June 2014 Issue 10

McKinley

Elementary 3045 Felton St. San Diego, CA

92104

619-282-7694

McKinleyPTC.com

Be Caring Be Balanced Be Reflective

TerraCycle

www.terracycle.net Our school

recycles! Bring in glue sticks, ink cartridges, chip

bags and old pens!

Please sign up with the office

to get flyers and notifications

through email.

Messenger

¿Necesita las noticias en español? Llame 282-7694.

New McKinley PTC/Foundation Members for 2014-15 Please welcome Betsey Zbyszynski as the new President of the McKinley PTC and the McKinley Foundation for the next two years. Betsey has been a McKinley parent for the past two years as well as an active member of the SoNo Fest planning committee. Also joining the Foundation Board of Directors are Ingrid Lisette and Grant Ferrier. Here is the full Board of Directors for 2014-15: President: Betsey Zbyszynski Vice President: Staci Keller Secretary: Ingrid Lisette Treasurer: Rachel Rath 5th Seat: Grant Ferrier Chair of Fundraising Committee: Mike Wallace Immediate Past President: Shari Schlossberg PTC Ends Year with Record Earnings Thanks to the record profits earned by all three of our main fundraisings (Jog-a-thon, SoNo Fest and Variety Show), the PTC ends the school year with record earnings. For the 2013-2014 school year, the McKinley PTC had a net income of $90,290*.

Here are some of the programs and activities that the PTC paid for at McKinley: Assemblies: $699 Buses for field trips: $4,140 Campus Beautification: $2,386 Ceramics Classes: $12,000 Dance Teacher (K-3rd Grades): $8,860 IB Fee: $7,000 Spanish Instruction: $29,459 Teacher/Staff Appreciation: $1,869 Total: $66,413

We also saved $5,000 for long-term savings.

*Numbers as of 5/31/14; final numbers will change slightly. Save the Date to Celebrate the Start of Summer: Friday, June 6, 5:00-7:30pm McKinley parents and staff are invited to toast the end of the school year and say goodbye to 5th grade parents and retiring teachers on June 6 from 5-7:30 p.m. at Ritual Kitchen & Beer Garden (4095 30th St. @ Polk). Come join us for non-hosted drinks and food on the garden patio. Any questions, email info@mckinleyPTC.com.

Volunteer Positions Open for 2014-15 Sign up NOW for helping next year: ON CAMPUS VOLUNTEER POSITIONS Wednesday Papers: 1 hour on Wednesdays at 9:15 a.m. in the Community Room to assemble school information. Just show up in the office.

First Day of School Information Table Work with the office & recruit parents and 5th grade student volunteers to help new students and parents find their classes on the first day. Contact ktredman@cox.net; 619-857-4687.

McKinley Gear Marketer: Coordinate orders and sales of McKinley clothing throughout the year. Contact info@mckinleyPTC.com.

June Dates

5th – 4-5 Awards Assembly, 9:30-10:45 6th - Family Friday, 2:35. Ms. Gentle’s 2nd grade dance class will be showcased in the auditorium for 30 min. then parents can visit classes from 3:10-3:40. 9th – 5th Grade Picnic 9th – Kindergarten Field Day, 9:45-10:45 10th – 1st Grade Field Day, 10:45-11:45 10th – Award Assemblies: K-1 at 9:20-10:20; 2-3 at 10:20-11:30 11th – 5th Grade Field Trip to Balboa Park Heritage Museum 11th – 3rd Grade Field Day, 9:45-10:45 11th – 5th Grade Challenge, 1:45 12th – 2nd Grade Field Day, 9:30-10:30 13th – 4th Grade Field Day, 9:45-10:45 13th – 5th Grade Promotion, 11:00 Minimum day for all students!

Volunteer Positions Continued:

AT HOME VOLUNTEER POSITIONS Communications Committee needs at least 2 new team members to assist with: PTC database, newsletter, parent emails, PR and Facebook. Contact Bridgette Tullis tullisb@me.com.

Fundraising Committee: Securing local businesses to donate for school events: Opportunities year-round. Contact Sarah Scalo swscalo@gmail.com for more information.

Grocery Loyalty Coordinator: Request monthly or specific event donations. Contact Sarah Scalo swscalo@gmail.com. EVENT VOLUNTEER POSITIONS Fundraising Event Opportunities: There are numerous opportunities to help at Jog-a-thon (Fall), SoNo Park Holiday Fest (chili cook-off, Dec. 7, 2014) and Casino Night (Spring) on and off campus. Contact info@mckinleyPTC.com.

North Park Festival of the Arts: McKinley’s Kids Art Booth Coordinator (May 2015). Contact Will Dumka wdumka@gmail.com.

Become a Room Parent! Volunteer to help from home with parent communications or at school in your child’s classroom. Contact Elizabeth Newlin, Room Parent Coordinator, elillja@att.net. Thank to Everyone who Helped Install the New Tree Mosaic Mural Thanks for all who volunteered and help install our new Tree Mosaic Mural! The efforts were lead by artist, Rob Tobin, who also facilitated the mosaic murals in our garden area. The $1,588.00 to fund the project were raised through the Donor's Choose website (http://www.donorschoose.org) which was coordinated by second grade teacher, Mrs. Zdunich. We want to thank all those who donated to fund the project and all those who volunteered their time to install the mosaics!

