Principal's Update- Friday, January 22, 2016

Happy Friday, everyone! 
We've completed another fun, exciting week at McKinley. 

Math Scavenger Hunt Pictures:
Below are pictures from the math scavenger hunt this week:

Math Facts "Super Power" Night- Pictures: 
We had around 130 people last night for Math Night.  Families came to learn fun ways to teach math facts for any student. A huge thank you to our committee for all their work planning and making this happen- Danielle Nystrom, Kate Seifert, Dani Rypka, Jess Zupansic, Michelle Meiners, and Karen Thurnau. 

Math Family Night- 1/28
January 28: Elementary Family Night @ Wilson Elementary There will be an elementary Family Night on Thursday, January 28 (hosted by Wilson Elementary).  Join us for a community conversation about kids and cooperation with Katy Smith, parent educator and 2011 MN Teacher of the Year.  We will talk about reasonable expectations of an elementary aged child and strategies to develop cooperation and responsibility in them.  Whether you are in a good spot with your kids, or you are struggling through homework every night, this evening will have something to offer your family.
International Fun Day at Work
Next Friday, 1/29 is International Fun Day at Work.  See the email regarding details for the day!

SCHS: "Communication Through the Centuries"
The Steele County Historical Society is offering a children's program on "Communication Through the Centuries".  Attached is a flyer- please share with students (you don't need to mail this home).   Click here to see the document.

Weekly Newsletter:
Click here to see the weekly newsletter

Valet Parking for the Week:
The Valet Parking for the Week goes to Karen Thurnau.  Karen has been a great addition to our 3rd grade team, having worked in both second grade and Tier 2 Interventions.  The thing I appreciate the most about Karen is they way she advocates for all our students- academically, socially, and emotionally.  She is truly cared about our students and making them successful.  McKinley is a better place because of you, Karen.  Thank you!


Don't forget to be completing the "Leadership Slips" for Popcorn with the Principal. 

Enjoy your weekend!
-Justin

Principal's Update- December 18, 2015

Happy Friday!
Can you believe it's already Winter Break?!  When we return on January 4, 2016, I will have officially completed my first full year as a "monkey"!  Thank you for learning and growing with me this past year.  This school is truly remarkable. 

Special Events Next Week!
Click here to see the events next week!

McKinley is featured in the Owatonna People's Press!
This month, McKinley is featured in the Education Edition of OPP.  Click here to see a PDF of the articles.   Thank you to those people who helped write articles! 

Resignation
Nick Woods has put in his resignation effective December 23, 2015.  Nick will be going back to school for an accounting degree.  I'm excited for Nick to continue his education, but sad we will be losing him.  Best of luck, Nick!

Lunch- December 23, 2015
I will be providing a taco lunch on Wednesday, December 23.  Please bring your own drink.  Come hungry and ready to eat!

Math Facts Month in January
We will be doing a school-wide math fact month in January (January 10-31, 2016).  We will take time to stress the importance of math facts (school-wide). More information will be coming on this! 

STEM Beliefs- January Power Hour Meeting
As a team, we will be defining our STEM school.  I think it's important for us to figure out what our beliefs are, but also what are our non-negotiables are in regards to STEM.  This meeting is open to ALL staff who are interested in attending.  We will meet Wednesday, January 27 from 2:45-3:45pm (I will pay staff to attend). 

Mindset - Misconception
A growth mindset isn’t just about effort. Perhaps the most common misconception is simply equating the growth mindset with effort. Certainly, effort is key for students’ achievement, but it’s not the only thing. Students need to try new strategies and seek input from others when they’re stuck. They need this repertoire of approaches—not just sheer effort—to learn and improve.

We also need to remember that effort is a means to an end to the goal of learning and improving. Too often nowadays, praise is given to students who are putting forth effort, but not learning, in order to make them feel good in the moment: “Great effort! You tried your best!” It’s good that the students tried, but it’s not good that they’re not learning. The growth-mindset approach helps children feel good in the short and long terms, by helping them thrive on challenges and setbacks on their way to learning. When they’re stuck, teachers can appreciate their work so far, but add: “Let’s talk about what you’ve tried, and what you can try next.” (taken from http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2015/09/23/carol-dweck-revisits-the-growth-mindset.html)

Building Weekly Newsletter
Click here to see the building weekly newsletter

Valet Parking for the Week
We will not be doing a valet parking for the week due to the shortened week.

Have a great weekend- and gear up for next week!
Justin

Principal's Update- Friday, March 27, 2015

It's here... Spring Break!  Woo hoo!  Stop in the lounge sometime today for some pre-Spring Break treats!   Like I stated in my email, please take some time to unwind and relax over break.  I'll be heading off to Vegas for the weekend... looking forward to the 90 degree weather!

