December 23 Update

We made it!  Happy Winter Break!

Transition Day - January 3:

January 3 will be our transition day after winter break.  Linked are some plans for the day.  Please remember - these days are designed to slowly "ease" back into school - focusing on rebuilding relationships, re-establishing routines, and regulating students (and staff!).  If you have other activities that help focus on those goals, feel free to use them.   

A huge thank you to Sami Nelson, Michelle Meiners, and Lori Huisenga for organizing this day! 

ISD 761 Foundation Grant:

Over the years, McKinley has benefited from the ISD 761 Foundation Grant.  Below was the information found in the Connections last week.  If you have any needs, or ideas for building needs, please let me know.  This is a great financial support for the work we are doing!  

Deadline: January 17

Every spring, the 761 Foundation awards approximately $100,000 in mini-grants to Owatonna Public Schools teachers and principals. Grants are awarded based on the following criteria:

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1. Benefits a large number of students.

2. Meets an important need, which is not likely to be funded in other ways.

3. Maximizes good cost to benefit ratio.

4. Shows creativity and innovation.

5. Needed funds to continue a past approved project.

Click here for the grant application (make a copy of the form to complete it)

Application deadline: January 17

• Please itemize and prioritize requests that include multiple items/expenses.

• Applicants must discuss the feasibility and implementation of the proposal with the appropriate building administrator. Comments and a signature from the building administrator must be included on the application.

• Projects that include the purchase of technology also require a technology request form, which can be found at the end of the grant application.

• No incomplete or late applications will be accepted.

• Note: For technology requests, please also remember to complete the technology request form.
  

Questions about the grant application process can be directed to Sarah Hoffman, ext. 8610

Mayo Clinic Express Care:

Linked is the presentation from Superintendent Elstad.  This is a great opportunity for you!  

River Bend Nature Center:

Below is an email I received from Kevin at RiverBend Nature Center (Faribault):

As we see winter quickly approaching, please consider River Bend Nature Center for a guided snowshoe hike, a kicksledding adventure, or a winter animal tracking lesson in 2022. River Bend also offers additional programs, which you will find in the attached document, which includes recommended grade levels, the science standards they support, and a brief synopsis of the program. All programs are led by a naturalist or volunteer naturalist, who are driven to connect your students and staff to the incredible natural world.

Below is our standard pricing for our programs:

2022 - January 1st - December 31st
Standard 1 ½ - 2 hour program
$200 Program Fee (covers 15 students)
+$12/student 16 or more students
$15/student if you book 2 programs or programs 2 ½ - 4 hours

If you are interested in signing up for a program, or would like further information, please feel free to email Katy Anderegg at anderegg@rbnc.org or respond to this email. I sincerely hope you will consider River Bend Nature Center for a field trip in 2022!

Sincerely,

Kevin Mattson

Naturalist

(507) 332-7151

RBNC.org

Click here to access the program options

Building Weekly Newsletter:

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Please take some time to "turn school off" and relax, rejuvenate, and be with those you love!  You have earned this and need some time to recharge your battery, too!  

See you in 2022!

-Justin

December 17 Update

Happy Friday!

I hope you had another great week!  

December 22-23 Plan:

To provide the gift of time for each of you, below is our plan for December 22-23.  Our McKinleyStrong Team worked hard to create this option to ensure everyone gets a little "time".  Please see the note below to access the plan - Click here to access the plan

Transition Day - January 3:

January 3 will be our transition day after winter break.  Linked are some plans for the day.  Please remember - these days are designed to slowly "ease" back into school - focusing on rebuilding relationships, re-establishing routines, and regulating students (and staff!).  If you have other activities that help focus on those goals, feel free to use them.   

A huge thank you to Sami Nelson, Michelle Meiners, and Lori Huisenga for organizing this day! 

Also, Thursday we have an adjusted lunch schedule: 

Thursday’s Lunch Schedule (this will be a picnic lunch in the lunchroom):
10:45 2nd Grade
10:55 1st Grade
11:15 Kindergarten
11:25 5th Grade
11:35 4th Grade
11:40 3rd Grade

Emotions and Energy:

I know many of you are exhausted. I can feel it myself. We are just waiting for December 23 to arrive to take some time to relax, rejuvenate, and celebrate with family and friends. Please remember that this may or may not be the case for some of our students, too. Emotions and behaviors may be higher next week - mostly due to our students' knowing about the upcoming break. To many of them, school is safe, predictable, and meets many of their needs. When they are home, they may not have these same experiences. As we enter into next week, please remember we may need to show more patience and practice re-teaching behaviors.

