Weekly Update - October 12, 2018

Happy Friday, everyone!  I hear the sun is possibly coming out this afternoon... get out and soak up the Vitamin D!


Family - Teacher Conferences:
Next week, we hold our fall "family-teacher conferences".  It's a great time to get families into the building and continue to build a partnership with them around educating their child/children.

Last year, we changed the name from "parent - teacher" to "family - teacher" to be more inclusive of our students, families, and their home situation.

As we move into conferences on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, remember these tips:

• Get up and meet the family, at the door.  This body language starts the tone of the meeting from the time they arrive.   If you shake hands, be aware of any cultural norms that may impact this.  
• Have some strengths ready to discuss.  Each of our students' have strengths - be ready to share these throughout the conference.
• Be honest about where the student is at, academically and socially.  However, be ready to support this with the data (including your observations).  
• The conference should feel like a planning session, in which it really is.  You, as a team, are coming together to acknowledge the facts and then create a doable action plan to ensure the learner will grow.  
• Value the family's input - what can they add to the table to deepen the conversation and action?  What is their vision for education and their child's future?

Thank you for all you do around family engagement.  Our staff does a great job of building - and deepening - our relationships on a daily basis!  

Transition Day - October 22:
October 22nd is our first "transition day" at McKinley.  For our new staff, we engage in transition days after long breaks from school.  The goal is to reunite, re-engage, regulate, and re-establish community on these days.  We have found that students (and staff!) need this day to get acclimated back into school life.

We had a wonderful team design our first transition day.   More information will come out early next week on the details of the day.   We did move our McKinleyStrong Assembly that day to 8:40 (*the building calendar has been updated).

The POWER of THINK TIME:
It's been great getting around to classrooms to see the real work - learning - in action!  As we are designing and instructing lessons, please remember the power of "think time".  Students need time to process, question, and reflect on learning.   As a former classroom teacher, I remember teaching a lesson, getting to the end, and thinking - "did I even take a breath?"  Being intentional about building in think time would have helped me - and can help you and your students!  Don't forget... students need this time to process, but also need to productively struggle with their thinking and questioning.

September Office Referral Data:
Yesterday, our PBIS team met to analyze our September office referral data (see link below).  We looked at trends, as well as possible causes and solutions for the behaviors. 

On Monday, October 22, we have a Staff Power Hour where we will focus on this data.  Your team will spend some time looking at your grade level data and creating an action plan to see what supports/changes we can make to decrease the negative and increase the positive behaviors.  More information will come out on this.

When you have some time, check out the data below.  *Please note - these graphs include both major and minor behaviors.

Click here to access the data

Education MN Break - Take Some Time for YOU! 
Next Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday is our Education MN Break.   During this break, take some time to focus on YOU!  Do something that only YOU enjoy.  Do something that makes YOU happy and relaxed!  Our work is highly stressful and can wear on a person.  Take this break to enjoy YOU and reground yourself in your WHY and your PERSPECTIVE.  Below are some ideas, if you need them:

Mindfulness Tip from Annette:

As promised, here is #1 of 6 ideas for creating a mindful classroom:
If you already have some familiarity with mindfulness, you may know that establishing a regular practice is key to implementing mindfulness in your life, inside and outside your work environment. Here are some ways to bring mindfulness into your classroom and your teaching life.


1) Establish a regular practice. To create a mindful classroom, it is important to be anchored in your own mindfulness practice. Find a few moments each day to sit quietly and focus on your breath. First thing in the morning can be wonderful, but the best time is the time that works for you.

Mindful Breathing: If you’re brand new to mindful breathing, try this. Find a spot where you won’t be disturbed. Sit with feet flat on the floor, and with a relaxed upright back and head. Place your hands in your lap on on your thighs. Close your eyes or lower your gaze to a spot on the floor in front of you. Breathe regularly through your nose, paying attention to each in breath and out breath. Thoughts may arise; plans, worries, ideas, ruminations or stories. When they do, just gently let them go and return to focusing on each breath.

Additional Resources for Guided Practices

• Center for Mindfulness at University of California at San Diego
• Tara Brach
• Insight Timer meditation application
• Free Mindfulness resources, online guided practices for breath, body scans, mindful movement, and more

To read this article in its entirety click here.

