October 4 Update

Happy Homecoming!

Another great week at McKinley! 

 
Toot Your Horn Thursday:

This week's Toot Your Horn Thursday Winner is Brenda Hager!  Brenda was nominated anonymously -"Brenda has been a great help when working with her fourth-grade friends! She has an amazing connection with each student, and it shows in their learning of their basic math facts. Thank you for everything you do for the students at McKinley!"

When you see Brenda today, thank her for being amazing!

If you'd like to nominate someone, please complete the form here!

October 14 - Indigenous People's Day:

On October 14, we celebrate Indigenous People's Day.  Last year, there was law established around all students receiving 1 hour of instruction around this day.   Our Teaching and Learning team developed some resources in a shared folder - Indigenous People's Day Folder.  Please plan to do some of these activities on Monday, October 14. 

Classroom Phones:

This question came up earlier this week - how do I turn off outside calls on my classroom phone?  Below are directions from Mike Halverson (I would highly recommend this so you aren't responsible for outside calls during the school day):  

Forwarding of classroom phones is controlled by the individual user.
Ring Off – Press this button to send ALL External calls immediately to Voice Mail. Internal calls from any extension within the district will continue to ring your phone.
Ring On – Press this button when you want ALL calls to ring your phone; both internal and external.

Staff DDE Survey:

Julie Sullivan sent an email this week about the DDE survey on your building.  Please take some time to complete by October 16 -https://forms.gle/rAiWAFbwW7DtBg1H6

Building Weekly Newsletter:

Click here to access the building weekly newsletter

Have a great Homecoming weekend! Go Huskies!

-Justin

September 27 Update

Happy Friday!

Homecoming Next Week:

Just a reminder - homecoming is next week.   A few things:

Dress Up Days:

Reminders about Friday - click here!

Families Who have RSVP (it closes today at 3pm). Please remember to be checking on students' plan for Friday.  

Wednesday - Custodian Appreciation Day!

Don't forget, this Wednesday is Custodian Appreciation Day!   Please take some time to recognize Wayne, Nate, & Rich!  

Productive Struggle:

One of the things I'm noticing is that whole idea of "productive struggle".  For whatever reason, some of our students are not entering into anything hard.  They shut down, refuse, or just avoid.   This becomes an issue, when done repeatedly over time, because students never engage in productive struggle.   Please take some time to read the linked article on "4 Ways to Guide Students Toward Productive Struggle"  It's critical we start to think about some of these ideas as we continue to push students toward independence.  

Toot Your Horn Thursday:

This week's Toot Your Horn Thursday is Pat Fails!  Pat actually had two nominations - 

• Pat is always present in the moment. He is caring, kind and inclusive. He makes sure ALL kids are respected and included as that all kids can belong at McKinley.
• Mr. Pat has been an amazing addition to McKinley School! He is always helping someone - from holding a kindergartener's hand back from the nurse, mopping up the gym floor after lunch or just smiling at the kids for who they are, Mr. Pat is awesome!

Pat's been a great addition to our team!  If you see Pat today, thank him for being amazing!  

Building Weekly Newsletter:

Click here to access the building weekly newsletter

Have a great weekend!

-Justin

September 18 Update

Happy Friday!

Another great week at McKinley!  

Toot Your Horn Thursday!

Jess Hanson was our recipient for this week's Toot Your Horn Thursday!  Annette Warner nominated her, saying "Jessica has used her prep time and taken advantage of a the extra time she has at the beginning of the year to work on implementing research based ideas and strategies in her student support role. Jessica continues to show exceptional dedication as she grows her role to best support students. She has shown great leadership in developing individualized interventions tailored to the specific needs of each student on her caseload. This student-centered approach reflects Jessica's genuine care and concern for the success of her students. Thank you, Jessica - toot, toot!" THANK YOU FOR BEING AMAZING, Jess!

If you have someone to nominate, please complete the short form. Remember - no small "win" goes unnoticed!

Monday, September 23 -

I am out at a conference on Monday. Amanda Andrews will be covering for me. Please be aware of this as you make requests for support - some things may need to be handled in your classroom.

October 14 - Indigenous People's Day:

On October 14, we celebrate Indigenous People's Day.  Last year, there was law established around all students receiving 1 hour of instruction around this day.   Our Teaching and Learning team developed some resources in a shared folder - Indigenous People's Day Folder.  Please plan to do some of these activities on Monday, October 14. 

Reminder - Fall Data & Responding Meetings Next Week

Starting 9/25, our teams will meet to look through fall data to plan for core instruction, as well as tier 2 and 3 supports.  Please see the linked document for more details.  Students will be in the Learning Studio South watching a movie while teacher teams are meeting to plan for instruction.  More to come - reserve the date/time!   

Building Weekly Newsletter:
Click here to access the building weekly newsletter

Have a great weekend!

-Justin

September 13 Update

Happy Friday the 13th, McKinley! 

What a great full week of school!  It's been great to see "the magic" back in action! 