Building Weekly Newsletter:

Click here to access the building weekly newsletter

Have a great, relaxing weekend! 3.5 days until our winter break!

-Justin

December 10 Update

Good morning!

HAPPY FRIDAY!  And, HAPPY SNOW DAY! 

Inclusive Holidays in the Classroom:

I recently came across this page that shares some articles around holidays in the classroom.  Please take some time to read the linked articles- https://www.learningforjustice.org/the-moment/december-2-2021-inclusive-holidays-in-the-classroom

Recess/Snow Forts:

Please make sure students are not building snow igloos or going under the snow (tunnels, forts, etc).  We had a "fort" created in the pile - I believe after school hours.  We need to keep students out of that.  If the snow were to collapse, we would have serious injury or death with the amount of snow on that pile.  Buildings and Grounds destroyed the "fort" - please make sure we monitor this as students play in the snow.  

MLK Day - Certified Staff, please register ASAP! 

On January 17th, 2022 (MLK Day), staff will come together for a day of professional learning.  This day was designed by the Staff Development Committee, building site teams and the Teaching & Learning Department.  We are excited to offer staff choice in professional learning through a variety of sessions, all intended to move us forward around teaching & learning needs. 

What is the basic structure of the day?

7:15-7:40         Coffee & light grab-n-go breakfast

7:40-8:00         Welcome  - Superintendent Elstad 

8:00-9:15         Keynote - Mark Scharenbroich

9:30-10:30       Professional Learning Session 1

10:40-11:40     Professional Learning Session 2

11:40-12:40     Lunch (on your own)

12:55 - 2:45      Optional New SMART Board Session Available (K-5) (register in PDexpress)

12:40-3:00        Building/Team Professional Development/Collaboration 

• Staff should register through PD Express for session 1 and 2 and the afternoon collaboration/building specific session, with the exception of the groups below.
• OMS staff should choose session 1 and select 'Target Based Grading' for session 2.
• Early Childhood staff should only register for 'What's Assessment Got to Do With it?' with Adam Holland. 
• You will find recorded sessions, identified with a camera icon in the brochure. 

Session Brochure

How do I register for Professional Learning Sessions?

Session options are all loaded into PD Express.  Each option includes a course description, intended audience, and presenter information.  View these details via PD Express or the course catalog. Please choose sessions that best fit your professional goals and needs. If you have any questions regarding registration, please contact Taylor Ethen.

Registration closes at the end of the day on Thursday, December 16th. 

 

Who do I contact if I have questions?

If you have questions about this day, please contact Taylor Ethen.  

 

We look forward to a great day of professional learning!

District Staff Development Committee

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

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND - and enjoy the snow!
-Justin

December 3 Update

Happy December, everyone!

Welcome!

We have some new staff joining us this week.  Welcome to Kristy Wright, who will be filling in as a 4th and 5th Grade EL Teacher, while Jen Schwab is out.  Also, welcome to Danika Brown, who is filling in for Rachel Anderson as she is out on maternity leave.  

Last week, we welcomed Roxy Manzano as a new Special Education Paraprofessional.  

Join me in welcoming Danika, Jen, and Roxy!  

Referral Data:

Linked is our October and November referral data.  Our McKinleyStrong team went another step and looked at the McKinleyStrong slips per grade level - and compared this to the amount of office referrals per grade level.  This is not meant to be a "gotcha" at all, but a great reminder for us - the positives (deposits) should outweigh the negatives (withdraws).  Years ago, we read Eric Jensen's Engaging the Brain with Poverty in Mind.  In there, Jensen states -  In poor homes, the ratio of positives (affirmations) to negatives (reprimands) is typically a 1-to-2 ratio. Contrast this to the 6-to-1 positives-to-negatives ratio in the homes of higher-income families (Hart & Risley, 1995).   The McKinleyStrong slips are another great way to create those positives, or deposits into students.  

Click here to access the document.

A huge thank you to Justin Lang for calculating all this data! 

United Way Campaign:

Thank you to everyone for contributing to the United Way Campaign.  A huge congratulations to McKinley for winning!  We won a pizza party - more information to come.  Also, thank you to Selena for organizing the events and coordinating the campaign at McKinley!  

