Weekly Update- March 3, 2017

Happy March!  And, happy Friday! 

School Social Worker Week:
Next week is School Social Worker Week -  we will honor Mrs. Warner for all the work she does to support our students and families! 

PLC's Monday:
This Monday, March 6 is a Teacher Workday.   Just a reminder - please let Libby and I know the time your PLC will meet on this date, if it's not at 2:45pm (remember, you can meet during the day on a workday).

PBIS- February Data:
Below is a link to our February ORD data at McKinley.  As you can see from the data, office referrals are extremely high this month- even compared to this time last year.  The PBIS team is currently analyzing this data and will meet on March 14 to provide some recommendations to our staff on the "why" of this data.  It's alarming that it's this high, especially since we have been getting outside for recess (usually a lot of indoor recesses raise the level of discipline).

Click here to access the February office referral discipline (ORD) data

I Wish My Teacher Knew...
I recently read an article where students shared "I wish my teacher knew..."  It's a quick, interesting read that will make you stop and think more about our students and their lives outside of our school.  https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/31/well/family/what-kids-wish-their-teachers-knew.html?_r=1

Poverty & Engagement Work Follow-Up:
At our last Staff Power Hour, we committed to trying three things before March 22.  How is that going?  Here are the three action steps:

1. Say what you do want instead of what you don't want (rule #4, page 29-30).
2. Find time to get to know kids.  Try a relationship thing every day.  Let students know something about you or do a mini-morning meeting (some personal sharing).
3. Watch your body language throughout the day.  As we read, body language sends many messages to students, staff, and families (without us even realizing it!).

Classroom teachers, I will be setting a short training on morning meetings in April.

A SnapShot of Learning:

Dani Rypka's 1st graders used the snow to practice two-digit adding and subtracting by making base ten blocks of snow! 

 

Mark Langlois's 5th graders spent some time at Maple Creek this week.  This is part of their year-long trout project with the MN DNR.

 

Our McKinley Science Fair Regional Winners!  A special thank you to Rachael Eickhoff and Lori Huisenga for organizing the science fair!

 

 

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

Valet Parking for the Week:
The Valet Parking for the Week goes to Special Education Paraprofessional Bernie Jensen!  Bernie joined us this year, having worked most of her career at the Owatonna ALC.  Bernie has been a wonderful addition to our special education team!  Bernie is flexible, compassionate, and collaborative.  Bernie understands how to de-escalate situations to keep students focused on learning.  She also understands that students need strong relationships and to feel valued here at school.   Keep up the great work, Bernie! 



Have a great, relaxing weekend!
-Justin




Weekly Update - Friday, November 11, 2016

Happy Veteran's Day!
A huge thank you to all of our McKinley Veteran's!

PLC Notes & ESC:
When you turn in PLC notes and your Essential Standards Chart, please email them.  It's way too hard to manage paper copies.  Also, please remember to get your sign-in sheet into Lorri. 

LTS Positions:
We have two upcoming long-term substitute positions to be aware of:

• 1st Grade:  Julia Arnold, currently student teaching in Dani Rypka's room, will be filling in for Jess Zupansic during the month of December.
• Kindergarten:  Jaci Heath, currently long-term subbing in 3rd grade at Washington, will be filling in for Courtney Hugs from January until the end of the school year.

A huge McKinley welcome to both Julia & Jaci!

Teacher Clarity of Learning:
I apologize up front... I'm going to be making a blanket statement to all.  You know this is one of my personal growth goals, but I do think this is something we should all hear.  

As I'm getting around to classrooms, I'm noticing that teachers are doing a great job of stating the Enduring Understanding or Learning Target for the day/week.   It's posted and stated to students very clearly.  What I am noticing is that the clarity of that EU or LT is missing- students don't know exactly what mastery will look like by the end of the lesson?   What should they walk away being able to do?  From John Hattie's research around what is effective, you can see that learning clarity has an extremely high impact on learning.  Students, as well as teachers, need to be crystal clear about the "end result" - mastery.  This is why the Essential Standards Charts work well with this process - your team determines the EU, but also mastery way before you start teaching any lesson/unit.  When students know what mastery looks like, they rise to the occasion. 

