Welcome to McKay Public School
We are pleased to provide an outstanding education at McKay Public School for our students. Innovative programs that meet the needs of all our students are taught by our dedicated and professional staff who care about your child.
Our Board is focused on literacy and numeracy achievement and creating an environment where we are working together on our goal of success for every student. We also value the community partnerships and parent involvement which are so crucial to a successful education for our students.
We welcome your input and inquiries.
What is SafeArrival?
SafeArrival is an absence management system that improves student safety and makes it easy for you to let the school know about your child’s absence. You are asked to report your child’s absence in advance whenever possible using one of these convenient methods:
SchoolMessenger app (free)
1. Provide your email address to the school.
2. Get the app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store (or from the links at https://go.schoolmessenger.ca).
3. Tap Sign Up to create your account.
4. Select Attendance from the menu, and then select Report an Absence.
Web and Mobile Web: go.schoolmessenger.ca
1. Provide your email address to the school.
2. Go to the website.
3. Click Sign Up to create your account.
4. Select Attendance from the menu, then select Report an Absence
Interactive Toll-free Phone 1-866-606-5567
1. Call the toll-free, interactive telephone system.
2. Follow the instructions to report an absence.
Absences can be reported in advance:
• 24 hours/day
• 7 days a week
• For any school day in the school term
• Up to the cut-off time on the day of the absence
Important Information For McKay Families
Need a Label?
We have a short message from our School Council. McKay School is registered with Mabel's Labels. It is an affordable and very practical solution to label items around the house or that come to school so that they don't get lost. If you need some labels to make it easier to keep track of school gear, consider Mabel's Labels. When you select McKay Public School, we get 20% back from the sale to help support various school initiatives.
To see the website, visit campaigns.mabelslabels.com and search for McKay Public School, Port Colborne
New Health Modules coming to our classrooms
This year, the Ministry of Education has introduced a series of three mental health literacy lessons for Grades 7 and 8. These modules will be delivered by our teachers to support the existing expectations within the Health and Physical Education curriculum. The goal of these modules is to standardize the delivery of the curriculum and highlight the importance of mental health literacy.
For more information about the modules, please visit our website at www.dsbn.org/programs-services/well-being/home.
Although these modules are currently for intermediate students, students in all grades learn about mental health literacy at school. To reinforce this learning at home, this fun resource from School Mental Health Ontario suggests ideas for everyday mental health practices. This resource from School Mental Health Ontario suggests ideas for everyday mental health practices:
Junior Animation
Some of our junior classes are scheduled to learn about hand-drawn animation techniques. This is a class trip to the DSBN Adventure Campus, located in the Short Hills. Our Grade 6/7 French Immersion class has already participated. Check out their work - It is really great!
20231004 - HandDrawnAnimations - McKay - Gunter.mp4 - Google Drive
Check out this B-Ball opportunity
Healthy Snacks at Lunch
Please check out the links from Public Health. There are several suggestions on how to pick healthy choices for student lunches. In health class, our teachers talk about the importance of these decisions, maximizing nutritious choices and minimizing less nutritious choices. These are also great conversations to have at home.
Building Healthy Eating Habits
Healthy eating for parents and children - Canada's Food Guide
The History of McKay School
McKay School was erected in 1924 at the corner of Fielden Avenue and Killaly Street East in Port Colborne. The school was dedicated to the memory of Donald William McKay, principal of Port Colborne schools for thirty-seven years, born April 3, 1851 and died June 1, 1907. It was named by his pupils as a token of esteem and affection.
Consisting of eight rooms, the building faced Fielden Avenue and sat on a lot approximately 4.5 acres in size.
Mr. A.R. Benner was appointed as McKay’s first principal. His tenure in office lasted from 1924 until 1962, when he became vice-principal of the newly established McKay Senior School.
In September of 1962, after two public plebiscites, McKay was established as the city’s Senior Public School which housed all of Port Colborne’s grade seven and eight students. An addition of a main office, staff room, gymnasium-auditorium, and six classrooms helped to establish this new concept. Increased enrolment caused a further addition in 1964. This included a library, five classrooms and an Industrial Arts facility. The enrolment grew to over 600 students.
Due to declining student population in the City of Port Colborne throughout the late seventies, it was decided to convert McKay back to the grade one through grade eight format in 1981. Junior and senior Kindergarten classes were added to the mix in 1991. Subsequently, the extended French program was added to the class offerings at McKay which serves Port Colborne and surrounding areas (Ridgeway, Crystal Beach, Fort Erie, Wainfleet). This included selected students from grades five through eight.
An interesting fact in the school’s history is that McKay had its own television studio and provided audio-visual services to all the city schools.
Over the course of McKay’s history, it has provided thousands of young people with excellent educational experiences and opportunities for personal development. This has been made possible through the dedication of hundreds of teachers supported by caring secretaries, caretakers, home and school representatives, School Advisory Council members and parents/guardians. Thank-you to all who have had a part to play in the diverse and highly successful history of McKay School.
Note: Special thanks to Mr. Ted Clarke, former Superintentent of Schools and McKay Teacher of the former Niagara South Board of Education