April 26 Update

Happy Friday, McKinley!

A short blog entry today.... please take some time to read it carefully.  

Just a reminder of a few deadlines/reminders- 

• Summer Maintenance Requests are due today  (please remember - this is to fix things, not remodel your area)
• Room Service for Educator Appreciation Week (all staff, not just teachers ) - due next Friday
• Smartboard Transition - if you have a Smartboard you need to notify the IT team by TODAY.
• Purchasing Deadline is NEXT Tuesday, April 30.  Your classroom supply budget (or any other budgets) will not be accessible after Tuesday.
• Grill Out Starts Next Friday - please sign up if you/your team is grilling out! 

School Lunch Hero Week:

Next week is School Lunch Hero Week!  Please take some time next week to stop in and thank Jill and her team for all the hard work they do to support our students!  

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

Have a GREAT weekend!
-Justin 

April 19 Update

Happy Friday! 

Another great week of learning and relationships!  

Reminders:

• Purchasing deadline is April 30 - this is for any purchases, including classroom supply budgets.
• Summer Maintenance Requests are due April 26 - please complete the linked form. 
• Staff Power Hour (April 15) - learning work is due today. 

Keep Moving Forward:

I saw the below quote this week and was reminded of the power of just moving forward.  This is often a time of year we are stressed - lots going on, we are excited for summer break, etc.  I often find people saying "I don't feel like I can keep my head above water" or "I'm feeling like I'm not enough".  I'm feeling this lately, too.  This quote is a great reminder for us that sometimes it's enough to just show up for kids.  We might not tackle our ever-growing "to do list" or solve the world's problems in a given day - and that's enough!  Give yourself some grace - you are showing up every day and moving forward.  And, that's enough!  

Educator Appreciation Week:

May 6-10 is Educator Appreciation Week!  As many of you know, my belief is that anyone who works in a school with a student serves in that role as an "educator".  This is a week to celebrate each of you!  Below is our plan to celebrate YOU! 

On Thursday, May 9, a room service cart will come around to your classroom/work area.  Please complete the linked form to place your order.  

Track Meet Schedule:

Please see the track meet schedule for May 8.   

Building Weekly Newsletter:

Click here to access the building weekly newsletter

Have a great weekend!

-Justin

April 12 Update

Happy April 12th!  

Another great week of learning and relationships!  

A great reminder for us to try new ways to keep our learners engaged, particularly as the "summer fever" kicks in.  Sharing one of those easy ways to change engagement....

Purchasing Deadline - 

Just a reminder - the purchasing deadline is April 30.  This includes your supply budget, as well as any other forms of purchasing.  Please be aware of this - we cannot accept any purchases after that day.

Student Showcase - Save the Date!

In place of an awards ceremony, we will be doing a Student Showcase to honor the strengths and growth of each and every one of our scholars.  Save the date - Thursday, May 30 from 1:30-2:00pm.  More to come on specific directions.  

Friday Grill Out's in May:

Back by popular demand, I will be grilling for those interested on Fridays in May.  Linked is a sign up sheet.  You bring the meat and I will grill it for you!  

Ending the Year Countdowns:

As we begin to end the year, please refrain from any "X days left of school" activities, signs, etc.  As much as I'm also excited about summer, some of our learners are not.  The "x days left of school" is a reminder that their supports are going to be gone, as well as sends a negative message about getting through days vs learning and relationships.   If you want to do something with your class (a letter a day or something), come and connect with me.

Smartboard Transition:

As you know, our desktop computers (attached to the Smartboards) will be gone next school year.   I know this decision has mixed reviews - ultimately, this was the way we got more 1:1 devices for students.  Our Building Leadership Team piloted the "no desktop on your Smartboard" starting in January.  I am sending this to highly recommend making the transition before the end of the school year.  The desktops will be gone next year - regardless if you hold out or not.  These next two months would be a great time to start this process and experiment with this new process.  The support is here this spring - I strongly consider removing your desktop this April or May.  If you are interested, please let Noureddine know.  

Building Weekly Newsletter:

Click here to access the building weekly newsletter

Have a great weekend - it's going to be beautiful outside!  

-Justin

April 5 Update

Happy Friday!

Eid 2024:

Happy Eid to our friends who will be celebrating next week!  There is a little uncertainty on the exact day, but Eid will be celebrated between Tuesday and Thursday.  Please be mindful of this as you are planning activities and expectations - some of our scholars will be celebrating with their family.   

Update on Sections:

As you know, this year has looked differently with sections and staffing due to the boundary changes.  After today (Friday), we will have a solid idea of what our 4th to 5th graders are doing (they had to indicate this by today).   Next week, our admin team is meeting to finalize the sections.  After that, I will be able to share numbers with you.   Please know -we are working as quickly as we can.  More to come!  

Scholar Placement Process:

Can you believe we are already at this point - time to be making class lists!  Linked is our process for the scholar placement.  More information to come! 

Summer Maintenance Requests:

Believe it or not, it's time to start gathering requests for summer maintenance work.  This work includes any fixing, paint touch up's, or other general maintenance requests for your classroom/work area.  Please remember - this does not include requesting personalized things for your space (example - wanting your classroom a specific color of paint).  

If you have any requests, please complete the form by Friday, April 26.  I know this sounds early, but Wayne needs to start prioritizing and communicating on the requests.  

Closing Activity Ideas:

Deep learning requires a reflection and processing time - time to let the new learning and ideas connect to a student's mental framework.  And, in a fast-paced classroom, we often forget about this. Linked is a great article on 27 ways to end a learning activity - take a few minutes to read through.

Building Weekly Newsletter:

Click here to access the building weekly newsletter

Have an AMAZING weekend! 

- Justin