Weekly Update - Friday, February 28, 2020

Happy Bowling Day!

Learned Helplessness:
One of the things I love most about our staff is their continued commitment to students - and the fact that you won't give up on students, even when they've given up on themselves.  I've been in four conversations this week about students - and learned helplessness. 

When students become dependent on an adult, they gain something called learned helplessness.  This concept really centers around the idea of a student not going through productive struggle because they know that at some point, there will be a person/adult/answer/thought provided.  When we create programming for students, this can often unintentionally happen.  Particularly, if the student is "at risk" and has more than one teacher. 

As I stated earlier, teachers are not intentionally doing this.  We are creating learning experiences for students that can sometimes enhance this concept.  I remember vividly when I was teaching 5th grade.  I had three students who struggled - they'd shut down, complain, and wouldn't get anything done during independent time.  I had a colleague observe and shared this concept with me - I had created a day for these students that almost always had an adult there to work with them (teacher, para, EA, etc).  Because of this, they fell apart when they didn't have this adult there.  I had great intentions by giving them the support; however, it was actually working against what I was trying to do. 

I'm asking you today to watch the video and start to think through this whole idea of learned helplessness. 

MCA Training:
Just a reminder - MCA trainings are next week.  You need to either choose Tuesday PM or Thursday AM.  An invite was sent out on February 16 to those who need to attend.  If you are not sure, please see me.  Thank you! 

School Social Workers Week:
Next week (March 2-5) is School Social Worker's Week.  This is a week to recognize Annette and all the work she does for our students and staff.  Please take some time next week to thank Annette. 

Staff Resignations:
I am saddened to report that Erin Hagen and Jocelyn Victorino have given their two week notice.  Both have taken other positions.  Erin's last day is Friday, February 6;  Jocelyn's last day is Friday, February 13.  Please join me in wishing them the best of luck in their future positions!

Building Weekly Newsletter:
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Weekly Update - Friday, February 21, 2020

Happy Friday! 
I hope conference week was a great week - it's always great to visit with families and celebrate successes!

Revisit Your "Why":
This time of year is hard!  At some point today or Monday, stop by the entryway and re-read your why.  That why will help ground you in the real reason you do this job.  It's that time of year where we need to regularly revisit our why, support each other, and continue to build that positive McKinley culture! 

Bowling - Next Friday:
Woo hoo!  We filled the jar and are going bowling.  How fun!
A huge thank you to Justin Lang and Steph for organizing this day!  Justin has shared the schedule - here it is again.  Please look through this to see if you find any issues.  Also, please check to make sure your prep or break will be covered with this schedule (teachers, please complete the prep document so Justin and I can finalize this).   The only lunch impacted is Kindergarten.  Please, let Justin and I know by today if you see any issues!

Principal of the Day - March 2:
At the PTO Carnival, two students "won" the Principal for the Day - Romie Sanderson (3E) & Gibson Schwartz (4D).  They have declared March 2 as Pajama Day for all staff and students!  Please share the word as we get closer to this date! 

Staff Mindfulness:
As you know, your mindfulness, mindset, and energy are important!   Some of our staff engaged in a mindfulness activity this Wednesday led by Amanda Gislason.  Our next "date" is Wednesday, March 4 at 2:40pm.  Consider joining us! 

A huge thank you to Amanda Gislason & Annette Warner for organizing this! 

Building Weekly Newsletter:
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Have a great weekend, everyone!  Enjoy the warm weather!
-Justin

Weekly Update - Friday, February 14, 2020

Happy Valentine's Day!

Upcoming Deadlines:

Just a reminder of a few things that are due soon:

Staff Power Hour Feedback & Reflection (all staff) - due tomorrow, Friday.  Please cross off your name on the list (on my table) when you have submitted this.  I have a lot that gave to Steph or put in my mailbox - you need to cross off your name, too!  You can reply to this email and I'll be glad to cross your name off.

Caring School Community Fidelity Check (teaching staff) - due next Friday.  Again, please put on my table and cross off your name.  

Bowling:
On Friday, February 28, we will be celebrating our "filling the jar". I will be making an announcement at dismissal today to let students know that we will be going bowling!  Justin Lang has been working on a schedule for the day.  Each grade level will go the bowling alley for an hour - the schedule is super tight, so we will need to follow it to the minute.  Justin will be sending this out today - please look through it and provide any feedback to he and I both.  This feedback includes any major, glaring issues with the schedule.

Conferences with Fountas and Pinnell - from Ann Mikkalson:
See the note below from Ann - please, please, please take some time to read this.  Just another reminder - students' levels are a teaching tool, not a label.  Our conference time should be spent focusing on the strengths, the instructional goals, and our plan to move them forward as a reader... not their level.  