 

Reading Night Slumber Party:
We had our first reading night this week - "Reading Night Slumber Party!"  We decided to change our focus this year to building excitement around reading, rather than teaching strategies to parents.  Families came in for a pizza dinner and then enjoyed some "reading time" together.  We had over 300 people last night!!  A HUGE thank you to everyone who helped make this night possible - Dani Rypka, Jess Zupansic, Jen Schlauderaff, Michelle Simon, Rachel Peterson, Julia Arnold, Krystal O'Connor, Sonya David, Libby Zeman, Jen Koziolek, Greg Leuch, & John Dale.  Also, a huge thank you to Lorri Harrison for all the coordinating of food and supplies!

A SnapShot of Learning:

Students participated in voting on Tuesday.  It was a great learning experience for them!

 

Kindergarten did some outdoor learning this week with Dr. Meagher.

 

 

Weekly Building Newsletter:

Click here to access the weekly building newsletter.

Valet Parking of the Week:
The Valet Parking for the Week goes to PE Teacher, Brent Yule!  Brent has been a wonderful addition to our McKinley team this past year.  Brent has a passion for physical education, fitness, and learning in general.  Brent has worked extremely hard to help integrate our reading and math curriculum into the PE setting.  Also, Brent does a great job of communicating with families via Twitter.  You've been a great addition to our staff, Brent - Keep up the great work!


Have a relaxing weekend- sharpen your saw!
-Justin

Good Morning!
We've completed the Reading MCA tests (as of today) - Math starts next week.  A huge thank you to everyone who has made our testing environment smooth and calm.  A extra thank you to Denise Carlson, who lives and breathes the MCAs for the month of April.  Thank you for all you do, Denise!

PLC Work
I wanted to send an email regarding PLC work.  The hard work you have been doing this year hasn't gone unnoticed.  I love joining (or reading about) your PLC and hearing the conversations on students, data, and interventions/enrichments.  It's been great to see how much teams have embraced the data boards as a guiding conversation piece, too.  Thank you for that!  I think our next step in this PLC journey is to go back to Nicole Vagle's (expert in assessment) rule: 

When looking at assessment data, it's 1/3 the analyzing and 2/3 the planning instruction.  This is such a powerful mind shift.  It's important to analyze the data; however, the majority of your time is discussing how instruction will change - through enrichments, re-teaching, and changes in your core instruction.  As we move forward into next year, we will spend more time looking at this. 

Student Engagement - Compliance or Authentic?
Here's a great (short) article on student engagement - is it authentic or are students just complying?  http://mobile.edweek.org/c.jsp?cid=25920011&item=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.edweek.org%2Fv1%2Fblog%2F95%2F%3Fuuid%3D57736&cmp=eml-enl-eu-news2-RM


School Nutrition Employee Week (May 2-6)
School Nutrition Employee Week is held every May, and provides a great opportunity to celebrate all of the staff who make our meal programs a success!  This week is a perfect opportunity to thank our team for all they do- Lori, Stacy, Laurel, Josiah, and Mary.  Also, thank you to our EA's who serve a dual role in the classrooms and lunchroom.   We appreciate everything you do!  Take some time this week to celebrate our wonderful kitchen staff!

MCA Reading Data
MCA Reading data is available on Pearson's On Demand Website (https://mn.pearsonaccessnext.com/customer/index.action).  You can log in and see how students performed- however, hold off on sharing with students until further information comes out.

Department of Justice (DOJ) Survey
We will be participating in the DOJ Survey at the end of April.  More information will be coming on this. 

Building Weekly Newsletter
Click here to access the weekly building newsletter

Valet Parking for the Week
The Valet Parking for the week goes to Josiah Bachtle.  Josiah is such an amazing member of our McKinley team.  Josiah serves many roles around here - and does each of them extremely well.  What impresses me the most about Josiah is his flexibility and focus on all students.  Josiah is willing to do anything if he knows it's in the best interest of our students.  Thank you, Josiah!


I had to laugh at this one....

It's going to be a nice one out this weekend - get outside and enjoy it!  Have a great weekend!
-Justin

Principal's Update- Friday, April 8, 2016

Happy Friday!