Challenge: Comment one mindful activity you tried this week.  A drawing of the comments will take place with winner receiving a prize. - Annette Warner, LICSW

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

McKinleyStrong Educator of the Week:
Our McKinleyStrong Educator of the Week goes to 2nd Grade Teacher, Katie Demmer!  Katie is a positive, creative educator who puts in countless hours to make sure students are getting the supports and learning they need.  Katie has a gift of keeping students engaged in their learning - and will even be silly (or stand on a table!) to keep them engaged and having fun!  Keep up the great work, Katie!


Have a great weekend, everyone!
-Justin

Weekly Update- December 15, 2017

Happy Friday!

Engagement or Compliance?

I found a great article this week on knowing if students are engaged, or being compliant. Click here to access the article.

January 2, 2018
Just a reminder - we are looking at doing a different type of day when students arrive back on January 2.  We are hoping to spend the day (or possibly morning) helping rebuild relationships, routines, and regulating students.  If you are interested in helping with the planning of this day, please let me know.  More information will be coming next week on this!

PBIS Office Referral Data:
Our PBIS team met this week to look at our office data from November.  We jumped from 60 to 104 referrals in one month.  A couple of things to consider - are kids "on edge" and needing more time to regulate?  Are we being as proactive in providing these supports? Are we being proactive in supervising?  We are going to do some work at our January meeting around this.  Click here to access the data

A SnapShot of Learning:

Principal's Book Club was completed this week.  We had some awesome conversations around our book - we've got some great reading strategies happening at McKinley! 

Kate Seifert's 2nd Graders are searching for nonfiction text features.  

Principal's Advisory Lunch was on Wednesday.  I got to enjoy a pizza lunch and hear about what students love about McKinley, and what they would change!   Student voice matters! 

Jess Zupansic's 1st Graders took pictures of patterns they found outside and shared them with the class.  

Engineers at Work with Shelby Johnson's 1st Graders & Lori Huisenga's 2nd Graders!  

Mark Langlois's 5th Graders collaborating and showing grit during a math project.

Sami Nelson's 1st Graders doing some early morning meditation!

Eric Johnson's 4th Graders exploring fractoions and making connections! 

Michelle Simon's 1st Graders investigating paw print patterns and then sharing with the class.

Kate Seifert's 2nd Gaders are making snow observations.

Karen Thurnau's 3rd Graders are doing some exploration around snow- weight, how much water, what temperature it melts at?  

International Fun Day at Work:
International Fun Day at Work 2018 is coming to McKinley on Friday, January 26!  More information will be coming soon... however, you may want to start the planning around your "team dress".  Your team (5 people max) should create, plan, and dress around a theme of your choice.  In the past, we've had some pretty creative ideas around this!   Again, more info to come... but start planning! :)

Winter Concert:
We had another great Winter Concert last night at OHS.  Our students are extremely talented - wow!  A huge congrats to Paige Moon & Abby Budin, also.  You are talented music educators!

Building Weekly Newsletter
Click here to access the building weekly newsletter


Have a relaxing, enjoyable weekend!
-Justin

Weekly Update- November 17, 2017

Happy Friday!

PBIS ~ Office Referral Data:
Our PBIS team met this week to look at discipline/office referral data from September and October.  Click here to access the September & October referral data

Our team had some recommendations/observations from this data:

• Don't let the data stop you from referring students.  This data is critical for our team to look at the true picture of what is happening at McKinley.
• We saw a decrease in behaviors in the playground - possibly because kids were actually able to start playing on real equipment!
• Referral motivators - please take some time to find out the "why" behind the behavior.  Why did a student misbehave?  What is their motivator?  Our team is really looking at this to determine if we need to add motivators to the referral.  

Our leadership jar is almost filled.  Please keep this is a secret - we are going to have a school wide movie (K-2 and 3-5 at different times) on Friday, December 1.  More information to come on this- we will announce this at our PBIS meeting next week.  Please keep this a secret!!

The Power of THINK TIME:

I recently came across this on Twitter - it reminded me of the power behind THINK TIME!  So often, we are under a crunch and forget about how important "think time" is for our students.  It's alright for us to give students time to process and think during lessons.  Plus, there is so much power behind making student have "productive struggle" with their learning.  My challenge for you is to start providing think time - more than just 15 seconds.  See how your students respond and engage with their learning.  

