February 16 Update

Happy Friday! 

A few updates...

Steph Out Next Week:

Just a reminder - Steph is out next week.  She will not be available to answer emails - Selena is covering for her all week.  Please be aware of this as you make requests next week.  

Literacy Professional Learning:

As you know, Minnesota has passed some legislature (READ Act) around literacy instruction.  A lot of this legislature will require us to look at some professional development for the upcoming year (Julie Sullivan was here a few weeks ago to talk through this).  

As many of you know, there is a ton of research around literacy and how fundamental that is in the path for students - in school and in life.  One of those that resonates with me is the pipeline between a student reading by 3rd grade and the path to future incarceration.  That along shows us how important high quality literacy instruction is for students - it's really a life changing thing.

That leads to our work next year around professional learning and literacy.  I am jazzed at the idea that our staff will have dedicated, job-embedded time to dig into reading research and practice.   Some of my post powerful learning as a teacher was engaging in the Reading First grant as a teacher at Wilson.  Next year's work will allow us time to think, reflect, collaborate, and challenge our thinking around literacy.  I'm excited to think about the power of this and how each of us will grow as educators of reading! 

PTO Bingo Callers:

Our PTO is hosting a Bingo Night on Friday, March 1.  They are looking for callers -  our students love seeing staff do this.  If you are interested in helping, please email the PTO (mckinleystempto1@gmail.com) or myself.  Thank you for considering! 

New Staff:

On Tuesday, we have a new staff member joining us - Grisel "Esme" Zamora.  Esme works our SAC program and will be joining us from 8:30-11:30am (Monday through Thursday) to support some students with language needs.  Our EL team and Katie have created a schedule and shared with teachers who will work with her.  If you see Esme on Tuesday, please welcome her to McKinley! 

Building Weekly Newsletter:
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Have a great weekend-  enjoy your extra day(s) off! 
-Justin

February 9 Update

Happy Friday, McKinley!

Another great week of learning and relationships!  

Don't forget about the All About You Challenge - take care of YOU!  

Your Presence Has Impact:

Thank you to Sami Nelson for sharing this the first quote. 

This is a great reminder for us around our impact - often something we don't get to see immediately.  It's also a great reminder of the things that students pick up on and remember - the way they felt working with you.  Your presence has impact.  We may not know it now, but it does.  And, every interaction we have could be the one they remember forever.  Are your interactions something you want remembered 10-20 years later?

Family Teacher Conferences - PLEASE READ:

As you know, we have Family Teacher Conferences next Tuesday and Thursday (3-7pm) and Friday (7:40-12:00).  A few years ago, we made some changes to conferences to increase family engagement and build deeper relationships.  Some of those included moving away from "parent" conferences to "family" conferences to be more inclusive of who is the table.  Also, we made a change to move away from hearing about just scores and the report card to more of a conversation.  This conversation involves the family sharing their hopes and dreams, as well as the teacher being authentic and purposeful in the feedback and goals they have set.  We wanted families to truly feel a partner and to know exactly how to support their child.   

Below are some tips from the Search Institute on how to deepen your conferences.  Please read - 

1. Think of this (short but important) meeting as a relationship-creating opportunity. Use intentionality. Start off by sharing a bit about yourself, ask about the parents. Share a few wonderful observations about their child. Build a connection. This will set a positive tone for the meeting and create the kind of conversation that will yield benefits throughout the year.

2. Be the expert, but listen to parental concerns. Parents expect you to be adept at teaching, but they want to feel that you value their input too. Not focusing only on the child’s weaknesses, but also their strengths, can help parents feel like you know and care about their child.

3. Don’t start with the negative. Don’t begin the conversation with “I have no concerns”—that starts the exchange in deficit mode. Instead, start with a simple, plain-language description of the three things you hope the students learn by being in your class.

