September 27 Update

Happy Friday!

Homecoming Next Week:

Just a reminder - homecoming is next week.   A few things:

Dress Up Days:

Reminders about Friday - click here!

Families Who have RSVP (it closes today at 3pm). Please remember to be checking on students' plan for Friday.  

Wednesday - Custodian Appreciation Day!

Don't forget, this Wednesday is Custodian Appreciation Day!   Please take some time to recognize Wayne, Nate, & Rich!  

Productive Struggle:

One of the things I'm noticing is that whole idea of "productive struggle".  For whatever reason, some of our students are not entering into anything hard.  They shut down, refuse, or just avoid.   This becomes an issue, when done repeatedly over time, because students never engage in productive struggle.   Please take some time to read the linked article on "4 Ways to Guide Students Toward Productive Struggle"  It's critical we start to think about some of these ideas as we continue to push students toward independence.  

Toot Your Horn Thursday:

This week's Toot Your Horn Thursday is Pat Fails!  Pat actually had two nominations - 

• Pat is always present in the moment. He is caring, kind and inclusive. He makes sure ALL kids are respected and included as that all kids can belong at McKinley.
• Mr. Pat has been an amazing addition to McKinley School! He is always helping someone - from holding a kindergartener's hand back from the nurse, mopping up the gym floor after lunch or just smiling at the kids for who they are, Mr. Pat is awesome!

Pat's been a great addition to our team!  If you see Pat today, thank him for being amazing!  

Building Weekly Newsletter:

Click here to access the building weekly newsletter

Have a great weekend!

-Justin

September 18 Update

Happy Friday!

Another great week at McKinley!  

Toot Your Horn Thursday!

Jess Hanson was our recipient for this week's Toot Your Horn Thursday!  Annette Warner nominated her, saying "Jessica has used her prep time and taken advantage of a the extra time she has at the beginning of the year to work on implementing research based ideas and strategies in her student support role. Jessica continues to show exceptional dedication as she grows her role to best support students. She has shown great leadership in developing individualized interventions tailored to the specific needs of each student on her caseload. This student-centered approach reflects Jessica's genuine care and concern for the success of her students. Thank you, Jessica - toot, toot!" THANK YOU FOR BEING AMAZING, Jess!

If you have someone to nominate, please complete the short form. Remember - no small "win" goes unnoticed!

Monday, September 23 -

I am out at a conference on Monday. Amanda Andrews will be covering for me. Please be aware of this as you make requests for support - some things may need to be handled in your classroom.

October 14 - Indigenous People's Day:

On October 14, we celebrate Indigenous People's Day.  Last year, there was law established around all students receiving 1 hour of instruction around this day.   Our Teaching and Learning team developed some resources in a shared folder - Indigenous People's Day Folder.  Please plan to do some of these activities on Monday, October 14. 

Reminder - Fall Data & Responding Meetings Next Week

Starting 9/25, our teams will meet to look through fall data to plan for core instruction, as well as tier 2 and 3 supports.  Please see the linked document for more details.  Students will be in the Learning Studio South watching a movie while teacher teams are meeting to plan for instruction.  More to come - reserve the date/time!   

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

Have a great weekend!

-Justin

September 13 Update

Happy Friday the 13th, McKinley! 

What a great full week of school!  It's been great to see "the magic" back in action! 

Last reminder - all items in the welcome back to do list are due today.  This list was provided for all staff.   As we talked about at our August 27 staff meeting, professionalism and timelines are a big rock for everyone this year.  Please take the time to double check that list (you don't need to email me - it's assumed you did it).  

Staff Power Hour - Monday:

Just a reminder about this Monday's Staff Power Hour (9/16) -  

• Teaching staff only.  Our focus for these meetings is debriefing on the READ Act learning work.  
• Specialists and those not doing READ Act will have another plan.  Please come to meeting first.  
• Bring your reading notebook and any notes you have taken.  You should be through module 2 - this is critical.  

Looking forward to digging in deeper into literacy!  

