Weekly Update - May 25, 2018

Happy Friday!
I hope everyone had a great week!  I was in Dallas at a Fountas and Pinnell Conference with some other principals, Teaching and Learning Staff, and our Teaching & Learning Coaches.  It was a great conference with lots of new learning!  Hearing all the work around literacy made me even prouder of the hard we have done with guided reading this year.  Nice work!

I made the transition to Google last week (it's fabulous!) and couldn't get logged into the blog.  But, it's solved now and I can write a response!

Next Week:
Just a reminder of our last week's events:

Wednesday:  Fancy Pants Day - dress up to celebrate our 5th Grade Graduates!  We will celebrate our 5th graders at 1:15pm at the graduation ceremony.

Thursday:  Awards Day

Friday:  Last Day Activities - sign up if you haven't!  Also, if you need items for your event, please let me know.  We don't have much money allocated toward this, but if it's cheap I can help support it.

Next Year's Updates:

1. Power 1/2 Hour - Next year, Power 1/2 Hours will be 20 minutes long.  The feedback I've received is that this time is too long.  We will schedule 25 minutes (5 mins for transitions); however, the block will be 20 minutes in length. 
2. Recess Coverage:  Classroom Teachers will be covering recess.  This has been an on-going conversation with the PBIS Team regarding the discipline incidents we are seeing at recess.  Teachers will still get a 30 minute lunch, per the master contract.
3. EL & SPED Clustering:  Our students who receive EL & Special Education services will be clustered next year to provide appropriate services to them, including co-teaching opportunities.  Our assignments for EL are:  Liz Stitzmeyer (Kindergarten & 1st Grade), Caryn Boetel (2nd & 3rd Grade), and Laurie Wolhart (4th & 5th Grade).  For Special Education, the following will join our grade level teams:  Brianna Luhman (Kindergarten), Katie Schuster (1st Grade), Danielle Nystrom (2nd Grade), Split (3rd Grade), Justin Lang (4th Grade), and Rachel Jewison (5th Grade).

Weekly Building Newsletter:

I am sending in a separate email - sorry! 

McKinleyStrong Educator of the Week: 

Our McKinleyStrong Educator of the Week goes to the entire McKinley Staff!  We have had quite the year - building not ready, long (and cold) winter, etc.   And, you have handled these obstacles with nothing but professionalism and 100% effort.  As always, your focus has stayed on all students, all the time.  There are two things I love the most about our staff - our mindset and focus on all kids (relationships & supports).   I'm so proud of the work we have done this year and look forward to serving you in 2018-2019!  

Have a great weekend, everyone!  Enjoy your last weekend before the school year ends! 

-Justin

Weekly Update - May 11, 2018

Good Morning!
I hope you had a great Teacher Appreciation Week, Nurse's Day, and Food & Nutrition Services Week.  We have a wonderful staff who are all EDUCATORS - each of us have a role in educating our 600 learners.  So, regardless of the "title" of the week, thank you for all you do.  You are amazing!

Class Placements:
Next Tuesday, teachers in grades 1-4 will be subbed out to create class lists for the 18-19 school year (see building newsletter for the schedule).  After this is complete, I will get input from specialists, intervention, and other programming. 

As you remember, we are clustering students to support our co-teaching model.  Next year, EL teachers will support:  Liz (Kindergarten & 1st Grade), Caryn (2nd & 3rd Grade), & Laurie (4th & 5th Grade).   In addition to this, our new special education model will provide support to each grade level through a special education teacher.  Those teachers are not placed at this time.

Classroom rosters are being built around student needs and what environment/model is most supportive to each need.  I look forward to continuing our inclusive model!

Taste of McKinley:
We had a great event last night - our first annual Taste of McKinley!  A huge thank you to our committee - Laurie Wolhart, Tamra Gonzalez, Jess Zupansic, Paige Gilligan, Sonya David, Sami Bishop, Jill Born-Akers, Libby Zeman, & Rachel Peterson.  Below are some pictures of our fun event:

Mentoring for Student Teachers:
From Katie Coudron & Jane Sorenson...
We would like to recognize the following McKinley teachers who completed a four day mentor professional development series, Mentoring for Student Teacher Success, with the Minnesota Educators Partnership.  Thank you Kayla Davis, Sami Nelson, Rachael Eickhoff and Karla Wilke!

Participants effectively used mentoring language and tools to accelerate teacher candidate practice and improve student learning.  The initiative was funded through a grant from the Bush Foundation and included teachers within the 10 partner districts with Minnesota State University-Mankato.    

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

McKinleyStrong Educator of the Week:
Since it's Educator's Appreciation Week, the McKinleyStrong Educator goes to the entire staff!   I am continually amazed at the way we build relationships, support students and families, and provide an inclusive environment for all.    I'm honored to work with you!

