Category: Announcements

Giving Tuesday Fundraiser to Support McKinley Families in Need – This Tuesday

This Tuesday, November 30th starting at 5AM PST, the McKinley PTA will be raising funds via Facebook to support the McKinley Cares program, which provides grocery store gift cards to struggling families in our school community.

As part of Giving Tuesday, Facebook will match up to $8M donated to charities and nonprofits that day on a first come first serve basis.

We are asking our McKinley community to create their own fundraiser on their Facebook profile that will donate to the McKinley PTA page on . Simply follow this link on Tuesday, November 30th starting at 5am and click the “Create” button. That’s it.

In case you have issues on mobile with the above link, here are instructions for setting up the fundraiser through your Facebook app.

Please make sure to create your donation on your profile page early on November 30th to help us receive matching donations.

All donations made on Tuesday will go towards the McKinley Cares program. Grocery store gift cards will be distributed to families in need throughout the school year.

Create your fundraising page on November 30th

More info on Facebook’s matching donations on Giving Tuesday

Dine and Donate at Barber Cellars and Barber Lee Spirits – This Sunday, December 5th

Enjoy authentic Sonoma wine and spirits in downtown Petaluma on Sunday, December 5th from 1pm-6pm.

Barber Cellars – Tasting Room

112 Washington St
Petaluma, CA 94952 (inside Hotel Petaluma)

Barber Lee Spirits – Distillery Barrel Room

120 Washington St
Petaluma, CA 94952

Mention McKinley and 20% of sales will benefit the school

Join us for the McKinley Winter Festival on December 9th

Save the Date! The McKinley Winter Festival returns on December 9th from 5:30pm-7:30pm.

Join us for hot cider, live music, and a craft sale with vendors from McKinley / PACS.

Do you make handmade crafts? Sign up to reserve a table to sell your products! https://bit.ly/WinterFestCraft

Would you like to volunteer on the day of the event? Sign up to volunteer via SignUp Genius

We’ll also need  strands of holiday lights and patio lights to light up the outdoor space at the school. Please contact Emily Betts at  if you can help!

Volunteer Opportunity: After School Enrichment Coordinator(s)

McKinley’s After School Enrichment program is in need of one or more motivated volunteers to coordinate our After School Enrichment program beginning Spring 2022.   Please note that ASE will not run a Winter Session due to lack of space and a lead volunteer. 

If you are interested in this volunteer opportunity, please reach out to . Thank you!

As we finish up our After School Enrichment Fall Session I wanted to give a very big THANK YOU to Jessica Servin who has been the ASE Volunteer Coordinator and has done an incredible job organizing and providing fantastic opportunities to our students.  This is Jessica’s final session and we appreciate everything that she has done.  Thank you! 

Intercultural Café this Friday at 8:30AM 

Join us at the main McKinley entrance Friday, December 3rd at around 8:30am after morning drop-off.

Enjoy a free cup of coffee, meet new families, discuss the November PTA meeting and learn how to get involved. Notes from the PTA meeting will be available in English and Spanish.

More details here

Let us know how you help your community 

During this season of giving, we want to know how you help your community, small or big. Answers will be put up on the PTA bulletin board outside of the front office so that we all may be inspired to lend a helping hand.

Simply fill out this form to share the ways you give back.

The Petaluma City Schools Holiday Fun Run is December 11th at Shollenberger Park and We Need Volunteers 

We are looking for volunteers to help with our upcoming Petaluma City Schools Family Holiday Fun Run on December 11th at Shollenberger! 

If you are interested in volunteering to help make this event a success, please contact Gina Roberts at .

Are you shopping on Amazon.com on Cyber Monday? You could earn money for McKinley

You can earn money for McKinley every time you buy merchandise through Amazon.com at no extra cost to you. Shop through smile.amazon.com and the charity of your choice will receive a portion of your purchase.

Follow these instructions to add McKinley as your chosen non-profit. You may also configure your Amazon mobile app to ensure all your purchases are credited to our school.

Volunteer Coaches Needed for Girls on the Run this Spring!

Girls on the Run is coming to McKinley this spring and we need coaches to help with the program. 

