The Lion's Roar

Good morning, McKinley Families,

What a week it has been—so much joy and excitement on campus! Our students explored college life with tours of UCLA and USC, cheering on their women's basketball teams to victory. We also celebrated creativity and achievement at the Reflections Art Contest Breakfast—congratulations to our talented winners and a special thanks to our VP of Literacy & Education, Elizabeth Badger for leading this event! Our school leadership team engaged in learning rounds (special thanks to our Instructional Coach, Rachel Mauck for doing the heavy lifting of organizing) and to top it all off, we enjoyed what might just be the most spectacular talent show in McKinley's history. I want to thank Leslie McKnight and Marshall McCabe for organizing one of the most enjoyable nights I've had in a while in just 3 rehearsals! The incredible talent, enthusiasm, and support from our families filled my cup to the brim—I hope yours is overflowing, too.

Looking ahead, next week promises more opportunities for growth and connection. Our staff will dive into professional development focused on English Language Development strategies to better support our Multilingual Learners. We’ll also host a school-wide assembly on citizenship and our monthly Coffee with the Principal. I’ll be joined by our fabulous librarian, Kate Ryan, and reading interventionist, Tiffany Estrada. After the recent parent-teacher conferences, we thought this would be the perfect time to share strategies for making reading at home both enjoyable and impactful—fostering family togetherness and helping your child grow as a confident, enthusiastic reader.

Additionally, we’ll be conducting vision and hearing screenings in partnership with UCLA. There’s never a dull moment at McKinley!

Wishing you all a restful and wonderful weekend.

In partnership,

Dr. Daniela Wiener (Dr. DW)
Principal, McKinley Elementary School

4th and 5th Grade Students went to USC to watch their incredible women's basketball team play and to take a college tour, and 3rd, 4th and 5th Grade Students went to UCLA to do the same!

McKinley's Talent Show was off the chart this year. The talent was next level and every act was better than the next! What an incredible group of humans we have at McKinley! Check out videos below of just some of the acts we enjoyed last night! Get ready to have your socks blown off.

Dance and Cheer Team have been getting their cheer on!

This week, our School Leadership Team (SLT) embarked on an exciting journey of collaborative growth through our first learning rounds of the year. SLT members walked and taught for each other focusing on strategies to help students develop their ability to communicate using precise academic vocabulary.

Parents, SMMUSD would like you to share your thoughts on our school which will help guide district and school efforts to promote safety, enhance learning supports, and improve student achievement. This survey should take about 10-15 minutes to complete. The survey window is from November 1 - November 26. For more info, and to take the survey, CLICK HERE.

Parent Teacher Conferences are over and perhaps you're wondering how you can get your child to read more at home! We are here to help! Join us for Coffee with the Principal, the Librarian and the Literacy and Language Interventionist for a conversation on strategies you can use at home to help your child read and more and better!

Come help out with Snack Sales! It's fun! Your child can help sell too! Arrive by 1:00 PM and meet up outside the parent room, located to the left of the 1st-grade classrooms. We’ll set up a table with delicious snacks, including popcorn and drinks. The sale ends promptly at 2:00 PM, and we’ll clean up quickly after. Click here to sign up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050A4FADAF28AAFE3-52304166-wednesday#/

This month's pillar is Citizenship. Student have read the touchstone texts below to think about what it means to contribute positively to their classroom communities by being kind to each other.

Grades 2-5: In Trouble Talk, Maya's friend Bailey loves to talk about everything and everyone. At first, Maya thinks Bailey is funny. But when Bailey's talk leads to harmful rumors and hurt feelings, Maya begins to think twice about their friendship. This book looks at relational aggression and the damaging consequences of "trouble talk"—talking to others about someone else's troubles in order to establish connection and gain attention.

Grades TK-1: Have you ever felt invisible when you're around other people? Meet Brian, the invisible boy. Nobody ever seems to notice him or think to include him in their group, game, or birthday party…until, that is, a new kid comes to class. When Justin, the new boy, arrives, Brian is the first to make him feel welcome. And whenBrian and Justin team up to work on a class project together, Brian finds a way to shine. The Invisible Boy shows how small acts of kindness can help children feel included and allow them to flourish.

McKinley's Lost and Found is packed with lots of your children's sweatshirts, lunchboxes and water bottles. Please come by and find your child's items before 11/22. We will be donating all items during Thanksgiving Break.

Save the date! Come hear the results of the Airport Conversion Project survey and determine a sustainable concept for Santa Monica Airport! December 7th at Memorial Park Gym from 1pm to 4pm

This Week

• November 18: Hearing and Vision Screening, (TK, K, 2nd and 5th)
• November 20: Coffee with the Principal, Librarian and Reading Interventionist, Library, 8:30-9:30 AM
  
• November 20: Aftercare Programs Fire Drill, 2:30 PM

• November 20: PTA Meeting 6:00-7:30 PM, Zoom

• November 21&22 : McKinley Vision Screening with UCLA Stein Institute (PK/TK)

• November 22: School-wide Assembly-4th Grade Citizenship, Kinder Yard 8:30-9:00 AM

• November 22: ELAC, Library, 9:00-10:00 AM

• November 22: November 18: Hearing and Vision Screening, (TK, K, 2nd and 5th),

• Upcoming Dates
  

• November 27-29: No School due to Thanksgiving Break