Weekly Update - November 30, 2018

Happy Friday, everyone!

Tier 2 Behavior Plans:
A month ago, our PBIS team looked at providing tier 2 behavior plans.  These tier 2 behavior plans were for students who needed some extra time and support around behaviors.  I'm hoping these were developed and shared with all teachers (including specialists) who work with the student.  This includes students who are "off task", who "refuse to work", and are "disengaged".

This week, I saw 10 students in the office for "refusal to work".  I understand this can be frustrating as a teacher - believe me, I was in this situation.  My hope is that these students have tier 2 plans developed and that strategies are in place to "re-engage" the student.  I am here to assist in brainstorming those strategies, if you need.

With those that are coming to the office, I will be asking to connect on those plans.  The plan will help us create a very clear process and support(s) to the student - everyone is on the same page about teaching the student the appropriate behavior(s).

Unconscious Biases:
Last year, we did some work around your unconscious biases.  Remember, these are your hidden beliefs that come automatically - you are usually unaware of them.  It is often defined as "quick judgments and assessments of people and situations".  These biases come from your background, cultural environment, and personal experiences.

Since our work, have you come across any additional biases that you weren't aware of?  Have you addressed any biases?  Remember, the TED talk we watched said to walk right toward those biases - get to know people on a different level and "re-train" your brain to see those biases differently.

As educators, we have an ethical obligation to challenge our biases each and every day.   Our biases create our body language, language, and the beliefs about people and students.  This "unconscious bias" can make or break a student's success in our school.

If you haven't been already, continue to challenge your biases - be aware of them or walk toward them!

Engagement Strategy - Quick Draw:

A Quick-Draw is a great way to get students engaged in their learning - building background knowledge, taking a larger concept and making it understood, or just to solidify their learning.  It's a quick (and creative) way to give students time to think, process, and reflect!

Click here to access the directions

McKinleyStrong Theme of the Month:

Our theme of the month is integrity.  

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

McKinleyStrong Educator of the Week:
Our McKinleyStrong Educator of the Week goes to 3rd Grade Teacher, Karla Wilke!  Karla is creative, energetic, and focused on each individual student.  Karla builds a learning community where students feel valued and welcomed.  One of the things that impresses me most about Karla is the deep, meaningful relationships that she builds with her students.  She is there to help every student. Keep up the great work, Karla... you are McKinleyStrong!

Weekly Update- November 16, 2018

Happy Friday- and Go Huskies!

Transition Day:
We have a transition day on November 26th.  A huge thank you to our committee - Jess Zupansic, Michelle Simon, Katie Demmer, Libby Zeman, Annette Warner, Amy Wencl, Gabby Wagner, Kayla Davis, and Sam Ladd - for organizing this.

Reminder - you can wear jeans and your STEAM gear on Monday.  Our goal is to rebuild relationships, regulate students, and re-establish routines.

Click here to see the Transition Day options


End of 1st Trimester:
Just a reminder - the end of the first trimester is Friday, November 30 (the week we return from break). 


MTSS Follow Up Meetings on Monday & Tuesday: 

A Note from Libby
It will be great to have a block of time devoted to examining student learning and growth with foundational skills on Monday or Tuesday!  

I will bring a copy of the graph with progress monitoring data for each student who has received an intervention.  Currently, tier 2 and tier 3 teachers are adding notes to those graphs. I will also bring some guidelines that we will use to examine if an intervention is working for a student so that we have a consistent way to figure out next steps for students.

Please bring:*Your computer*Any EU data you have for the next power 20 cycle (assessments and anecdotal)*A list of any additional interventions students are receiving outside of the power 20 (could be with an EA, special education teacher, etc.)*Your current spreadsheet of what students are receiving*Any PRESS data that you have (progress monitoring sheets/data).
I'm looking forward to planning with you next week!

Getting Rid of Some Ineffective Practices:

We've all said it.. including me - "I'm so overwhelmed" or "I've got so much on my plate right now".  This is true - teaching is an extremely hard job. 

I was recently introduced to this article - "5 Common Teaching Practices I'm Kicking to the Curb!".   Take some time to read this - there are things we can get rid of and feel good about getting rid of!  Her list includes:  popcorn/round robin reading, giving students prepared notes, whole class punishments, using learning styles to plan instruction, and having advanced students help struggling students ("differentiating").  The thing I like the most about this article is she provides the "why", but also gives strategies on what to do instead!  

Mindfulness Moment:

#6 of 6 ideas for creating a mindful classroom: 6) Gratitude practice.

The following is an excerpt from: the blog post, The Pause That Refreshes: 6 ideas for creating mindfulness in the classroom, Written by Betsy Caruso, August 16, 2018

Millions of years ago when humans lived in the wild, our brains evolved to be alert to danger. Despite the fact that most of us no longer face the existential threat of wild animal attack, our brain still maintains that ‘early warning system’. We are really expert at remembering the bad stuff but not so hot a recalling the good. Dr. Rick Hanson defines this ‘negativity bias’ as Velcro for negative experiences but Teflon for positive ones. Gratitude practice helps us embody the emotions and sensations associated with positive experience. It can guide us toward equanimity by balancing out our overall perception of what has occurred during a certain period, be it math class, the school day, or a particular event at home.