Last reminder - all items in the welcome back to do list are due today.  This list was provided for all staff.   As we talked about at our August 27 staff meeting, professionalism and timelines are a big rock for everyone this year.  Please take the time to double check that list (you don't need to email me - it's assumed you did it).  

Staff Power Hour - Monday:

Just a reminder about this Monday's Staff Power Hour (9/16) -  

• Teaching staff only.  Our focus for these meetings is debriefing on the READ Act learning work.  
• Specialists and those not doing READ Act will have another plan.  Please come to meeting first.  
• Bring your reading notebook and any notes you have taken.  You should be through module 2 - this is critical.  

Looking forward to digging in deeper into literacy!  

Fall Data & Responding Meetings

Starting 9/25, our teams will meet to look through fall data to plan for core instruction, as well as tier 2 and 3 supports.  Please see the linked document for more details.  Students will be in the Learning Studio South watching a movie while teacher teams are meeting to plan for instruction.  More to come - reserve the date/time! 

Toot Your Horn Thursday:

Josh Tolle was our first "Toot Your Horn Thursday" nominee!  Michelle Gadient recommended him by saying "Mr. Tolle noticed one of my student had his shoes untied walking past his classroom. He took the time out of his prep hour to come over and help tie the shoe. It is a small act, but I know my student really appreciated it! Thank you for your kindness!"  Keep up the great work, Mr. Tolle!

Morning Meeting Follow-Up:

Classroom teachers, thank you for joining us for the morning meeting PD this week.   After this, Amy Staloch shared a resource that gives you a daily email with questions, memes, and connection ideas for your morning meeting.  It's really good.  Sign up here to get a daily e-mail - https://www.edtomorrow.com/435p

Homecoming/Early Release Picnic:

On Friday, October 4, we have our Homecoming Picnic and early release (12:40pm) for the homecoming parade at 1:30pm.    The following invite was sent to families to RSVP for the event - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeybIHr7bDi_ezjS-b-yljJq46UZx40b81XfNMsw73vpKoylg/viewform?usp=sf_link   More to come!  

Building Weekly Newsletter:

Click here to access the building weekly newsletter

Have a great weekend!

-Justin

September 6 Update

Happy Friday, McKinley!

Thank you for a great start to the year!  At both interviews and the first day of school, the building was filled with smiles and excited people.  Thank you for making the start a great one for our kids!  

Toot Your Horn Thursday:
This year, we are are trying a new way to acknowledge all the amazing things our students and staff do - through a "Toot Your Horn Thursday!"  As you come across times that STUDENTS or STAFF make you proud, smile, or happy for them, fill out the form.  Then, every Thursday, we will honor some of our honorees!  Please consider taking the minute and sharing all the (little or big) amazing things you see! 

 
Personal Devices at School:
I want to remind you that the Technology Team will not be able to support any personal devices or peripherals they are connected to. This long-standing practice has been in place to ensure we maintain a consistent and secure environment for all classroom technology. I understand that not having a dedicated computer for the Smartboard is a change for classroom teachers and may be challenging at first. However, supporting various personal devices can lead to issues like compatibility problems, security risks, and difficulties in troubleshooting.

We strongly encourage teachers to use their district-issued devices when connecting to Smartboards to ensure compatibility and receive full support from the Technology Team. If there are any issues with district-provided devices, please have teachers submit a technology ticket and we will gladly assist.

September 11 Read Aloud:
Next Wednesday is September 11.  As you know, this was a day when the USA had a tragedy in New York City.  To acknowledge this day, please plan on showing one of the below picture books during breakfast.  Please preview before.   

Fireboat - The Heroic Adventures of John J Harvey (picture book read aloud - 11 mins)
Branches of Hope - 9/11 Survivor Tree (picture book read aloud - 3.5 mins)
Resources for Teaching 9/11

CEUs - Licensed Staff Reminder:
Please log in to PD Express and check your transcript at the beginning of each school year. Make sure the dates are correct for your renewal period. Check on the transcript to see which Mandatory Requirements you have already fulfilled, and which ones you will need to complete. This year most of our PD will be Read Act focused, so we may need to fulfill some requirements on our own time. See our district website under the HR tab for license renewal requirements, directions, CEU committee members, etc. There are many resources and video links on this webpage for filling those requirements. If you have any questions feel free to reach out to our committee members. Have a great school year!

September Family Newsletter:

Linked is the September Family Newsletter that went out Wednesday: https://secure.smore.com/n/ucjd0

Building Weekly Newsletter:

The below link contains the day to day events that are occurring next week - check it out! 

Click here to access the building weekly newsletter

I'm looking forward to the best year ever

-Justin

August Update

Happy August, McKinley!

T-Shirt Order:

We are working with Oak Glenn to get an order form for t-shirts - more to come!  

Literacy Learning Work - 

Starting this year, the READ Act was put into legislature to have all elementary teachers trained in literacy.  As much as I don't love mandates, I am excited and feel this learning is critical in the work we do.  Just as a medical provider stays current with research and practices, it's important we do, too.

