The Messenger

May 5, 2023

As we make plans for the 2023 - 2024 school year, we first have to thank those staff members who will be moving on to other adventures next year and won't be returning to McKinley. We have some very talented professionals who will be dearly missed next year.

• Neil Klund-Schubert, assistant principal, will be retiring at the end of this year. Mr. K-S has held a variety of positions in the school district for 27 years, the last eight years at McKinley. We thank him for everything he has done to support our students, families and school community.
• Jim Chamberlain, technology paraprofessional, will also be retiring at the end of the school year. Mr. Chamberlain is an extremely talented man and we are going to miss all the great things he has done for our school community.
• Rene Monkelien and Tyler Wadd, Minnesota Reading Corps tutors, will also be moving on to new adventures at the end of the school year. Reading Corps tutors are limited in the number of years they can work in a school, and Rene and Tyler have have reached that mark. They have done amazing work supporting our youngest students in their reading development, and we are very appreciative of the great work they have done over the years.
• Allen Dick, night custodian, has accepted a position at another school in the district. We wish Al all the best and thank him for his years at McKinley.

We have big shoes to fill for next year and we will work diligently to find the right people for our open positions. We are grateful for the years of service that Mr. K-S, Mr. Chamberlain, Mrs. Monkelien, Mr. Wadd and Mr. Dick have provided to our school community. We wish all of them the best of luck in the future.

As we enter the final month of the school year, we wanted to offer a few reminders for families.

• The final day for students is Wednesday, June 7. This is a change from the original last day that was listed on the calendar you received in the fall.
• All library books are due back in school by Wednesday, May 17. We have a major renovation project going on this summer and we'll be packing up the entire library so construction can start the second week in June.
• Any lost and found items that are left at the end of the school year will be donated to a local charity. Please encourage your student to check the lost and found bins if they are missing something. Everything will be displayed on tables on the day of the McKinley Fun Day.
• McKinley will be closed this summer due to several construction projects. Office staff will be on site, but the building will not be accessible to students and families.

Throughout the week of May 8, staff will be recognized for all the work they do to provide the best learning environment possible for our McKinley Bulldogs. The McKinley PTO, along with many parent volunteers, have made arrangements to have special treat days throughout the week. Thank you to the amazing McKinley staff for all they do for our students. We also want to thank the PTO and all the volunteers for setting up a special week for staff members.

Each year the McKinley fourth graders have the opportunity to participate in a Kindness Retreat led by Youth Frontiers. Throughout the day of the retreat, students participate in music and high-energy activities that break down social barriers. Students are encouraged to take a closer look at how they're treating themselves and others at school. Program staff share personal stories centered around kindness and challenge students to make a difference themselves. Students meet in small groups, facilitated by Blaine High School students, to process what they are learning and experiencing.

During the day, our students and high school volunteers are able to experience a day of being treated with only kindness.

Thank you to Scooters and Mansetti's for sponsoring lunch for our students and staff.

The district identified students who made significant growth over the past school year in the areas of math, reading, and language acquisition using the MAP, MCA, CogAT and ACCESS. Growth was measured by comparing performance on two of the same assessments in any of the three examined areas. Students demonstrating growth within the top five percentile at each grade level districtwide were identified. Of these identified students, those with highest growth at each school were invited for School Board recognition at the Anoka-Hennepin School Board meeting Apr. 24 to be recognized for the achievement:

• McKinley Elementary- Micah Erickson, Emerson Larson, Alikatereena Yang, Declan Edminster, Carter Morrow, Aubrey Nelson, Jacob Peterson, Nkauj Tseem Hmoov Vang, Audrey Fahey, Adalyn Johnson.

View recognition photos from the Apr. 24, 2023 School Board meeting.

This month we are talking about Responsibility. One way to define Responsibility is "taking action and understanding the impact of our choices." Taking action can mean doing the right thing or completing the tasks you have been assigned. Understanding the impact of our choices means that our actions matter. Positive and responsible actions can help people and irresponsible actions can hurt others.

We are seeing an increase in the number of parents/guardians who are dropping off and picking up students on Hastings Street, on the east side of the school. Hastings Street is not meant to be used for pick up or drop off of students. Dropping students off or picking them up along that street is not safe. We have witnessed students run through the buses in the bus parking lot to meet parents waiting for them on Hastings Street. We have had cars parked in the crosswalk area and in No Parking areas, making it dangerous and difficult for our students who use the crosswalk to access it safely.

For the safety of all our students, please do not pick up or drop off your children on Hastings Street. Take the extra few minutes to go through the drop off/pick up line, or have your child ride the bus. Thank you for considering the safety of all of our McKinley students.

• May 8 - PTO Meeting @ 6:30 PM
• May 12 - Grade 4 Kindness Retreat
• May 12 - Grade 1 Field Trip - MN Zoo
• May 19 - McKinley Fun Day
• May 29 - Memorial Day - School District Closed
• May 31 & June 1 - Book O'Rama
• June 4 - Grade 4 Field Trip - Bowling
• June 5 - Grade 1 Field Trip - Bowling
• June 6 - Kindergarten Field Trip - Como Zoo
• June 7 - Grade 3 Field Trip - Bowling
• June 7 - Grade 5 Field Trip - Bowling
• June 7 - Last Day for Elementary Students