The Messenger
Whew! What a December to remember!
Thank you to all who participated in our Hats Off to Giving in November! Together with those donations, our third grade classes, Oak Haven Church and Glen Cary Church, McKinley was able to assist 20 families with food over the Thanksgiving holiday!
Thank you to all our Bulldogs who brought in so many coins for the Great McKinley Coin Collection! Our grand total was over $3,278! Our third graders were the winners of the popcorn party this year. It was so exciting to give the Christmas Committee McKinley's donation. They were thrilled!
Thank you, also, to all of the families who helped to sponsor other McKinley families through our Making Spirits Bright program! We were able to make the holidays a little brighter for over 20 families!
McKinley is truly a special community!
Throughout the month of January, our Bulldogs will learn all about Perseverance. Perseverance is pushing yourself to work through challenges and obstacles. Try out this "PurposeFull Pursuit" as a family this month!
Consistency is hard. Have each person in the family commit to 1 thing they will do each day this week. Maybe it is flossing, drinking a certain amount of water, getting to bed at a certain time, limiting screen time, or exercising. Create a place where each person can tally their progress and see who can keep their streak going the longest!
Thank you again to our Bulldog community for helping to make 2024 a little brighter for each other! I am looking forward to seeing what we can accomplish in 2025 with our fabulous group of students!
Kindergarten
Winter Mitten
Our kindergarten artists are learning how to combine geometric shapes and lines in this project. They will be using watercolor paint and oil pastels. They are so respectful of our art supplies and are always willing to try new things. It is so exciting to see all the growth!
First Grade
Shape Trace
Our first grade artists are continuing to learn about geometric and organic shapes. A shape is created when a line is enclosed and it is also one of the elements of art. Students will trace overlapping geometric shapes to create shapes within shapes. They will also learn more about craftsmanship and how taking their time with their art can make it even better. Ask them to find geometric and organic shapes at home.
Second Grade
Candy Houses
Our 2nd grade artists are still learning about space. In this project, they will learn about overlapping shapes to make elements of their candy houses appear 3D. Our artists will also use foreground, middleground, and background to show space along with learning how to apply
a horizon line. It’s a really “sweet” project that I think they will love creating.
Third Grade
Wayne Thiebaud Pattern Cakes
Our 3rd grade artists are learning about creating patterns in art. They will draw a 3-tier cake and create patterns to decorate their cake. In addition, they will color the cake using tints and shades to show form. They will look good enough to eat! Yum!
Fourth Grade
Jen Aranyi Night Sky
Our 4th grade artists will learn about watercolor artist, Jen Aranyi. She loves painting nature scenes and uses vibrant colors. We will explore wet on wet technique with watercolor paints while creating contrast and emphasis with black markers. These are beautiful and one of my
favorite lessons to teach.
January News
Kindergarten
Kindergarten students are loving their force and motion unit! This month, we will investigate questions like “How can we make an object move faster or farther?” and “How can we make an object move in a different direction?” Small toys are a fun way for your child to show you what they are learning about in Science!
First Grade
Students in first grade have just started a unit called “Animal Reporters!” We are traveling the world (through videos, don’t worry!) to study some amazing creatures. This month, our focus is on different animal body parts and how they use those body parts. How do animals’ body coverings (skin, fur, feathers, scales, etc.) help them to survive? Which body parts help the animal to defend themselves? Your child will be excited to tell you about the amazing animals they are studying!
Second Grade
These students are in the middle of their final building challenge–making a paper bridge that can hold weight! This will finish their Master of Materials unit. I have to say how fun it is for me to see how 2nd graders’ building skills AND teamwork skills have really improved over this unit. These kids are skilled at drawing out their ideas, talking over ways to compromise and include pieces of everyone’s design, and then they are able to actually build the project together. I am so proud of them! After the break, we will be starting a new unit, but you will have to ask your child what it is to find out!
Third Grade
Students have been working on designing a magnetic game that is fun for them, and for kids as young as five years old. They brainstormed ideas, and then chose one that they felt would meet the challenge criteria. Next up, students will be teaching their team’s game to another science team and evaluating both their own game and the other team’s game that they get to try out. This will be our last big project in our “Ultimate Playground” unit. After our break, we will begin a new unit. All that I will say about this new unit is that it could have something to do with snow!
Minnesota weather is shifting gears, and the Anoka-Hennepin School District has plans in place for when extreme winter weather arrives.
The safety of all students is the first priority when determining if schools should stay open in adverse weather. If a determination is made to close school due to extreme winter weather, the district will alert families in a variety of ways, including:
Phone, text or email message from AHlert system (for Anoka-Hennepin parents/guardians only).
District and school websites.
District and school social media pages (e.g. Facebook, Instagram and Twitter).
Media outlets including WCCO, KSTP, FOX 9, KARE 11, CCX Media, WCCO radio and Star Tribune newspaper.
Those responsible for activities scheduled in schools over the weekend will determine if adverse weather conditions necessitate a cancellation.
Read more about the district’s policies on extreme winter weather at ahschools.us/weather
The McKinley Sideline Store is open. The current sale offers a 25% discount through January 5. Use code NEWGEAR25