What is Girls on the Run? Girls on the Run is a 10-week life skills learning program powered by running that meets twice a week for 90 minutes. The program teaches 3rd-6th (3-5 or 4-6) grade girls about health, friendship, body image, self-esteem and service while training for a 5k. Learn more about Girls on the Run!

Read more information about coaching here. 

To learn more, email Megan McClellan, Program Director at  or visit our website at gotrsonomacounty.org/coach to complete the application.

Upcoming Events

11/30 –  Giving Tuesday Fundraiser via Facebook
12/3 – Intercultural Café
12/5 – Dine and Donate at Barber Cellars and Barber Lee Spirits
12/9 – McKinley Winter Festival
12/14 – Dine and Donate at Brewsters

Join us for the McKinley Winter Festival on December 9th

Save the Date! The McKinley Winter Festival returns on December 9th from 5:30pm-7:30pm.

Join us for hot cider, live music, and a craft sale with vendors from McKinley / PACS.

Do you make handmade crafts? Sign up to reserve a table to sell your products! https://bit.ly/WinterFestCraft

Would you like to volunteer to help put on this fun event for all our families? Email Emily Betts at

Volunteer Opportunity: After School Enrichment Coordinator(s)

McKinley’s After School Enrichment program is in need of one or more motivated volunteers to coordinate our After School Enrichment program beginning Spring 2022.   Please note that ASE will not run a Winter Session due to lack of space and a lead volunteer. 

If you are interested in this volunteer opportunity, please reach out to . Thank you!

As we finish up our After School Enrichment Fall Session I wanted to give a very big THANK YOU to Jessica Servin who has been the ASE Volunteer Coordinator and has done an incredible job organizing and providing fantastic opportunities to our students.  This is Jessica’s final session and we appreciate everything that she has done.  Thank you! 

Are you shopping on Amazon.com on Black Friday and Cyber Monday? You could earn money for McKinley

You can earn money for McKinley every time you buy merchandise through Amazon.com at no extra cost to you. Shop through smile.amazon.com and the charity of your choice will receive a portion of your purchase.

Follow these instructions to add McKinley as your chosen non-profit. You may also configure your Amazon mobile app to ensure all your purchases are credited to our school.

Sign up for a BoxTops Account by November 28th and Get Bonus BoxTops for McKinley

Did you know that collecting BoxTops to raise money for McKinley is now as easy as scanning your grocery receipts with your phone?

Click this link and follow the onscreen instructions to get 40 bonus BoxTops the first time you scan a receipt with qualified BoxTops items.

More information on the BoxTops program.

Giving Tuesday Fundraiser to Support McKinley Families in Need – November 30th

Tuesday, November 30th starting at 5AM PST, the McKinley PTA will be raising funds via Facebook to support the McKinley Cares program, which provides grocery store gift cards to struggling families in our school community.

As part of Giving Tuesday, Facebook will match up to $8M donated to charities and nonprofits that day on a first come first serve basis.

We are asking our McKinley community to create their own fundraiser on their Facebook profile that will donate to the McKinley PTA page on . Simply follow this link on Tuesday, November 30th starting at 5am and click the “Create” button. That’s it.

Please make sure to create your donation on your profile page early on November 30th to help us receive matching donations.

All donations made on Tuesday will go towards the McKinley Cares program. Grocery store gift cards will be distributed to families in need throughout the school year.

Create your fundraising page on November 30th

More info on Facebook’s matching donations on Giving Tuesday

Dine and Donate at Barber Cellars and Barber Lee Spirits – Sunday, December 5th

Enjoy authentic Sonoma wine and spirits in downtown Petaluma on Sunday, December 5th from 1pm-6pm.

Barber Cellars – Tasting Room

112 Washington St
Petaluma, CA 94952 (inside Hotel Petaluma)

Barber Lee Spirits – Distillery Barrel Room

120 Washington St
Petaluma, CA 94952

Mention McKinley and 20% of sales will benefit the school

Upcoming Events

11/22-11/26 – Fall Break
11/30 –  Giving Tuesday Fundraiser via Facebook
12/5 – Dine and Donate at Barber Cellars and Barber Lee Spirits
12/9 – McKinley Winter Festival

PTA Meeting this Wednesday, November 17th at 6:30pm

Join us for our November PTA meeting this Wednesday via Zoom. All McKinley families are welcome! Spanish translation will be provided.