Family Listening Sessions:

This past week, we had our first family listening sessions for both our Latino & Somali families.  It was a great experience to hear from our families.   We had a better turnout at our Somali session on Thursday than our Tuesday session.  One of the things I want you to know is how powerful our relationship is with these families.   We heard comments of families saying how much they "loved McKinley" and how "McKinley teachers are my family and friends - I can call them for anything".  Families are grateful for all you do and how visible you are - and how easy you are to talk to.  We have some continued work to do - however, be proud of what these families are saying about you.  We are McKinley Strong!  

Student Support Position:

In the next few weeks, you will see a position posted for a Student Support Specialist at McKinley.  This position has grown from a need around behavior and social emotional needs with our students.  The position will work with identified, at-risk students in the areas of social-emotional learning and behavior - he or she will work closely with Annette.  This person is not dealing with discipline or students who are escalated.  This person will handle things like the Relaxation Room, Check and Connect, and other proactive interventions we are putting into place to make our students successful.  I will share more as this position is finalized - just wanted you to be aware.  

ASP Block II:
Classroom Teachers, please start thinking of what you focus will be for ASP Block II.  We will be sending paperwork out soon - block II starts in January.  Also, please let me know who will be teaching block II.

Also, Block I ends next Tuesday!


STEAM Night: 

Tuesday, December 5 is our Superbowl-themed STEAM night.  It's going to be a great night - and get us ready for the Superbowl in Minneapolis!  

McKinley- Education Edition:

Last month, McKinley was featured in the Owatonna People's Press Education Edition.  This is a community publication for us to highlight the work we are doing at McKinley.  Click here to access the Education Edition.  

Building Weekly Newsletter:

Click here to access the building weekly newsletter

Have a great weekend, everyone!  Make every second count in your personal life, too!

-Justin

Weekly Update- April 12, 2017

35 Days left...
35 days left to make a difference in our students' lives.
35 more reading blocks... 35 more math blocks.... 35 more breakfasts... 35 more recesses...
That equates to 227.5 hours left. 
That isn't much time. 
How will you make it meaningful? 

School Volunteer Week:
Next week is "School Volunteer Week".  If you have a regular volunteer in your classroom, consider honoring them for them for their commitment to our students and families. 

Classroom Teachers - Morning Meeting Training:
On Tuesday, April 18,  Jen Koziolek and Jess Zupansic will lead us through some learning work around the concept of morning meeting.  This request came forward from our work with poverty and trauma- and how impactful a safe, predictable, environment is for our students.  Please be on time at 2:40pm to begin (we should be done by 3:15pm) .

Tornado Drill- Thursday:
Next week is also Severe Weather Awareness Week.  On Thursday, April 20, we will join the statewide tornado practice drill at 1:45pm.  Please know your safe site and talk through the expectations with your students. 

Moving/Construction:
I am meeting with Nikki (from our relocation company) this morning.  I should have more information on moving and be able to answer some of your questions. 

"Hugging a Porcupine"
I recently read a great article on "hugging a porcupine".  Please take a few minutes to read this - the message is worth the time!  http://www.viewfromtheedge.net/?p=13795

PBIS Discipline Data - March:
Below is the discipline data for the month of March.  It's interesting to look at the overall number of referrals, but then start to look at location, reason(s), motivator(s), etc. 

Click here to access the discipline data

#lovemyschoolday
Thank you to everyone who participated in #lovemyschoolday.  It was fun to show the world how much we love McKinley! 

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


Have a great weekend everyone!  Enjoy your time with family and friends!
-Justin

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, February 3, 2017

Happy Friday!  It's already February! 

I attended the Minnesota Elementary School Principals' Association Conference yesterday.  It was a great day for me to reground myself as an educator, instructional leader, and a person.  One underlying theme from this day - finding the strengths in people.  I know this term is overused in an universal, general way; however, the impact is extremely powerful.  I'm challenging you for the rest of the year - to be able to find at least one positive in every student, every day.  As we have learned from our work around PBIS, people change behaviors when they feel support and positive recognition.  Our students need this - to know at least one positive strength they bring to our classroom communities.  Are you up for the challenge?

 

PBIS Discipline Data- January

The month of January is finished- click here to see the breakdown of the discipline data.  As you can see, discipline is on the rise this month.  The PBIS Team will discuss this at our next meeting.  As you examine this sheet, please let a PBIS team member know if you have thoughts or ideas regarding discipline!     

