McKinley PTO Newsletter

It's hard to believe that this is the last week of the 2017-18 school year!

As you wrap up the school year and kick off your summer plans, I would like to take this this opportunity to thank those who volunteered their time as well as everyone who participated in the many PTO events and fundraisers throughout the year. We are lucky to have such strong support from McKinley families and appreciate all that you do!

This will be the last weekly PTO newsletter for the year. There will be a monthly newsletter for June, July & August.

I would like to wish everyone a fun and safe summer break!

Lindsay Stadler

Make sure to put the following dates on your calendar!

• June 8th - Last Day of Classes

Being at a new school is an exciting time for students and parents, but it can also be overwhelming to learn new requirements and meet new people. To help our new families transition smoothly, the McKinley PTO created a New Family Mentor Program this year. The goal of this program is to match new families with existing McKinley families who will be available to answer questions and share advice throughout the school year. The mentor program is designed to assist the parents of new students, however, the mentor family's children are not expected to mentor the new students.

If you are interested in being a mentor family during the 2018-19 school year, please email Paige Brown at pjssbrown@gmail.com

The first and fifth graders planted flowers in the Peace Garden, and Mrs. Wendland's third grade class planted a vegetable garden. Volunteers are needed throughout the summer to water and weed the gardens. If your family would like to volunteer for a week of garden maintenance at McKinley, please sign up HERE. More detailed instructions will be emailed to all volunteers toward the end of the week. Please email Terri Holzen (tmholzen@yahoo.com) if you have any questions. Thank you!

A big thank you to the McKinley Messengers for all the volunteer work that you did during the 2017-2018 school year!

1. Hug & Go - Messengers volunteered to help walk younger McKinley students to the playground at drop off time during the first two weeks of school.

2. McKinley Mile - Messengers volunteered with the clean-up crew.

3. LIfe Navigators - Messengers served dinner, played games and visited with Life Navigator’s clients (children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities).

4. Secret Holiday Workshop - Messengers helped sell baked goods at the Girl Scout table.

5. Salvation Army Holiday Meal Set Up - Messengers helped bag toys and completed other tasks to assist with the set up for the Salvation Army Holiday Meal (the largest of its kind in the state)

6. Family Fun Night - Messengers coordinated and ran the cakewalk at Family Fun Night and raised $626.25 toward the McKinley Emergency Lunch Fund!

7. Harambee Kitchen/St Vincent de Paul Meal Site - Messengers served a meal at the Harambee Kitchen meal site in inner city Milwaukee

8. Pennies for Patients - Messengers helped coordinate the Pennies for Patients coin drive and raised $3,233.66 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society!

9. Sock Hop - Messengers volunteered at snack table at the Sock Hop.

10. Bike to School Day - Messengers volunteered to help with Bike to School Day activities.
    
11. In-school duties - The Messengers were informal leaders within the building throughout the school year. Some examples of their efforts in the school building: they lead PBIS stations at the beginning of the school year, they helped lead school assemblies, they made school announcements for special events, and they spent time teaching the students on the small playground how to play organized games at recess.
    

We thank all the 5th grade McKinley Messengers! You truly exemplified the McKinley Message! We also thank all the parents of the McKinley Messengers for your support.

Sarah Dupee, Jenny Jablonsky, and Katie Wick, Messenger parent volunteers

The City of Wauwatosa will be hosting a bike rodeo again this summer. It is on Saturday, June 30th from 9- noon in the parking lot at City Hall/ Library. There will be a bike obstacle course, free helmets and helmet checks, raffle, food, bike registration and more! Hope to see you there.

Did you know McKinley recycles shoes? If you're doing your spring cleaning and need somewhere to take all those shoes that no longer fit, bring them to McKinley to the recycle bin near the office. Shoes are donated to an organization that sorts shoes according to their condition. Shoes in good shape are sent to Africa so children can be given the chance to go to school, as shoes are required to attend school. Any shoes that are beyond their use are recycled. So any and all shoes can be collected, no matter their condition. This is another fantastic way McKinley improves our environment, saving the landfill from unnecessary garbage. Questions....email Bridget Schmitt at schmitt_3@sbcglobal.net.

Please consider stopping by the lost and found rack located in the hallway between the cafeteria and gym to see if anything looks familiar. On Monday June 11, the remaining items will be taken down, washed, and eventually donated. If your kiddo is missing something, please come take a look!

To promote reading all summer, students have the opportunity to check out up to 15 books. These books can be enjoyed all summer. They are due back September 4, 2018 for the start of the new school year.

• Books may be checked out on June 5th and 6th if all previous books have been returned.

• All 15 books must be checked out at the same time.

• Books must be returned to the school at the start of the school year, September 4, 2018.

• Parents must sign the agreement below stating that all books will be returned on time.

• It would be helpful to bring a sturdy bag or box to carry the books home and store them in for the summer.

If you would like your child to be able to bring books home for the summer, please sign and complete the bottom of this form by Wednesday, May 30th.

For a copy of the Summer Book Check Out Contract, Click HERE

Please send a large plastic (garbage or other) bag with your child to school, as soon as possible, with their name written on it to take home all of their creations from art class. Art will be sent home the last week of May from the 29 to June 8th.

Wauwatosa School District 2018-2019 School Year Calendar

McKinley Honors Retiring Wauwatosa Fire Chief, Rob Ugaste (WTMJ 4 Coverage)

McKinley's Green Team and Composting Program Featured on Sunday's TMJ4 "414ward" Segment

Email: tosamckinleypto@gmail.com
Website: mckinleypto.us
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/McKinley-Elementary-School-PTO-Wauwatosa/227520614000173?ref=bookmarks
Twitter: @MckinleyPto

You already are! If you are a parent, guardian or teacher at McKinley Elementary School, you are a member of the PTO.

Interested in becoming more involved? The PTO is always looking for help. Volunteer opportunities in areas of marketing, communication, social media coordination, event coordination, website design, merchandising and more! There are volunteer opportunities that fit everyone's schedule - during school hours, after school hours, work from home hours and one time event hours.

For more information about how you can become involved in PTO efforts, contact Lindsay Stadler lindsaystadler@gmail.com