Gratitude practice is a simple way to share and remind ourselves and others about the things that matter. Sitting in a circle and each sharing something we’re grateful for can be a lovely way to end the day. This practice can be surprisingly informative, and don’t forget to include yourself in the circle.

To read this article in its entirety click this link:

Challenge: Post in the comments something a student reported to be grateful for.  A winner will be drawn for a prize. - Annette M Warner, LICSW

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

McKinleyStrong Educator of the Week:
The McKinleyStrong Educator of the Week goes to Assistant Secretary, Selena Flemming!  On a given day, Selena wears many hats at McKinley - attendance, entering data, greeting families, answering phones, etc.  Selena is a positive, energetic team member who makes every one of our families and students feel welcomed.  Selena makes McKinley a welcoming environment for all.  Keep up the great work, Selena! 


Have a great weekend - sounds like there is snow on the way tonight!
-Justin

Weekly Update - November 9, 2018

Happy Friday!
We just completed another great week of learning & relationships at McKinley!  Keep up the great work! 

Round Robin Reading:
It's been energizing to get around the building and see guided in reading in action.  It has been great to see the concentrated focus on this - and the way you are providing high quality instruction to our readers.   One of the strategies I see is round robin reading - students each, individually, reading aloud at the table to their guided group.  One student reads, everyone else listens.  This strategy has its limitations - mostly around the fact that a student is only reading a small segment of the text during a lesson.  The student isn't apply decoding, fluency, or any other word attack strategies as they aren't engaged with the text like a reader would be.  It was eye opening to me during my LLI training this summer -  when a student is at around level H or higher, they should move from reading aloud to silently reading (unless the teacher is individually listening, coaching, and providing feedback to that individual student).  This was a game changer for me -  at around the level H, students need to move away from reading aloud during guided group to the silent reading with teacher support.  Something to think about..

Disclaimer - I am, in no way, saying a student should not practice fluency.  If fluency is a deficit skill for the student, it's important to build in these out loud reading opportunities during their reading block (not necessarily guided reading). 

Here is a link to a great article on round robin reading 

STEAM Family Night
We had our first STEAM Family Night, "Grateful for Nature" last night. A huge thank you to our 4th Grade Team for planning and hosting the night.  Families participated in a range of activities from engineering to active movement.  It was a great night filled fun with a lot of fun!

PBIS Team Follow-Up:
Our wonderful PBIS team met yesterday in Mankato to create some tier 2 and 3 interventions for students.  We had a great workday that has resulted in some ideas coming back to our staff.  We are piloting some tier 2 interventions in the next month - with the hope (if they work) to release to the entire staff.  We also did some learning work around the stages of escalation (very eye-opening).  We will look to add something on our next Power Hour. 

So, What is White Privilege?
Here's a great article on what exactly white privilege is.  It isn't being a "racist", as many believe.  It's truly a look at yourself to examine yourself and "power".  Take some time to read this article - there are some action steps at the end of the article.   Click here to access the article

Tracking Sheets for Relaxation Room & Check In/Out:
Annette & Isabel are doing some data collection for our building on both tier 2 and 3 interventions we have in place for behavior & social-emotional supports.  Recently, they have sent some data collection sheets out to teachers with students utilizing the RR and Check In/Out.  Please make sure those are getting completed and returned quickly - we need this data.  The data provides two purposes - we can see if the intervention is working and secondly, the information helps us with planning of the individual student.  Please get those turned in ASAP.

Author Visit- Tuesday:

McKinley Welcomes Authors

Miranda and Baptiste Paul

When: Tuesday, November 13th in the gym

12:45 - 1:15 (Grades K - 2)

1:25  -2:10  (Grades 3 - 5)

Details:

• The ISD761 foundation generously funded this request.
• The Media EAs will try and read as many titles as possible to your class, but if you can also familiarize students with their work, that would be great!
• Their books are available for viewing (and limited checkout) in the library.
• Students can order their books on Amazon prior to the visit and have them autographed that day.
• I am asking the parent group for funding to purchase 6 books for a random drawing. If approved, one lucky student in each grade will leave with a signed copy of their book!
• Both Miranda and Baptiste are passionate about equity and STEM
• Miranda’s website has a Teacher Resource Page with book activity ideas and a page with Video Links.

Author Bios:

Miranda Paul is the award-winning children’s author of Water is Water,  One Plastic Bag, 10 Little Ninjas, The Great Pasta Escape, Are We Pears Yet, Whose Hands are These, and Blobfish Throws a Party. Her books have been named to several “Best of” lists and have been translated into multiple languages. Miranda has been a guest presenter at the Library of Congress Young Readers Center, serves as Mentorship chair for We Need Diverse Books™ , volunteers for Books for Africa, and is a regional advisor for the Society of Children’s Book Writers (Wisconsin). One of her bravest moments involved reciting poetry inside a crocodile pit. (Yikes!)

