Principal's Update- Friday, May 29, 2015

It's our last Friday for the 2014-2015 school year!  4 days left! 

June 2 Staff Meeting
This meeting is cancelled for Tuesday.  For those of you who participated in the book study, please see me for a voucher to get paid for the 3 days we met (our last book study meeting will count as a staff meeting).  

Facilities Meeting- Monday
We will meet on Monday, June 1st at 2:45 to talk through the Facilities Study done by the Committee.  This is open for all staff to attend.

Last Day Schedule
I sent an email yesterday regarding the last day schedule. 
          8:00-8:30 Classrooms
          8:30-9:00 Video in Big Gym/Directions for morning
          9:00-11:00 Activities (please sign up ASAP and Lorri or I know if you need materials)
          11:00-1:00 Classrooms and/or lunch (normal schedule)
          1:00-2:10 Bongerball outside
          2:10-2:30 Classrooms
          2:30 Hallelujah! :)

Staff Check-Out:
I can't believe we are to the point of being done for the summer.  It's going to be a boring place without students or teachers in the building!   Please see below regarding Wed or Thurs "check-out":

Paras & EAs- check out in the office before you leave!  Paras, please provide me with your goals. 

Teachers- please turn in your "checklist" (from Lorri). 

PTO Breakfast:
The PTO Breakfast is Thursday, June 4th at 7:45am.  This is open to all staff.  Feel free to join us! 

Have a GREAT weekend!
-Justin

Principal's Update- Friday, May 22, 2015

We're nearing the end....  and closing out the 2014-2015 school year! 

Make sure to enjoy the weekend.  According to WCCO Morning News, it's going to be a Top 10 Weather Day!  Take some time after work to enjoy it!

Thank You!
A huge thank you to everyone for all the extra work you've put in lately.   With the close to a school year, it seems like life gets crazy.  I appreciate everyone's flexibility and willingness to help.

A huge thank you to our K Team for their extra hours doing Kindergarten Interviews.  The team met and assessed their incoming Kindergarteners to figure out strengths and areas of growth.  They also identified students who are eligible for their summer program, K Kamp.   Thank you!

A huge thank you to our ELL Team for their work on our ELL Family Potluck.  It was a great event with lots of food!   It was nice to see our staff and families interact and show their heritage!

Audrey Kaplan Grant
A huge congratulations to Paige Gilligan and Katie Demmer for being awarded the Audrey Kaplan Grant.  Paige and Katie will be working on alternative ways for kids to sit, move, and interact in their classrooms.   Both are looking at things like adjustable desks and stability balls, for example.  If you get time, stop in Paige's room.  She now has music risers in her room for instruction!  Congratulations to you both!

Spring Benchmarking
Please get your spring benchmarking data into the spreadsheets ASAP.  Having done this job in the past, I know it's a pain to track people down (and there is a risk the data will be too late to be updated).  If you haven't already, get this data entered. 

Summer Learning Incentive
If you are interested in volunteering on a Wednesday here at McKinley, sign up on the shared document.  This is for all staff, not just teachers.  We will have the library open from 12:30-1 and then work in the garden from 1-2.   We'd love to see you join us!

Summer STEM Training-
Bob sent me a flyer for some summer STEM training.  It's free and local.  Click here to see the flyer- Check it out if you are interested! 

Lockdown-
Nice job on the surprise lockdown practice.  We will spend some time next year talking through these procedures.  One of the biggest things I noticed this time was when you are outside.  I want to clarify the differences between a lockdown and containment (which will help you know what to do if you are outside):

Lockdown- occurs when there is a threat or intruder in the building
Containment- occurs when there is a threat or intruder outside the building

We will be clear when we announce this which it is.  If it's a lockdown and you are outside, move to a safe place away from the building.  Please phone or radio the office so we know you are safe.   If it's a containment and you are outside and close to a door, try to get inside.  If you aren't, try to get to a safe site near McKinley.  This is a judgment call. 

Again, we will review this and our new fire/tornado maps in the fall. 

Book Study-
Our last book study will be next Monday.  Please come with questions you'd like me to be aware of as we move forward with this model.  I want to anticipate and address any concerns before they arise in the fall!

Facilities Meeting- June 1
This meeting is open to all staff and will be about 15 minutes.  The purpose of this meeting is to inform you of the work and direction the Committee is taking in regards to facilities.  If you are interested, please join us.


Have a great weekend! 7 student days left!
-Justin

Principal's Update- May 15, 2015

Good morning!  Sorry for the delay in posting- it was a crazy week in the office!  

This Monday (5/18), I am out of the building until 2pm.  Kayla, Rachael, Jayne, and I are visiting a couple schools to see their "learning studio" concept.  As we begin learning more, we will gladly share this information with staff.  

Class Placements- Friday
Certified staff are meeting next Friday (5/22) to create class lists.  Classroom teachers, please have the spreadsheet completed before this meeting.  Since we are only meeting for an hour, it will help keep things efficient. 