View the agenda here: https://bit.ly/McKPTANov

Zoom Link

Meeting ID: 850 8596 2140
Passcode: 623543

Volunteer Opportunity: After School Enrichment Coordinator(s)

McKinley’s After School Enrichment program is in need of one or more motivated volunteers to coordinate our After School Enrichment program beginning Spring 2022.   Please note that ASE will not run a Winter Session due to lack of space and a lead volunteer. 

If you are interested in this volunteer opportunity, please reach out to . Thank you!

As we finish up our After School Enrichment Fall Session I wanted to give a very big THANK YOU to Jessica Servin who has been the ASE Volunteer Coordinator and has done an incredible job organizing and providing fantastic opportunities to our students.  This is Jessica’s final session and we appreciate everything that she has done.  Thank you! 

The PTA wants to hear your opinions about McKinley/PACS

Your PTA Board Members are eager to continue to create community among our families at McKinley School.  One way that we’ve identified is to first gauge how families are feeling right now via the National PTA School of Excellence Survey. Would you please take 5-10 minutes to complete this survey? It is completely anonymous and we value and welcome candid feedback.

McKinley School of Excellence Survey – it takes  5 to 10 minutes

What will happen with the results?

The PTA will choose the most pressing issue or opportunity as selected by YOU, our respondents to the survey.  We’ll create an “Excellence Committee” to evaluate the data and determine what we can do as a community to make the biggest impact this year.

What is “School of Excellence” anyway?  

It’s a designation offered by National PTA to recognize schools that seek to grow partnerships between PTAs and schools to enrich the educational experience and overall well-being of all students.

At a National PTA School of Excellence, families feel welcomed and empowered to support student success, and PTA is a key partner for continuous school improvement.  The survey gives us a snapshot of how families feel in the fall.  We’ll send the survey out again in the spring to see if we’ve been able to make progress on issues that matter to our community.

Does this sound like a PTA program you’d really like to help with? Join us! Contact Staci Stern at to learn more!

Tell Us What You’re Thankful For

We are so lucky to have such amazing teachers and staff at McKinley!

During this season of gratitude, please share something you are thankful for as a member of our McKinley Community.  Answers will be put up on the PTA bulletin board outside of the front office. 

Simply fill out this form. It only takes a couple of minutes.

Do Your Holiday Shopping on Amazon.com and Earn Donations for McKinley

You can earn money for McKinley every time you buy merchandise through Amazon.com at no extra cost to you. Shop through smile.amazon.com and the charity of your choice will receive a portion of your purchase.

Follow these instructions to add McKinley as your chosen non-profit. You may also configure your Amazon mobile app to ensure all your purchases are credited to our school.

Upcoming Events

11/17 –  PTA Meeting at 6:30pm
11/22-11/26 – Fall Break

The PTA wants to hear your opinions about McKinley/PACS

Your PTA Board Members are eager to continue to create community among our families at McKinley School.  One way that we’ve identified is to first gauge how families are feeling right now via the National PTA School of Excellence Survey. Would you please take 5-10 minutes to complete this survey? It is completely anonymous and we value and welcome candid feedback.

McKinley School of Excellence Survey – it takes  5 to 10 minutes

What will happen with the results?

The PTA will choose the most pressing issue or opportunity as selected by YOU, our respondents to the survey.  We’ll create an “Excellence Committee” to evaluate the data and determine what we can do as a community to make the biggest impact this year.

What is “School of Excellence” anyway?  

It’s a designation offered by National PTA to recognize schools that seek to grow partnerships between PTAs and schools to enrich the educational experience and overall well-being of all students.

At a National PTA School of Excellence, families feel welcomed and empowered to support student success, and PTA is a key partner for continuous school improvement.  The survey gives us a snapshot of how families feel in the fall.  We’ll send the survey out again in the spring to see if we’ve been able to make progress on issues that matter to our community.

