May 16 Update

Happy Friday, McKinley!

Another great week of learning and relationships!

Just a few reminders:

• The library closes next Thursday for the rest of the year. 
• PTO Ice Cream Social is next Thursday from 5-6:30pm.  Stop and enjoy some ice cream!  
• Class list process starts Monday!  
• Last day of interventions is Friday, May 30.  

Toot Your Horn:

Back by popular demand..... or because I actually remembered to do it.....

We have three Toot Your Horn receipents this week - Val Seath, Katie Demmer, and Anna Stocker!  

Val Seath was nominated by Kate Seifert for Val made a garden plan and slide show that is so user friendly! It covers many of our standards, has videos and great explanations. We used the slides as directions before going out as a class to work in the garden. Following her steps made expectations clear so we could concentrate on the fun!

Katie Demmer was notminated by Kate Seifert for Katie brought an exciting lesson about fractions for my 3rd graders. She brought her energy and enthusiasm, and great encouragement of math thinking. The kids loved the activity, were critically thinking, using manipulatives and explaining their thinking. Thank you Katie for the refresher!

Anna Stocker was nomninated by Kate Seifert for We know Ms. Stocker does amazing things with our elementary students-helping develop young musicians; but it was so fun to see her direct the middle school band! Thank you for your many "hats" you wear, Anna, and for your gift of music for the students throughout the district!

End of Year Dates:

Building Weekly Newsletter:

Click here to access the building weekly newsletter

Have a GREAT weekend!

-Justin

May 9 Update

Happy Friday, McKinley!

And, Happy Educator Appreciation Week!  I hope you felt the small gestures of appreciation and care this week.  You are truly an amazing group of people!  

Happy Mother's Day to all those in the building celebrating!  Thank you for being a mom at home, as well as caring for our learners here at school!  You are appreciated!  

Classroom Connection Day:

Next year, we will be doing "Classroom Connection Days" (formerly Before School Interviews).  The main reason for this change is to move this time to more of a conversation between the family, student, and the teacher.  We will not be doing the BAS assessment anymore.  There will be more information provided, but I wanted to give you a heads-up in case you started to see "Classroom Connection Day" being used.  More to come!  

End of Year - 2 reminders:

As we wrap up the year, please remember that the end of the year can be fun, as well as stressful (for students, as well as staff).   This stress can come from the unknown of summer break (having enough food, not seeing my trusted adults, etc) as well as the changes in schedules and consistency.    In thinking about this, I'm asking staff to do two things.  

1. Stick to your schedule, as much as possible.  We are still teaching and running a normal schedule up until the end of the year.  This provides that predictable environment for all.  

2. Do not have countdowns in your room.  This is a visual reminder for some (some are happy, but some have stress because of this).  If you have "21 days left", this sends two messages - we are only hear to "do the time" and after those days, I may not have the consistency and trusted adults in my daily life.

Perspective Matters:

As we close up on these last weeks of school, please remember that your perspective matters.  What view are you choosing each day?  

Building Weekly Newsletter:

Click here to access the building weekly newsletter

Have a great weekend - and hope you mom's are taken care of this weekend!

-Justin

May 2 Update

Happy Friday, McKinley!

Lots of random, yet important, updates!  

Lunchroom Super Heroes:

A huge thank you to our Food and Nutrition Services team for all they do to keep each of our learners fed so they can do their best work.  Thank you to Jill, Stacy, Carol, and Sarah - we are so thankful for you.  Happy Nutrition Services Week!  

Educator Appreciation Week

Next week is the week to honor ALL of you! 

Track Meet - Tuesday:

Linked is the schedule for Tuesday's track meet.  Please take a moment to look at it (please note - all grades may be impacted, even if you aren't at the track meet).  It's suppose to be a beautiful day weather-wise for our track meet!  

Family Scavenger Hunt:

The below paragarph was shared with families yesterday.

Saturday, May 24 is National Scavenger Hunt Day! And, McKinley is joining in!

Below is an RSVP to request a family scavenger hunt kit. The kit, which contains everything you need to do a scavenger hunt at home, will be sent home with your oldest child on Friday, May 23. Your family can join in on the fun the next day to participate in a scavenger hunt!