I hope this message finds you all well! Heinemann recently shared an hour long webinar in regards to grading and reporting. To find the webinar, head to fountasandpinnell.com, click on the "Community" tab and login with your online resources login.  Once you've logged in, type "grading" into the search bar. The recent webinar is called "Tips for Grading and Reporting within Fountas and Pinnell Classroom." 

If you aren't able to take a listen, I'd like to leave a couple of the many great points from the webinar below as you're preparing for conferences! 

• Thinking, talking, reading, and writing are all intertwined in Fountas and Pinnell Classroom through all of our instructional contexts. Share things you're seeing in all of these areas with families! 
• Reading levels are a teaching tool, not a label for a reader. Be sure to use language that reflects the child's progress towards expectations ( is meeting expectations, is not yet meeting expectations, is above what we would expect at this point in time.) Letter levels help us choose books for instruction (best entry point!) and our students experience many different levels of text throughout the day in Interactive Read Aloud, Shared Reading, Guided Reading, and Independent Reading. Reading levels are not designed to be a way to label students. 

Report cards show a point in time for the students in your classroom- their current progress. Below are some ideas shared in the webinar for helping families understand how far their child has come this year and where you expect them to go as the year progresses. 

• Running Record/Guided Reading Notes- Share examples of books the student read at the beginning of the year and types of books they're reading now in guided reading. What are some specific things you've been working on from the Systems of Strategic Actions Wheel and how have you seen them grow over the course of the year?  
• Independent Reading Conferring Notes- Share examples of conversations you've had with students. Talk about reading engagement both in school and at home. What are some examples of what students love to read at school? Ask parents to share what they notice about their child's reading engagement and types of books they read at home.  
• Reader's Notebooks- This is another opportunity to showcase beginning to current writing, reading logs and note students' progress. You can clip certain portions to share or have students choose some of their favorites from the beginning of the year to now. 

Again, take a listen to the full webinar if you can! I know that time is limited and your time with families is brief, but wanted to be sure you're aware of the webinar and information above if you're looking for ideas. Please reach out to your Teaching and Learning Coach or myself if you have any questions. 

Wishing you the very best in connecting with your students' families in the weeks ahead! 

Educational Assistant:
Joni Oeltjenbruns has submitted her resignation; her last day will be next Thursday, February 20.  Joni has been a wonderful addition to our EA team.  We are sad to see her go!   The position is posted online if you know of anyone who is interested!

Building Weekly Newsletter:
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Have a great weekend - stay warm! 
-Justin

Weekly Update - Friday, February 7, 2020

Happy Friday, everyone! 

Remember Your Why:

This is the time of year that can be challenging - little sun/nice weather, behaviors can spike, adn we are just ready for a day off!  Please take some time ot remember your "why" - this will help keep you grounded in the real work and why you do this job. 

Also, don't forget to provide each other some gratitude and thank you's! 

Mindful Art- Staff:
A huge thank you to Amanda Gislason and Annette Warner for organizing our first staff Mindful Art activity.  If you are looking for something to unwind, be creative, and enjoy your colleagues, please join us!

Congratulations!
A huge congratulations to Michelle Simon for receiving the MCSS Elementary Teacher of the Year!  The Minnesota Council of Social Studies will honor Michelle at a banquet later this spring.  Congrats, Michelle! 

MTSS/Intervention Time:
Just a reminder - your MTSS/Intervention Time is scared.  Please avoid cancelling this time - if you need to look at this, please come talk to me.  The only time is a building-wide scheduling issue or a field trip.  Thank you for your attention to this!

Why it's Wrong to Label Students At-Risk:
I recently came across a great article on when we call students "at risk".   Take a minute to read: https://theconversation.com/why-its-wrong-to-label-students-at-risk-109621

Multilingual Family Night Feedback:
Last week, we had our Multilingual Family Night.  We had a great turnout and got a lot of great feedback from families. I would love to share more with you about this at a later date.  There is one thing that still resonates with me that I think is important to share - particularly with conferences around he corner.   Families expressed concerns about teachers being "too nice" at conferences - and not "being completely honest".  I think this is a valid thing that we need to consider with all families.  Are we being "nice" or being "honest"?  An example of this is a student who started the year struggling - let's say a 20% proficiency.  Or, at a Fountas & Pinnell level E in 4th Grade.  They have grown to a 30% proficiency - or to level G.   It's great we have growth, but that growth is not enough.  They are still well behind expectations and need more intensive support.  I'm asking you to think about this as you have conversations - it's great to celebrate with families, but are you being completely honest with your concerns and providing some ideas for a plan to help this?  

Caring School Fidelity Checks:
Just a reminder for teachers of Caring School Community & morning meeting - fidelity checks are due Friday, February 21, 2020!  Please put them in the basket on my desk and cross off your name. 

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Have a great weekend, everyone!  Take some time to appreciate and take care of YOU!
-Justin