This month, you will be picking up your materials for our work with CORE literacy.  There is more coming on this.  In order to streamline our learning, all of Staff Power Hours & PLC work will be aligned to literacy and your learning.  I'm excited to have our focus and time to support it.

This spring, I, along with my colleagues and coaches, did a crash course in CORE to be your facilitators.  I will tell you - I have always been a nerd about literacy.  I went into this training thinking my way is THE way when it comes to literacy instruction.  I was wrong.  I found myself processing, reflecting, and just in overall thought around reading.  I hope, with an open mind, you find yourself in the same spot.

I am sharing a quote that is resonating with me as we enter into this work - "When you know better, do better."   This really hits me when I think of literacy instruction.  We provide reading instruction every single day - from what we know about teaching reading.  However, as we gain information this year, I believe you will start to reflect, question, and change some of your practices.  This is a good thing!  When you are a learner, you do this.  And this is the real work - which will change students' trajectory in life (there is research to support that what a child's life looks like if they struggle with reading).  I would ask you to enter this work with an open mind and continuously tell yourself - "when you know better, you do better."  It's perfectly okay to learn, grow, and change what we are doing!  When we know better, we do better.   

I am excited to dive into this learning work and ultimately impact student learning.  

Staffing Update:

A couple more updates - 

Selena Smith Flemming has resigned from her role as Assistant Secretary.  Selena is going to work in the Ag Industry in a full-time role.  She will be greatly missed in her role!  

Mary Stanchina has resigned her role as an EA.  Mary has been a great support to our Kindergarten and lunchroom and will be greatly missed!  

Student Council - 

Is anyone interested in serving as the Student Council Advisor (or sharing it as co-advisors)?  The role helps lead our students leadership team to creating events and activities for our building.  Please let me know if you are interested!  

McKinleyStrong Matrix:

As you know, we have revamped our work around the common expectations at McKinley School.  Linked is the PDF of our new matrix - the overall matrix, as well as each of the zones.   We are ordering signs for each of the areas, including your classroom.  We will also be adding students pictures in these areas.  

Master Schedule - Update:

Please see the linked master schedule updates - recess times were added.  

Have a great Steele County Free Fair Week! 

-Justin

July 14 Update

Happy July, McKinley!

I hope you are all enjoying some relaxation! 

Below is an update - mostly around schedule and staffing.  

Master Schedule:

Linked is the master schedule.  I'm sharing for you to have a general idea of your day.  Please do not start creating your own individual schedule - a lot still needs to be finalized when we return (EL & Special Education co-teaching, in particular).  As a team, please have one member send me your recess time request (please send two options).   

Staffing Updates:

A few staffing updates (sorry if some are a repeat) - 

Jen Schlauderaff (moving from 1st to Kdg)

Melinda Girtz (moving from 3rd/Washington to Kdg)

Jen Bricko (moving from Montessori to 2nd Gr)

Karla Wilke (moving from 3rd Gr to 2nd Gr)

Kate Seifert (moving from 2nd Gr to 3rd Gr)

Jodie DeKam Valentine (moving from 2nd Gr to 3rd Gr)

Karen Thurnau (moving from Owatonna Online to 3rd Gr)

Paige Gilligan (moving from 5th Gr to 4th Gr)

Amy Staloch (moving from 4th Gr to 5th Gr)

Eric Oppegard (moving from 4th Gr to 5th Gr)

Josh Tolle (returning from a leave - was originally going to Wilson 5th Gr.  Wilson cut a section, which worked in our favor!) 

Joan Biegert - Special Education Teacher (3rd-5th Grade)

Jon Weisbrod - Behavioral Interventionist

Pat Fails - K-5 Educational Assistant

Gretchen Bygd - Speech Language Pathologist (full time McK)

Amanda Wood - Speech Language Pathologist (split between McKinley and Washington)

Rachael Eickhoff - EL Teacher

Rachel Peterson - Intervention Teacher

Anna Stocker - Music Teacher (OMS, McKinley, Wilson)

Jayme Ulrich - STRIDE Teacher (transferring from Washington)

Lynn Jensen - STRIDE Teacher (transferring from Washington)

We still have the following open - 

Special Education Teacher (3rd-5th Grade)

Special Education Teacher (LTS for Katie Herbst)

Leadership/Schedule C Assignments:

Lead Teacher - Amanda Andrews

Patrol - Kyle Melcher

Student Council - anyone interested?  You can split with someone else.  This is a great leadership role to help coordinate our student leadership team!  

Leadership Teams - linked

Theme for 24-25:

We are continuing our theme - "Be you, Be Here, Belong."  This theme aligns well with our building work around honoring strengths, inclusivity, and belonging.   More to come!  

Summer School, Room Set Up, & Office Opening:

Just a friendly reminder - our building is being used by summer programming (their last day is August 1).  After August 1, Wayne and his team will do another clean of the building to get ready for 24-25.  Please make sure you are connecting with Wayne before you set up your room in August. 

Steph and I will be returning on Monday, August 5 (please note - due to meetings and other schedules, we are not there full-time).  If you need something at that time, please let us know.  

I hope you continue to have a great summer - it's going by way too fast!

-Justin