If you are interested and plan to do the scavenger hunt, please RSVP below by Friday, May 9. Please only complete if you are planning to do this. One kit per family. Your family will do the scavenger hunt at home on your own timeline.

If you have questions, please reach out to our Main Office at 507.444.8200.

https://docs.google.com/.../1FAIpQLSdJASh7Wfb.../viewform...

Fastbridge Schedule & Plan:

Please take a minute to read below:  

Reminders for Fastbridge benchmark assessments:

• If, for any reason, you feel a student's score is invalid, please contact the building principal and coach to discuss whether the test needs to be re-administered. Our district coordinator monitors if a test is taken more than once to ensure the validity of district-wide results. Teachers should not be deleting scores and re-administering assessments.

•  Refrain from pre-teaching or practicing specific test items or passages.

Thank you for your help in maintaining the validity of our testing practices.

Click here to see the schedule and plan for Fastbridge testing

End of Year Dates/Stations:

End of Year Stations - Friday, June 6 (please sign up to lead a station)

Building Weekly Newsletter:

Click here to access the building weekly newsletter

Get outside and enjoy the beautiful weather this weekend - summer is coming!

-Justin

April 25 Update

Happy Friday, McKinley! 

Just a reminder - purchasing deadline is next Wednesday, April 30.  Please do not wait until the last day to enter something in.  

Educator Appreciation Week:

May 5-9 is a week to honor all of you educators (teachers, paraprofessionals, EA's, etc. are all educators!).  Below is our plan to honor you!  

Staffing Update/Sections:

Thank you for your flexibility with the staffing process this year.  Below is what our tentative sections will be (I say tentative because there could be a small chance we have to add or reduce if we lost a large amount of kids - rare, but could happen) - 

Kindergarten - 3 sections (Hugs, Brown, Schlauderaff)

1st Grade - 4 sections (Simon, Gonzalez, Larson, Bricko)

2nd Grade - 3 sections (Gadient, Seath, Wilke)

3rd Grade - 4 sections (Furniss, Seifert, Valentine, Thurnau)

4th Grade - 4 sections (Gilligan, Tepp, Baumann, Tolle)

5th Grade - 3 sections (Oppegard, Staloch, Rypka)

Special Education - Herbst, Schlueter, Biegert, Matt Williams, and a new .5 FTE teacher

PE - Smith, Melcher, Mark Clauson (.2) 

I am sad to share that we have three staff who will be moving to other buildings next year.  Melinda Clugston will be moving to Kindergarten at Washington and Chelsea Grambo will be teaching 1st grade at Wilson.  Additionally, Zach Waletich will be full-time at Washington next year.  We will greatly miss all three of these amazing educators and know they will do great things in their new roles!  

If I did not list a team or department, it means there was no changes. 

Friday Grill Out in May:

An annual tradition is our Friday Grill Out!  If you/your team brings the meat, I will have it grilled and ready for you at your lunch time.  Please sign up for a date and time on the linked sheet.   

Building Weekly Newsletter:

Click here to access the building weekly newsletter

Have a great weekend! 

- Justin

April 17 Update

Happy "Friday"!

This week's update is a little heavy, but very necessary.  Please take the time to read each item.  

Educator Appreciation Week:

May 5-9 is Educator Apprecation Week!  At McKinley, each of you play an important role as an educator and should be honored.  Below is our plan to celebrate each of YOU!  More to come!  

Students, Technology, and the Anxious Generation (Guest Blogger - Amanda Andrews)

"The diffusion of digital technology into children's lives has been like smoke pouring into our homes. We all see that something strange is happening, but we don't understand it. We fear that the smoke is having bad effects on our children, but when we look around, nobody is doing much about it."

The student support team has been doing a deep dive into Jonathan Haidt's book The Anxious Generation. The book is filled with powerful data and thought-provoking information on the negative mental effects of social media and technology on our students. What can we as educators and parents do to help? Haidt provides some clarity:

1. No smartphones before high school. Parents should delay children's entry into round-the-clock internet access by giving only basic phones (phones with limited apps and no internet browser) before ninth grade (roughly age 14).