Does this sound like a PTA program you’d really like to help with? Join us! Contact Staci Stern at to learn more!

Tell Us What You’re Thankful For

We are so lucky to have such amazing teachers and staff at McKinley!

During this season of gratitude, please share something you are thankful for as a member of our McKinley Community.  Answers will be put up on the PTA bulletin board outside of the front office. 

Simply fill out this form. It only takes a couple of minutes.

It’s Never Too Late to Join the PTA!

Joining the PTA is a great way for you to provide input about our initiatives and funding priorities.

The McKinley PTA welcomes members from all our school families, including those who cannot afford the cost of membership. Membership for the school year is $10 and we offer sponsored memberships.

Join the PTA Now

Stay connected with the McKinley/PACS Community and the PTA

Did you know that we have grade level Facebook groups where you can connect with other parents and guardians? Find your grade’s Facebook group here.

Also remember to follow the McKinley PTA page on Facebook. You can also find the PTA on ParentSquare (follow these instructions to add us).

Walk and Roll to School For a Chance to Win a Pumpkin Pie!

November is Walk and Roll GRATITUDE Month!

Let’s celebrate this month by walking, biking or rolling to school tomorrow and all month long, when possible.

To enter a chance to win a pie, download the gratitude tracker sheet here.

Upcoming Events

11/11 –  Veteran’s Day – No School
11/17 –  PTA Meeting at 6:30pm
11/22-11/26 – Fall Break

Shop at Copperfield’s This Weekend to Raise Funds for McKinley!

Got any book lovers on your holiday lists? Look no further than Copperfield’s Books!

Visit any Copperfield’s location from Friday, November 5th through Sunday, November 7th.

Mention McKinley at checkout and 20% of the proceeds from your purchase will go to McKinley. Tell your friends!

Click here for a full list of Copperfield’s locations.

Tell Us What You’re Thankful For

We are so lucky to have such amazing teachers and staff at McKinley!

During this season of gratitude, please share something you are thankful for as a member of our McKinley Community.  Answers will be put up on the PTA bulletin board outside of the front office. 

Simply fill out this form. It only takes a couple of minutes.

Making Sonoma County’s Streets Safe for Everyone!

Last year 200 people were killed or seriously injured on Sonoma County roads. We can end that. That’s why the Sonoma County Department of Health Services and the Sonoma County Transportation Authority are teaming up to create Sonoma County Vision Zero—to bring traffic deaths and injuries down to zero.

You can help! We’ve created a short survey for people to show where (and how) we should focus our efforts to make our streets safe for bikers, walkers, rollers, drivers—everyone!

Share your ideas, and share the survey with folks you know! Responses are due November 7th.

Survey link: https://bit.ly/SonomaVisionZero

Walk and Roll to School For a Chance to Win a Pumpkin Pie!

November is Walk and Roll GRATITUDE Month! This morning’s dreary weather gave way to a beautiful, sunny afternoon and tomorrow’s forecast has a high of 70º!

Let’s celebrate the sun’s return by walking, biking or rolling to school tomorrow and all month long, when possible.

To enter a chance to win a pie, download the gratitude tracker sheet here or pick one up from our table tomorrow morning in front of the school!

Scan your grocery receipts with the BoxTops app! No more clipping necessary!

Did you know you can now easily collect BoxTops on your phone? Simply scan your receipts with eligible items using the BoxTops app and you are done. No more clipping!

Follow the full instructions here to get started!

Earn Donations for McKinley When You Do Your Shopping on Amazon.com

You can earn money for McKinley every time you buy merchandise through Amazon.com at no extra cost to you. Shop through smile.amazon.com and the charity of your choice will receive a portion of your purchase.

Follow these instructions to add McKinley as your chosen non-profit. You may also configure your Amazon mobile app to ensure all your purchases are credited to our school.

Upcoming Events

11/5-11/7 – Shop and Donate  Copperfield’s – All Day
11/11 –  Veteran’s Day – No School
11/17 –  PTA Meeting at 6:30pm
11/22-11/26 – Fall Break

Intercultural Café is this Friday after morning drop-off!