Article - How to Counter Learned Helplessness:

Click here to read the article.  

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

Have a great, relaxing weekend!
-Justin

November 23 Update

Happy Thanksgiving Break!

We made it - thanksgiving break!

I hope each of you is able to "unplug" from school for a few days and enjoy those around you.  Take some time for YOU, those you love, and the things you love doing!  

Reminders:

• Staff Check-In Survey (please complete before you leave today).
• Infinitec Training is due Monday, November 29.
• Gratitude Challenge closes Tuesday.  

Transition Day:

Just a reminder - our return day of Monday, November 29 is a Transition Day.  As you know, this is often a break that is hard on some students - and hard to return to a routine after five days away.   Click here to access the plans for November 29.  Thank you to 3rd Grade for your work around planning this day! 

Thankful Note:

And, finally, a huge thank you to all of you for the time, energy, and passion you give to McKinley each and every day.  I appreciate each of you for your role in making this such a great place to work, learn, and grow.  Thank you for being you!  

Building Weekly Newsletter:

Click here to access next week's building weekly newsletter

Have a GREAT, restful break!

-Justin

November 19 Update

Happy American Education Week!

I hope you know how appreciated, loved, and valued you are - even beyond American Education Week. Thank you for all that you do to make McKinley a great place.  You are valued!

This week's update is short...

Jokesgiving:

Just a reminder - Jokesgiving is next Tuesday!  

Transition Day:

November 29 is our next transition day - linked is the plan.  Thank you to our 3rd grade team for planning! 

Building Weekly Newsletter:

Click here to access the building weekly newsletter

Enjoy your weekend! 

-Justin

November 12 Update

Happy Friday!

Another great week at McKinley!  Thanks for all the time, energy, and care you put into conferences!  

American Education Week:

Next week is American Education Week!  This is a week to celebrate ALL educators in the building (which is everyone in the building!).  

Update from Annette:

Meet Miss. Jessica (Jessica Hanson), our Student Support Specialist

Jessica handles many of our SEL interventions for students.  She has been busy building relationships and supporting students since day 1 of the start of school.  Jessica shows students she cares and our students have come to recognize Jessica as a positive source of support during their school day.  Thank you, Jessica, for all you do for our students!

Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Supports:

At McKinley we have several different types of SEL interventions that students can access depending on their needs.  Here are some of the different support systems we have in place and how to access them: 

Relaxation Room

• Purpose:  To provide a “safe spot” for eligible students to regulate their feelings using music, tools, and possibly sensory needs.  This is built into the student’s schedule and is meant to be a proactive measure.  

• Process: Complete the SEL Form 

• Who: Student Support Specialist 

Safe Base:

• Purpose:  To provide an extra relationship for students to start (or end) their day in a positive, supportive, one-on-one relationship.  This includes a student who comes in dysregulated, a student who needs someone to help “set up” their day, or a student who just needs consistent time to “chat.”

• Process: Complete the SEL Form 

• Who: Student Support Specialist and/or other staff identified

Mindful Art: 

• Purpose: To provide a weekly opportunity for identified students to use art, as a tool for self-regulation, personal expression, and to release emotions in a non-verbal way and feel successful through their strength.   This is once a week during the school day  for 30 minutes 

• Process: Complete the SEL Form 

• Who: Annette Warner

Movement Break

• Purpose: Provides a way to reset and regulate identified students as a way to have their body ready and to identify & regulate feelings.  This is a daily opportunity for students who are identified as having a need to get out and move around.

• Process: Complete the SEL Form

Building Weekly Newsletter:

Click here to click the building weekly newsletter

Have an AWESOME weekend!

-Justin

November 4 Update

Happy Friday! 

Another great week!  Can you believe it's already November?

Perspective & Response:

I saw this on Twitter last night - it made me stop and think.  

Our jobs can get busy, stressful, and often times frustrating.  Especially this time of year.  I hope this quote helps ground you - are we "carrying around a hammer" and "seeing everything as a nail"?  I can honestly tell you, this week, I have.  

Don't forget to ground yourself - what's your why?  What's your purpose in this career?  And, how are you approaching difficult and challenging situations?  And, what is the consequence of that to those you interact with?  

Again, this quote helped ground me.  I hope it provides you some reflection, too!  

Happy File:

Please don't forget about your "Happy File Notebook".  Take all those notes, pictures, and other things you've received and get those in your notebook!  And, don't forget to be adding to other's notebooks.  Spread the positive energy! 

