Weekly Update - March 16, 2018

Happy Friday!
We are one week away from Spring Break.... we can do this!

Staff Power Hour - Wednesday:

Just a reminder - we have a Staff Power Hour on Wednesday.  Please attend!

High Expectations for All During Independent Reading:
See the blog entry by Libby on having high expectations during independent reading/work time:  
http://owatonnalitcoaches.blogspot.com/

McKinleyStrong Leadership Slips & Behaviors:

Please don't forget to be giving those positive leadership slips to students.  When you do, please write a sentence of two of the "why" and sign your name.  That way, families will know the reason for the slip.  Also, don't forget: for a child to learn something new, it takes 8 times of practice.   For a child to unlearn an old behavior and learn a new one, it takes, on average, 28 times of practice.  Keep that in mind as we are teaching behaviors to our kids.  

Building Weekly Newsletter

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McKinleyStrong Educator of the Week:

The McKinleyStrong Educator of the Week goes to EL Teacher, Laurie Wolhart!   Laurie is a talented, compassionate educator who puts in countless extra time and sweat to make sure that high quality learning is occurring for our students.  One of the things I appreciate the most about Laurie is her willingness to be a learner - she will "jump right in" and try something if she knows it will benefit students.  Her work around co-teaching has been phenomenal.  Keep up the great work, Laurie!

Have a great weekend, everyone!  It's going to be in the 50s this weekend - enjoy the heatwave!

-Justin

Weekly Update- March 9, 2018

Happy Friday!
We had another great week of learning and growth at McKinley School!

Great reminder - what you do, say, and believe tell the world your priorities.  

Good News Call of the Day:

Wow!  Another example of how the McKinley Staff impresses me!  It's been awesome to see all the "Good News Call of the Day" show up on Twitter.   Because of this, we are extending the challenge into next week.  Remember- for every good news call you make (and tweet out), your name will be put into a drawing for some great prizes (seriously, good prizes!).   So, continue to recognize those awesome, talented leaders we have at McKinley!  

Reframing Behavior:

I found a great reminder on Twitter of thinking about behavior- and how your mindset, thoughts, and the way you respond can all determine if the behavior will escalate or de-escalate.  Take some time to look at this picture and reflect- how do you reframe behavior?

Reflection on McKinleyStrong Assembly:
I had an deep reflection moment after Tuesday's McKinleyStrong assembly that I want to share with you. I had a staff member email me, asking about the video we showed (the recess one with the group of kids).  The person made me stop in my tracks and think because of his/her comments.  The video showed all of the "good behaving" students as white and the "bad behaving" students as black.  It made me stop - we chose that video because it had video footage from actual playgrounds and with real kids.   We were excited to have kids see the behaviors & dialogue in real world situations.  However, we sent another underlying message of white, black, good, and bad.   I know our immediate reaction is "they are kids, they don't even see this".   However, they do.  This is especially true if you are already marginalized due to the color of your skin.

I challenge you to start paying attention to this - what underlying messages, often unintentionally, are we sending to students?

Building Weekly Newsletter
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*This is subject to change- I wrote it and know there are changes!

McKinleyStrong Educator of the Week:
The McKinleyStrong Educator of the Week goes to 1st Grade Teacher, Sami Nelson!  Sami is a talented educator who builds a classroom environment on learning, relationships, and the willingness to take risks.   One of the things that impresses me most about Sami is the way she provides support and compassion for her students.  Sami's students are provided with what they need as a person and a learner - all day, every day.    I am honored to work with Sami - keep up the great work, Sami!


Have a great weekend, everyone!  Make sure to spend some time relaxing and enjoying those around you.  Don't forget about Superintendent Elstad's analogy - you carry two balls.  A rubber and a glass ball.  The rubber is work and will bounce back.  The glass is all your personal relationships - that won't bounce back if you drop it!

-Justin

Weekly Update- March 2, 2018

Happy March!  And, happy end of Trimester 2!

Thank you for a great Staff Power Hour this last Wednesday.  Below is the video we watched on impact.  Please remember - Each of you make an impact, every single day.   This time of year can be tiring and stressful - but, keep your focus on the impact and relationships you make!

Hands-Free Recess:
Starting next Wednesday, we will begin a "hands-free recess".  The goal of this is to decrease the physical aggression & fighting at recess time.   In the entryway, we will have each grade listed.  If the grade makes it all of recess without being physical, they will earn a handprint.  The grade to earn 10 handprints first will receive a pizza & movie lunch (and afternoon!).  I will be explaining this to each grade level on Wednesday.

Literacy Subouts:
We have some upcoming literacy subouts for grade level teachers.   The dates are:

Wednesday, March 7:  1st Grade (AM) & Kindergarten (PM)
Thursday, March 8: 2nd Grade (AM) & 3rd Grade (PM)
Tuesday, March 13:  4th Grade (AM) & 5th Grade (PM)

Our work will center around:

• Plus/delta of literacy this year
• What are you currently doing for literacy blocks?  What supports do you need?
• An article on guided reading
• Team time/discussion around grade level literacy blocks

Libby will be sending out information in the next day or two on the upcoming learning work.  I'm excited to collaborate around literacy! 

Good News Call Challenge:

Our PBIS team met last night to look through our discipline data (click below to access the final February data).  In our discussion, we realized we need to remember the positives with students and families - both through leadership slips, but also phone calls.  We are offering you a challenge- A Good News Call Challenge!   

Next week, we are challenging you to make positive phone calls home to families on specific students.  We are asking that you call home and tell some positive feedback to families on their child.  Then, tweet a picture of the child (or a picture of you and the child) and call it the "Good News Call of the Day" with our #mckinleystrong hashtag.  For each call you do (and post you put on Twitter), your name will be entered for a special surprise (it's going to be a good one!).  

Example:  "Johnny is our Good News Call of the Day from 3A!  Johnny worked hard today on learning equivalent fractions.  We are so proud of your hard work, Johnny! #mckinleystrong"

Click here to access the ORD data

MN Teacher of the Year Semi-Finalist:

Congrats to Amanda Gislason for being recognized as a semi-finalist for MN Teacher of the Year 2018.  I can't think of a better art teacher - or educator - to be nominated for this award.  We are so proud of you, Amanda!  

Building Weekly Newsletter:

Click here to access the building weekly newsletter

McKinleyStrong Educator of the Week:

The McKinleyStrong Educator of the Week goes to 5th Grade Teacher, Mark Langlois!  Mark is respectful, compassionate, and focused on what our learners need.  One of the things that impresses me most about Mark is the way he can take a lesson and make it engaging - through a game, collaboration, or just a discussion.  Mark's learners are engaged in their learning because of the structures and opportunities he creates.  Keep up the great work, Mark!  

Have a great weekend, everyone!  Kick your feet up and do some relaxing!  

-Justin