February 2023
McKenny Hawks Are Kind, Safe, Respectful and Responsible
February Up-Coming Events:
February is Black History Month
1 - Walk N Roll
3 - Half Day Elementary Grading - 11:35 a.m. Dismissal
6-10 - Black Lives Matter Week
7 - PTO Meeting at 6:30 p.m. McKenny Library
9 - School Board Meeting at 6:30 p.m. Knox Bldg
10 - PTO Movie Night at 6:10-8:20 p.m.
20 - Presidents' Day - No School
21 - Mid-Winter Break - No School
22 - Report Cards Posted in Skyward Family Access at 3 p.m.
23 - 5th Grade to Thurston County Food Bank 5-6:30 p.m.
23 - School Board Meeting at 6:30 p.m. Knox Bldg
28 - Playground Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at 3:30 p.m.
March Up-Coming Events:
Women’s History Month
1 - Walk N Roll
4 - Countdown to Kindergarten at 10 a.m. at Capital High School
9 - Joint Board Meeting with Griffin SD at 6:30 p.m. Knox Bldg
10 - Boosterthon
14 - PTO Meeting at 6:30 p.m. McKenny Library
23 - 4th Grade to Thurston County Food Bank 5-6:30 p.m.
23 - School Board Meeting at 6:30 p.m. Knox Bldg
27-31 - Spring Conferences - 11:35 a.m. Dismissal
Running Club Starts February 28th!
Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:00-4:30. Meet in the play shed and run a mile. Come to any practice you can make. All family members are welcome to come and run, including any siblings not in attendance at McKenny and any adults. THIS IS NOT A DROP OFF EVENT, AN ADULT MUST ACCOMPANY ALL CHILDREN. More information will be forthcoming.
Walk N Roll - February 1st
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!
Food Bank
5th Grade will be going to the food bank on February 23. More information to follow.
Extra Clothes Reminder
Friendly reminder to families that with the winter season comes lots of rain and mud puddles. Please remember to have an extra pair of clothes in your child’s backpack. Extra clothes are also helpful in the event of a bathroom accident. If you have gently used children's pants, sweats, leggings and would like to donate to the health room please drop off at the office. Thank you!
Save the Date:
Countdown to Kindergarten March 4, 2023
The Olympia School District welcomes students and families from the Class of 2036 to its annual Countdown to Kindergarten celebration. This exciting and informative event is geared toward parents/guardians who have children entering kindergarten for the 2023-24 school year. Families are encouraged to attend this event to learn about the transition to kindergarten in the Olympia School District.
The event kicks off at 10 a.m. in the Capital High School Performing Art Center with a presentation by Superintendent Patrick Murphy and Executive Director of Elementary Education Autumn Lara. Families will then move to the CHS Commons to meet school and district staff, tour a mock classroom, climb aboard a school bus and much more.
We cannot wait to meet the Class of 2036! We hope you join us at Capital High School for this joyful event. Additional information will be available soon. For details on enrollment visit our Student Enrollment page on the Olympia School District website.
Countdown to Kindergarten
Capital High School (2707 Conger Ave. NW)
Saturday, March 4, 2023
10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
To reserve your spot at Countdown to Kindergarten please complete this Google Form. We look forward to seeing you there!
News from the PTO
PTO Meeting:
Tuesday, February 7th from 6:30 to 8:00 in the library
Join us to hear about McKenny's School Improvement Plan from Principal Michael Havens, learn more about our events and fundraising, ask questions, and share your thoughts. We hope to see you there! Can't make it in person? Join us via Zoom, go to https://osd111.zoom.us/j/83568093484?pwd=YXNtcmhYVnhtZ3REdWErNHI3QS9VZz09
Meeting ID: 835 6809 3484
Passcode: 590164
Movie Night:
McKenny PTO is proud to present another fun movie night. Join us on Friday, February 10th for Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile. Please register online before the event by visiting lylelyle.cheddarup.com where you can find more details as well as sign up to volunteer. Movie night is only for students who are currently enrolled at McKenny, Pre-school - 5th grade.
Boosterthon is BACK!
The Boosterthon is a 10-day program and is this year's biggest fundraiser, taking place on March 10th. Families will be getting donations for the laps their student completes. Funds raised from this event go toward supporting specialists (PE, art, music and library)! Our goal is to raise $10,000. Be on the lookout for more information!
Chuck E. Cheese Update:
Thank you to all those who attended the McKenny PTO Fundraiser at Chuck E. Cheese. We raised over $600 that will go towards supplies needed in various classrooms!
Playground Ribbon Cutting - Save the date! The new playground piece was installed in November! We want to show our thanks to the McKenny community with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday, February 28th at 3:30 pm. Stick around for the start of McKenny Running Club at 4 pm!
Donations:
Do you have a local business? Would you be willing to donate a product or service for our Spring Carnival in May? We use donations from our community to help put together raffle and silent auction baskets. If you have any interest in donating, please reach out to [email protected]. Thank you so much to those who have already reached out--we're really excited about your donations!
Attention 5th and 4th Grade Actors!
Does your student have a passion for performing? We have a great opportunity coming to us this spring that we'd love for you to put on your calendar. Pacific Northwest Theater will be working with a limited number of 4th and 5th McKenny Students to perform The Wizard of Oz Jr. Rehearsals will be every day after school until 5:00 pm beginning April 10th until performances on May 12th and 13th. Be on the lookout for more information about sign-ups, fees and other details.
Want more information about the PTO?
Be sure to follow us on social media!
Instagram: @mckennyhawkspto
Facebook: facebook.com/mckennyhawkspto
Check out our website: www.mckennypto.org
Principal's Corner
Each year, we work together as a staff to create our School Improvement Plan (SIP). Every school in the state is required to develop such a plan and submit it for approval to their local school board. I will be joining other OSD principals to present our SIPs to the board this Thursday. If you would like to hear a more detailed, and McKenny-specific version of this presentation, please join us for the PTO meeting next Tuesday, February 7th at 6:30 p.m. in the library.
The McKenny SIP is focused on the Six Student Outcomes created and adopted by the OSD Board of Directors as a part of the Strategic Planning Process. For each of these six outcomes, McKenny staff created a goal for growth and decided how we will measure that growth. Additionally, and I believe most importantly, we developed action steps that we can take as a staff to make progress toward our goals. I believe it is a very collaborative process that allows us to focus on specific aspects of the student experience including academics and social-emotional learning.
Once these presentations are made, and our plan has received final approval from the school board, it will be posted to our school website in its entirety for all to review. Again, if you would like to hear me present and answer any questions about our SIP please join us at this Tuesday’s PTO meeting.
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)