American Education Week - coming your way!

November 15 - 19 is American Education Week. This is a week to honor all educators (which is all of you!) in the building.   This is a great week to honor all of YOU!  Click here to see the AEW Events that are coming your way!

Conferences - next week!

We have conferences scheduled for next Tuesday (3-7pm), Thursday (3-7pm), and Friday (7:40-12:00pm).  This is a great time to connect with families to celebrate strengths & succcesses, as well as identify next steps and growth opportunities.  It is also a great time to continue to build that partnership (remember- we call them family-teacher conferences, as we know that families may not contain a "parent").  Just a few tips as we enter conferences:

• Listen and build a relationship by showing you care (remember- body language, tone, and your words matter in these interactions!).  
• Acknowledge and celebrate the assets that their child is bringing to your classroom.  
• Be honest with where the child is at.  At times, we focus on the positives and say things like, "Oh, they have grown so much!"  They may have grown a lot, but if they are still significantly below grade level, we need to acknowledge this, too.
• For interpreter conferences, talk to the parent/guardian/family, not the interpreter. 

Please note - you are in the building during the conference hours, even if you are not meeting with families.  

I look forward to seeing (and hearing) you continue to build partnerships with families next week! 

October ORD:

Linked is our office referral data for October.  We were down from previous years.  As we enter into November and December, we may need to create some plans for some of our friends to help support behaviors.  We also will have to do more re-teaching, as we start to see behaviors show.  

For this data, we have taken feedback from you on what you'd like to see.  You will notice two new data sets - by race and receiving services.  Take some time to look at this building wide data - does this match what you see?  

Building Weekly Newsletter:

Click here to access the building weekly newsletter

It's going to be beautiful this weekend - try and get outside and enjoy it!  Recharge yourself this weekend!

-Justin

October 29 Update

What another great week of relationships, learning, & fun! 

Congrats!

Congratulations to Luke Holt on being named 1AAA Cross Country Assistant Coach of the Year!  CONGRATS, Mr. Holt! 

McKinleyStrong Slips:

The McKinleyStrong team spent some time at our September & October meetings to discuss the use of the paper McKinleyStrong slips and the electronic slips we used last year and throughout the pandemic. We value the input we received from our teammates around the time commitment of writing out the slips, the ease of using the electronic form, as well as the pros and cons of each. We discussed the importance of a handwritten note on the back and the impact it can have. We also discussed the fact a leadership slip without a personalized message will still have a stronger positive impact on a student who receives it versus not getting it at all. 

With that in mind, as a team, we do not want to limit the opportunities for teachers to reward students for the expected behavior so we are wanting to keep both options open to all staff. Please keep them coming and we will work to be sure students with physical copies and virtual, have the ability to be drawn on Mondays and during assemblies. 

5th Grade Biomes Project:

We have had several teachers reach out to the 5th grade team seeking access to the documents we have attached to the QR codes in the nature center. We received the feedback they wanted to view more of the student work but due to time were unable to. Please see the linked projects and the respective work our 5th graders completed. Thank you for taking an interest in their work!

Tallgrass Aspen Parkland

Prairie/Grassland 

Coniferous Forest

Deciduous Forest

Wetlands

Class Gratitude Challenge - November:

Our McKinleyStrong team invites you to participate in a Gratitude Challenge this November with your class.  Linked is the calendar  - this calendar provides a prompt everyday for you and your class to participate in.  Most of these things can be done during a morning meeting.  The goal of this to to continue to bring gratitude and appreciation into our lives for the month of November.  

Coaching Update - from Katie:

I've enjoyed collaborating with you during the start of the year.  You have made me feel so welcome in my new role and I've loved getting to see the amazing strengths of this group of educators!  Now that we've gotten the year started, the beginning of the year data has been collected, and interventions are in place, I'm starting some coaching cycles with staff. Coaching cycles are available for ALL staff. 

What's a coaching cycle?  First, it's focused on student learning.  You and Katie will identify a focus for student learning that you would like to impact with the group of students you are working with.  Together, we will co-plan and co-teach some lessons that support that learning focus.  We will plan a way to monitor student growth and progress during that coaching cycle, and then check in to see how we are impacting student learning and adjust accordingly.  Coaching cycles can vary in length, with full coaching cycles lasting 6-8 weeks.  We may not co-teach every lesson together, but we will plan how the learning will connect throughout the cycle.  This is a great opportunity for us to learn together, implement best practices in instruction, and impact student learning in a positive way!

