Another great week of learning and relationships at McKinley!
Toot Your Horn Thursday:
We had three receipents this week - Denise Carlson, Andie Zwart, and Amber Sommers!
Amber Sommers was nominated by Liz Stitzmeyer - Amber consistently faces each day with energy and joy. She is a leader that leads by example and is always sharing strategies and encouragement to those of us on her team. She is ready to volunteer her time to help her teammates. Amber knows her stuff-she's so knowledgeable in strategies for teaching and reinforcing social skills. Her students adore her and so do I! Keep up the good work!
Andie Zwart was nominated by those who do time and effort - A Time and Talent calendar, that is turned in every quarter, has been added to our work load. This has caused stress and frustration to many of us. Andi helped lots of us, last quarter, to get this together and sent to Shari Mensink on time. Andi was so patient with us. Well, she took it a step farther and sent us step by step instructions that we were able to follow and submit this ourselves. Yeah!!! Thanks for being amazing Andie!
Denise Carlson was nominated by Val Seath - Denise Carlson has always gone above and beyond in her role as an EA and as a SAC supervisor. Here are just a few examples from the last month alone-
Recently, Jaxen (my 4th grade son, who is also in SAC) brought home a small hand-knit dragon. It came with a folded origami box and handwritten note about how to take care of it. I asked him about it and he said that "Mrs. Carlson gave it to me. She gave them to everyone in morning SAC!" I was so touched that someone would spend the time to hand make the fun toy dragons, fold the boxes and write the notes- for each student! What an incredible heart Denise has!
I also have a student that is diabetic. She came back from the library the other day with two brand new books that she checked out. She was thrilled that they were both picture books about children who also have diabetes. She was so proud and showing them to everyone with the best smile on her face! Denise orders books that make students feel like they belong and shine a light on different experiences to help grow empathy.
My student's books about diabetes and Jaxen's dragon were brought home. Families see those things and they are clear examples to our families that Mrs. Carlson cares about our students at McKinley and cares about their lives beyond these walls.
Thank you for being YOU, Mrs. Carlson. Friday Grill Out:
We're getting closer and closer to May.... which means Friday grill out! If your team is interested in having Justin grill your lunch, please sign up with your team. On the day of, bring in your meat and mark with your name in the lounge fridge. I will happily get your food grilled and delivered to you! Sign up if interested! It's a great time to enjoy the outdoors and some good food!
5th Grade Graduation:
FYI - we surveyed students this year about an interest in a formal graduation. Our students chose against a graduation and instead wanted an afternoon at the park to celebrate their end of 5th grade. I notified families yesterday, but wanted you to be aware too.
Fastbridge Schedule:
With the end of the school year in sight, that means FastBridge testing is around the corner. Our FastBridge Spring Benchmark Assessment window runs May 4th-22nd. Please open and view the relevant parts of this document that has all schedules, resources, and plans for spring benchmark assessments.
- ALL staff should look at page 1 (Schedule at a Glance) and note important testing days and times that may impact your schedule.
- Classroom Teachers: Read page 1 & 2 and click on the linked assessment plan for the grade you teach. Add dates and times to your calendars & lesson plans.
- T2/T3 Intervention Teachers: Read page 1 & 2 and see schedule and plan on linked Intervention Plan Page. Prior to assessment, review testing protocols and gather materials for any assessments you will be giving (linked on your page).
- SpEd/EL: Read pages 1 & 2 and linked SpEd/EL Plan page and familiarize yourself with schedules and plans for any grade-levels you support. Prior to assessment, review testing protocols and gather materials for any assessments you will be giving (linked on your page).
Our benchmark assessment window is an important time to collect information and academic growth on all students. There's a lot of pieces to this puzzle and it's very important you are familiar with your role in helping collect all of this information as efficiently and accurately as possible. If you have questions, please talk with Katie Demmer.
Illustrative Math (IM) Feedback:
This is the second part in an ongoing series where we hear more about our new math resource for next year. As you know, our Kindergarten and 5th Grade teams are piloting this year. Below are some thoughts from those teams around this week's question.
Question - How does your math block look different this year when thinking of instruction and student learning?
Response from Pilot Teams - Pilot teachers are describing a meaningful shift in how math time is structured and experienced. Many have worked to create dedicated math blocks that allow for flexible small groups and partnerships, co-teaching, and different levels of language support to better meet student needs.
Instruction has become much more student-driven and hands-on, with less “sit and get” and more opportunities for students to explore, use manipulatives, and learn through stations. Teachers are talking less and instead facilitating learning—encouraging students to develop their own strategies, explain their thinking, and collaborate with peers.
There is also a stronger focus on student discourse and reasoning, even though it can require more wait time and patience to support all learners. Overall, classrooms are moving toward more engagement, deeper thinking, and reduced reliance on paper-pencil tasks, with teachers gaining better insight into student understanding through observation and discussionBuilding Weekly Newsletter:
Have a great weekend!
-Justin
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