Highlander Happenings

McKean School Community,

Congratulations on an outstanding school year! Thank you to all parents, students, and staff for making 2023-2024 a great school year. This being the last parent letter of the year, I want to thank you for the support and patience shown these past 10 months. We had successes and some challenges, yet despite all, we continue the work that must be done to ensure the needs of our students' needs meet the highest standards.

Warmer weather is here and the first of June will be both a busy and an exciting time with our graduation and the last week of the 2023-2024 school year. To our graduates, once again, congratulations! I am awe-struck with the Class of 2023 for all you have accomplished in your four years at McKean High School

As we progress, I encourage parents to remain vigilant in monitoring their student's grades and academic progress. As always, I encourage you to please continue to refer to the McKean website, our school website, https://www.redclayschools.com/mckean , and our social media pages (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook) for additional information.

Thank you, again for your continued support this year—best wishes to our graduates, whom we will miss greatly. Have a terrific summer.

We A.R.E. McKean

We are excited to invite you to be a part of something extraordinary – our Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO)! The PTO plays a crucial role in enhancing the educational experience for our children and fostering a strong sense of community within our school.

Join a community of dedicated parents, teachers, and staff who share a common goal – creating a positive and enriching environment for our students.

How Can You Get Involved? 👉 Attend PTO Meetings: Join us for informative and engaging meetings where we discuss upcoming events, fundraising opportunities, and collaborative projects.

Together, we can create a vibrant and supportive community that empowers our students to thrive.

Estimados padres y tutores de McKean:

Espero que este mensaje te encuentre bien. Nos complace invitarlo a nuestra próxima reunión de la Organización de Padres y Maestros (PTO), donde discutiremos asuntos importantes relacionados con la comunidad escolar.

• Thursday, May 30th- MANDATORY rehearsal for all graduates @7:45am
• Thursday, May 30th- Senior Awards
• Thursday, May 30th- Senior Picnic

June 2024

• Saturday, June 1st: McKean Graduation @9AM
  
• Friday, June 7th- Final Day For Underclassmen

Final Day before the BIG day!

RED CLAY EARLY COLLEGE ACADEMY: We are thrilled to announce the Student and Family Welcome Event for A.I. High School and McKean High School held on May 15 at Goldey-Beacom College was a huge success.

Red Clay Consolidated School District and Goldey-Beacom College have launched an innovative dual-enrollment partnership. This program allows high school students to enroll in college-level courses at Goldey-Beacom, earning both high school and college credits simultaneously. Please contact Mr. Downes with questions.

AVID’s mission is to close the opportunity gap by preparing all students for college and career readiness and success in a global society. This is done by a schoolwide approach to teaching and learning styles, as well as, supported by identified students who are in the AVID elective to raise their rigor and access to higher education opportunities. We will be sharing out more AVID information monthly – see where are some of our AVID Alumni now in the linked slide show. Please contact Ms. Brandi Mycoff with any questions regarding AVID at McKean!

Members of the Thomas McKean AVID site team has now offered two after school professional developments that focus on different AVID teaching strategies. These strategies are being shared to staff members to maintain student engagement and success in the classroom. Professional developments have been in the areas of Socratic seminars, interactive notebooks, reading strategies, World Café’s, and Focused Note taking.

The annual AVID field day!

Do you enjoy working with young children? Are you looking for steady employment after high school? Any senior interested in learning more about becoming a classroom paraprofessional after high school is invited to attend an informational session on April 17th. The sign-up link can be found on the Class of 2024 Schoology Page. If more information is needed regarding this matter, please see Dr. Galloway.

Greetings Class of 2026!!!

Are you interested in learning more about the Patient Care Assistant Pathway at Delaware Technical Community College?

I invite you to sign up to learn more about this wonderful and exciting opportunity.

Sign up by using the Delaware Tech Patient Care Assistant Informational Session Link on the Class of 2026 Schoology Page or see Dr. Galloway in Room C3C.

The Little Highlanders had their 2024 Graduation on Tuesday, May 14th. Thank you to the leadership of Mrs. Gonzon and the early childhood educational class!

Make sure you have scheduled your DIAA physical for the fall!