2. No social media before 16. Let kids get through the most vulnerable period of brain development before connecting them to a firehose of social comparison and algorithmically chosen influencers.

3. Phone-free schools. In all schools from elementary through high school, students should store their phones, smartwatches, and any other personal devices that can send or receive texts in phone lockers or locked pouches during the school day. That is the only way to free up their attention for each other and for their teachers.

4. Far more unsupervised play and childhood independence. That's the way children naturally develop social skills, overcome anxiety, and become self-governing young adults.

"The two big mistakes we've made: overprotecting children in the real world (where they need to learn from vast amounts of direct experience) and under-protecting them online (where they are particularly vulnerable during puberty)."

6 Tips to Make Difficult Phone Calls Home More Manageable

Making a hard call home can be hard.  We often want to resort to "I'll send a message".  When it's a repeated behavior or a severe situation, it's better we pick up the phone and make that personalized connection.  Linked is an article on some ways to make this call easier.  

Although the article is short, here are the "cliff notes" -

In this Edutopia article, former teacher and PD specialist Liz Capone has these suggestions when calling home about a disciplinary incident:

• Start with reassurance. When a parent or guardian sees a call coming from school, their first thought is that the child was hurt. Capone suggests saying right up front that the child is safe. This heads off the parent’s worst-case fears and communicates that the educator is approaching the conversation “from a point of care.”

• Use nouns and verbs, not adjectives. Adjectives (disrespectful, disruptive) tend to be subjective and can be inflammatory, while nouns and verbs (Ava was watching videos on her phone during class) convey objective information and make it less likely that the conversation will go south.

• Don’t ask the parent to “talk to” the student. Saying that implies that the parent hasn’t already talked to their child about appropriate behavior in school, which comes across as judging their parenting. “It is a given that a parent or guardian would speak to their child about a major incident involving them at school,” says Capone. “Your only job is to let them know this happened.”

• Stay focused on the incident. This is not the time for a general behavioral assessment, questions about what’s going on at home, on possible consequences for the infraction (like not going on a field trip). For a parent learning about an incident for the first time, it’s best to stick to the facts and keep the call short.

• Try to add one positive note about the student. “Reference a prior example of when the student did make a better choice,” says Capone, “so the parent or guardian knows this is not the be-all and end-all on how you view their child” – perhaps saying that what happened is out of character for this child.

• End the call with a thank you. One possible approach: I thought you would want to know this as soon as possible, and I really appreciate your taking my call – which may very well be followed by, No, thank you for calling!

Toot Your Horn:

Don't forget to find those moments of positive glimmers!  And, when you do, don't forget to share it through the Toot Your Horn Form!  

Staffing - SAC:

I am sad to share that Maureen, SAC Supervisor, has resigned as the Site Supervisor.  Maureen is going to work for the City of Owatonna.  Maureen has been one of the best to work with!  Maureen will finish the year as for morning SAC, but will be done on May 2 for afternoon SAC.  Please join me in thanking Maureen and wishing her well!  

Building Weekly Newsletter:

Click here to access the building weekly newsletter

Have a great long weekend!  And, Happy Easter to those who are celebrating!  

-Justin

April 11 Update

Happy Friday!

A short update this week...

MCAs - 

Just a reminder - MCA's start next week.  Please be aware of this as you move throughout the building - we have grades testing at different times.   Also, as Denise shared, the library is closed during these times.  

Track Meet Schedule - May 6:

Linked is our schedule for the Track Meet for 3-5th grade.  Please note - both lunch and PE times are different for all grades.  

Building Weekly Newsletter:

Click here to access the building weekly newsletter

Have a GREAT weekend!

-Justin

March 27 Update

Happy "Friday"!  Happy Spring Break!

Furniture:  

Just a friendly reminder  - please take care of any items (from Bob Olson's email) before you leave for break!  If you have questions, please let me know.  

April 10 - Tornado Drill:

Please mark on your calendars that the statewide tornado drill is Thursday, April 10 at 1:45pm.  Please check the virtual office for the tornado map so you are aware of your safe spots.  