Join us at the main McKinley entrance Friday, October 29th at around 8:30am after morning drop-off.

Enjoy a free cup of coffee, meet new families, discuss the prior week’s PTA meeting and learn how to get involved. Notes from the PTA meeting will be available in English and Spanish.

More details here

Do you like data entry and love using Google Forms? We need your help!

The McKinley PTA would like to participate in the National PTA School of Excellence Survey Program this year. More details on this program to come in future Newsletters!

In the meantime, we are a looking for a volunteer familiar with Google Forms or Survey Monkey to load survey questions into an easy to use survey system. We anticipate this effort to take a few hours in the coming week (10/25-10/29)

Does this sound like a PTA initiative you’d really like to help with? We would love to have you on our Excellence Team! Email to get involved today!

Not able to commit fully just yet? Stay tuned for additional opportunities to get involved or reach out to Staci Stern at .

Scan your grocery receipts with the BoxTops app! No more clipping necessary!

Did you know you can now easily collect BoxTops on your phone? Simply scan your receipts with eligible items using the BoxTops app and you are done. No more clipping!

Follow the full instructions here to get started!

Earn Donations for McKinley When You Do Your Shopping on Amazon.com

You can earn money for McKinley every time you buy merchandise through Amazon.com at no extra cost to you. Shop through smile.amazon.com and the charity of your choice will receive a portion of your purchase.

Follow these instructions to add McKinley as your chosen non-profit. You may also configure your Amazon mobile app to ensure all your purchases are credited to our school.

Upcoming Events

10/29 – Intercultural Café
11/17 – PTA Meeting

PTA General Meeting this Wednesday at 6:30pm

Join us this Wednesday, October 20th via Zoom for our October PTA meeting!

We’ll be voting on the purchase of a school license for the online math facts tool, Reflex. If approved, this will make Reflex available to all 2nd-8th grade students. We’ll also be voting on whether to purchase an additional Gaga Ball Pit.

Please remember that the only requirement to vote is that you are a current member. Please sign up here to become a member if you haven’t already for the 21-22 school year. We also have sponsored memberships available for families who can’t afford the cost of membership.

We’ll also be hearing from various committee members on progress of their work.

Zoom Meeting Link
Meeting ID: 825 2880 6004
Passcode: 462821

Attention TK-2nd Grade Families

The Staff Appreciation Committee is collecting monetary donations from the TK through 2nd grade families who are able to do so. The suggested donation is $10, but any amount is appreciated. They will be providing food and drinks in the staff room for teachers on Monday, October 25th.

Our goal is to collect the donations by this Friday October 22nd.

For the monetary donations, we accept cash and checks made out to McKinley PTA or you can click on this link and select Staff Appreciation Fund

You may also drop off your donations to the office in an envelope labeled ‘Staff Appreciation”.

If you are unable to donate at this time, there are other ways you can help out. If you are able to provide some bounty from your gardens, that would also be much appreciated. Or if you feel inspired to create some beautiful pictures/posters to help beautify the staff room, that would be fantastic.

Please feel free to reach out to either one of us if you have any questions or ideas on how you would like to help out.

Lisa Baker:
Lauran Colvin:

Upcoming Events

10/20 – PTA Meeting at 6:30pm
10/29 – Intercultural Café

Dine and Donate This Wednesday, October 13th – Amy’s Drive Thru 10:30am-10:00pm

Get your fast food fix with organic burgers, pizzas and salads.  They even have kombucha on tap!

20% of proceeds will be donated to McKinley

Amy’s Drive Thru – Rohnert Park
8 Golf Course Dr W
Rohnert Park, CA 94928

Mention McKinley when you order in-person.
If ordering online, use the code DINEANDDONATE

This coming week October 10-16 is the Week of the Administrator

This is a week for families and students to show appreciation for our school leaders.  For McKinley, this is our Principal, Ani Larson.  