Enjoy the week and get rested up so we can have a strong finish to the 2014-2015 school year!   

Here are some updates for when we return:

Jeffers Journals-
When you use the Jeffers journals in your class, take some pictures and send to Tom Meagher.  If we can show that we are using these (which I see every day in your rooms!), we can get more for next year. 

PBIS-
A team met Wednesday to talk through some initial planning for PBIS in our building.  PBIS stands for Positive Behavioral Intervention Supports.  Our big task for this team is to come up with some common expectations/matrix for the building (hallways, lunchroom, bathroom, etc), as well as a referral system to the office for positive and negative behavior.  The referrals will help us start to collect data on where, when, and why behaviors are occurring.   More information and work will be coming in the next few weeks.  A huge thank you to this team for their help! 

Book Study:
Just a friendly reminder that we will be discussing chapter 3 of our book study (on Wednesday when we return).

Summer Hours:
I know a lot of you have calendars that are filling up quickly.  I am working with Amy LaDue to figure out what/how many hours we can work in June on STEM (in particular math).  I will be in touch soon.

Coaching/Classroom Walkthroughs:
I apologize for not getting around the last week and a half to classrooms.  The office and my schedule have been crazy busy!  I will return to visiting rooms/teachers after break.  Again, when I come in, keep doing what you are doing.  I want to see the great things you are doing! 

Valet Parking for the Week:
The Valet Parking of the Week goes to Marie Sjulstad as a prize for the Big Brothers Big Sisters raffles.  However, Marie has graciously given her parking spot to Lori Huisenga who, according to Marie, "needs it more than I do."  That's Marie- always taking care of others.  Thank you for all you do for McKinley, Marie. 

Again, have a great week of relaxing, resting, and enjoying those around you.  I'll see you April 6th for a strong finish to the school year!

-Justin

A couple good finds...

I have a couple good "finds" I wanted to share...  Happy Tuesday!

Show What You Know!
"Show What You Know" is an active learning strategy where students work collaboratively, but with accountability.  The directions are pretty clearly explained (see link).  This is a great way to add a different level of engagement to any lesson! 

http://corkboardconnections.blogspot.com/2014/04/show-what-you-know.html?m=1

Number Detectives
This activity is a great warm-up for any grade level.  The process helps students understand number sense.  The below will need to be "tweeked" for primary grades (I don't think a kindergartener will know exponential notation!).  This can be done whole group, small group (differentiate what numbers you give each student based on their background) or allow students to work collaboratively (mixed ability) to show their number.

Click here to see Number Detectives

Why am I doing this job???
Sami Nelson shared a link from a Duluth Public Schools teacher reminding us about the whole child.  A lot of you could be the teacher below...

At my fall/winter/spring job I'm a hole filler. Fortunately, I'm equipped with lots of fingers and toes for plugging because sometimes I feel like the row boat is sinking and I can't bail fast enough.

My little clients have all been homeless during the current school year.

My mission, should I choose to accept it, is to be a part of a team that works with and for these little people to make sure they are "at grade level" or above.

Yikes.

So, I don't even know where to begin to tell what that looks like, the easy ones are "Little client is reading below grade level."

Until you dig in and "Little client has moved 4 times this school year. Little client has been in more schools than he/she is years old. Little client's dad beats the hell out of mom and little client sees/hears/is victim to it all. Little client sleeps on the floor. Little client's meals are all at school. Little client believes the county 'takes kids away' and school is where that happens. Little client's parent is in jail. Little client is responsible for waking up and getting him/herself and younger siblings up and off to the school bus. Little client hasn't slept."

Sometimes my little clients are not ready to learn.

Their classroom teachers work tirelessly to create a space where they can learn and play and be in community....and sometimes the "other stuff" just gets in the way.

And it, often, doesn't get solved quickly.

Which brings me to I love you......

I said to a much wiser coworker the other day..."The number of times I almost say 'I love you' to a kiddo is ridiculous." I'll say, "Have a great rest of your day!".....and then it almost slips out....

And he turned to me and smiled and said, "Why don't you just say it?"

Good question.

This same coworker......while we were bidding farewell to the littlest of our clients addressed a Kindergartner's question to both of us, "Is magic real?"

You know what he said? He bent down to the kindergarten boy and pointed to me and said, "You see that? You see that smile on her face? Can you see the magic in there?"

I can.

There's a little magic in real affection and care. I can't fill all the holes....but there is still a little magic in loving, despite the holes.

Have a great rest of your day, I love you.


-Have a great week!