Staffing Update:

An update on Special Education for next year.  Matt Williams will be joining us next year s a K-5 Special Education teacher.  Matt is an Owatonna graduate, as well as a graduate of UMD with a degree in elementary and special education.  Matt is currently an intern in 761 at Lincoln and Wilson Schools.  Please join me in welcoming Matt to our team!  

We will be finalizing sections and other staffing after break - I will share with you when I know.   

Building Weekly Newsletter:

Click here to access the building weekly newsletter

Reminder - Monday, April 7 is a Connection Day! 

Have a great weekend!

-Justin

March 21 Update

Happy Friday!

Another great week at McKinley! 

How to Overcome Learned Helplessness:

One of the things we need to continue to focus on is creating rigorous opportunities where our students participate in deep thinking, learning, and productive struggle.  One of the strategies to help support students' learning is to avoid learned helplessness (in all aspects of a students' day).   Please take 2 minutes to read the linked article:  https://www.k12dive.com/news/helping-students-overcome-learned-helplessness-special-education/742588/

Check in on Vocabulary:

One of our big rocks this month has been around vocabulary.  At the end of our Staff Power Hour, we did a Call to Action around vocabulary.  How is that going?  What shifts have you made?   Dont' forget to check in with your accoutability partner before spring break.  

Personal Appliances & Furniture - coming soon:

Coming soon, you will receive an email from Bob Olson regarding items (in your classroom and work spaces) that are from home.  This includes fridges, lamps, microwaves, chairs, etc.  Because of safety codes and energy use, these items need to be taken home.  If a student were to get hurt on furniture (not purchased from the District), you could be responsible as the item is your personal item.  And, appliances are increasing our energy use.  More is coming - however, take some time to start removing these items before spring break.  If you have questions, I'm happy to connect.  

Building Weekly Newsletter:

Click here to access the building weekly newsletter

Have a great weekend! - Justin

March 14 Update

Happy Friday!

My deep profound thoughts for you today....

(In case many of you are not old like me, Google Wilson Phillips....)

Pot of Positivity - Today is your last day! 

Last day to get a shamrock in for your acts of positivity!  Spread that positive energy!  

Drawing will be Monday at 2:45pm in the library!  You do NOT need to be present to win!   

Blog Winner!

Last week, there was a hidden message in the bottom of the blog that said to email me if you had read that far.  We had many people enter - linked below is a drawing for the person who won either a lunch or 30 min prep.  Click here to watch the drawing -  Video

Inclusive Schools Week - next Week!

Next week, we celebrate Inclusive Schools Week!  Each day, we will celebrate with a different dress up theme.  Please share with your students and families.   Thanks to Lynn Jensen for organizing the above dress days!  

Next Friday, March 21 is World Down Syndrome Day.  Join me in wearing colorful, bold, or mismatcheed socks on this day.  Linked is a website which provides resources for teachers if you'd like to do something with your classroom.  

Small Group & Leveled Texts - the "Myth":

As we are doing our amazing Science of Reading learning work, the idea of small group and leveled readers has come up.  It will continue to come up as you move into the comprehension module, too.  Even outside of this work, I am hearing about how leveled readers and small groups are not beneficial in a literacy block.  I want to clarify, as I've been struggling with this one - leveled readers are the concern, not small group instruction.  The basic concerns with leveling readers comes down to the fidelity of the leveling (it's hard to find exactly where a student is due to the word choice, complexity, and themes in a story), as well as the idea we never get them into grade level text.  This was a big a-ha to me.  When we only program at their level, they never experience challenging, complex text.  That creates a gap that is almost impossible to close after 4th grade.  

I put this in the blog to remind you that we have an opportunity to make great impact with our MTSS/small group time for students left in your classroom.  This is a great time to reteach a skill, pull kids to challenge them in text, or just confer with readers.   This is the prime time to provide differentiation, which will always have a great impact on learning.  Differentiaton is powerful.  

Building Weekly Newsletter:

Click here to access the building weekly newsletter

Have a great weekend! 

March 7 Update

Happy Friday!