Open School Tours:
With our move to an open school next year, some questions have come up on the differences between an open schools and our current building.  Because of this, classroom teachers will be touring both Wilson and Willow Creek on Thursday, February 9th.   Below is a schedule for this day (teams will tour and debrief with me).  Click here to access the schedule

Appreciation Evening @ Torey's:
We don't spend enough time appreciating each other!  Please join us on February 16 from 3-6pm for a staff appreciation.  If you can't come the whole time, stop for a bit.  We will have appetizers and lots of compliments and positive recognition!  An invitation will be emailed later today- please RSVP with Lorri (for a food count). 

AM Arrival/PM Dismissal:
A couple reminders regarding AM arrival and PM dismissal:

• If you have door duty, you need to be outside.  Please get your assigned dates on your calendar.  I'm noticing more "unsupervised" doors.  Thank you to those who are great about remembering. 
• When the bell rings, all staff in the hallway.  This was something that impressed me when I arrived at McKinley.  There is a feel in the building when the bell rings- staff and students positively greeting each other.  This is a great tone to start the day. 

Twitter Hastags:
Don't forget about our two Twitter hastags - #mckinleystrong and #McKinleyPD.   The #mckinleystrong focuses on all the great things we do every day to build a community and support all of our learners.  The #McKinleyPD is a spot to share resources for professional learning- for all staff.  Check it out and continue to share using these! 

And, if you don't have Twitter yet, you are MISSING OUT!

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

Valet Parking for the Week:
Our Valet Parking for the Week goes to Justin Lang!  Over the years, Justin has been an integral member of our Special Education team.  This past year, Justin graciously agreed to take on PBIS as a half-time assignment.  Justin has a ton of strengths- building relationships with students and staff, understanding behaviors, and doing whatever he can to support us in the building.  One of the things I appreciate most about Justin is the way he helps me (and us) stay focused on what is important- students and learning.   Thank you for all you do, Justin! 


Have a great weekend, everyone!
-Justin

Weekly Update- Friday, December 23, 2016

Happy Winter Break!
We made it- the Friday before Winter Break!

Appreciation
This time of year always makes me pause to see and appreciate all the good we have at McKinley.   With how crazy life can get on a daily basis, it's important to stop and see the good we have here.  This building is filled with compassionate, talented adults who are here for one purpose- to support our learners.  One of the things I appreciate the most about the McKinley Staff is the way you embrace any student (or family) with asset-thinking, not deficit.  You are always looking for ways that the student (or family) contribute to our school community, not the deficits they experience. 

I want you to know you are appreciated - for everything you do.  I couldn't ask for a better group of educators (all of you are educators) who are always all about kids.  THANK YOU FOR THAT. 


NO SCHOOL- Monday, January 2
Just a reminder there is NO SCHOOL on Monday, January 2, 2017.

After School Program- Block II
ASP Block II starts on Tuesday, January 3, 2017.   We have finished up registration and bussing for this.   I will work on staffing and send an email out (hopefully today!).

Growth Mindset- The False Mindset
This week, I saw this article on Twitter about growth mindset.  It's an interesting read, as the author of Growth Mindset explains her concern with how educators use this term (and the original intent/research of the concept).  It was an interesting read, as I'm guilty of using the growth mindset incorrectly at times!  https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2016/12/16/carol-dweck-explains-the-false-growth-mindset-that-worries-her/

PBIS Discipline Data - December
Justin recently put together our December discipline data.  This month, we had 23 office discipline referrals (compared to 43 in December 2015).   Next month, the PBIS Team will spend some time analyzing this data to continue to support our learners.  If you see any observations from the data, connect with a PBIS Team Member.  Click here to access the discipline data

Building Weekly Newsletter
Click here to access the building newsletter for January 2-6, 2017

Valet Parking for the Week
The Valet Parking for the Week (back to school) goes to Special Education Teacher, Danielle Nystrom!   Danielle has a strong passion and advocacy for our learners - she is always looking for ways to help our students develop.  One of the things that impresses me the most about Danielle is the relationships she builds with her students.  She truly knows her students as learners, as well as people.  Danielle understands behavior and how to support learners.  Way to go, Danielle! 


Have a great, LONG week off  - enjoy your family, friends, and the people around you!  Take some time to sharpen your saw, too!

-Justin

Weekly Update- Friday, December 8, 2016

Happy Friday, everyone!
I know I shouldn't complain, but I'm not ready for the cold weather.