Have a great weekend, everyone!
-Justin

Weekly Update - May 4, 2018

Happy Friday! 
It's going to be a great day at McKinley!  

As of today, we have 19 days left of school this year.  Can you believe it - 19 days?  That's 123.5 hours of instruction left in our year.  Our students have seen such growth - let's keep that going!   Please remember that we have 19 days left of solid instruction!  

Don't forget your why...

Taste of McKinley:
The Taste of McKinley is next Thursday from 4:30-5:30pm in the gym!  Come join us for some awesome food and fun! 

Before School Assessment Days:
As you know, next year's start will look differently.  We will not have a Home-Child-School Day.   One of things many people wonder is - what will the students' day look like?  Below is a link to a checklist that the family will receive when they come.   Check it out!

Click here to access the checklist!

Classroom Relaxation Stations - From Annette:
I am excited to share that we have been awarded a grant to create calming corners in each classroom next year!    These stations in your classroom need only take up a small corner (enough room for one student) and will include different types of calming tools such as

• Fidgets
• Manipulatives
• Sensory items
• Comfort items

There will also be a timer and a tracking system as well as an emotional component such as a Zones chart or other emotional/feelings chart.  Please see the examples below of calming corners and watch the video to see how these areas are used to help students calm and be ready for learning.  You will be provided with the basics needed for the area in your room and you can add items to fit your student needs. 

Our building has seen some great success with the relaxation room and the hope is these classroom stations can be available to all students when needed.  These areas can be simple small spaces, or they can be more elaborate.  I encourage you to use your creativity to create your spaces, I am hoping this will be a fun project as you can design your area to fit your needs. 

I will offer some training at the beginning of the year on how to use the areas if needed. As always, thanks for all you do to support our students!

https://youtu.be/Ar0GPsEYjqY


McKinleyStrong Word - Resilience:
Our May word is "resilience".  Here is a great article on "does your classroom cultivate student resiliency?"  
https://www.edutopia.org/blog/8-pathways-cultivate-student-resilience-marilyn-price-mitchell

As you know, this is something our students struggle with daily.  It's important that we continue to teach and support resiliency.  

Picture Writing:
We have a lot of buzz around the building on something called "Picture Writing".  This has been spearheaded by our EL team through a co-teaching approach.  Below is what picture writing is: 

Picturing Writing is an approach to teaching the writing process that integrates art and writing.  It can be used to support any content area EU.  The steps involved for the artists’/writers’ workshop include:
·       Literature Share mini-lesson and discussion
·       Modeling of art technique or writing
·       Work session for art or writing (this step could be integrated into the Daily 5 Cycle)
·       Group Sharing of their art or writing

Liz Stitzmeyer and Laurie Wolhart have been using this writing approach since January with two different grade levels.  Liz has teamed with Tamra Gonzalez in K1 and Laurie with Madie and Lauren in 4A and 4C.  All of us have seen strong results in the students’ writing skills in the areas of:  engagement, stamina, creativity, sentence length, word choice, spelling and figurative language. 

According to the publisher, this philosophy benefits all students, especially those who struggle with the traditional approach to writing.

We believe Picturing Writing supports the McKinley STEAM core beliefs of instruction.  We’re excited about the possibilities for next year.


Building Weekly Newsletter:
Click the link to access the weekly newsletter

McKinleyStrong Educator of the Week:
Our McKinleyStrong Educator of the Week goes to EL Teacher, Liz Stitzmeyer!  Liz is a compassionate, collaborative, student-first educator!  Liz is such a natural at collaborating, knowing her students, and providing the learning opportunities they need.   One of the things I appreciate most about Liz is her "student-first" attitude.  She is here to serve and support all kids, all the time.  Nice work, Liz!  



Have a great weekend, everyone!
-Justin

Weekly Update - April 27, 2018

Happy Friday, everyone!
We have gone right from winter to summer... wow!  I love this weather!  I hope you get a chance this weekend to get outside and enjoy the sun!


Power of Your Thoughts:
Your mind is an amazing thing.  Not only does it control the physical operations of your body, but it also controls your unconscious side of things - things you don't even realize you are doing or saying.  Please remember this as we continue down our path of identifying our biases.  Your thoughts, beliefs, and conversations eventually become your "reality".  Each of us have different "realities" - all based on your experiences. This is the power of diversity - we all bring different "realities" to the table.  However, our "realties" can also influence our body language, words we choose, and overall demeanors.  This is where the power of unconscious bias' comes in - your internal thoughts are showing in your external communication, whether you want it to or not.  Remember - your thoughts become reality.

Instruction & Last Day of Interventions:
As you know, we are coming to the end of a great year.  We've done so much great learning and teaching this year - I'm proud of the work we have done!   Please remember - we still have instruction time left.  And, students need routines.  We should still be fully engaged in balanced literacy and math blocks, including guided/small group reading.  

