McKinley Monthly

October 6th- 6:30- McKinley Library

October 12th- No School

October 16- PTA Skate City Pajama Party

October 21st- Early Dismissal at 12:37

October 30th- Halloween Dance

Welcome Back! The McKinley staff is a dedicated and caring staff that enthusiastically looks ahead to this new school year. I would like to extend a special welcome to all new students and families. We are glad you have joined us at McKinley. The staff has worked collaboratively to identify values that we want people to think of when they hear McKinley Elementary. Thank you for working with us to use these words and actions in your daily activities.

We are CARING

We are RESPECTFUL

We are RESPONSIBLE

We are SAFE

We are MCKINLEY

November:

Resource / Image

Mental Health Newsletter

Mental Health Series

Ask-a-Therapist Live

Things to Remember About Morning and Afternoon Procedures

• The building does not open until 8 a.m.
• Students should be dropped off in the marked drop off zone. Drivers must stay with their vehicle.
• Only bus students should use door#1. All other students should use the main door #3.
• Students are to pick up a breakfast if they want one and go directly to their classroom.
• School begins at 8:15 A.M and ends at 2:37 P.M.
• Plan a meeting location outside of the building to meet at the end of the day at 2:37 p.m.
• If you need to pick up your child early or if the regular end-of-day plans have changed for your child, please let the office know by 2:15.
• Please call ahead to let us know if your child will be absent at 701-446-5200

Drop Off and Pick Up Procedures

MCKINLEY DROP OFF AND PICK UP PROCEDURES - 2026-2027

McKinley Families - thank you for your continued effort to put our students' safety first! Here are the drop off and pick up procedures for students. Please use these practices before and after school. Please share these procedures with anyone that will be dropping off or picking up students.

Procedures

Morning Drop Off:

If you are dropping your child/ren off in the morning, please travel from the north on 8th Street in front of the school and pull into the drop off /pick up lane.

Move forward as the whole length of the sidewalk is cleared daily.

DO NOT drop children off to the north of the drop-off lane. Please wait until you get into the drop off lane.

If there is a line, please wait and pull forward when the line moves.

Please be patient while waiting in line.

DO NOT park on the opposite side of 8th Street and have the child/ren walk across the street, even if an adult escorts them.

DO NOT stop in the middle of 8th Street and double park having the child/ren get out of the vehicle there and move to the sidewalk.

DO NOT park in the apartment parking lots across the street and have the child/ren walk across the street to the school, even if escorted by an adult.

DO NOT cut in line ahead of other vehicles that are waiting to drop their child/ren off.

Afternoon Pick up:

If you are picking up your child/ren at the end of the school day, please travel from the north on 8th Street in front of the school and pull into the drop off lane.

Continue to move forward as the line moves and move up past the main doors as the whole length of the sidewalk is cleared daily.

Our staff have radios and communicate with the office and other staff that are indoors throughout the dismissal process.

If there is a line, please wait and pull forward when the line moves.

Please be patient while waiting in line.

Students are directed to wait until their ride is in the drop off /pick up lane and stopped before they approach the vehicle and get in.

If you would like to wait for a shorter amount of time for the 1st-5th graders, consider coming to the school 5-10 minutes after the day has ended. Our day ends at 2:37 P-.m.

We have adults that supervise the students outside/or inside the front doors when the weather isn't cooperating, until 3 p.m.

When waiting in line, DO NOT block the bus loop exit. Stay at least 20 feet back to allow the buses to turn north

You may block the two east exits from the parking lot when waiting in line

If you park your vehicle in the North parking lot, please use the north exit as the east ones will be blocked.

Please feel free to call with any questions and thanks again for your help and flexibility.

FROM THE ELEMENTARY PARENT AND STUDENT HANDBOOK ...

Important policy reminders from the Elementary Parent and Student Handbook:

• Pets are not allowed on school grounds. Allergies, carpet cleanliness, injuries and rabies are real concerns for our students and staff. (Reference parent handbook)
• To align with the district Wellness Policy (AP 3250) and to ensure safety of students with food allergies (AP 3225) and diabetic care plans, families are no longer allowed to bring birthday or celebration food snacks to school for the class.
• Flowers/Balloons/Gifts will not be delivered to the classroom, but will be given to the student at the end of the school day. Please consider the difficulty created for the child who must try to manage these items as well as their backpack, etc. on their way home, walking or riding the

bus.