Toot Your Horn Thursday:

Jess Zupansic and Rachel Peterson are our receipents for Toot Your Horn Thursday!

Jess was nominated anonmously for Jess is such a postive force at McKinley. All the kids know and love her. She does such a wonderful job supporting students and holding students to a high standard. We appreciate all she does for our students. I also want to give Jess a HUGE shout out for taking on the science fair! This is a big job and has so many moving parts. Thank you for making this happen for McKinley!

Rachel was nominated anonymously for Rachel has stepped into her new role and done a really wonderful job. It is fun for the big kids to be able to work with a familiar face in intervention and she has a wonderful balence of care and high standards. I also want to say a big thank you for helping to put the science fair on for McKinley students. The science fair take a lot of work to plan and put together. We appreciate all the extra time and effort! Thank you!

If you see Jess and Rachel today, thank them for being amazing!

Pot of Positivity Challenge - next week!

Join us in a Pot of Positivity Challenge next week to acknowledge all the postiive, amazing people in this building every single day.   Remeber - you can turn in as many 3 by 3 sheets as you'd like.  For every one you complete, you get a new entry in for some amazing prizes (you do not need to be present to win).  

Family March Newsletter:

The family newsletter was sent last week - just sharing!  

School Social Worker Week:

This week is School Social Worker Week!  Thank you to Annette for all the love, knowledge, and advocacy she brings to our building.   Annette is an amazing school social worker and we are so thankful for her every day! 

No Excuses Mentality:

I'm going to be vulnerable with you in this post.  I have followed Eric Jensen for years - and was reminded of this quote a few days ago.    Full transparency, it was the reminder I needed at this time of year.  I'm not sure if it's the time of year, that it's February, or what the reason... I have fallen into the blame game.   And, I don't think I'm alone.  This is the time of year that gets hard.  I'm fully acknowledging - and admitting - my patience and "fuse" are short. 

This quote reminded me that I play a role in this, too.  And, that's sometimes a hard pill to swallow.  As much as a student plays a role in their learning, we do too.   If they isn't being successful in the environment, some of that falls on them.... and some falls on us.  

I put this quote in the blog to remind us of our mindset.  We have impact and we get to decide what that impact is.  I'm going to re-focus on my mindset around the "no excuses" mindset.  I have impact and I'm deciding that impact will be positive and purposeful.  (If you have read this far, please email Justin to be entered for a drawing)

Building Weekly Newsletter:

Click here to access the building weekly newsletter

Have a great weekend!

-Justin

February 28 Update

Happy Friday!

Toot Your Horn Thursday!

This week's receipent is 3rd Grade Teacher, Katy Furniss!  Katy was nominated by Karen Thurnau for "Our third grade team would love to thank Katy for keeping us afloat this year in 3rd grade! She has gone above and beyond to make sure we have what we need, when we need it. She has helped all of us transition into 3rd grade from our previous job assignments. Thanks Katy for all that you do for us!" THANKS FOR ALL THAT YOU DO, Katy! :)

Staycation 2025 - Wednesday!

Next Wednesday is our annual "Staycation!" This is a day for us to pretend to be on vacation and enjoy the day together. Linked is the itinerary for the day. Feel free to add events or dramatize the day to make it a great memory!

Ramadan:

Ramadan starts this evening (February 28). Below are reminders for our school staff to help support our students who are celebrating Ramadan.

Referrals - please read carefully!

• MINOR - you are handling the situation, but want it documented.  The student DID NOT come to the office.
• MAJOR - you asked for help.  You want someone else (more than likely me) to address the situation with the student.  The student WAS sent to the office. 

Building Weekly Newsletter:

Click here to access the building weekly newsletter

Have a great weekend!

-Jsutin

February 21 Update

Happy Friday, McKinley!

Just a reminder of today's bowling plan.  Hope you have a great time bowling!

All in the Hall:

Just a friendly reminder about morning arrival.  We have an "all in the hall" mindset that we've used for years.  When arrival time comes, all staff are in the hallway greeting students as they come in.  Please be mindful of this.  I understand that this is a time to talk to each other, as well.  However, our biggest priority is that welcome committee ensuring that students are greeted with a friendly smile.    For reference, here is some background and possible ways to greet students.  