Spring Pictures -4/18:
On Monday, April 18th, Lifetouch will be here to take spring pictures for students who are interested.  Students need to return the order form and money that day to have their picture taken.  The only exception to this is for 5th graders- all 5th graders will be taking a picture (for their graduation diploma). 

PLCs- Monday:
In your PLC on Monday, please take a moment and look at the progress monitoring data of your students who are utilizing Read Live.  Is this intervention working for them?  Have they demonstrated enough progress to “exit” them from Read Live?  If so, are there other students who would benefit from Read Live (below the benchmark in fluency, but at least 93% accurate)?  Libby will be in the building for PLC’s, so please contact her if you have any questions.

Discipline Referrals- PBIS:
When you complete a discipline referral, please remember to complete the form completely.  This data is being collected for PBIS.  I'm seeing more and more referrals with room numbers missing, last names missing, etc.  Please complete these referrals completely. 

Mileage Due- Friday, 4/15
Anyone who is submitting mileage - please have this to the Business Office by Friday, April 15. 

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

Valet Parking for the Week:
The Valet Parking for the Week goes to Lori Kamholz.  Lori (and her team) provide warm, nutritious meals to our 600 learners on a daily basis.  Lori understands how important her role is - supporting our students nutritiously so we can support them academically.  Lori has a positive attitude and is a great team member.  She will do anything for our students.   Thank you for all you, Lori! 















This quote makes me think of our amazing team since we are all focused on the same thing:  student learning and growth.  Thank you for all you do to empower our learners. 


Have a great weekend, everyone!
-Justin

Principal's Update- Friday, March 4, 2016

Happy Friday!  And, happy end to the 2nd trimester!
What a crazy week it's been.  I can just feel the germs as I enter the building.  If you get a chance today, you may want to open a window for a bit and clean out your room.  It seems like there are germs everywhere!

Teacher Workday- Monday
Reminder- Monday is a Teacher Workday.  Because this Monday is a PLC day, you can meet during the day if you'd like.

National Social Worker Week (March 7-11)
Next week is National Social Worker Week.  During this week, take some time (with students or by yourself) to let Annette know how much you appreciate the work she does for McKinley.  Annette is truly a top-notch social worker- we are very lucky to have her serving our students and families.

Student Engagement
Libby is doing some work on March 16 with teachers on student engagement strategies (through the lens of reading).  If you are interested, please let her know.  I can say, first-hand, some of these engagement strategies will make you think differently about instructing students.

#mckinleystrong
On social media (and throughout the building), you will start to see our building's new hashtag - #mckinleystrong.  This hashtag represents the "family" environment we have around this building, as well as the perseverance and determination each of our students (and us!) show on a daily basis. 

Article: 20 Strategies for Motivating Reluctant Learners
I found this article on Twitter a few weeks ago:  http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2016/03/03/20-strategies-for-motivating-reluctant-learners/  As a former 5th grade teacher, I remember having a select group of students who were reluctant- heads down, not completing work, etc.  This article offers up 20 great strategies on how to "light the spark" with these reluctant learners.  Well worth the read. 

Weekly Building Newsletter
Click here to access the weekly building newsletter

Valet Parking for the Week:
The Valet Parking of the Week goes to 3rd Grade Teacher, Rachael Eickhoff.  Rachael is a reflective, collaborative educator who is all about students and their needs.  Rachael lives a growth mindset lifestyle- with students, as well as herself.  Rachael has high expectations that help model the culture of learning in her classroom.  We're lucky to have you, Rachael! 


Have a great weekend, everyone.  Get out and do something fun!
-Justin

Principal's Update- Friday, February 19, 2016

TGIF! 

AND...
Happy 100th Day of School!

 

PLC's

Please don't forget to place all your documents in your shared folder- notes, Essential Standards Charts, etc.  It's getting harder and harder to track down your work.  Please place the documents in the folder by the next day. 

