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:

Click here to access the building's weekly newsletter

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