 6:30
10 – Release at 2:32
15 – No School – ML King Jr Day
17 – Release at 2:32
22 – OSD School Board mtg @ 6:30
24 – Release at 2:32
31 – Release at 2:32
PTO
Apple Tree Productions!
Radar alert!! Apple Tree Productions is coming to McKenny Elementary in JANUARY!! If your student is interested in theater, loves to partake in plays, or would even love to be in their first play- now is the time! Apple Tree Productions is a company devoted to providing a challenging and excellent after-school and summer education theater program to children of all ages and abilities in the Olympia and surrounding areas. They produce full-length plays and invite professionals to work alongside students for the ultimate theater experience! You can find more info here - https://appletreeprod.com/.
Volunteer Opportunities
We can always use extra hands! Please contact our PTO volunteer coordinator, Marny for volunteer opportunities! [email protected].
Attention Holiday Amazon Shoppers!
Love to shop on Amazon?? Love to support your favorite PTO? Well, we have the program for you! McKenny PTO is now available to designate as your favorite organization on AmazonSmile. Each time you make a purchase on Amazon, they will donate a portion of the purchase to our PTO! Simply visit smile.amazon.com and designate “McKenny Parent Teacher Association” as your organization of choice.
Read A Thon is Coming in February!
The McKenny staff and PTO are excited to announce the 5th annual McKenny Read-A-Thon! This years’ read-a-thon will be February 12th- 25th! Keep an eye out for details after winter break!
‘Like’ Us on Facebook
Are you on Facebook? So are we! Be sure to “like” the McKenny Hawks Family fan page on Facebook and keep tabs on PTO activities and events!
Check Out Our Website
Be sure to keep up to date with all the happenings of McKenny PTO at www.mckennypto.org.
Save the Date!
January’s PTO meeting is Tuesday, January 9th at 6:30pm in the school library. Please join us, we would LOVE to see you there!