May 27 Update

Happy Last Friday of the 21-22 school year!

This will be our last blog of the 21-22 school year.  I will update you throughout the summer with a couple blog posts - watch your email for those!  

5th Grade Graduation:

Our 5th graders graduate next Wednesday, June 1 at 1:30pm.  In the gym, we will have families, our graduates, and our 4th graders.  The rest of the building (Kdg through 3rd Grade) can watch the graduation live from their classroom using the following link:  https://youtu.be/r9-aQ52LYKU

Please wear your McKinley gear on Wednesday in honor of our 5th graders!  

Last Day of School:

Our plan for the last day is below:  

8:30-10:00 Bonger Ball (5th Graders)

• Kindergarten through 4th Grade can come out and watch during parts of that time (please supervise our students out there)

10:00-10:45 End of Year Stations

• We will start off at 10:00am on a Google Meet (link provided in your calendar) to go through the expectations of the stations.
• Staff will run stations -  see attached link to share with students
• Please help with monitoring behaviors (of all students) during this event. 

1:50 -2:10 5th Graders visit former teachers

2:15-2:20 Tunnel out of School - saying goodbye to 5th graders.  Have all kids ready by 2:15.  

2:25-2:35 Staff - Waving Goodbye (please meet by the McKinley sign at Hemlock and 22nd Street - all buses and cars will travel through that location.  

Staffing Update: 

Amanda Harguth has accepted the Assistant Principals' Secretary position at OMS.  Amanda will finish the year out at McKinley, but transition to her new role next year.   She will be a great addition to the OMS Office.  Congrats, Amanda!  

Building Weekly Newsletter:

Click here to access the building weekly newsletter

Have a great Memorial Day Weekend! 

-Justin

May 20 Update

Happy Friday, McKinley!

Just a reminder - the last day of interventions is Friday, May 27.

Staffing Updates:

A couple staffing updates - 

Mallory Baumann has accepted the 4th Grade Teaching position (4C).  As you know, Madie Conley is leaving us to teach 5th Grade at East Lake (Apple Valley-Eagan-Rosemount District).   Mallory attended UW-Eau Claire and did some student teaching and long-term subbing in Wisconsin in 1st and 4th Grade.  We are excited to have her join us! 

Molly Hoffman has resigned effective Tuesday, May 24.  Molly will not be leaving the district, though.  She is planning to do some substitute teaching next year.  We will miss Molly at McKinley, but look forward to having her in a new role next year!  

Jennifer Townsend has resigned effective June 2 (last student day).  Jennifer has been a great addition to our EA team and has supported students (and staff) in so many ways.  

Learning Work - Zaretta Hammond's Culturally Responsive Teaching:

As you remember, teaching staff received this book a year ago.  Many of you did some reading over the summer and were ready to do some learning work this year.  We postponed that learning work until next year.  This is just a friendly reminder that if you want to spend some time reading/re-reading the book over the summer, we will use it for some discussions next year.  

End of Year Checklists:

Before you leave on June 3, please print and complete the checklist.  When you are done, give it to Steph or Justin.  

Teacher End of Year Checklist

Support Staff End of Year Checklist

Important Dates for 22-23:

Just sharing some of our important dates for the 2022-2023 school year, including Staff Power Hours, PLCs, leadership meetings, and McKinleyStrong Celebrations.  We will send calendar invites out in late August.  Please check this document before scheduling any appointments.  

McKinleyStrong Celebration Video:

Here is the link to the video yesterday - if you, or your class, want to watch again! 

Master Schedule (22-23):

Linked is the master schedule for the 22-23 school year.  This is not finalized yet, so please keep that in mind.  Also, we will walk through a process next fall on designing your classroom schedule.  I have provided reading and math blocks (to ensure that EL, Special Ed, and MTSS work).  However, these can be discussed if we need to move them.  

Lockdown Practice Scenario - Monday:

Below is the scenario we are using for Monday's lockdown drill.  The details of this email should NOT be shared with students (again, NOT shared).  The reason I provide this is for you to process through what you would do in the event this occurred.  

The below scenario involves a parent who has lost custody and has not seen their child in over a week.  They can be very loud, confrontational, and impulsive with their previous interactions with staff.  