Fall Data & Responding Meetings

Starting 9/25, our teams will meet to look through fall data to plan for core instruction, as well as tier 2 and 3 supports.  Please see the linked document for more details.  Students will be in the Learning Studio South watching a movie while teacher teams are meeting to plan for instruction.  More to come - reserve the date/time! 

Toot Your Horn Thursday:

Josh Tolle was our first "Toot Your Horn Thursday" nominee!  Michelle Gadient recommended him by saying "Mr. Tolle noticed one of my student had his shoes untied walking past his classroom. He took the time out of his prep hour to come over and help tie the shoe. It is a small act, but I know my student really appreciated it! Thank you for your kindness!"  Keep up the great work, Mr. Tolle!

Morning Meeting Follow-Up:

Classroom teachers, thank you for joining us for the morning meeting PD this week.   After this, Amy Staloch shared a resource that gives you a daily email with questions, memes, and connection ideas for your morning meeting.  It's really good.  Sign up here to get a daily e-mail - https://www.edtomorrow.com/435p

Homecoming/Early Release Picnic:

On Friday, October 4, we have our Homecoming Picnic and early release (12:40pm) for the homecoming parade at 1:30pm.    The following invite was sent to families to RSVP for the event - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeybIHr7bDi_ezjS-b-yljJq46UZx40b81XfNMsw73vpKoylg/viewform?usp=sf_link   More to come!  

Building Weekly Newsletter:

Click here to access the building weekly newsletter

Have a great weekend!

-Justin

September 6 Update

Happy Friday, McKinley!

Thank you for a great start to the year!  At both interviews and the first day of school, the building was filled with smiles and excited people.  Thank you for making the start a great one for our kids!  

Toot Your Horn Thursday:
This year, we are are trying a new way to acknowledge all the amazing things our students and staff do - through a "Toot Your Horn Thursday!"  As you come across times that STUDENTS or STAFF make you proud, smile, or happy for them, fill out the form.  Then, every Thursday, we will honor some of our honorees!  Please consider taking the minute and sharing all the (little or big) amazing things you see! 

 
Personal Devices at School:
I want to remind you that the Technology Team will not be able to support any personal devices or peripherals they are connected to. This long-standing practice has been in place to ensure we maintain a consistent and secure environment for all classroom technology. I understand that not having a dedicated computer for the Smartboard is a change for classroom teachers and may be challenging at first. However, supporting various personal devices can lead to issues like compatibility problems, security risks, and difficulties in troubleshooting.

We strongly encourage teachers to use their district-issued devices when connecting to Smartboards to ensure compatibility and receive full support from the Technology Team. If there are any issues with district-provided devices, please have teachers submit a technology ticket and we will gladly assist.

September 11 Read Aloud:
Next Wednesday is September 11.  As you know, this was a day when the USA had a tragedy in New York City.  To acknowledge this day, please plan on showing one of the below picture books during breakfast.  Please preview before.   

Fireboat - The Heroic Adventures of John J Harvey (picture book read aloud - 11 mins)
Branches of Hope - 9/11 Survivor Tree (picture book read aloud - 3.5 mins)
Resources for Teaching 9/11

CEUs - Licensed Staff Reminder:
Please log in to PD Express and check your transcript at the beginning of each school year. Make sure the dates are correct for your renewal period. Check on the transcript to see which Mandatory Requirements you have already fulfilled, and which ones you will need to complete. This year most of our PD will be Read Act focused, so we may need to fulfill some requirements on our own time. See our district website under the HR tab for license renewal requirements, directions, CEU committee members, etc. There are many resources and video links on this webpage for filling those requirements. If you have any questions feel free to reach out to our committee members. Have a great school year!

September Family Newsletter:

Linked is the September Family Newsletter that went out Wednesday: https://secure.smore.com/n/ucjd0

Building Weekly Newsletter:

The below link contains the day to day events that are occurring next week - check it out! 

Click here to access the building weekly newsletter

I'm looking forward to the best year ever

-Justin