Last PLC Meeting:
Please see the below email from Amy LaDue regarding your last PLC meeting:
Good Afternoon,
The last PLC meeting of the school year is scheduled for Monday, May 18 or Tuesday, May 19.  As you meet with your team, please be sure to complete the following:

• Complete your evidence of effectiveness/results column on your PLC goal form and attach evidence of the work (materials/documents created).  Turn in to your administrator.
• If data is available, individuals should analyze results, then share results and rating with your team members.  If data is not available prior to the last teacher day (June 4), PLCs will review results during fall workshop week.
• Each individual teacher will also report the results from his/her goal(s) in STAGES.  This will include a brief written reflection on the process and next steps related to the goal.

If you have questions, please feel free to contact me or your building administrator.

Last Day of Interventions & ELL:
Friday, May 29

Update on Staffing for 2015-2016:
We are in the process of completing our certified teaching staffing for the 2015-2016 school year.  I wanted to keep you updated on the new assignments for next school year.

Kindergarten: Courtney Hugstad-Vaa-Leer
2nd Grade:  Because of Courtney's move to Kindergarten, there left a vacancy on the 2nd grade team.  An offer was made to a candidate- once this is finalized, I will provide more information.
5th Grade: Libby Zeman has accepted a district Literacy Coach position.  Because of this, 5th grade has an open teaching position (an offer was made & accepted).
PE: Tricia Hoffmann will be moving to Wilson & Willow Creek (more FTE).  An offer was made and accepted- more information when this is finalized. 
Music:  This is an open position which will hopefully finalized in the next week. 

Valet Parking of the Week:
Our Valet Parking of the Week goes to Sami Nelson.  Sami is a dedicated, compassionate teacher who does whatever it takes for our McKinley students.  Sami always advocates for the whole child- not only academically, but what we can do emotionally and socially to help students reach their full potential.  We are lucky to have Sami on our McKinley staff! 


Have a great week!
-Justin

Principal's Update- May 8, 2015

Good morning!
Can you believe we are coming to a month left of school?  Where did the time go?  Make the most of your last few days with students. 

Leadership Day
McKinley's Leadership Day will be next Friday, May 15th from 1:15-2:15pm in classrooms.  This event will run for one hour and is an open house format for parents and families.  Students should have their "exhibit" of how they are a leader in their classroom and ready to go at 1:15.   If you want to allow students to visit other rooms, you may want to set-up shifts for the kids to visit other rooms (you don't want them all gone at once).  Also, Specialists will push into the room from 1:15-2:15 to help support the classrooms they are assigned to at that time. 

Core Instruction
In PLC notes, I had a group ask, "What do you mean when you are always saying we need to improve core instruction?"  Great question!  We will be doing more work with this next year, but here's my initial response-

As you stated, we will need to dig deeper into the data to see what it is telling us (both benchmarking data and end of unit summative).   Just from my observations and working with data, I think we have two things to look at with core- the instructional strategies we are using (whole group and small) and the way we are ensuring 80% of kids learn (progress monitoring, re-teaching, etc).  We need to look at our reading block a little different- we shouldn’t be teaching a whole group lesson at grade level and then lowering the standards during our small group time.  Small group/guided is still at grade level standards- however, we offer supports to the students (text at their level, graphic organizers, teacher support, etc).  Your small group/guided time may include a quick intervention- however, we need to make sure we are at grade level expectations.  Interventions will occur during that assigned grade level "Intervention/Enrichment Time". 
 
Last Day of Intervention Services
Our last day of intervention and ELL services will be Friday, May 29. 

Teacher of Year Banquet
Next Wednesday, three of our McKinley staff are up for the honor of Owatonna Teacher of the Year.  What a great honor for Tamra, Mark, and Kayla, as well as the rest of our staff.  I think this process speaks volumes of the important work we are doing here at McKinley.  I hope to see many of you at the ceremony, helping support Tamra, Mark, and Kayla. 

Hettinga Fundraiser
Don Hettinga's fundraiser is next Friday, May 15th at the Eagles.  Thank you to all who have donated money, items to the basket, etc.  I hope to see you there, also!

Spring Benchmarking 
Spring Benchmarking (DIBELS & math facts) starts next week.  See May 5th's blog post for information from Amy LaDue on benchmarking. 

Classroom Teacher End of Year Meeting
Just a reminder, please schedule a 15-20 minute meeting with me regarding your end of year reflection.  This is for classroom teachers only.  Before our meeting, I will send your data from the year.  This, along with your informal data, will guide our conversation. 

I've heard/seen some panic come from the thought of this meeting.  It is no way meant to penalize you- it's a honest conversation and reflection of your school year. 

