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.
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?
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."
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:
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! :)
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:
Names of people attending the conference. I realize this might change, but this gives me an idea of how many people will be here.
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."
Please explain your rating for the previous question.
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.”
Please explain your rating for the previous question.
What do you feel are the strengths of your student? (these can be academic, social, things you are proud of, etc)
What are some areas you feel your student needs to work on? (these can be academic, social, etc.)
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:
Names of people attending the conference. I realize this might change, but this gives me an idea of how many people will be here.
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.”
Please explain your rating for the previous question.
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.”
Please explain your rating for the previous question.
Please offer suggestions to help make school a great place for your student.
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) -