I created a brief form to fill out to indicate your interest and focus for a coaching cycle.  

Coaching Cycle Request Form

I've also added this to the McKinley Virtual Office too if you want to come back to this later - we can do more than one coaching cycle in a year! Please know I'm here to support you with questions, concerns, or other things along the way. With or without the form, continue to stop by, email me, or text me as things come up.  Looking forward to our continued collaboration!

Building Weekly Newsletter:

Click here to access the building weekly newsletter

Have a GREAT weekend - find some time to "unplug" this weekend!

-Justin

October 20 Update

Happy MEA! 

We've made it!  I hope you find some time over the next four days to turn off school and rejuvenate yourself!  You've certainly earned it!  

Exhausted Educator - I See You! (By: Beth Houf)

Exhausted educator, I see you.

In your classroom teaching, working hard to meet the needs of all your students. Engaging, motivating, educating, empowering all the while being thrown obstacles that could easily derail your best laid plans.

I See You

Pouring your heart into the mental and emotional needs of your students. Intervening, worrying, researching to figure out how to help in situations you had no part in creating.

I See You

Struggling to keep your sanity and calm. Smiling bravely even though you want to cry at times. Volunteering to help, even though you are behind because you know our kids need it. Staying positive even though you feel anything but.

Exhausted counselor and student support personnel, I see you.

Seeing and hearing things that take your breath away. Balancing multiple responsibilities while being ready to handle an emergency at any moment. Barely keeping up with the endless demands and expectations.

I See You

Putting your needs behind others. Helping families navigate systems of support. Sitting in endless meetings. Putting together plans of support and then tweaking and then tweaking again until it’s just right.  Leading with a smile, every single day, although you feel the weary slipping in.

Exhausted nurse, I see you.

Some days running triage that resembles an ER. Taking care of the physical and emotional well being of so many.

I See You

Smiling through the sickness. Caring and loving our kids. No matter what.

Exhausted custodian, I see you.

Getting to school before everyone and staying after, just to make our building shine. Creating a warm and safe environment that you know becomes home to so many.

I See You

Seeking out that student at lunch that was alone. Checking in and developing relationships with students.

I See You

Never complaining, no matter which call you may receive. Cleaning messes you didn’t create, with a smile.

Exhausted paraprofessional, I see you.

Helping students that need that little extra. Having patience beyond measure.

I See You

Staying positive when times get tough. Trying any strategy at all to find student success.

Exhausted food service staff, I see you.

Keeping our kids nourished. Smiling and greeting students, even when manners aren’t returned.

I See You

Making a difference and building relationships outside of the classroom. Seeking out those students sitting alone and ensuring they have a connection.

Exhausted administrative assistant, I see you.

Answering the phone, the door, the buzzer and walkie talkie in rapid fire mode at times.

I See You

De-escalating the concerned parent, teacher, student, principal. Trying to support everyone.

I See You

Keeping our school going by doing all the behind the scene things that most people don’t realize get done. With a smile. All day, every day.

Exhausted bus driver, I see you.

Getting our kids to school safely, no matter the weather. Managing behaviors while driving. Noticing when things aren’t quite right and letting us know.

I See You

Celebrating our students. Developing one more positive relationship so our kids know that they are supported. Going above and beyond.

Exhausted speech/language pathologist, OT, PT, school psychologist, therapist, I see you.

Trying to support and find your niche. Working to always find ways to help kids be successful. Attending PD that doesn’t always quite apply, and making it work.

I See You

Being flexible and doing whatever it takes for all students to be successful.

We are all one team.

We are all trying our hardest and bringing our best each and every day.

Realness? Struggle? Frustration? Heck yes, but life is too short and our work is too important for blame, shame and negativity.

Our kids matter.

Our staff matter.

You matter.

Take time during MEA Break to be giving to yourself.

Rest.

Recharge.

Rejuvenate.

Thank you for being a life-changer!

Transition Day - Monday, October 25:

Just a reminder of Monday, October 25 Transition Day.  We will run interventions on this day!  

Teacher Laptops:

Please remember to keep liquids away from your work laptop.  District wide, this has become an issue of spilling liquids and having to replace computers. 

Building Weekly Newsletter:

Click here to access the building weekly newsletter

Have a restful break - enjoy the people and memories around you!

-Justin