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Someone propped open the north door (outside the art room), leaving access to the building.  A parent, who is currently in a custody battle and should not be seeing their child, has entered the building at the north doors (by the art room).   The person enters and asks many staff members, "Where is 2nd Grade?"  One staff member looks concerned that the person is in the building and responds with "you should go check in the office" and walks away.  The second staff member responds by pointing toward the Kindergarten entrance and says "go down that way" and walks away.  The third staff member delays the person and motions for another person to "call the office right away".  The office is notified; however, the person has started into Kindergarten shouting "WHERE is MY KID?" and looking through classrooms.  

Due to entering at an undesignated door and the staff not responding right away, the office is delayed in their response to push the lockdown button and make an announcement.  The announcement is made that "there is an unwanted person near the music and art room and has just entered the Kindergarten wing".  

What is your response? 

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You may want to problem solve this with your team or myself so you know your response.

Again, NO students should know the details of this.  

Building Weekly Newsletter:

Click here to access the building weekly newsletter

Have a great weekend, everyone!

-Justin

May 13 Update

Happy Friday! 

Another great week!  

Summer Maintenance Request Form:

If you have summer work that needs to be done in your office/classroom, please fill out this form by today at 3:00pm.  

Honor Band - from Holly Guenther:

Congratulations to the following 19 5th Grade band students who were selected into the 2022 First Year Honor Band. SEMNBDA (SE MN Band Directors Association) annually hosts a regional honor band for first and second year musicians, which was held in Hastings, MN this year. Over 100 students across the region came together on Saturday, May 7 to prepare a concert together. Their Band Director, Holly Guenther, who is an active member in SEMBDA, helped organize this year’s honor band event. 

2022 First Year Honor Band members:

Clarinet

Andren Rud, McKinley 

Trumpet

Shaela Karlen, McKinley

Horn

Patrick Nichols, McKinley

Baritone

Vince Christianson, McKinley

Andrew Jacott, McKinley

Percussion

Kenna Sackett, McKinley

We are McKinleyStrong!

Below are some snapshots of learning this week at McKinley - 

Building Weekly Newsletter:

Click here to access the building weekly newsletter

Have a great weekend!

-Justin

May 6 Update

Happy May 6! 

Another great week of learning and relationships!  And, it was an added bonus to see the sun!  

A Few Thank You's:

A huge thank you to Kyle, Tom, and Luke for planning a successful track meet!  I've heard great reviews from students, staff, and families.  Great work!  

A huge thank you to Paige Gilligan for organizing our 2022 Talent Show!   There is a lot of organization, prep work, and patience to organizing this event.   The kids are a buzz about it and I'm excited to see their talent today!  

Happy Mother's Day:

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers and future mothers in our building.  You have an important role that is not always easy.  Thank you for loving our kids here, but also holding that "mom" role at home, too.  I hope you get some rest, relaxation, and appreciation on Sunday (and every day!).  

Summer Maintenance Requests:

Below is a link to submit any summer maintenance requests you have for your classroom/work area/resource areas.  After we have these requests, Wayne and I will look through the list to create a summer priority list.  This includes fixing items, painting, and general maintenance.  Please complete this form by Friday, May 13.  Please see me if you have questions.    

Click here to submit your summer maintenance requests

Student Showcase:

SAVE THE DATE!  In place of an awards ceremony this year, we will be recognizing and honoring all students through a showcase.  Below are the "save the dates" that went out to families.  Each grade level has a rep that is helping with the planning of this special event.  Please let us know if you have questions.  

MEP Wellness:

Looking for a great way to relax, rejuvenate, and kick off your summer?  Join the MEP Wellness Retreat! 

Wellness Retreat with Dr. Cindra Kampoff

When: Wednesday, June 15

Time: 9:00 am - 2:00 pm

Where: Waseca Jr./Sr High. 

Dr. Cindra Kampoff will be leading us in a Wellness Retreat.   

The District Staff Development funds will pay the registration fee for all staff who would like to register for this outstanding opportunity.  

Participants will receive Dr. Cindra Kampoff's book, Beyond Grit. The institute this year will be a Wellness Retreat consisting of keynotes and wellbeing activities (so there is no need to register for sessions). There will also be fantastic wellness giveaways!

 

Please register here.  Registration for the MEP Summer Institute is now open until May 11.

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

Have a great weekend!

-Justin