4. Emphasize your goals. Giving a syllabus or written materials is great, but talking clearly, even passionately, about your goals for the class is better. Talk about what you hope to accomplish during the semester with excitement, and you’ll be amazed at how the parents become your partners in learning.

5. Provide feedback—both good and bad. Give them the feedback you need to provide, such as a review of grades and assignments. But if you feel it’s necessary to point out a deficit, find a way to do it with understanding, and try also to point out a strength.

6. Before they leave, ask one last question. This is one of the most important ways a parent can see that you really notice and care about their child and are seeking to develop a positive relationship with them; that they are more than just one among many. Something such as “What do you think I should know about your son or daughter to help him or her thrive in my class?” works. Or something more specific, such as “Tell me about your child’s sparks,” or perhaps their strengths, struggles, or “How might I be able to help your child navigate these challenging times, or give him or her extra support?”

7. Take notes on what you learn. Integrate what you learn from the parent into your interactions with the student, and return to your notes at your next parent-teacher conference. 

8. Remember it’s about the relationship! Parents want to know their child is seen and cared for and that you are paying attention to the insights they are sharing with you about their child. They want to feel like they have built a connection with you. They—and you!—want to build on that connection next time you meet.

Leap Year: 

Join us for some Leap Year Activities on February 29!  

Board Report - Monday:

On Monday, Annette Warner, Amanda Andrews, Kate Seifert, Katie Demmer, Amanda Wood, and Liz Stitzmeyer will be sharing our work to the school board.  This starts at 5:30pm - please consider joining us to show your support to the amazing work and people in this building.  Linked is the slideshow that we will share with the board.  Please join if you can! 

Celebrations:

As you know, we are honoring one staff member in the morning announcements for the month of February.  Please consider nominating a staff! 

Building Weekly Newsletter:

Click here to access the building weekly newsletter

Try to find some time for YOU this weekend!  

-Justin

February 2 Update

Happy Friday!

A short update... 

Just a reminder - we have a Staff Power Hour on Monday at 2:45pm.  

Counseling Week (Feb 5-9):

Next week is National Counseling Week.  A huge thank you to Amanda Andrews for all the support and care she provides McKinley.  Please take some time next week to acknowledge and celebrate Amanda!  

Laurie Wolhart's Last Day:

Next Thursday is Laurie Wolhart's last day with us.  As you know, Laurie came out of retirement to help in 4th and 5th grade.  It's been amazing back having Laurie with us.  Thank you for (again) providing such care and support to our students, Laurie!  

Conference Week:

Just a reminder - if you have conferences that you want someone else to join (Justin Kiel, Amanda Andrews, Annette Warner, Special Ed Case Managers, Amanda Wood, EL, etc), please let them know the date/time.  Our schedules fill up quickly!  

Building Weekly Newsletter:

Click here to access the building weekly newsletter

Have a great weekend! 

-Justin

January 26 Update

Happy Friday!

Another great week of learning!  Oh, and a full moon! :)

Author Visit - January 29:

On January 29, Bao Phi will be joining us from 10-11am for an all-school assembly/author visit in the gym. Here is a note from Kacie Clauson, Media Specialist:  

Thanks to the generosity of the ISD 761 Foundation Grant, we will be hosting author Bao Phi at our elementary sites on Monday, Jan. 29th, and Friday, Feb. 2nd, 2024.  Attached is the informational flyer, a link to Bao's website, and a video of his story being shared on the Today Show.  The media budget will purchase copies of his children's books for each site's library so students can enjoy these stories for years.  We will not be selling individual copies during these visits. 

Bao's Story

Bao's Website

Flyer

Because of the author visit, lunches need to change.  See below - 

11:00-11:30 - Kdg

11:10-11:40 - 4th Grade

11:25-11:55 - 2nd Grade

11:35-12:05 - 1st Grade

11:45-12:15 - 5th Grade (will eat in commons space with Kiel) 

11:55-12:25 - 3rd Grade 

Donuts with Grown Ups - next Wednesday

Vision Board - SAVE THE DATE

Feb 21, 2024, 2:45-3:45ish

Hosted by Annette Warner and Xandra Sorenson

What is a Vision Board?