Our last day of services (EL, Tier 3, and Power 1/2 Hours) will be on Friday, May 25.

FastBridge:
As you saw from Michelle Krell's email this week, we will be moving to FastBridge next year (instead of NWEA/MAP).  Michelle presented to Site Team on the benefits of FastBridge- there are many! As we do more preparing for next school year, this will be an item we discuss.

It Doesn't Just Happen at Starbucks:
Last week, I came across an article on the power of educators acknowledging and addressing their biaes.   It's a quick read and well worth it - please read!

Click here to read the article!

Taste of McKinley:

If you are free on May 10, please join us for some good food and conversations!


Building Weekly Newsletter:
Lorri will be sending this out later today!

McKinleyStrong Educator of the Week:
The McKinleyStrong Educator of the Week goes to Lorri Harrison!   Lorri has a natural gift of organization, flexibility, and compassion for people.   Lorri keeps our school running efficiently on a daily basis.  The thing I appreciate the most about Lorri is the way she works with people.  She is personable, compassionate, and lets people know they are welcomed and valued at McKinley.  She is our first "view" of McKinley to visitors - and she does it well.  I will greatly miss Lorri next year.  Keep up the great work, Lorri!

No complaining challenge...coming your way soon! :)
Have a great weekend, everyone!  Get out and enjoy the weather!
Justin

Weekly Update- April 20, 2018

Happy Friday, everyone!
It's going to be a great weekend - spring is finally here! 

As you know, this is one of my favorite quotes.  This is so true in so many ways.  This aligns so much with our equity work - your words, actions, and body language show what your priorities are.

Days Left of School:
As we close out April, we have only one month of school.   This month goes pretty quickly.   Can you believe we are coming to the end of one school year in our new building??

As we finish the year, be aware of what message you are sending to students.  If we are posting "__ Days Left of School", we are really showing students our priorities around learning and school.  I know, as a person, we are counting down the days until summer vacation.  However, please be aware of this message as you communicate with students.  

I Scream, You Scream, We All READ for Ice Cream:
We had a great turnout at our reading night Tuesday - around 300 people!  Families enjoyed ice cream and participating in writing a story (story cubes).  It was a great night!  A huge thank you to Lori Huisenga, Libby Zeman, and Jess Zupansic for planning this evening.

Taste of McKinley:
We are trying something new this year - the Taste of McKinley.  Families are invited to bring a food item (meal, dessert, drink) of their culture/heritage.  Then, families will walk around and sample each other's food items.  If you are free to join (help or eat), mark the date (note the time change!).    

A Few Literacy Items from Libby: 

Running Records: 
I have enjoyed collaborating with teachers around running records.  These conversations have gone many different directions, but I have enjoyed all of them as they have all been centered around what our learners need next.  How well everyone knows their readers is truly impressive.  I look forward to the discussions around running records at our staff meeting next week.

*Please bring a completed running record to the staff meeting.  We will be using them to discuss teaching points.

*If you have not yet scheduled your time for running records, please do so today.  My schedule between now and 4/30 is quite full, and I want to be sure we can find a time that works.

DIBELS

We have the team of retired teachers coming in on the 17^th and 18^th of May to complete our testing.  Fifth, third and second all have a fieldtrip during this time frame.  The schedule is always tricky, but this will make it even more so.  If possible, please avoid scheduling additional things on these days.  Once we have assessors confirmed, I’ll get a schedule completed and shared with you.

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

McKinleyStrong Educator of the Week:
The McKinleyStrong Educator of the Week goes to Phy-Ed Teacher, Kyle Melcher!  Kyle is a caring educator who is focused on building high quality relationships with students.  Students look forward to seeing Kyle, mainly due to the relationships he builds.  Kyle is flexible and always willing to do something if it impacts students. Kyle is an asset to our team - keep up the great work, Kyle!  

Have a great weekend, everyone!  
-Justin

Weekly Update- April 12, 2018

Happy Thursday, everyone!

What another great week at McKinley!  We are nearing the end of the year- 35 days left of school.  This year, as crazy as it has been, as gone by so quickly.  I'm proud of all the work we have done in only a short time.

35 days left of school.... 227.5 hours of instruction.... 13, 650 minutes of instruction.  Let's finish strong!

I Scream, You Scream, We all READ for Ice Cream!
Join us for our last Reading Family Night on Tuesday evening.  We will be enjoying ice cream sundaes and using our creativity to author a story! If you are available to help, please let Lori Huisenga know.