We are so grateful to have Ms. Larson leading our educators and students.  Ms. Larson is approachable, thoughtful and an inspiration in how to create an inclusive school community.  But she’s not just filled with empathy and wisdom.  She’s also incredibly silly and kid-friendly. How many other principals in Petaluma can be found on roller skates in a T-Rex costume?!  Or are willing to have pies tossed at her year after year all in the name of raising much needed funds to support each child’s education?!  

To honor Ms. Larson, the PTA would like to provide lunch for her each day of the week.  If you’re interested in volunteering to bring lunch for Ms. Larson one day next week, please sign up here: Sign Up Genius- Lunch for Ms. Larson

If you’d like to contribute to an appreciation gift for Ms. Larson, please do so by donating here by Tuesday, October 12.

Attention TK-2nd Grade Families

The Staff Appreciation Committee is collecting monetary donations from the TK through 2nd grade families who are able to do so. The suggested donation is $10, but any amount is appreciated. They will be providing food and drinks in the staff room for teachers on Monday, October 25th.

Our goal is to collect the donations by Friday October 22nd.

For the monetary donations, we accept cash and checks made out to McKinley PTA or you can click on this link and select Staff Appreciation Fund

You may also drop off your donations to the office in an envelope labeled ‘Staff Appreciation”.

If you are unable to donate at this time, there are other ways you can help out. If you are able to provide some bounty from your gardens, that would also be much appreciated. Or if you feel inspired to create some beautiful pictures/posters to help beautify the staff room, that would be fantastic.

Please feel free to reach out to either one of us if you have any questions or ideas on how you would like to help out.

Lisa Baker:
Lauran Colvin:

Upcoming Events

10/13 – Dine and Donate at Amy’s Drive Thru
10/20 – PTA Meeting at 6:30pm
10/29 – Intercultural Café

We hit our $60,00 goal!

Thank you so much for a very successful Jog-a-thon. We hit our $60,000 goal with your support. Stay tuned for updates about all the incentives your students earned once the numbers are finalized!

The funds we raised will go a long way to support every child and classroom at McKinley school and PACS.

If you haven’t dropped off your cash and check donations yet, please do so on Monday morning.

We would also like to thank Clover Sonoma for providing delicious smoothies for the kids after their runs, our Jog-a-thon chairs, Renee McArdle and Nina Jarum Walters for organizing this event, and all the teachers and volunteers who helped us get the word out about the fundraiser in the last few weeks.

Wednesday, October 13th – Amy’s Drive Thru 10:30am-10:00pm

Get your fast food fix with organic burgers, pizzas and salads.  They even have kombucha on tap!

20% of proceeds will be donated to McKinley

Amy’s Drive Thru – Rohnert Park
8 Golf Course Dr W
Rohnert Park, CA 94928

Mention McKinley when you order in-person.
If ordering online, use the code DINEANDDONATE

Take one minute to fill out the class email list form!

The PTA is creating email lists for each classroom so that your class parent can send out important messages about events, teacher appreciation, and other class-specific announcements. You only have to fill out the form below once for all your students enrolled at McKinley/PACS.

Add your information to the Class Email List Form

Thank you so much to those of you who have filled out this form already!

Upcoming Events

10/13 – Dine and Donate at Amy’s Drive Thru
10/20 – PTA Meeting at 6:30pm
10/29 – Intercultural Café

We Need Jog-a-thon Volunteers at Pick-up and Drop-Off This Week

We need a few folks to help generate some excitement for the McKinley/PACS Jog-a-thon!

Volunteers are needed on campus for just 30 minutes during drop-off and pick-up during the final days leading up to the event, reminding people to turn in their donations in a fun and energetic way.

What we’ll provide: pre-made signs, available in the front office

What you’ll need: a willingness to get silly and make yourself seen — you can bring a speaker to play music and dance, or wear something goofy, or just throw on your Spirit Wear and shake your sign!

Sign up to volunteer now!

Dine and Donate at Tortilla Real This Thursday!

Thursday, September 30th – 11am-8:30pm

Enjoy traditional Mexican dishes made with the freshest local ingredients. See their delicious menu.

Tortilla Real
5 Petaluma Boulevard South
Petaluma, CA 94952
707-658-1415

Show the flyer on your phone or print it out! 20% of the proceeds will go to McKinley.