• Outdoor recess is normally canceled when the temperature and wind speed create a wind chill factor of 11 degrees below zero or colder. Outdoor recess will also be canceled not only in the case of extreme cold, but also when the air quality is deemed unhealthy. FPS will monitor

levels in Fargo using the AirNow website. Recess will be canceled if the air quality is coded

RED, PURPLE, OR BURGANDY. (Weather policy AP3250).

August 26, 2026

McKinley Elementary Title 1 Schoolwide Parent Information

Schoolwide Goals:

· Increase literacy achievement for all students

· Increase math achievement for all students

· Increase the students’ use of self-regulation strategies to stay engaged in the classroom.

In order to accomplish these goals, the McKinley Leadership Team has identified the following strategies as a result of our needs assessment:

1) Identifying and addressing the specific reasons for low student achievement

2) Focusing professional development for teachers on increasing the effectiveness in small

group strategies in reading and math

3) Identifying and posting learning targets for students

4) Helping students to track their own progress towards their goals.

5) Effective and timely interventions for our students who are not meeting grade level

expectations

6) Modeling and explicitly teaching self-regulation strategies

7) Staff implementing the Foundational Skills of Catalyst using non-verbal cues and

predicable procedures throughout the day to support students.

Our staff is committed to making every effort to move our students toward proficiency in reading, math, and self-regulation. Professional development for teachers in effective small group reading and math instruction, self-regulation, Catalyst non-verbal strategies, and data analysis will also support our efforts in helping our students to reach their goals.

We will work to emphasize best practice instruction for all students by doing the following:

· Comprehensive work in Tier 1 instruction to minimize the need for MTSS Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions

· Progress monitor students who are getting MTSS Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions

· Monitor interventions for fidelity and effectiveness

· Research and implement alternative interventions to meet students’ needs

As a parent or guardian, you can help to support your child and their school experience by……

1) Coming to parent-school events and conferences and staying in communication with their teacher.

2) Supporting and reinforcing your child’s good study habits

3) Reviewing your child’s homework and test results

4) Setting goals with your child for continued improvement

5) Helping your child to get to school each day and having them at school by 8:15 AM

Throughout the school year, we will be highlighting our McKinley schoolwide goals in our monthly newsletters. This is where we will be discussing each of the goals in more detail. We welcome your feedback so if you have any questions or comments about our McKinley schoolwide plan, please contact the school office.

Thank you for supporting our McKinley schoolwide goals!

Mrs. Janssen

McKinley Elementary Families,

We are excited to announce we will be offering Boys & Girls Club programming for your families starting Summer 2026!

SCHOOL YEAR 2026-2027 REGISTRATION INFORMATION

We will offer our Boys & Girls Club programming for School Year 2025-26 at Madison Elementary School.

Required Documents: (Copies of official records are acceptable.)

• Child’s Birth Certificate
• Childs’s Immunization Record

Please Note:

Register youth at our Madison Elementary Club location.

Before-school Club Program – 6:45 am until the start of the school day, Monday-Friday.

You must drop your child off at Madison Elementary School. Boys & Girls Clubs will provide transport to McKinley Elementary School before the start of the school day.

After-school Club Program – End of school day until 6:00 pm, Monday-Friday.

Boys & Girls Clubs will transport youth from McKinley Elementary School to Madison Elementary School after school dismisses. You will pick your child up at our Madison Elementary Club.

Parent Portal

The Parent Portal is an online account where families may update any personal information, set up auto pay, make one-time payments, check your child’s schedule, upload documents, and more. Your Parent Portal account will be created during the registration process.

Please note: Your Parent Portal account is not active or accessible until your registration is processed by our Scheduling & Registration Department. For more information, please contact us at schedule@bgcrrv.org or 701-235-2147.

Financial Assistance

The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Red River Valley recognizes every family is unique and that some may need assistance in accessing our Club programs. Cass County’s Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) helps working families and those in training or education programs offset childcare costs. In addition, the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Red River Valley also offers a financial assistance program. More information can be found on our website www.bgcrrv.org/forms. For more information, please contact us at billing@bgcrrv.org or 701-235-2147.

Please visit our website for more information – BGCRRV.org

If you have any questions, please reach out to us via email at schedule@bgcrrv.org or by calling our administrative office at 701-235-2147.

Thank you for your interest in our Boys & Girls Clubs program – we hope to see you at our Clubs for this summer or school year 2026-2027!

Sincerely,

BGCRRV Scheduling & Registration Coordinator

Cheryl Janssen, Principal

Laura Sokofsky, Counselor

Amanda Friedline, Administrative Assistant, Writer/Editor

Website: www.fargo.k12.nd.us/mckinley
Location: McKinley Elementary School, 8th Street North, Fargo, ND, USA
Phone: 701.446.5200