This is our last blog entry for the 2018-2019 school year. It's been a wonderful year full of learning and lots of memories. Thank you for your ongoing commitment to our students. It was every evident (again) this year. McKinley truly believes in every learner, every day!
Next Week:
Just an update on our last day of school events:
Monday, June 3 -
OHS Seniors (McKinley Alumni) will visit at 1:45pm. They will make a lap through the building - please have students seated in your grade level areas. If you want, students can make signs congratulating them.
Tuesday, June 4 -
Bongerball Game at 1:15pm (north fields). Please remind students of behavior and help supervise all kids outside.
Wednesday, June 5 -
Awards Ceremony, 8:30 in Gym
5th Grade Graduation, 1:00pm in Gym (livestreaming link will be sent out in AM announcements)
End of Year CheckOut Process starts at 2:30pm (ends Friday at 2:00pm)
Thursday, June 6- LAST DAY!
8:55 - Justin Kiel will be live-streamed to give directions & expectations
9:00-10:30 - AM Stations (please sign up for a station)
Picnic lunches outside
1:30-1:45 - Assembly (End of Year Slideshow)
2:00 - 5th Graders travel around building to say goodbye to staff
2:15 - 5th Grade tunnel through library, main hallway, and outside
2:25 - Meet at McKinley Sign (22nd & Hemlock) to wave goodbye to staff
3:00 - End of Year Happy Hour at Justin Kiel's house
4:30 - Mystery Bus leaves from Trinity/Justin's house
Friday, June 7-
7:15 Staff Breakfast (all are invited!) in Learning Studio
2:00 End of Year Checkout Process ends
Check Out Process:
You will be receiving a copy of this in your mailbox...
Next week, our checkout process starts on Wednesday at 2:30 and ends Friday at 2pm. Please complete all the items on the checkout and return to Justin or Steph. Also, you will want to go into Stages to check and see where things are at - this is often a process with you and I having to each complete different tasks.
Teacher Check-Out Process
Support Staff Check-Out Process
Summer Communication:
Throughout the summer, please take a few minutes to check your school email from home. This will be our primary way for updates/communication, as well as information about our August "welcome back week" information.
From "With My Whole Heart" (Facebook):
This entry showed up on Facebook this week. A great response to a lot of our thoughts right now:
Today I closed my classroom door and hung my ID badge on a hook at home. I left my room looking so...empty.
Don’t get my wrong- I absolutely love my summers! They are needed to rest, spark creativity, build new dreams for the next year and most importantly- to pour into my own family.
But something feels so hollow in these last days of cleaning, filing and closing doors.
For 180 days, 19 children have walked into my doorway. I have heard them laugh the deep down heal your heart belly laughs. I have held them through tears and covered boos boos with bandaids. I have known they were sick without a thermometer. I have watched them grow in all things academic. But, above all...I have watched them grow in confidence.
They have seen me laugh so hard when I couldn’t hold back. They have seen me cry when I couldn’t mask the hurt. They knew my last nerve and right where to find it. They knew coffee is necessary...so much they’d remind me to bring it with me for morning assemblies. They knew what would warm my heart on a frazzled day.
Because...
We became a family.
We became a family.
Yesterday, as I sat in a pile of papers...these children...my kids...they were now scattered forms and scores and pictures and files. My watch still buzzed right on schedule to remind me of medicine for one, speech therapy for another and intervention groups for others. I slid those alarms to off...because their schedules are no longer mine to keep. I filed those papers, distributed their names to new second grade class sets and sat back feeling as empty as my classroom.
This is one of the more gut wrenching parts of the job. While we all do the happy dance when that last bus rolls out, those bus loads of children take little pieces of our hearts with them. We worry about them over the summer. We wonder what teacher will fit them best next year. We think of what we could’ve done differently...or done more. We think of the silly moments and the maddening ones.
Then we pack it all up, close the door and think how lucky we are to have known them...to forever call them, “my kids” and to have the opportunity to begin again with new little faces who will, once again, become family.
Happy Summer my teacher friends! You’ve worked your heart out and it’s time...time to close the door and breathe.
With my Whole Heart,
Building Weekly Newsletter:
Click here to access the building weekly newsletter
Have a great weekend - rest up for a great last week with students!
-Justin
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