Cause I Ain't Got A Pencil...
I've shared this in the past - a great reminder for us all.  Every time I read this, I am reminded to listen to our students to empathize and understand each of their lives.  We often assume - and use our biases - to determine what we think students should do.  However, when we really listen, we find out that there is more to the "story" than we are observing.  This always leaves me thinking - is this really an issue in the big picture of things?

You're Invited - Staycation!

Toot Your Horn Thursday:

We had no receipents yesterday.  I know there are a ton of amaizng people in this building doing great things. Please take a minute to nominate someone for this honor!  


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

Have a great weekend!
-Justin

February 14 Update

Happy Valentine's Day!  And, happy Friday! 

Toot Your Horn Thursday:

This week's receipent is our setting 1-2 Para Team!  Kate Seifert nominated them for "Our para team works so hard for all students and staff. They are willing to try anything that benefits the kids, come to early morning meetings, and pour their hearts into their work. They serve many students and all grade levels and do it with grace and kindness."

Connection Day - Tuesday:

February 18 is our next Connection Day.  A huge thank you to 3rd grade for planning this day!  Click here to see the bingo board.  

Yearbook Pictures:

Our PTO asked me to remind you to upload any pictures that would be a great addition the yearbook.  Linked is folder which is broken down by dates.  Thank you for helping our PTO out!

McKinleyStrong Slips & Celebration:

We filled the jar!  Woo hoo!  Next Friday, we are heading to Sparetime to bowl!  Click here to see the plan for the day. 

Just a reminder of the power of positives.  We can often get stuck in only acknowledging when things go wrong.  Don't forget to acknolwedge tghe postives, too!  Below is the breakdown from the McKStrong slips by grade level:

K - 245

1 - 200

2 - 294

3 - 239

4 - 135

5 - 251

total - 1,364  

Building Weekly Newsletter:

Click here to access the building weekly newsletter

Have a great weekend!

-Justin

February 7

Happy Friday!  And, happy February! 

Toot Your Horn Thursday:

We have two receipents this week - Maureen Lyons (SAC) & Kate Seifert (3rd Grade)

Maureen had two nominations - "Maureen does lots of little things in the school, like cleans the learning studio and lounge. She is also very flexible when it comes to other groups needing the learning studio and finding other places to host SAC." Additionally, she was also nominated for "We want to recognize Maureen for all the wonderful extra things she does for us here at McKinley.

Not only does she take such great care of the kiddos before and after school, she often brings is homemade cookies for the end of the day, and more recently has taken the time to clean up many needed areas in the break room. Thank you so much Maureen for all you do."

Kate was nominated by Katy Furniss for "Kate is an amazing teacher who pours her heart into her work every single day! Her patience, grace, and dedication to her students is inspiring. You make a difference in their lives and ours, and your kindness never goes unnoticed! Thank you for being such a bright light on our team and in our school!"

Congrats Maureen & Kate!

Tom's Coffee Truck - Wednesday:

On February 12 (7:15-8:45am), we will have Tom's Coffee Truck here if you are interested in purchasing a yummy drink.  Click here to see their menu.  A huge thank you to Steph for organizing this - we will all need caffeine on the Wednesday of conference week! :)

Connection Day:

February 18 is our next Connection Day.  A huge thank you to 3rd grade for planning this day!  Click here to see the bingo board.  

Hearing more voices, preparing for conferences, and checking in with families! Guest Blogger Eric Oppegard

Every day, we have the opportunity to hear from our students about how they feel school is going for them. But is that how they really feel? What are they telling their families? How do their families feel? How can we make sure all voices are heard?  

A few years ago, I started sending out a brief survey to gather information before conferences to help me prepare. I was hoping it would prevent me from being blindsided by a comment or question from a family member at conferences, and this gave me time to think about my response. I realize this was more self-motived to avoid something. It is often easier to type/write something than actually say it.   As it turned out, it opened my eyes to really hearing from families.  As time passed, the survey transformed into hearing each family's perspective and gaining insight into their student’s education.  

