Weekly Update- Friday, September 9, 2016

Happy Friday - what a great first week!  It feels awesome to have life back  into the building!

Follow Up on Mike Mattos
I have been thinking a lot this past week about our McKinley team and the "messages" from Mike Matttos.  I left that session feeling completely rejuvenated and ready to continue our growth as a building to address learning for all kids.  I want to give you all a HUGE "thank you" for the work you are doing.  It was awesome to listen to Mike's ideas and think about all the learning work we have done - focusing on all kids, collaborating on student learning, tier 2 instruction, Essential Standards Charts, and so on....  Your commitment to this process and willingness to "play in the mud" speaks volumes about the culture in our building.  You are willing to do whatever it takes to create learning experiences for all our students.  Thank you for that.  I can honestly say you are the greatest educators I have ever worked with.... and by educators, I mean you ALL (not just teachers). 

Monday Monkey Message
Starting Monday, I will be doing a Monday Monkey Message" (morning announcement) right away at 8am.   During this message, I will update students on our week ahead, as well as recognize students/classes for positive actions/behaviors (PBIS focused).  During this message, we will do the Pledge of Allegiance together as a school.  For those of you going to Specialists (I think grade 3), you can continue with your schedule and do this later in your day.  I will be looking for guest announcers as the year progresses.... more to come on this! 

DIBELS Fall Benchmarking - Tuesday
On Tuesday, September 13, we have a team of retired educators coming to McKinley to administer our fall DIBELS benchmarking.  Libby has created a schedule with this that will have the least impact possible to your schedule.  On Tuesday, please make sure you are quiet as you move through the hallway.  Some grade levels will be administering benchmarks in the hallway/close to the hallway.  Also, a HUGE thank you to Libby for all her work on this! 

Eid- Monday and Tuesday
Students who are celebrating Eid may be gone from school on Monday and Tuesday.  Laurie Wolhart sent an email this week regarding this.  Please be aware of this as you begin to tackle next week. 

Summer Learning Breakfast- Friday
PTO will be holding the Summer Learning Breakfast on Friday, September 16th from 7:15-8:00am in the Big Gym.  Students who are eligible will receive an invitation to attend (with their parents).  If you get a few minutes on Friday morning, stop in and congratulate these students who spent countless hours learning this summer!

Valet Parking for the Week
Our Valet Parking for next week goes to Kindergarten Teacher Paige Larson.  Paige has been a wonderful addition to our Kindergarten team.  Some of the things about Paige that amaze me - the way she interacts/partners with students and families, the way she is willing to try new ideas, and how creative she is!  Welcome to McKinley - we are lucky to have you with us, Paige!

Have a great weekend - spend some time sharpening your saw!
-Justin