A couple reminders:

• Annette is gathering items for a few families in need.  Please consider donating!
• DIBELS Benchmarking in Monday and Tuesday.  Art and Music are relocating for those days.
• ASP Block II registration and CLPs are due Monday, December 19th to Lorri.  We need to set-up bussing before Winter Break. 

Winter Concert
A huge kudos to Paige Moon and our 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders on their work last night.   The work, energy, and passion that went into last night's performance was felt throughout the evening.  We have an amazing music program here at McKinley - thank you to Paige, Kim, Holly, and Mikkel for that! 

Friday, December 23rd:
On Friday, December 23rd, we will do a school-wide Pajama Day.  Below is a plan for the day (some details are still being worked out):

8:45-10:45 All-School Movie (Kindergarten & 1st Grade in Library; 2nd-5th Grade in Big Gym).  Teachers, this is your "gift"... time off to prepare for 2017.  Our specialists, EAs, and paras will supervise the rooms.  Specialists are CANCELLED on this day. 

11:00-1:00 Lunch (provided by me!).  Bring your own beverage (Lang, no comments!). 

1:10-1:20 OHS Carolers visit us (Big Gym- be there and ready by 1:10pm). 

2:30 Relaxation and freedom!

Student Voice- Follow Up:
Last week, I talked about adding student voice to the assessment process.  It is critical that we know what students are thinking - about learning, misconceptions, and their overall progress.  So many of you are doing exit slips - what a great way for students to show mastery at the end of a learning experience.  Below is a next layer to those exit slips - having students determine their "progress" in the learning.   After students have completed the exit slip, they determine which bucket to place the ticket in (all based on their feeling toward their learning progress).  What a great way to add student voice to a formative assessment!

 

PBIS November Data
I apologize for this being late - below is our November discipline data by location, problem, and motivation.  Also, below are the notes from our November PBIS Team Meeting.  You will see from the data that discipline seems to have increased - however, I truly believe we are all getting on the same page about what behavior warrants an office visit and what you handle in your classroom.  Thank you for all your work making PBIS work! 

Click here to see the discipline data by month

Click here to see the November PBIS Meeting Notes

Homework
I found an interesting article on homework that I'd like for you to take a moment to read (especially if you are a classroom teacher):  Click here to read the article.  This is something I'd like us, as a building, to examine... does homework have a place and purpose?  Please take some time to read this quick article.... Site Team will begin to do some learning work around homework in the next few months.

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

Valet Parking for the Week:
The Valet Parking for the Week goes to Dani Rypka!  Dani is a passionate 1st grade teacher who is always looking for ways to do what is best for kids.  One of the things I appreciate most about Dani her skill to balance high expectations (and holding kids accountable) with also understanding (and providing supports to help them).   Dani does amazing things in her room each and every day.  Dani, we appreciate you!


Have a great weekend - and enjoy the first snowfall!
-Justin

Principal's Update- Friday, May 13, 2016

Happy Friday the 13th! 

Discipline/Behavior Follow-Up
As I discussed with teaching staff, please watch the reasons you are referring students to the office for discipline.  I am, in no way, saying that students should not come down here.  What I'm asking is to ask yourself, "Would I have sent this same behavior down in October?"  We are going to do some work with PBIS and behaviors for our August Workshop.

Also, please complete the referral completely.  I'm seeing referrals with missing pieces- this is defeating the purpose of data tracking and PBIS.

Field Trips & Special Events
If your class/grade level is doing something "out of the ordinary", please put this into the shared document that I sent out.  This includes on and off site events.  This document helps for a few reasons - master scheduling, if we need you or a student, and if we need to change programming for the day.  Please enter your events into this.

Last Day of EL & Intervention
Last day is Friday, June 3.  Please continue to do your Power 1/2 Hour until then, also. 

Ice Cream Social ~ STEM Art Gallery ~ 60th Anniversary
Next Wednesday, May 18th is our Ice Cream Social/STEM Art Gallery/60th Anniversary.  If you are around, you should attend.  A lot of work has gone into this special event. 

Summer Learning Calendars
The Summer Learning Calendars will be coming out soon - keep an eye out for this.  Please take some time to discuss this with your students.  Each of our students has shown so much growth this year, we want to continue that learning into the summer.  Students who complete their calendar and return it will be invited to a PTO Breakfast with some great prizes!

School Building Plans
I believe Superintendent Grant has shared this, but I wanted to include it in the blog also.  The proposed building plans are online and available for you to see - http://www.owatonna.k12.mn.us/page/2858    The plans are for both the new Willow Creek Elementary and the new Owatonna Middle School.