PBIS Data
Below is a link to our discipline data for the school year. The PBIS team will be meeting Wednesday to look at this data and determine trends, issues, and supports we need for behavior.   It's pretty interesting to look at discipline for the year.  Click here to see the discipline data

Teaching Students GRIT
I recently read a great article on teaching students to have "grit".  Grit has to do with the ways someone believes in themselves and their goals- and honors the resilience they will encounter.  It has a lot to do with mindset and helping students when a mistake is made.  Here's the article:  http://www.edutopia.org/blog/true-grit-measure-teach-success-vicki-davis

Outdoor Learning
As I told you, there are 15 of us who are receiving our STEM Certificate through St. Kate's.  I have recently joined this cohort to learn more about STEM and how we can "grow" as a STEM building.  Because I am not in a classroom, my "lesson plans" are to inform you of what we are learning, as well as some of the happenings in the building. 

Below are pictures from Katie Demmer's 2nd grade class.  Katie's class took their learning outside to "kick off" their work with forces and motion.  Her students were practicing scientific observations and how things move in nature.  What a great way to build background knowledge and practice a skill before you start a unit.

This weekend, I will be adding in some information about outdoor learning.  I will update the blog as soon as I have that in here !  

Weekly Newsletter
Click here to see the building weekly newsletter.

Valet Parking for the Week
The Valet Parking for the Week goes to Sue Eidenschink.  Sue has been an amazing addition to our team here at McKinley.  Sue has a firm, yet compassionate approach to her way with students.  Sue holds her students accountable, still while supporting them (a very hard thing to do!).  Sue builds strong relationships with students and staff.  We're very happy you are now a "Monkey", Sue! 

Have a great weekend, everyone!  Enjoy some time to "sharpen your saw!"
-Justin

Principal's Update- October 2, 2015

Happy Homecoming! 
It looks like a great day for a homecoming parade.  It's always great to see the community come together to celebrate our students! 

A couple updates:

After School Program
We will be changing the structure of after school program.  I met with a representative (per grade level) to discuss these changes.  Make sure you take some time to offer feedback before next Wednesday. 

Instead of referring students for the year, we will be splitting our program into three blocks:  October/November, December/January, and February/March.  We will be referring students for specific math and reading interventions during these blocks.   I have also designed this so we can visit with parents at conferences before students start their new "block" of learning.

If you are interested in teaching after school, I have posted teacher and EA positions online.  Apply ASAP! 

PLCs
I will be sending an email out this weekend about PLCs (I will remember this time!).  I met with Amy last week and have a good direction for us to move forward using the Essential Standards Chart.  Teachers- watch for this email, it will guide your work on Monday! 

Infinitec Training
Don't forget- Infinitec training is due 10/15!

Stump the Teacher:
I shared this last year, but figured it was worthy of another share.  Stump the Teacher is a great activity for students to develop deeper questions, as well as cite their evidence.  Students create questions from a common text and challenge you to their answers.  The activity teaches them to write deeper questions that don't require a quick answer.  Also, they have to go back and prove where their answer came from.  Use if you'd like:  Stump the Teacher Graphic Organizer.   I'd be happy to come in and model this activity for you!!

Zumba:
We started Zumba yesterday. If you want to participate as a staff member, join us on Thursday afternoons.  The program is lead by local instructor, Stephanie Hanson!  It was a great (sweaty) time! 

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

Valet Parking for the Week:
The Valet Parking for the Week goes to Gia Davison.  Gia does an exceptional job coaching our most struggling readers.  Gia goes above and beyond to find effective interventions that are focused on student need(s).  And, Gia has lived in a scheduling nightmare the past couple of weeks!  Thanks for all you do, Gia! 

This was on Facebook this past week.... it gave me a good laugh, hope it does to you also!

 

Enjoy your weekend!

-Justin

 

Principal's Update- September 18, 2015

Happy Friday, everyone!
Life has been busy around McKinley!  And, as much as we go home exhausted, it's been great seeing the excitement, energy, and learning throughout the building.

We had our Summer Learning Breakfast this morning.  We had over 85 students participate and turn their calendar in!  Congrats to Jack Langlois for winning the iPod Touch.   Below are a few pictures from the breakfast:   

Building Goals
Below is a link to our building goals.  Our building goals generated from work with Site Team on building data and needs.  These building goals will be the foundation of the work we do this year.  We are still working on our STEM goal- this may change slightly (just the wording).  If you have questions about the goals, let myself or your Site Rep know. 