Football - Avery McMullin

Boys Soccer - Mike Freccia

Cheerleading - Holly Schnittger

Cross Country - Gavin Coates

Field Hockey

Unified Flag Football - Jaxon Brown

Volleyball- Nettie Choice

Marching Band - Kevin Reeves

McKean is looking for a Head Field Hockey Coach and Assistant Field Hockey Coach for the fall.

Please visit HighlandersSports.com for information about Highlander Athletics!

1) McKean Sportsmanship Policy

• Students must attend a presentation on Sportsmanship with Ms. Dukuray
• All students must sign McKean Sportsmanship Contract prior to competing in games/practices. Form can be found on the bottom left of the Highlanderssports.com page under Forms.

2) DIAA Physical

• Students must have a DIAA physical on file with the school to be eligible for practices, scrimmages, and games.
• Physicals must be completed on the approved DIAA Physical Forms.
• Physicals must be completed after April 1st of the year that the school year begins.
• Physicals may be uploaded to Family ID or submitted to the school nurse.

3) Academic Eligibility

• Academic eligibility is determined each marking period.
• Students must be passing 5 classes to be eligible to participate in athletic activities.
• 2 of the 5 classes must be in the core subject areas: Math, Science, English, or Social Studies.
• Seniors must also be passing all classes needed for graduation.

Athletic Director Dorda would like to share the following information regarding Fall Sports:

• After-school buses are reserved for active roster student-athletes only. NO STUDENT FANS PERMITTED
• Highlander Sportsmanship is expected from all athletes, student fans, and family fans at all sporting events. All Highlanders are expected to adhere to the codes of conduct set forth by Thomas McKean High School, Red Clay Consolidated School District, and the Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association.

Questions - Contact Mr. Dorda - Athletic Director

McKean Families,

As we come to the end of this school year, the Administrative team wanted to take some time to reflect on the overall climate and culture of our building. Safety and security remain our main focus within the building and community. The atmosphere has been one of high spirits, with students and staff feeling safe and excited to come to school, being amongst their McKean community family.

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to not only our families but the entire McKean community for supporting the climate and culture here at McKean. We also want to acknowledge and thank our dedicated student advisors—Ms. Carter, Mr. Taylor, Mr. Coates—and the entire intervention team for their hard work and commitment to developing a positive climate within the building.

We truly have ended this school year on a high note and look forward to hitting the ground running next year, continuing to make McKean the place to be.

Have a great summer! Go Highlanders!

Thanks for another great year of clubs and sports. Keep a look out for the 2024-2025 Schedule!

We would like to stress the importance of on time arrival to both school and every class this year. As a team, we are ramping up interventions and supports, as well as consequences and celebrations, for students around on time arrival to class. Attendance interventions have been designed to help all students maximize their learning time by incentivizing being on time, and we have a team dedicated to addressing any challenges students face with tardiness to school and class. Students that arrive to class late will not be eligible for hall/bathroom passes during the period.

Let's congratulate the following students for passing the ACCESS test! This is a fantastic achievement, and we want to acknowledge their hard work and dedication.

Arman Radhawa

Jesus Lopez Rico

Gustavo Retama

Daniel Solis

Angel Obregon-Banda

Javier Baeza

Jovanny Bedolla

Zurisadday Palafox

Guadalupe Placencia

Angeline Tlaseca

Evelin Agramonte

Uriel Guerrero

Estrella Martinez

Mia Tapia

Rudi Vera

Natalia Luna

Lesli Leon

Samantha Martinez

Constance Jaskolka

On Thursday, May 16th, 12 students were inducted into the National Honor Society based on the four pillars: scholarship, leadership, service, and character. Current NHS members ran the induction ceremony.

Another stellar musical performance by the McKean Band, Thursday, March 23! Great job Mr. Reeves and the entire Highlander Band1

24 students and 11 teachers took a trip to the Zoo Tuesday May 21st

Freshman Liam Egolf medaled for the McKean Golf Team at the Blue Hen Conference Champs placing 13th out of 40 golfers!

Congratulations to Ms. Dolores Samson as she continues her Basketball and Education at Keystone College next year!

Ms. Carroll took students to the University of Delaware to visit the Gene Editing Lab. In the lab, scientists are expanding the use of gene editing to improve the diagnosis and treatment of diseases like cancer while also helping to increase access to gene editing techniques for the next generation of researchers.

Staff and students had a wonderful time in the 2nd Annual Meadowood Mile on May 17th!