Don't forget the Staff Christmas Party is tonight, 6pm, at the VFW in Owatonna.
Door 8
Please see yesterday's email regarding Door 8. We need to all be on the "same page" when it comes to using this door.
My Principal Survey Feedback
At our Staff Power Hour on Wednesday, I shared my results from the recent plus/delta you completed. I compiled the results into themes. As you can see, there are things I will continue doing... there are also things I need to end or start doing. I appreciate this feedback so much. My role is to support you, students, and learning. I have a growth mindset with my role, so I am always looking for ways to grow into a better leader and person. Below are the themes I collected from the survey:
Strengths:
- Does what is best for all kids
-Supportive and approachable
-Visible
-Is a true coach & learner (growth mindset)
-Knows our McKinley kids
Areas for Opportunity:
-Wears emotions on sleeve (seems stressed and "short" lately)
-Help coach us in behaviors
-Feel like I can't stop and talk without an appointment
-High expectations, but may expect change too quickly
Again, thank you for this feedback. This is valuable information that will help me as we move forward together as a team! If things come up moving forward, please let me know.
Student Voice in the Learning Process
During learning, we frequently "check in" on student learning through formative assessments and checks for understanding. This "check in" is often missing one essential component- student voice. Knowing exactly what students are thinking about their learning is critical in our instructional decision-making. Having students stop, reflect, and share where they are at is a piece of the learning process that is often forgotten (I know, as a classroom teacher, I struggled with doing this).
Giving students a Likert scale (4-3-2-1) with a rubric, completing sentence frames ("I still need help with.."), having a thumbs up/down, or having students reflect on your feedback are all great ways to get into students' thinking- where they are at in the learning and what they still need.
As we move into the remainder of the year, continue to explore ways in your lesson to get student voice into your check for understanding. It's extremely powerful.
PBIS- Perception
At our Staff Power, Justin walked us through the idea of "perception" and how important it is to know your perception (and biases) when dealing with children and behavior. Because our backgrounds are so different, we all approach situations differently. We use what we know to create a "perception" of a situation/behavior. This perception can actually harm situations if we aren't aware of it. Justin charged us in thinking of situations like an iceberg- we see what is above water, but not what is below. This is a great analogy in dealing with students - we don't know what is "under the water". It is important for us to remember this. Below is the illustration we used:
STEM Night, "Winter Olympics"
What a fun night of "Family Winter Olympics" last night! We didn't have a great turnout, as there was a Christmas event going on downtown. But ,we still have fun. A huge thank you to Paige Larson, Courtney Hugs, Karen Thurnau, Maria Conzemius, Rachael Eickhoff, Kayla Davis, Mark Langlois, Karla Wilke, and Laurie Wolhart for your work at this event!
Weekly Building Newsletter
Click here to see the weekly building newsletter
Valet Parking for the Week:
The Valet Parking for the Week goes to Special Education Teacher, Brianna Luhman. Brianna has been a wonderful addition to our building and Special Education team. Brianna is extremely patient, positive, and passionate about kids. Brianna works extremely hard to make sure students are getting what they need - academically, emotionally, and socially. Thank you for all you do, Brianna!
Have a great weekend, everyone!
-Justin
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