Baptiste Paul is a Caribbean-born author and native Creole/Patois speaker. His debut picture book, The Field, centers around teamwork, leadership, diversity, and acceptance through a neighborhood game of soccer. He has also co-authored a book Adventures To School  that tells about the unique ways kids around the world get to school.  

Building Weekly Newsletter:
Click here to access the newsletter

McKinleyStrong Educator of the Week:
The McKinleyStrong Educator of the Week goes to Kindergarten Educational Assistant, Tarah Thompson!  Tarah serves our learners in Kindergarten - mostly in Rachel Anderson's K3 classroom.  Tarah is positive, flexible, and always focused on each and every students' needs.  One of the things that impresses me most about Tarah is her "never give up attitude" - no matter the situation, Tarah is willing to try something new to support a student.   This can be seen in her words, actions, and overall demeanor.   Keep up the great work, Tarah! 


Have a great weekend, everyone!
-Justin

Weekly Update - November 2, 2018

Happy Friday! 

3 Tips to Make Any Lesson Culturally Responsive (click for link):

A quick, great read on creating opportunities to link students' learning styles with your teaching. 

Mindfulness Moment:

#3 of 6 ideas for creating a mindful classroom:

The following is an excerpt from: the blog post, The Pause That Refreshes: 6 ideas for creating mindfulness in the classroom, Written by Betsy Caruso, August 16, 2018

3) Check on the environment.
Some of the best teachers I know begin the day with a short sit in the classroom. There is something wonderful about starting off together in silence, and even kindergartners enjoy it. Students in middle and high school often protest that they’re not interested in this quiet few moments, but in my experience students this age are also the most vocal about insisting on the morning sit if it has been forgotten. Some classes find that just after lunch or the end of the day is the best time for a few mindful moments. Experiment to find what works for you and your group(s).

After a brief (two to five minutes) sit, it can be helpful to get a short report from each student about how they’re feeling. Popular metaphors for these reports include a one-word “weather report” (sunny, stormy, rainy, etc.), thumbs up, down or sideways, even sports analogies for the oldest students. The littlest ones can make an animal sound or hold up a colored piece to represent their mood (see Zones of Regulation for more on this). Don’t forget to include yourself and any other adults in the room!

These environmental check-ins allow the entire group to get a general idea of the overall ‘climate’ in the room in that moment. This is great information for each person. As the group leader, you may decide to adjust or even completely change the next activity, based on what the reports tell you

The students also see each others’ responses, which informs them about how others may wish to be treated. A sweet surprise can happen in the form of one or more kids expressing heartfulness (or compassion) for a classmate who has given a negative report. This is usually most immediate in younger grades but often happens away from the gaze of adults in middle and high school aged cohorts.

To read this article in its entirety click here.

Note: I encourage use of the Zones of Regulation.  If you would like any resources please see me.
Challenge: If you currently use Zones of Regulation with your students or if you would like to use Zones but need more resources, post “yes” in the comment area to be included in a drawing for a prize.

-Annette M Warner, LICSW

Phones & Social Media:

As you know, I am an advocate for us "telling our story" through social media.  I encourage staff to have Twitter and utilize it regularly.  However, please be aware of the "personal" likes and posts during work hours.  Again, I am not in any way saying not to use these for professional reasons.  However, personal reasons should wait until your break and after hours.

Same for phones - I know we use these regularly to communicate within the building, particularly with our non-classroom staff.  Be aware of the time we are using our phones for personal reasons.  I'm not going to "police" this - you are a professional, please be only using this for professional reasons. 

I would appreciate your cooperation in this.  

Recess:

As a staff, we have done some learning work around the benefits of students being outdoors throughout a given day.  This is something I fully support.  In saying this, we should not be keeping students in from recess.  Students need fresh air, down time, and time to play.  I often think that our students with the most behavioral needs are often the ones who have recess taken away from them.  There will be rare times that an office referral may result in recess being taken away - mostly to allow for a situation to "cool down".  Again, we should not be keeping kids in from recess.  If you are having issues with what to do now, feel free to connect with Libby or I for some ideas.  

STEAM Family Night:

We have our first STEAM Family Night, "Grateful for Nature" on Thursday, November 8 from 6-7pm.  This will be a night of STEAM challenges and exploring nature.  A huge thank you to our 4th Grade Team for organizing this night.  If you are free, join us for a fun night! 

Building Weekly Newsletter:

Click here to access the building weekly newsletter

McKinleyStrong Educator of the Week:

The McKinleyStrong Educator of the Week goes to Teaching and Learning Coach, Libby Zeman!  Libby is a knowledgeable, compassionate educator who is focused on not only every student, but every staff member, too.  Libby truly models a growth mindset, each and every day.  One of the things that impresses me the most about Libby is her understanding of teaching and learning - and how to translate the research into practice.  Keep up the great work, Libby! 

Have a great weekend, everyone!

-Justin