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is: More fun tomorrow! In retirement I plan to work supervising student teachers at the University level. My travel plans include a trip to Dubai in the United Arab Emerites and a house exchange for a year in London.

Char le s Luns ford , Coach I really enjoyed working with the kids in this community. It was a lot of fun teaching and playing with them through the years and seeing their growth in many ways. I think they enjoyed me as much as I enjoyed them. Also, thanks to the parents for your support and friendship. You've got great kids and I wish you all the best in the years to come.

Mickey Davenpor t -Grade 3 I have been a professional educator for the last 44 years. Twenty-five of those years have been with San Diego Unified School District. I spent most of my career in San Diego with the Off-Campus Integrated Learning Experience in Old Town. This off-campus learning experience was for all fourth graders to extend the regular course of instruction in social studies. Students learned about the rich and varied history of San Diego and California. I have enjoyed my time at McKinley this year and looking forward to this new chapter in my life.

Nancy Rose -Weber -Grade 3 I have taught 35 years total (5 Pre-school, 5 Secondary, and 25 Elementary). I have been at McKinley for 18 years. I love the students, staff, volunteers and parents that make up our fabulous McKinley family. I am looking forward to more world travels, time with my grandchildren and family, and reading lots of good books!

Caro l Merten , Resource Spec ia l i s t I have taught for 20 years, of which 17 have been at McKinley Elementary. I feel very blessed to have found a home at McKinley. It has been wonderful working with supportive principal, teachers, parents and students to make the best possible outcomes for all of our students. McKinley seems to stay with those who know it, and I know it will always have a special place in my heart as well. As I begin this new retirement chapter I’m looking forward to having daily free choices, traveling, having fun times with grandchildren, and staying connected to my McKinley family too!

Berni c e January , Kindergar t en Ms. January is also retiring! Congratulations and we will miss her!

During these next four weeks, I will work with human resources to fill our open positions with very strong candidates. Please extend your congratulations and recognition to our retirees for all their years of service and dedication to our school community. Bell Time Survey Thank you to all who completed the second survey about the school start time. After reviewing the results and input, the Site Governance Team made a request to the district to change our start time to 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. beginning in 2015-16. I will continue to share all information and updates with our school community. Thank you again for your participation and input. Attendance Counts At the end of May, our attendance was 96.83%. Overall, McKinley is ranked 48th in the district of 118 elementary schools. Our ranking dropped from 19th in April to 48th in May! Yikes! Since the beginning of the year, McKinley’s portion in lost revenue to our district totals $82,602.14. Next year, my goal is to increase our attendance percentage every month. I look forward to your partnership and assistance to ensure students are in school on time every day. As we end the school year, I would like to thank our community for a year full of amazing support!

Dear McKinley Families,

It is with mixed feelings that I write my last newsletter article for the 2013-14 school year. I am always sad to see the year end, but very proud of all the hard work and accomplishments of our students. I wish our fabulous fifth graders the best of luck as they pursue new experiences in middle school! I hope you had a chance to visit their IB Exhibitions during Open House. I want to thank Mrs. Cheesman and Mrs. Phillips for guiding the students and all the staff who served as mentors to provide support and encouragement to our students on their projects. The Scholastic Book Fair was a tremendous success. Thank you to Kitty Mateo, our Library Technician, and the many volunteers to who helped during the entire week. The Cinco de Mayo Celebration was a great event for our school community! I want to thank Patricia Sands, Jesse Carrillo, Sarah Scalo, Maria Soto, and the many parents, community members, students, and staff who helped carry out this fun annual event. Please mark your calendars to attend the many busy events during these last two weeks of school. Last Day of School, June 13th is a Minimum Day School is dismissed at 12:55 p.m. on Friday, June 13th, the last day of school!! Please make arrangements for this change in the calendar. Thursday, June 12th is our regularly scheduled minimum day. Reclassification Celebration! On Wednesday, May 28, McKinley celebrated the reclassification of sixteen students in grades 3-5: Chris Camas, Jennifer Velazquez, Josue Aguilar, Stephanie Centeno, Inam Saleem, Alina Estrada, Camila Alvarez, Jennifer Rivera, Abril Rendon, Angel Romero, Kathleen Santillo, Melissa Madrigal, Sussan Ornelas, Mahro Hashimi, Amandy Del Nery, Elhom Hashimi. These students entered school as English Learners and achieved the requirements to be reclassified to fully English Proficient students! We are very proud of their accomplishments. Students and parents were invited to an awards ceremony to receive certificates and cake to celebrate their success. Special thanks to our English Language Support Teacher, Susan O’Brien, for coordinating this program and supporting the students. Congratulations to McKinley’s Retirees The following teachers are retiring this year, some of whom have been part of the McKinley fabric for many years. We wish them the best of luck and know they are always part of our school community. I asked each retiree to share information about their career and plans for retirement.

Guy DeVoss -Educat ion Spec ia l i s t I have taught for 38 years; including Chicago, Madison, WI and San Diego. I worked as a General Education Teacher K-6, Title VII Math/Reading Specialist, Special Day Class Moderate-Severe, Resource Specialist, SDUSD Intern Support Provider, and Program Resource Teacher. I have been at McKinley for 6 years. As I reflect on my career, I have no regrets! My motto

A Few Words from Principal Julie Ashton-Gray Email: jashton-gray@sandi.net