Valet Parking of the Week
The Valet Parking of the Week goes to Paige Moon.  Paige is a dedicated professional who works hard to ensure our students love music and school.  She uses her positive attitude and nurturing personality to show students (and staff) she cares about them- academically, socially, and emotionally.  Paige stays abreast of current trends in music education and is always integrating this into her daily instruction.   Paige, thank you for all you do!


For all the mothers out there, enjoy your "day" on Sunday!  Have a great weekend!
-Justin

Spring Benchmarking Window

Good morning,
Below are the notes from Amy LaDue on spring benchmarking.  It is very important we complete this benchmarking process by Thursday, May 22, 2015.

Click here for a directions sheet on benchmarking

Email from Amy:
The spring fluency and math fact benchmark window is from Monday, May 11 through Thursday, May 22.  All scores need to be entered into the spreadsheets by the end of the day on Wednesday, May 27.  On Thursday, May 28 we will begin preparing to send our district results to Viewpoint.

Results should be entered into the spreadsheets located in the staff shared Assessment Folder \\esc01\assessments  Each teacher should be able to access the folder for your school and the spreadsheet for your grade level for both reading and math.  If the folder indicates that you do not have access, send a tech request and the IT department will assist you.

The spreadsheets have been updated with your current class roster.  If you find that one of your students is not listed on the spreadsheet, please add his/her name and benchmark results.   

Here are the steps to enter reading and math fact benchmark results:

1. Click on this link to get to the Assessment Folder  \\esc01\assessments.
2. Click on your school's folder
3. Open the spreadsheet for your grade level
4. Click Enable Editing in the yellow area at the top of the spreadsheet (this may not appear)
5. Student names are in alphabetical order by classroom teacher
6. Scroll to your class of students
7. Type in your students' results for your grade level's benchmarks.
8. Click Save
9. Close the spreadsheet and close the folder
10. Complete for both DIBELS and math facts

Since this is a spreadsheet for your entire grade level, it will not allow two teachers from the same building and grade level to enter results at the same time.  Willow Creek is separated by house.  Data will need to be entered while you are at school. 

Thank you for your work completing the spring benchmark assessments and more importantly for your commitment to our student’s learning. 

Principal's Update- May 1, 2015

Happy Friday!  What a busy time of year!    

Next week is both Teacher Appreciation Week and School Nutrition Employee Week!  We will have some exciting things next week to show our appreciation for our dedicated staff.   

Upcoming Big Rocks for Next Week:
Monday- Science MCA's start & PLCs
Tuesday- Track Meet
Thursday- Staff Book Study
Friday- Orchestra Concert after school in small gym

TDE Update:
We spent some time at Cabinet going through the final steps to this year's TDE.  I will be scheduling a 15 minute meeting with certified staff to go through the steps.  Before the meeting, make sure you have logged into STAGES (https://live.stagessoftware.com/user/login/) and set up your account.  If this is your first time logging in, use the below information:
            User ID: Employee Email Address
            Password: Owatonna121114

I sent out an email to Certified Staff earlier this week with this information.

Department of Justice Survey
A DOJ Survey will be coming the week of May 4 for students in grades 3-5.  It is a paper & bubble response survey that students will need to complete.  There will also be a staff survey (you will need to sign off in the office once completed).  More information will be coming on this.

Spring Benchmarking
Spring Benchmarking begins Monday, May 11th.  An email will come from Teaching and Learning regarding the steps to entering the data.  Please make sure you administer and enter the assessments into the spreadsheet within the given time frame.

Last Day of Interventions & ELL
The last day for Intervention & ELL services will be Friday, May 29th. 

Assistant Secretary Position:
We are interviewing today for the Ass't Secretary position.  Our hopes is to get someone trained in before the end of the year.  A huge thank you to Sue Olson for all her help in the office! :)

Valet Parking of the Week:
Our Valet Parking for the Week goes to Sue Paul.  Sue is such a dedicated staff member who will do whatever she can to motivate, engage, and help students learn.  Sue is always willing to do whatever it takes to help our McKinley students.  Sue, thank you for all you do for us! 

A SnapShot of Learning:

Our patrols spent Wednesday afternoon enjoying the MN Twins Game.  Thank you to Doug and Sonya for organizing and supervising this awesome trip!

Last night, we honored 6 of our McKinley students for the Dia De Nino, an event the district puts on for our Hispanic families.  Our students were honored for their hard work and dedication to being a student.  Pictured are our honorees:  Joseph Cruz, Georgia Schrom, Alex Mendez-Enser, Victoria Torres-Leon, Bryanna Correa, and Citlaly Garza. 

3rd Grade is working on a worm exploration.  In the pictures above, Kayla Davis's class is examining the worms they collected and recording their observations into a Survey on Office 365.  Their combined observations and data were then analyzed as a group.  Only in a STEM School will you see all kids working with worms!  

 

 

 

Have a great weekend!  Take some time to enjoy the sun and your loved ones. 

-Justin