Building Weekly Newsletter
Life has been crazy in the office - we will send the weekly building newsletter out later today! 

Valet Parking for the Week
The Valet Parking for the week goes to Nura Elmi.  Nura is a wonderful member of our McKinley team!  Nura does an amazing job working with students, families, and our staff.  Nura has a positive attitude that can be seen in everything she does.  Thank you for all you do, Nura!


Have a great weekend, everyone!
-Justin

Principal's Update- Friday, December 4, 2015

TGIF - and happy workday!

Winter Benchmarking Starts Next Week
Winter Fluency Benchmarking starts Monday.  Thank you to our wonderful EAs and Libby Zeman for taking the lead on this!   Please make sure students are quiet in the hallway, especially in the areas where fluency is being assessed! 

STEM Sub Outs Start Next Week
We have STEM Integration sub outs starting next week.  Below is the dates/times each grade level will be subbed out with to work as a team on integration:

December 9- 2nd (AM), Kindergarten (PM)
December 16- 1st (AM), 3rd (PM)
December 17- 4th (AM), 5th (PM)

If your team hasn't let us know your focus for integration, please do so ASAP.  Below is a link with more details about the schedule and guest teachers: 
See the attachment regarding subs and times 

PBIS Data for November:
Below is some data for discipline from September- November.   Please remember to complete the referrals.  This isn't meant to be an extra step- collecting this data will help us see where, when, and why we need to offer more supports for students (example- if we see discipline issues in the hallway at lunch, we will need to station an EA in that area at that time). 

Also, please complete the referrals completely (date, time, etc.) 

	September	October	November
Number of referrals:	23	43	36
Location:
Classroom:	17	23	29
Hallway:	0	1	4
Playground:	5	2	0
Bus:	0	5	2
Restroom:	0	6	0
Other:	1	6	2
Problem:
Inappropriate Lang:	0	1	1
Fighting/Phy Aggression:	7	12	11
Disrespect:	11	14	16
Defiance:	7	6	8
Harassment/Bullying:	0	2	1
Disruption:	4	5	8
Theft:	0	1	0
Weapon:	0	0	0
Other:	0	5	11
Possible Motivator:
Peer attention:	3	8	11
Adult attention:	1	4	2
Obtain items/activity:	3	1	2
Avoid peers:	0	0	0
Avoid adult:	0	1	0
Avoid task or activity:	4	10	7
Don't know:	15	11	14
Other:	0	11	0
Number of OSS:	0	4	3
Number of ISS:	0	1	1

Referendum Update:
Click here to see an interesting document on the construction process for ISD 761. 

Winter Gear
Please make sure students are coming with and wearing their winter gear outside for recess.  If you have a student who doesn't have the "winter gear", please connect with the families.  If they need the resources, send them to Annette.  I've seen more and more kids coming without gloves, boots, etc...

Also, students can wear hooded sweatshirts to and from the portable.  Please allow them to grab their sweatshirt in their locker before music or art, if they need it.  Remember, we will make an announcement if students should wear a winter coat. 

MLK Professional Learning Day:
An email will be coming out regarding our MLK Professional Learning Day.  Below is some basic information (which could change):

Superintendent Grant will do a short welcome.  Then, for the next 90 minutes, we will listen to a presentation from Willow Sweeney (I've heard glowing reviews about her presentations).  After Willow's presentation, there will be three 1 hour sessions for you to register for.  The registration information will be sent out soon.  There are no grade level or department meetings.  You will have a late lunch that date- 12:50.  After that, we will be back at McKinley doing some de-briefing work. 

EA's- you will be working until 11:30 that day (Willow Sweeney all morning)
Paras & liasions- full day, working with Willow in the morning and then another training in the afternoon.
Food Services- Rachel will send information out regarding your day. 

Again, more information will come out.

Valet Parking for the Week:
The Valet Parking spot for next week goes to Peggy Radtke.  Peggy is an amazing teacher who strives to make physical activity a part of students everyday life.  She truly cares for all our McKinley students and wants them to succeed.  Peggy is so flexible, friendly, and a role model to all our students! 

Building Newsletter:
Click here to see the weekly building newsletter


And, a huge congratulations to Annette Kleinschrodt and Doug Warner who got engaged this week!  Apparently love is in the air here at McKinley! :)


Have a great weekend, everyone!
Justin