May Principal's Message

Greetings!

 

I can’t believe this is the last newsletter for the school year.  Time is going so fast and furious!  There is still some school time left and I would like to share a few ideas and activities that you can take advantage of with your children now, and in the summer.

 

Make the most of the final weeks of school.

 

Review your child's progress. Many teachers spend the last weeks of school reviewing for the core tests and recapping the year's work.  You can help your children review by asking them to show you what they've learned, or working through homework problems together.

 

Schedule a final discussion with your child’s teacher. Talk about the year as a whole and identify successes, but also challenges your child may face when he or she returns in the fall.

 

Help your children stay motivated about school so they gain the full benefit of their final days in the classroom. Have a conversation every day about school. 5

 

Ask the teacher for a reading list for the summer. Teachers often have lists for the appropriate grade level, or in some cases you might be able to get specific recommendations for two kinds of books, those your child may enjoy reading, and those you may enjoy reading to your child.

 

Tips for Summer

  

·         Plan family activities that are fun, interactive and educational.

 

·         Attend summer activities with your family.  There are many enrichment activities in our valley available for children when school is out-of-session.

 

·         Ask not only about subjects, but changes in focus. For example, 4th grade students usually begin to “read to learn” rather than “learn to read.” If your 3rd grade student is struggling with his/her reading, this summer would be a good time to focus on improving reading skills.

 

·         If you know your child will be studying history next year, visit local historical sites or borrow historical books and novels from Garland and Tremonton Libraries.

 

·         Summer vacation is a great tradition. It's important to enjoy the time off. But children can also learn while they have fun. In fact, the best learning occurs when children don't realize they're learning. You can plan summer vacation activities that are both fun and educational.  The trick is to take advantage of teaching opportunities when they are right in front of you.

 

·         Develop writing skills by writing to family members or friends.

 

·         Continue reading throughout summer. Visit the local library where they can help you select books appropriate for your child's age and interest.  Show them by example and share some fun information from your reading.

Bounce into a Book

Community Book Exchange on May 21^st

Bring your old books to school starting May 6^th-17^th.  Get a coupon for the number of books you bring in.   On May 21^st, return to school with your coupon to retrieve the same number of books.  Bring in 2, get 2, bring in 10 get 10!

This is a great way to freshen your home library! 

If you just want to donate we will be accepting all donated books. 

Please come on May 21^st to our book exchange, even if you don’t have books to exchange, for your child to pick up a book for summer reading!

See you all May 21^st!

5th Grade Box Tops Winner

The winning class for the Box Tops Competition between the 5th grade classes in March is Mr. Bennett's class.  Way to go!

DON'T FORGET BOX TOPS!!

The Box Tops Competition between all of the classes from every grade has begun and will end on May 17th.  So be collecting Box Tops and Campbell's soup labels.  Make sure to cut them out along the dotted lines, place them in a plastic bag labeled with the teacher's name and grade so your class will be credited, and turn them in at school.  The overall winning class will receive a rootbeer float party!  GOOD LUCK and thank you for your support.  This program raises a lot of money for our school.

2013-14 PTA Board

If you are interested in helping with some of  the PTA activities at the school, then we would love to have you serve on the PTA Board for the 2013-14 School Year.  Please contact Tarena Avery ASAP!

tarena747@gmail.com

Serving on the PTA Board is a lot of fun and helps our school tremendously so please volunteer at McKinley!

April Lunch Menu

Please click on image to see in better detail.

April Activities Calendar

Please click on image to see in better detail.

April Principal's Message

McKinley Elementary School is committed to providing a safe and secure school environment for all of our students, staff, and community members.  I have included the necessary information for most emergencies in this month’s PTA letter.

 

What is an emergency?

An emergency is an unexpected situation that must be dealt with immediately. 

Emergencies range in scope and intensity from incidents that directly or indirectly affect a single student to ones that impact the entire community.  Emergencies can happen before, during, or after school and on or off our school campus.  The definition of an emergency varies with the unique needs, resources, and assets of our school and community. 

Emergency management is a continuous process in which all phases of the plan are being reviewed and revised.  Good plans are never finished.  Our plan is reviewed and updated at least annually based on experience, and research.

 

What does McKinley School do to prepare your child for an emergency?

 

Fire:

Nine fire drills per year are required and practiced.

• Students practice leaving the building in a safe and orderly manner.
• Students practice leaving the building using alternate routes.
• Students who leave the building with their teacher practice staying with their teacher.
• Students will re-enter the building after an “all clear” signal is given by the Principal.
• If evacuation of the school is necessary, students will wait at the Tremonton Bus Garage and will wait for their parents/guardians.

Earthquake:

This is a procedure used in a sudden, extreme emergency where there is not time to move students or other personnel to a safer location.

• Individuals should make every attempt to put their heads underneath tables or desks to avoid injury from falling objects.  In addition, individuals should move as far away from windows as possible. 
• Students are to hold this position until the teacher or another responsible adult tells them it is safe to get up.
• Students and staff will drop to their knees and bend to a kneeling position with the head on their knees and cover the back of their head and neck with their hands.

Lockdown:

Students practice being sheltered behind locked doors with constant adult supervision.

• Students within a classroom are sheltered away from the windows.
• Students in the gym are rapidly moved to a locked area.
• Students practice remaining calm and quiet.
• Students are removed from the school site when the incident has been stabilized as necessary.
• Students will wait for their parent/guardians at the Tremonton Bus Garage.

The principal, teachers, and staff prepare and practice for an emergency on a regular basis.

 

Please see me if you have any questions.

 

Thanks for your continued support.  Please drop in and share with me any concerns or celebrations!

 

Mr. Chadaz