For the fall survey, I used the following questions:

1.  Names of people attending the conference.  I realize this might change, but this gives me an idea of how many people will be here.  

2. Overall, how is your student feeling about the school year so far? This data is collected on a linear scale, with a one representing "This year has been very tough/challenging for my student" and a five representing "This has been the best year/my student is really enjoying school this year."

3. Please explain your rating for the previous question.

4. Overall, how do you, as parents/guardians, feel about the school year so far?
   This data is collected on a linear scale, with a one representing “Very frustrated or displeased” and a five representing “Very pleased and happy about the year so far.”

5. Please explain your rating for the previous question.

6. What do you feel are the strengths of your student? (these can be academic, social, things you are proud of, etc)  

7. What are some areas you feel your student needs to work on?  (these can be academic, social, etc.)   

8. Please identify any questions or concerns you would like addressed at conferences.

I change the form in the winter to gather information since the last conference.  These are the questions I use for the winter conference:

1.  Names of people attending the conference.  I realize this might change, but this gives me an idea of how many people will be here.  

2. Overall, how has your student felt about school since our last conference? This data is collected on a linear scale, with a one representing “This year has been very tough/challenging for my student” and a five representing “Feels good and is learning and enjoying school.”

3. Please explain your rating for the previous question.

4. Overall, how have you, as parents/guardians, been feeling about school since fall conferences?  This data is collected on a linear scale, with a one representing “Very frustrated or displeased” and a five  representing “Very pleased and happy.” 

5. Please explain your rating for the previous question.

6. Please offer suggestions to help make school a great place for your student.  

7. Please identify any questions or concerns you would like addressed at conferences.

How is this helpful?  When looking through comments before conferences, I found a theme that students were not feeling good about math.  I wouldn’t have found this out just from talking with the students, but obviously, they are going home sharing frustration, questions, or how they lack confidence.  I could gently bring that up at conferences, and the students looked relieved that we would talk about it.  We cleared up some misconceptions, and all felt positive about the conversations.  One family even reached out after thanking me for bringing it up, as the student didn’t want the family to bring it up.  I wouldn’t have known to bring this up had it not been on the survey.  

Another example was how one student was having problems with her two friends.  I didn’t see any issues in the classroom, but because the family put that on the survey, I could discuss friendships.  We had a great discussion, and since I was already aware, we brainstormed possible solutions.  We worked together with student input on what steps we could take.  Their students didn’t want them to bring it up at conferences.  Since this was shared on the survey, I was able to bring it up without the family having to, and the family was very thankful.  

The information I gain through these surveys provides many talking points, helps guide my conference planning, and ensures that families and students feel their voices are heard. 

Unite for Literacy: Free Digital Picture Books:

Unite for Literacy is a website that offers free digital picture books for students from different cultures, backgrounds and languages. These books are available on the Unite for Literacy bookshelf, which makes the digital book available on any device – computer, tablet or smartphone. Caregiver hint: Each book offers narration in multiple languages. Users can select their preferred language(s) for each page, which is ideal for multilingual learners. Some books include American Sign Language videos. Filtering by language on the bookshelf displays all available books in that language.

ICE/Deportation Conversations:

As you know, there is a fear of ICE raids and deportation for many of our families at McKinley, as well as families across the USA.  I'm hearing that students may be talking about this.  I would ask that we refrain from whole class conversations and instead have 1:1 conversations about this.  If a student is wondering, fearful, etc., it's good to remind them to have a conversation with their family/parents.  You can also remind them we all work very hard to be safe here at school.  If you have a student who is still struggling or needs more support, please connect them with Annette or Amanda.  If you need to collaborate about any of this (issues, conversations, etc), I'm happy to help.  Let me know. 

Do This, Not That:

Our last one is around assessment.  Take a few minutes to read through the visual as to what's best practice in assessments. 

Find the Joy - and Spread the Laughter!

We get so busy in our days....  don't forget to find the joy!  And, don't forget that your energy spreads - share that laughter!  Take a minute to watch (and hopefully smile) - 

Building Weekly Newsletter:

Click here to access the building weekly newsletter

Have a great weekend!

-Justin