Principal's Update- 12/23/15

Happy Last Day of 2015!
Can you believe we already at Winter Break?  Time flies when you are having fun!  Thank you for your dedication, focus, and professionalism in 2015.  I'm so proud to call McKinley my home.  We have an amazing staff- don't ever forget that! 

Coat Racks- Lunchroom
Thank you to Justin Lang for creating a mobile coat rack for our students at lunch.  If you haven't seen it, stop in and check it out! 

Valet Parking for the Week:
The "Valet Parking" goes to Justin Lang.  Justin is an amazing Special Education Teacher and colleague to us all.  Justin goes above and beyond to build relationships while holding students accountable.  Justin's straightforward, yet compassionate approach with students is remarkable.  Also, Justin is always willing to step in and take the role of principal in my absence.  Thanks for all you do for us, Justin! 

Have an enjoyable, relaxing break!   See you in 2016- ready to finish the year strong!
Justin

Principal's Update- December 18, 2015

Happy Friday!
Can you believe it's already Winter Break?!  When we return on January 4, 2016, I will have officially completed my first full year as a "monkey"!  Thank you for learning and growing with me this past year.  This school is truly remarkable. 

Special Events Next Week!
Click here to see the events next week!

McKinley is featured in the Owatonna People's Press!
This month, McKinley is featured in the Education Edition of OPP.  Click here to see a PDF of the articles.   Thank you to those people who helped write articles! 

Resignation
Nick Woods has put in his resignation effective December 23, 2015.  Nick will be going back to school for an accounting degree.  I'm excited for Nick to continue his education, but sad we will be losing him.  Best of luck, Nick!

Lunch- December 23, 2015
I will be providing a taco lunch on Wednesday, December 23.  Please bring your own drink.  Come hungry and ready to eat!

Math Facts Month in January
We will be doing a school-wide math fact month in January (January 10-31, 2016).  We will take time to stress the importance of math facts (school-wide). More information will be coming on this! 

STEM Beliefs- January Power Hour Meeting
As a team, we will be defining our STEM school.  I think it's important for us to figure out what our beliefs are, but also what are our non-negotiables are in regards to STEM.  This meeting is open to ALL staff who are interested in attending.  We will meet Wednesday, January 27 from 2:45-3:45pm (I will pay staff to attend). 

Mindset - Misconception
A growth mindset isn’t just about effort. Perhaps the most common misconception is simply equating the growth mindset with effort. Certainly, effort is key for students’ achievement, but it’s not the only thing. Students need to try new strategies and seek input from others when they’re stuck. They need this repertoire of approaches—not just sheer effort—to learn and improve.

We also need to remember that effort is a means to an end to the goal of learning and improving. Too often nowadays, praise is given to students who are putting forth effort, but not learning, in order to make them feel good in the moment: “Great effort! You tried your best!” It’s good that the students tried, but it’s not good that they’re not learning. The growth-mindset approach helps children feel good in the short and long terms, by helping them thrive on challenges and setbacks on their way to learning. When they’re stuck, teachers can appreciate their work so far, but add: “Let’s talk about what you’ve tried, and what you can try next.” (taken from http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2015/09/23/carol-dweck-revisits-the-growth-mindset.html)

Building Weekly Newsletter
Click here to see the building weekly newsletter

Valet Parking for the Week
We will not be doing a valet parking for the week due to the shortened week.

Have a great weekend- and gear up for next week!
Justin

Principal's Update- Friday, December 11, 2015

Can you believe it's December!?  I had my window open in my car yesterday as I drove home- crazy!

Random Updates:

• Assemblies & Special Events- Unless it's your prep time, you should be supervising students in the assembly/special event. 
• Internet Safety- Classroom Teachers, please take care of this and sign the sheet on Lorri's desk by December 23. 
• Lunch on December 23- Lunch will be provided on December 23.  Plan on bringing something to drink!
• Leaving building during day- you must sign out in office if you leave the building.   In the event of a lockdown or someone needing you, we need to know if you are in/out of the building.

January Math Facts:
As a school, we will be dedicating 3 weeks in January as "Math Facts Month".  The goal of this is to promote math facts to families and students in a short, three week manner.  Information and calendars will be coming on this in the next week. 

Growth Mindset:

This quote made me smile, thinking of our staff and students.  There's a feel to this building that is remarkable- a growth mindset of honoring the journey, not just the destination. 