A vision board is a fun and creative way to set goals and visualize your dreams.  It typically consists of a collage of images, words, and phrases that inspire and motivate us.  Creating a vision board can help us clarify our goals and keep them at the forefront of our  mind.  It’s a powerful tool for manifesting our desires and staying focused on our aspirations.  

Watch this short video:

Everything About Vision Boards - How to Create and Use a Vision Board

Stay tuned for more information!

Building Weekly Newsletter:

Click here to access the building weekly newsletter

Have a great weekend!

-Justin

January 19 Update

Happy International Day of Fun at Work!  And, happy Friday! 

Author Visit - January 29:

On January 29, Bao Phi will be joining us from 10-11am for an all-school assembly/author visit in the gym. Here is a note from Kacie Clauson, Media Specialist:  

Thanks to the generosity of the ISD 761 Foundation Grant, we will be hosting author Bao Phi at our elementary sites on Monday, Jan. 29th, and Friday, Feb. 2nd, 2024.  Attached is the informational flyer, a link to Bao's website, and a video of his story being shared on the Today Show.  The media budget will purchase copies of his children's books for each site's library so students can enjoy these stories for years.  We will not be selling individual copies during these visits. 

Bao's Story

Bao's Website

Because of the author visit, lunches need to change.  See below - 

11:00-11:30 - Kdg

11:10-11:40 - 4th Grade

11:25-11:55 - 2nd Grade

11:35-12:05 - 1st Grade

11:45-12:15 - 5th Grade (will eat in commons space with Kiel) 

11:55-12:25 - 3rd Grade 

It's ALL ABOUT YOU Challenge:

Starting January 29,  join us or an "It's ALL ABOUT YOU" challenge!  The goal of the challenge is for you to find things to do that focus on you.  February can often be a hard time - this is a great reminder to do things for you!  Click here to see the challenge.

Are Scaffolds Permanent or Temporary? 

I've shared this before - but a great reminder as we enter into our data and responding meetings and supporting students into quarters 3 and 4.  Are the scaffolds (academic, social emotional, behavioral, etc) truly scaffolds or have they become permanent?  

We do a great job of figuring out what students need, using an "all hands on deck" approach, and get the student the supports.  I love that about this staff.  One thing I challenge us is to start thinking of how we will reduce, pair back, or remove those supports.   I understand we can't just have a support one day and the next day it's gone.  However, can we start to pair back - move to every other day?  Have the staff step back and observe rather than do?  

If we truly want to be warm demanders and create independent learners, we need to start thinking more about reducing, removing, or repurposing some of the supports we put into place.  Something to think about!   

Providing Wait Time:

At our last Power Hour, you listened to a podcast about ways to be a warm demander.   One of the things I heard from many of you was the smiling during wait time - and how that shows students you are open, engaged, and really excited for their response.  Who knew the power of a smile was so great?

This made me think about wait time - and the power of this.  In our fast-paced classrooms, do we provide a lot of wait time for students?  Do we provide this during the instruction or just when they are working independently.   Below are some resources with great reminders.  Bottom line - even offering 3-5 seconds after you ask a question (and before a student responds) has research to support increasing engagement, thinking, and student confidence.  Additionally, offering 20 seconds to 2 minutes in a 10 minute lesson can help students make sense, make connections, and create higher levels of thinking.  Who knew that only a few seconds could create a deeper learning experience? 

Wait Time - Making Space for Authentic Learning

Extending the Silence article - great reminders! 

Building Weekly Newsletter:

Click here to access the building weekly newsletter

Have a great weekend - a heat wave is coming Sunday (upper 30's)! 

-Justin  

January 12 Update

Happy Snowy Friday!

