Fall Plan for Return:
I know there has been a lot on social media about returning to school. With this, I'm sure there is a lot of stress, anxiety, and "how will we manage this?" Please rest assured - we have been working countless hours to make this work for both students and staff. As you probably know, we need to be prepared for three models, in the event we need one of them. We spent some time in June looking at these and getting feedback from stakeholders (representing McKinley was Justin Lang and Jen Koziolek).
Next week, Governor Walz will be releasing more information on our fall return. After that point, I will be meeting with Building Leadership Team (August 3) to discuss our plan and gather feedback. Then, I will start to communicate what the year will look like. Please know, you and our students' safety has been at the heart of all decision-making.
This year will be a great one - we are surrounded by great people, great students, and great families. It will be GREAT!
2020-2021 Important Dates:
Attached is a link to our tentative 2020-2021 important dates. These dates are still subject to change - especially if something changes with programming and/or attending school. Please plan on these dates unless you hear differently!
Caring School Communities - Rebuilding Kit:
Caring School Communities has done some work around restarting the year and rebuilding community. Check out the resources: https://www.collaborativeclassroom.org/professional-learning/reconnecting-and-rebuilding-toolkit-k-6/
Open Positions:
We have a few open positions at McKinley for the 2020-2021 school year. If you know of anyone who would be a great addition to our team, please encourage them to apply online. Also, if you highly recommend them, please let me know!
- 4th Grade Long-Term Sub (for Chelsea Van Roekel & Dani Rypka) - position is late October end of year. This position is posted online.
- Educational Assistants - 3 positions open (positions will be posted in early August)
- Principal - just kidding!
This summer, Libby and I are leading a book study on "Personal and Authentic" by Thomas Murray (he is scheduled to be our keynote in September). There is a quote in there that I think will help ground us in our real purpose - and how much our language/beliefs matter:
You don't teach math. You teach kids math.
You don't teach science. You teach kids science.
You don't teach music. You teach kids music.
You don't teach social studies. You teach kids social studies.
You don't teach writing. You teach kids writing.
Keep this in mind as we start to plan (and stress) - we teach kids. And, you are damn good at it!
Don't forget to continue to recharge your "battery" - and do whatever you love to do!
If you have any questions, please reach out. I'm here for you!
-Justin
