The Lion's Roar

Good Morning McKinley Families,

"Everybody can be great because everybody can serve." These words from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s “Drum Major Instinct” sermon, delivered on February 4, 1968, from the pulpit of Ebenezer Baptist Church., remind us of the power of humble service. In that sermon, Dr. King urged his congregation not to focus on accolades or achievements but to remember him as someone who "tried to give his life serving others." He asked to be remembered as a drum major for justice, peace, and righteousness—values that resonate deeply with our McKinley community.

This past week, McKinley students, staff, and families embodied that spirit of service. Following the fires, the majority of inquiries I received weren’t about personal needs but about how to help—from supporting displaced students and staff to cleaning up our playground from residual ash. On Monday, 98% of our staff showed up, ready to welcome students back after receiving word as late as 5:30 PM the evening before. This dedication speaks volumes about our community’s core value of care and service.

Everyone pitched in, from setting up and supervising a wellness room with games during walking recess to creating calm and collaborative lunch activities for students. We carried on with activities like our art informances, thanks to our partners at PS Arts, ensuring our students felt supported, cared for, and connected. The generosity and compassion shown by our McKinley family this week have been nothing short of inspiring.

Looking ahead, next week marks our annual TK/K Roundup, where prospective families will tour our school. This year, our Student Council will serve as tour guides, sharing the magic of McKinley. If you know families with little ones ready to start school and want to be part of a community as inviting and purposeful as ours, please encourage them to join us—we’d love to welcome more cubs to our pride!

As we head into the long weekend, let’s carry Dr. King’s message with us. Whether you’re taking a “day on” to honor his legacy through service or a “day off” to rest and recharge with loved ones, may this time bring you peace, reflection, and restoration.

Wishing you all a wonderful long weekend!

With gratitude,

Dr. Daniela Wiener (Dr. DW)

This week, McKinley hosted art informances where family members joined their children to create beautiful art together. Thank you to our amazing teaching artist, Matt MacFarland, for guiding this creative and meaningful experience. And thank you to SMEF and PS Arts for ensuring our students have a top notch arts education! It was a joy to see our community come together through art!

This week, during walking recess, our students showed creativity by inventing new calm games on the yard. Meanwhile, our wellness room provided a cozy space with new games for students to enjoy and relax. It was wonderful to see their adaptability and teamwork!

Our instructional coach, Rachel Mauck, led an engaging PBL training on lesson design, guiding our grade-level teams through creating impactful project-based learning plans. Teachers walked away with exciting instructional strategies to bring meaningful, real-world learning to their classrooms!

From the Santa Monica Fire Department:

We know that this past week has been difficult for many of those affected by the LA Fires. As we move toward recovery, it’s essential that we work together to build a safer community through prevention, preparedness, and response.

One way to strengthen our community’s safety is by creating a life and safety profile on Community Connect. This vital technology provides first responders with critical information about your residence or business. By inputting details such as floor plans, pets, or specific medical needs, you empower first responders to make more strategic decisions en route to an emergency. Seconds matter in a crisis, and having this information readily available can make all the difference.

Participation in Community Connect is completely voluntary and based on what you are comfortable sharing. All data you provide is secure, used only during emergencies, and protected with bank-level encryption.

For more details, please visit the Community Connect website.

As we kick off 2025, we’re thrilled to celebrate our PTA for achieving a membership total equal to or greater than last year’s total for the entire 2023-2024 term! Thank you for your dedication to growing our PTA and continuing to positively impact all children and families at McKinley.

This week, our former principal, Dr. Benjamin, Ms. Melissa and I had the opportunity to sign the steel frame of our building since we were unable to conduct our topping out ceremony. I was grateful to sign alongside Dr. Benjamin and Ms. Melissa who spent several years participating in the design of the project.

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#/

Sign up for the roundup here: bit.ly/4hlNkhX

Although Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday is observed on January 20th, we are moving our Community Service Day to Sunday, January 26th to accommodate families who may be out of town. This day will honor Dr. King’s legacy by engaging in acts of service that strengthen our community, while also providing a meaningful way for kids to contribute following the recent fires.

Hosted by our PTA, this event will focus on cleaning, fixing, and beautifying our campus. Students are encouraged to participate, and we will also include an activity to support fire relief efforts and discuss fire safety. It’s a wonderful opportunity to show your child the power of giving back and making a difference. Mark your calendars and join us for this special day of service—more details to come!

Join us for McKinley's Multicultural Celebration Day, a long-standing and cherished event that celebrates the diversity of our community.

How It Works

Students will receive a "passport" to visit tables, each representing a unique cultural experience. These cultural tables can be informational, interactive, or both, and are designed to spark curiosity and connection. Parents and extended family members are encouraged to lead a cultural table. Share your culture through activities, food, art, music, or traditions that are meaningful to you.

Examples of Past Tables:

AAFA: Creating African masks

ELAC: Playing La Lotería

Japanese Origami: Paper folding demonstrations

Cooking Demos: Sharing recipes and tastes from around the world

Dance Lessons: Irish dance, limbo, baile folklórico

Art and History Displays: Showcasing traditional clothing and artifacts

Interactive Crafts: Making world flags or learning Chinese calligraphy

Games and Stories: Playing dreidel, Bronx playground games, or sharing folk tales

Music and Language: African drumming, learning ASL phrases

How You Can Help

To bring this celebration to life, we need you! Please consider leading a table to share your family's culture and traditions. Whether it’s an activity, a craft, a performance, or simply a story, your participation helps our school community grow stronger and more connected.

Sign up by January 17 below to be part of this memorable day of McKinley PRIDE. Together, we’ll create a space where our students and families can celebrate their cultural pride and appreciate the diverse cultures of others.

If you're looking for other families to host a table with whom you share the same culture, add your name to the list below. Our Bilingual Community Liaison, Michael Muñoz will put you in touch via email so you can connect and host a table together!

The Jog-a-thon is our biggest fundraiser of the year and we need your help to make it a success! Please reach out to our PTA president, Sibyl Fenwick at mckinleyptapres@gmail.com to see how you can help. We need you!

This Week

• January 20: NO SCHOOL - MLK Jr. Day and National Day of Service

• January 21: Theater Informances (3-5)

• January 22: Theater Informances (3-5)

• January 23: TK and K Round Up, 9:00 -10:00 AM

• January 24: Special Education Resource Group Meeting, 9:00-10:00 AM, Zoom

• January 26: Campus Beautification Day, 10:00 AM-12:00 PM

• Upcoming Dates

• January 28: Earthquake Drill

• January 31: Schoolwide Assembly (TK-K, Caring and Lunar New Year Celebration), 8:30-9:00 AM, Kinder Yard

• January 31: PTA Meeting, 9:00-10:30 AM, Auditorium

• January 31: Multicultural Festival, 3:30 -5:30 PM, Big Yard