Another great week of learning, relationships, and memories at McKinley this week! 

MLK Day Reminders:

Just a reminder - Monday is our staff learning day.  This is a great day to focus on YOUR learning!  A few reminders -

• Feel free to wear your McKinley belonging gear and jeans.  Let's fill the auditorium with McKinley gear!
• Superintendent Elstad begins at 7:45am.  Please be seated and ready at this time.  If you clock in, there will be kiosks available to do so. 
• Please be engaged, all day.  This is a great day to focus on you and your learning.
• Please see your individual schedule for more details on your day.  
• If you are back at McKinley in the afternoon for "Site PD", please meet in the gym.  

Looking forward to a great day of learning!

Conferences:

A few reminders from Steph about conferences - 

• Dates: February 13th & 15th, 3;00-7:00
• February 16th, 7:40am-12:00pm (No School)
• Conference reminder slips will go home to families on January 25 or 26th. Steph will put in your mailbox that week
• Sylvia & Nura are currently scheduling any interpreter conferences
• PTCFast will open to all families on Monday, January 29th. Please share the link on Seesaw that day as well (please do not post before then as the sign up link will not be active)
• If you would like to order a PTO provided conference meal, please do so by January 26th. Order here

International Day of Fun at Work 2024:

Just a reminder - next Friday is our IDOFW 2024!  See the linked document with more information.  Looking forward to another great (fun) day! 

Building Weekly Newsletter:

Click here to access the building weekly newsletter

Have a great weekend - stay warm!

-Justin

January 5 Update

Happy Friday!

I hope your first week into 2024 was a great one!  

Carry the Banner!  

Don't forget, carry that McKinley banner!  There are so many amazing, cool, and interesting things happening daily in this building - don't forget to share it! 

Retrospective: Allowing Students to Reflect on & Support their Learning - Guest blogger Dani Rypka

We want school to be a place where kids feel like they belong, feel challenged and a place kids want to be but sometimes it can feel like we only hear whining or like kids are telling us what they think we want to hear. I have been trying to find ways to get to what kids really think and want from their school day and in the process help them understand the purpose or learning happening in the systems we have in place.  One thing I noticed when I was co-teaching was that  my students seemed more willing to share, give feedback or express concern or even dislike. It was like if there were two of us then it was not as hurtful. Maybe they told Mrs. Wolhart something in reading groups that she reported to me and we could brainstorm ideas together to make changes or address concerns. Or when kids are getting emotional during a math game I was able to take one student aside and really talk it through while the lesson continued. Just another perk of co-teaching. The thing is, this year I am not co-teaching, at least not in the way I did in the past and I don’t feel like my students are as forthcoming with feedback so I was looking for ways to kind of ease them into feeling safe and secure giving feedback even if it was negative. 

So enter TikTok - I came across this TikTok Video and thought I would try it. I liked how simple it was, just three questions and fairly open ended. I decided to turn it into a google slide like this one: Retrospective for directions and a Google Form for student responses. 

For younger kids you could do it with the whole group or even have other adults in the class facilitate the discussion if you thought the kids might be more honest. I talked with the students about why I wanted their feedback, talked about the differences between constructive, honest feedback and being unnecessarily mean. The other step that I think is important in this is coming back to the students with some ideas for next steps. 

We have done three retrospectives so far this year and each time I feel like students are feeling more comfortable and honest. Digging deeper and not just telling me what they think I want to hear. After I look through their thoughts and feedback I have just discussed my findings and talked about which things we can change, add or stop right away. Which things we have to keep and why, thoughts about how to make changes, etc. This last time I did the follow up in a second Google Form like this. 

Some other articles that might be helpful: 

How to run class retrospectives with students | Mural

Three Retrospectives We Love for Reflecting on Return Planning - Education Elements

TikTok Video

Building Weekly Newsletter:

Click here to access the building weekly newsletter

Have a GREAT weekend!

-Justin