Winter Concert:
What an amazing winter concert last night!  Our 3rd-5th graders and choir did an stellar job.  We've got some pretty great musicians in this building.  Thanks to everyone for being flexible with scheduling to make this concert happen.  Also, a huge thank you to Paige Moon and Jessica MacLeod.  It was a first-class event! 

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

Valet Parking for the Week:
The Valet Parking for the Week goes to Sylvia Zavala.  Sylvia is amazing at what she does.  She is great at helping students, but also helps serve as a connection between our school and our families.  Sylvia is dedicated and goes above and beyond to make things happen around here.  We are very lucky to have Sylvia serve our students and families! 


Have a great weekend, everyone! 
Justin

Principal's Update- Friday, December 4, 2015

TGIF - and happy workday!

Winter Benchmarking Starts Next Week
Winter Fluency Benchmarking starts Monday.  Thank you to our wonderful EAs and Libby Zeman for taking the lead on this!   Please make sure students are quiet in the hallway, especially in the areas where fluency is being assessed! 

STEM Sub Outs Start Next Week
We have STEM Integration sub outs starting next week.  Below is the dates/times each grade level will be subbed out with to work as a team on integration:

December 9- 2nd (AM), Kindergarten (PM)
December 16- 1st (AM), 3rd (PM)
December 17- 4th (AM), 5th (PM)

If your team hasn't let us know your focus for integration, please do so ASAP.  Below is a link with more details about the schedule and guest teachers: 
See the attachment regarding subs and times 

PBIS Data for November:
Below is some data for discipline from September- November.   Please remember to complete the referrals.  This isn't meant to be an extra step- collecting this data will help us see where, when, and why we need to offer more supports for students (example- if we see discipline issues in the hallway at lunch, we will need to station an EA in that area at that time). 

Also, please complete the referrals completely (date, time, etc.) 

	September	October	November
Number of referrals:	23	43	36
Location:
Classroom:	17	23	29
Hallway:	0	1	4
Playground:	5	2	0
Bus:	0	5	2
Restroom:	0	6	0
Other:	1	6	2
Problem:
Inappropriate Lang:	0	1	1
Fighting/Phy Aggression:	7	12	11
Disrespect:	11	14	16
Defiance:	7	6	8
Harassment/Bullying:	0	2	1
Disruption:	4	5	8
Theft:	0	1	0
Weapon:	0	0	0
Other:	0	5	11
Possible Motivator:
Peer attention:	3	8	11
Adult attention:	1	4	2
Obtain items/activity:	3	1	2
Avoid peers:	0	0	0
Avoid adult:	0	1	0
Avoid task or activity:	4	10	7
Don't know:	15	11	14
Other:	0	11	0
Number of OSS:	0	4	3
Number of ISS:	0	1	1

Referendum Update:
Click here to see an interesting document on the construction process for ISD 761. 

Winter Gear
Please make sure students are coming with and wearing their winter gear outside for recess.  If you have a student who doesn't have the "winter gear", please connect with the families.  If they need the resources, send them to Annette.  I've seen more and more kids coming without gloves, boots, etc...

Also, students can wear hooded sweatshirts to and from the portable.  Please allow them to grab their sweatshirt in their locker before music or art, if they need it.  Remember, we will make an announcement if students should wear a winter coat. 

MLK Professional Learning Day:
An email will be coming out regarding our MLK Professional Learning Day.  Below is some basic information (which could change):

Superintendent Grant will do a short welcome.  Then, for the next 90 minutes, we will listen to a presentation from Willow Sweeney (I've heard glowing reviews about her presentations).  After Willow's presentation, there will be three 1 hour sessions for you to register for.  The registration information will be sent out soon.  There are no grade level or department meetings.  You will have a late lunch that date- 12:50.  After that, we will be back at McKinley doing some de-briefing work. 

EA's- you will be working until 11:30 that day (Willow Sweeney all morning)
Paras & liasions- full day, working with Willow in the morning and then another training in the afternoon.
Food Services- Rachel will send information out regarding your day. 

Again, more information will come out.

Valet Parking for the Week:
The Valet Parking spot for next week goes to Peggy Radtke.  Peggy is an amazing teacher who strives to make physical activity a part of students everyday life.  She truly cares for all our McKinley students and wants them to succeed.  Peggy is so flexible, friendly, and a role model to all our students! 

Building Newsletter:
Click here to see the weekly building newsletter


And, a huge congratulations to Annette Kleinschrodt and Doug Warner who got engaged this week!  Apparently love is in the air here at McKinley! :)


Have a great weekend, everyone!
Justin