Multicultural Night:
We had a great turnout at our McKinley Multicultural Night on Tuesday.  We had pizza, games, laughs, and just an overall fun evening.  A HUGE thank you to Laurie (& Brad) Wolhart, Liz Stitzmeyer, Caryn Boetel, Nura Elmi, & Sylvia Zavala for all your work to make this night possible.  And, a huge thank you to everyone who helped volunteer.  Here are some pictures from the evening:

#LoveMySchoolDay
This is one of my favorite days during the year- seeing what YOU love about McKinley.  We have so much to be thankful for - it's a great day to reflect on that.  Below is just a snapshot of some of the tweets from yesterday:

Mindset Video on RTI Framework:
Below is a 1 minute, 30 second video on the Response to Intervention framework.  Libby shared this with me earlier this week - the video made me realize a couple of things.  First, as Hattie describes, the RTI framework is for ALL kids.  We teach effective core instruction (tier 1), Power 1/2 Hour & supports in room (Tier 2), and supports with additional staff outside of the reading block (tier 3).  We are ALL part of the RTI framework.   Secondly, this model requires flexibility and a teacher continually asking - "What is my impact?   What have students learned and what else do they need?"  I strongly believe in our structure and believe we ARE making an impact.

Click here to access the video

McKinleyStrong Educator of the Week:
My fault... I forgot to post Justin Lang's nomination to social media last week.  So, he is our nomination one more week.

Building Weekly Newsletter:
This will come out tomorrow- via email from Lorri.

Have a great Friday (and weekend!).   Sounds like there is SNOW on the way!
-Justin

Weekly Update- April 6, 2018

Happy Friday!

It's been a great week back!  We have two months left with our kids.. let's finish strong!

Below are some pictures from our transition day back.   It was great to see all the excitement, relationships, and teamwork occurring (and the dancing in the drop off lane!).

Co-Teaching in 4th Grade:

We've had some great work this year put into a co-teaching model, particularly between our classroom and EL teaching staff.  I have asked Dani Rypka and Laurie Wolhart to write a short description of the co-teaching work they are doing in the area of math- it's VERY impressive.  I am continually amazed at the work that is going into this, as well as the opportunities we are providing ALL kids in core instruction.  

Co-Teaching Math - by Laurie & Dani

Our co-teaching journey started with some awkwardness, excitement and a lot of trial and error. As you all know, the start of the school year was a bit rocky, and so was our attempt at co-teaching math. Thankfully, we were willing to take the time to iron out the problems and the students were flexible and eager to help us learn.

We have 30 minutes of planning every week, we check-in via email or with a quick discussion before, during or after school. We also use a spread sheet with student data to stay current on reteaching and student needs. During our planning time we plan for a short 20-minute whole group and what we call guided math groups (we each teach two, 20-minute groups each day – the groups are between 5 and 10 students). We modeled our groups from the Guided Math groups that Mrs. Stitzmeyer, Mrs. Schlauderaff and Mrs. Zupansic run in first grade. These groups are flexible and based on needs. Depending on the day, some students get no independent time, others 20 minutes and the other group 30 minutes.

We see the benefits of coteaching in so many ways. The biggest success for us is the grit and confidence that the students show. We can reteach in small, purposeful groups which allows students to master a skill. Also, students are not able to “fake it” the way they can often do in a whole group situation. They are held accountable to themselves and their teachers to show their work, ask questions and self-check to be sure they understand.

Our co-teaching time is also the EL service time for any student with a Level 3 or 4 in their English Language Proficiency. When students are that close to being exited from the EL Program, research shows that a push-in, co-teaching model is more effective than a pull-out model.  Students do not miss ANY classroom instruction and their language goals are embedded in the content. 

This is a win-win scenario. All of our students get individualized math instruction and our students who receive EL services have language support at the same time.

Somali Name Conventions:

Two weeks ago, Amy Young shared a sheet with me on the conventions of Somali names.  It was interesting to read this and understand more about names within the Somali culture.  I highly recommend taking some time to read this document to understand more about some of the families we serve.  

Click here to read the sheet

Anchor Charts- Why & How We Use Them:

I recently shared this article on Twitter - a great reminder of the benefits of anchor charts when teaching students.  I appreciate that this author gives us some things to consider when making the charts, too.   

https://www.weareteachers.com/anchor-charts-101-why-and-how-to-use-them-plus-100s-of-ideas/

#LoveMySchoolDay is next Wednesday! 

Next Wednesday, April 11 is #LoveMySchoolDay.  This is a day for us to fill social media with all the things we love and appreciate about McKinley School.  Mark your calendars for this coming Wednesday!  

Building Weekly Newsletter:

The building weekly newsletter will be updated here later today.  

McKinleyStrong Educator of the Week:

The McKinleyStrong Educator of the Week goes to Special Education Teacher, Justin Lang!  Justin is a true leader, advocate, and relationship-builder.  Justin truly believes (& models) all students will learn at high levels.  His unwavering commitment to students and staff helps keep us focused on our "real why" - students and learning.  Justin is an asset to our building - thank you for all you do, Justin! 

Have a great weekend, everyone! 

-Justin