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
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