Click here for the building goals

PTO Sign-Up
Teachers, please consider signing up to attend one PTO Meeting this year.  The link went out yesterday through Office 365. 

Garbage Cans in Hallway
At our Cabinet Meeting, Bob shared a concern that custodial staff had a hard time finding garbage cans in classrooms.  Can you have a student (or two) be in charge of placing the garbage at the door each night?  This will speed up the process so staff can get to other things (cleaning floors, windows, etc.)

PLCs:
Teachers, I will be sending an email out this weekend with some documents to help guide your work as a PLC.  Please use this email when working with your PLC on Monday or Tuesday.   I will try to make it around to each of your PLCs. 

Referendum Video & Representatives
This week, a McKinley team attended a presentation to learn more about the upcoming referendum. This team consists of Michelle Simon, Michelle Meiners, Sonya David, Diane Frazier, and Amy Cocchiarella.  There will be more information coming out from this group as the weeks progress.  If you have questions, see this team or the website:  http://www.owatonna.k12.mn.us/page/2776

Building Weekly Newsletter:
Click here to see the Weekly Newsletter

Valet Parking for the Week:
The Valet Parking for the Week goes to Kindergarten EA, Tarah Thompson.  Tarah always has a positive attitude toward her work and students.  Tarah and Trisha have a lot of energy coming from their classroom.  Tarah has nothing but respect and care for the students she serves.  She is dedicated to her job and will do whatever it takes to make Kindergarten a great experience for our K4 students.  Tarah, enjoy the parking spot!

Snapshot of Learning:

Katie Demmer's 2nd Graders working on reading stamina.

Courtney Hugs' Kindergarteners enjoying the outdoor classroom. 

Mark Langlois's Welcome Board- focused on growth mindset! :)

Welcome McKinley School Class of 2028!

Don't forget, fall benchmarking is due next week (closes 9/23, report by 9/25). 

Have a great weekend!
-Justin

Welcome Back, Staff! September 8, 2015 Post

Welcome back, staff!  We have 600 excited learners joining us on Tuesday!  

Just a reminder, the weekly updates will come out through this blog.  The blog helps streamline our communication, but also helps you go back and search old information instead of having to look through a bunch of emails. 

Summer Learning Calendars
Teachers, please collect the Summer Learning calendars from students.  These can be brought to the office during that first week of school. 

First Day Assembly
We will be meeting for a "Welcome Back Assembly" at 9:00am in the big gym.  Please be on-time and ready to start at 9am.

PLC Dates:
The calendar I gave you on the first day was incorrect.  Here are your PLC dates:

• September 21 or 22
• October 5 or 6
• October 19 or 20
• November 2 or 3
• November 16 or 17
• November 30 or December 1
• December 14 or 15
• January 11 or 12
• January 25 or 26
• February 8 or 9
• February 22 or 23
• March 7 or 8
• March 21 or 22
• April 11 or 12
• April 25 or 26
• May 9 or 10

Infinitec Training:
ALL STAFF are required to complete this training.  I will be sending out this in a separate email.  Please take care of this training by October 15th.  You do not need to print your certificate.

Referendum Link:
We have a very important referendum coming up.  It's so important to stay educated and know exactly what this referendum means.  As Superintendent Grant showed last Monday, there is a website that contains a lot of information.  Below is a link to this site- take some time to understand what is impacted by this November referendum. 
http://www.owatonna.k12.mn.us/page/2776

Link to Weekly Newsletter
Just a reminder, Lorri's weekly newsletter will be published here.  Click here to see Lorri's Newsletter

Valet Parking for the Week
Each week, we assign the "Principal Parking" to a different staff member.  This designation is to celebrate the great things our staff does on a daily basis.   This first week back goes to Tamra Gonzalez.  Not only is Tamra a top-notch Kindergarten teacher, but she spent a countless number of hours preparing, implementing, and then wrapping up Kindergarten Kamp this summer.  Tamra took the lead on this project and, along with a team of teachers (including Courtney), produced some amazing results.  Tamra, we are lucky to have you!  Thank you for all you do for McKinley! 

Have a great weekend!  Keep your fingers crossed for some cooler weather! :)
-Justin