Burbank, California, William McKinley Elementary School

	William McKinley Elementary School 349 West Valencia Avenue, Burbank, Ca 91502 Hours: 7:30 A.M. - 4:30 P.M. Phone: 818.558.5477 Fax: 818.558.5485
School Background
McKinley, a K-5 school located in Burbank, California, is a "family tradition!" The school was built in 1928 and has been a "second home" for many children. Second and third generation students whose families have remained in the area because they love the community and school attend McKinley. Small businesses, a shopping mall, homes and apartments surround us. Staff members are faithful McKinley supporters with long, dedicated tenures. Two of the instructional assistants have served the school for almost thirty years and a third of the staff have worked at the school for 10-20 years. "The staff here is the best!" "I love the McKinley families" are what staff members say when asked about why they stay at McKinley. Five staff members have chosen McKinley for their own children's education. McKinley's school population of 600 students is comprised of a rich mixture of language and cultural backgrounds. Sixty-three percent of our students are bilingual or English language learners. Within that 63%, the largest language group is Spanish. Our staff values language diversity and speaks many languages. Over 60% of our staff speak two or more languages. McKinley is a Title I school with approximately 65% of our families receiving free or reduced lunches. McKinley's mission "We Deliver" grew from the diverse backgrounds and needs of our students. Budgets and programs reflect these special needs: Adaptive Physical Education, English as a Second Language, Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) and Primary Academic Cognitive Enrichment (PACE), Guidance, Reading Recovery, Resource Specialist Program, and Speech and Language Development. With a school-wide collaboration, McKinley proudly delivers comprehensive education to each student. Communication and planning time are among the critical aspects of our school. Communication among staff is accomplished through representation at weekly steering meetings, through weekly bulletins and a daily message sign-in board. On Tuesday shortened days staff work in grade level teams and in cross-grade groups to plan and evaluate student work. The governance of the school is marked by extremely high parent/staff participation. School Site council has 12 members with the English Language Learners Committee holding two of the six parent seats. SSC has been extremely active in the decision making of the school and are involved in the evaluation, modification of school programs, development of budget and in lively thought-provoking discussions. Parents and staff worked hand-in-hand to develop a school vision for the site Strategic Master Plan and choose the areas of reading, technology and staff development for focus in the next five years. The entire McKinley community shares in its vision for all students and families. McKinley serves as a "hub" for school-wide services and community referrals. Education of our youth is the focus of all the groups who work with the school..
Office staff
Principal Office manager Clerk Community liaison Nurse Nurse assistants Technology Specialist	Miss Sue Holliday Mrs. Joan Graves Mrs. Judy Smith Mrs. Mara Prado Mrs. Ty Nguyen Mrs. Carol Chasse, Ms. Connie Warren Mrs. Paula Wilson
Guidelines regarding attendance Please send an absence note with your child when (s)he returns to school. It needs to contain the following elements: Date the note is written Name of teacher and/or room number First and last name of your child Date(s) of absence Reason for absence Your signature and your relationship to the child Homework A way to build good work habits and responsibility. Give you child a place and time to work each evening. Homework is assigned four nights of the week (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) to be returned the next day. Please help your child and reinforce his/her learning, but please do not do the work for your child. Report cards Report cards are given three times a year (November, March, and June) and a parent conference is scheduled the first two times.
Bell Schedule
Kindergarten A.M.: Kindergarten P.M.: First, Second and Third grades: Fourth and Fifth Grades:	8:00 A.M. - 11:23 A.M. 11:32 A.M. - 2:55 P.M. 8:30 A.M. - 2:30 P.M. 8:30 A.M. - 2:55 P.M.
Student Incentive Programs McKinley Uniform Incentives Our students look ready for learning as they wear our McKinley uniforms of red, white and navy. McKinley Panthers are on the school T-shirts which students wear as part of the uniform. Tommy Chambers, a former McKinley student who is an eighth grader at Jordan Middle School, designed our panther T-shirts. Parents are given a chance at the beginning of each semester to sign a waiver for their children if they do not want to follow this school policy. However, our school has chosen to be a uniform school and we give incentives to students who follow our school policy. Family Award Breakfast Students are chosen by teachers to be honored at a Family Award Breakfast for excellent achievement, strong work habits, and good citizenship. Parents receive invitations to accompany their children to school for a continental breakfast and the award ceremony. We call this a "Family" award to recognize the team parents and teachers play in the lives of children. Each child honored receives a photo of himself with his teacher, the principal and his parents. Perfect Attendance Students are recognized three times a year at progress report times for perfect attendance. To be eligible for the award the student must also be perfect in coming to school on time. Students receive certificates as well as a special video show. Accelerated Reader Program Students are encouraged to read, read, read. The school library is full of wonderful books that are designated as part of the Accelerated Reader Program which is a computer program with comprehension tests on thousands of books. After a student reads a book, (s)he takes a test. Any score over 80% results in a number of points. Students receive incentives such as pencils, certificates, front of the lunch line passes, an hour in the principal's office reading her great books, the honor of being a student librarian to read to other students.