Originally delivered on 11/13/2025 7:25 am

SUBJECT: The PTO Chalkboard Newsletter!

Holiday Shop

We need YOU to help make the Holiday Shop a success!  Volunteers will help shopping students pick out gifts within their budget, restock items as needed, or help at the checkout table.

Sign up here to volunteer!

In order to volunteer, you must have your current clearances. If you do not, please follow the school district instructions here. 

Have questions about the event? See our FAQs here.


We are also in need of any plastic or brown bags with handles.  This will make shopping easier for the children to take home their gifts!!  You may drop them off at the front, underneath the teacher mailboxes in the plastic container.  Thank you.

Skating Party

🎉 Skating Party Coming Soon! 🎉

Flyers should have been sent home last week!  Orders close 11/18!


📍 Where: Philly Skateplex
📅 When: Tuesday, November 25, 2025
🕑 Time: 2:00 – 4:00 PM


🎟️ Tickets:
Available online and at the door only:
https://skating-party-copy-44974.cheddarup.com/

Upcoming PTO Events

We have a lot of exciting events coming up this year. Mark your calendars. We look forward to see you all!

Save the Date


Next meeting: 

Wednesday, November 19th at 6:30pm


Light refreshments will be provided!

5th Grade Committee

SAVE THE DATE: Friday, January 9th - 4/5 Grade Dance

Interested in volunteering in the dance committee?  Please reach out to mckinleygrade5@gmail.com!!


Attention 5th grade parents!!!! 

For anyone who would like to help with 5th grade fundraising, events and planning please email us: mckinleygrade5@gmail.com 

Fundraiser & Events link


Stay up to date with the latest events, fundraisers and sig ups by visiting the 5th grade section of the PTO Website at https://www.mckinleypto.org/5thgradecommittee.


PLEASE FILL OUT THE FORM  AT THE LINK BELOW AND RETURN TO SCHOOL BY WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 17th!

Making History Since Day One - 5th Grade Fundraising Form

Together, we can ensure that ALL our kids have a great year. McKinley has H.E.A.R.T! 

-Katie Mecca, Michele Ganas, Brenda Corey and The 5th Grade Committee

5th Grade T-Shirts

🎉 High FIVES all around! Congrats to Lucy Snyder, Lydia Jacobs, and Sheldon Phillips for their super cool designs that made it onto the 5th grade T-shirt! You guys rocked it! 👕✨

Auditing Committee

We are in search of an auditing committee (two volunteers) to cross check the 2024-2025 treasurer binder for accuracy. 


If you are interested, please email McKinleyPTO@gmail.com.

2025-2026 PTO Meeting Schedule
McKinley Spiritwear

Time to show your Dragon pride!  The PTO offers such an easy way to get your gear!  To order your Quick Gear (Turnaround less than 2 weeks!) - in house offering including shirts, blankets, bottles, stickers & more.  Available all school year! 

Shop now & show your school spirit!

McKinley Drama Club

McKinley Drama Club

If your child is staying after school for the musical but you have not received email communications from the Drama Club, please contact us right away at mckinleydramaclub370@gmail.com.


Don’t forget to join us on Band as well!  https://band.us/n/a3a8A5c7u2169


We have almost double the amount of students participating in the play this year! We love the excitement, but can always use help. Please consider volunteering a few hours of your time:


Willy Wonka Jr. Volunteer Sign Up


Thank you to everyone who supported the Drama program by ordering from Bloombox! Stay tuned on the Drama Club page, in email and on Band for future fundraiser information. 

BloomBox Fundraiser

The McKinley Drama Club will be working with BloomBox again for a winter sale. It will end on November 15th to ensure delivery by December 6th.

We raised $300 during the last sale with 23 orders.

Please take a look at the site. These make great gifts and can be sent directly to the person as long as they are in the delivery area. They will last all winter.  Please share our code!

www.getblooming.com

Girls on the Run

Please consider volunteering to help us coach our spring 2026 Girls on the Run team! The more coaches we have, the more girls who can participate. The program will run most Tuesdays and Thursdays after school, from March 3-May 14, culminating in a big 5K race the weekend of May 16. You do not have to have a child in the program to volunteer; if you do, you will receive a discount on your child’s tuition fee. Contact Joanna Kallan with any questions (joannapcohen@gmail.com)

Volunteer Interest Form

Committee Information

The PTO offers so many fun events and incentives for students all year long! Check out the committee information on our website to find the best fit for you to get involved and volunteer at your child’s school—it’s a rewarding (and fun!) way to give back.

Click THIS LINK to find out more & to join the fun!

McKingo!

Ticket sales are now closed, and we look forward to seeing everyone on Friday!

Tickets will be sent home with your child this week, so please keep an eye out.

We are still looking for Parent Volunteers to help during the event — even an hour of your time would make a big difference! Please sign up using the link above.

Reminders:

  • This is not a drop-off event — children must be accompanied by an adult.

  • Cash only for food and raffle tickets.

Thank you for your support — we can’t wait for a fun night!

Garden Updates


Thank you to everyone who stopped by the Election Day bake sale.  We raised $1,061.95!!

Recess Visits: We've had such great turnout that we've added two additional recess visit dates, November 12th and 19th. If you are interested in volunteering to help make these visits possible, please sign up here: November recess visits.

Please note you must be an approved school district volunteer for recess visits. If you need to complete the volunteer clearance application, more information can be found here: https://www.abingtonsd.org/page/volunteers 


And finally, we've created a photo album if you'd like to see some photos from our October garden happenings! This is a continuously running google photo album. To see recent photos, scroll to the bottom of the album. McKinley garden photos 


All of your help to keep the garden maintained and staffed for the students is truly appreciated. The smiles on their faces are so worth it!! As always, please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions! 

Join McKinley's Virtual Lost & Found Google photo album. This album is updated weekly with pictures of every item in the Lost & Found. Comment on the photo to claim your student's item and it will be returned to them.


Please remember to label all hoodies, jackets, water bottles, and lunchboxes! Any labeled items are quickly returned to students. Unclaimed items will be donated at the end of the month. Thank you!



Our family-friendly December events are coming up soon! 


Holiday Shop 

December 8th - December 12th

A festive fundraiser where students can shop for gifts for family and friends.  A highlight of the season!!


Ways to Stay Connected
Become a PTO Member

Dues start at a suggested donation of $20. These funds will allow us to recognize our teachers, support activities, and provide fun events.  

Pay PTO dues!

Join the Directory

We invite you to visit the McKinley PTO Directory. The directory is the best way to connect so we encourage all families to add or edit their information as soon as possible.

PTO Website

Visit the PTO website for events, updates, and more.

PTO Facebook Group

The PTO has a Facebook group to interact with families and to inform you of fun activities for students, parents and teachers. This will also be a hub to stay up to date on school information. 

Become a PTO Member Today!
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