November 20 Update

 Good morning - happy Friday!

All School Field Trip - Wednesday, December 2:

Save the date - we are going on an all-school field trip on Wednesday, December 2 at 1:00pm.  More information to come!  

Transition Day - Monday, November 30:

Below is a link to something called a "transition day" on Monday, November 30.  This is something we have done at McKinley for the past 3-4 years.  This is meant to be a day to rebuild relationships, re-establish routines, and regulate students.  It's basically creating a day to slowly welcome students back - after a long break!  We've seen huge success with our students - and staff - after a transition day.  Feel free to use some of the activities on Monday -  Click here to access the transition day document.  

Upcoming Events:

November 24 - DL Collaboration, 12:00pm

November 25 - 27 - NO SCHOOL

November 30 - Transition Day (see above)

December 1 - DL Collaboration, 12:00pm

December 2 - Staff Yoga, 7:40am

December 2-  Schoolwide Field Trip, 1:00pm

December 4 - DL Family Survey Closes

December 4 - Child Collaboration Team Meeting, 7:25am

December 7- PLCs, 2:40pm

Have a great weekend, everyone!

-Justin

November 13 Update

Happy Friday, Distance Learning Team!

A huge shout out to Paige Radue!  Paige has been an awesome addition to our 2nd and 3rd Grade Team!  Paige will help Katelyn Heinz transition back next week and will be taking over for Dani Rypka in February - June.  Paige has done great work - we appreciate you, Paige!  

Check Out this AMAZING Team!

A huge thank you to all of you - for your innovation, energy, and compassion for our kids.  I appreciate YOU! 

Conferences:

Don't forget about conferences next Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.  Please send a reminder out to families with their times.  Please remind families that we are sending a survey out on Monday, November 23 (due December 4) to indicate their interest in distance learning for 3rd and 4th quarter.  Please share this with them! 

Virtual Conference Reminders

*Review the Preparing for conferences link.

*You should have the link on your calendar to access conferences.

*Here is a guide for families on accessing the meet.

*Parents have the link in their email confirmation from PTCFast.com.

*Use this as an opportunity to learn a little more about your students' stories.

*Reach out to Justin, Ann, or Justin if you want to talk through what to share at conferences.

Can you Relate...

Library Media Weekly Tip: eBooks and Books

Contact Kayla Stanton for other resources including eBooks, information text to support any subject area (reading, writing, science, social studies), multimedia tools to support student engagement, and digital citizenship.

Upcoming Dates:

November 16 - PLCs, 2:30pm (create a virtual link for your team and include Justin and Ann)

November 17 - Conferences, 3-7:30pm

November 19 - Conferences, 3-7:30pm

November 20 - NO SCHOOL; Conferences, 3-7:30pm

November 23 - Distance Learning Survey goes out to families

November 24 - DL Collaboration, 12:00pm

November 25 - 27 - NO SCHOOL

December 1- DL Collaboration, 12:00pm

December 3- Lockdown practice, 1:00pm

December 4 - CCT Meeting, 7:25am

December 4 - Distance Learning Survey closes

Have a great weekend - do something you enjoy!

-Justin

November 6 Update

Good morning - happy Friday!

I hope you've had another great week of learning and relationships!

I found this on Twitter last night - thought it was very appropriate for the work we are doing! 

Conferences

I have heard several of you talking about the excitement around visiting with families.  Here is the preparing guide that Kenneth created that walks through a lot of the logistics of the virtual conference.  

As you plan as a team, you will also want to talk about what information you’ll be sharing for conferences.  This is a great opportunity to hear a little bit more about their stories and share about some of the assets of the students.  

You will not have a data sheet printed from the office this year; this is intentional as Fastbridge is cautioning use of the data since it was not normed for the situation we had last spring.  Therefore, please do not share national percentiles with families, as they are unlikely to paint an accurate picture of the student’s academics.  I know that you have seen a lot of growth even since fall, and we do want to share how students are doing academically (as well as socially).  Here are some ideas of things you could share:

• Progress monitoring information (growth)

• Formative assessment data (could even be anecdotal)

• Reading behaviors or goals (instructional goals)

• Skills or things you are working on and where you are headed (or where we want them to be in this grade level)

You also might share ideas for reading at home (encourage reading at home).

If you have questions about what to share or how to share it, please reach out to Libby as she is more than happy to brainstorm.  

Update on Staffing:

A huge thank you to Paige Radue who has started the year off in 3rd Grade.  Paige has been a great addition to our team.   Katelyn Heinz will be returning November 16 - she and Paige will work together that week to "hand off' the class to Katelyn.  

Paige will be returning to us in February to cover Dani Rypka's long-term position (February through the end of the year).  We are excited that Paige will continue with us in 4th Grade! 

Upcoming Events:

November 10 - Fire Drill, 9:30am

November 10 - Staff Meeting, 2:40pm

November 11 - Veteran's Day

November 12 & 13 - Justin out at U of MN Principal's Academy

November 13 - CCT, 7:25am

November 16 - PLCs, 2:40pm (please note time)

November 16 - Welcome Back, Katelyn Heinz!  Paige and Katelyn will be working together this week

November 17 - Virtual Conferences, 3-7pm; Staff Appreciation Meal

November 19 - Virtual Conferences, 3-7pm

November 20 - No School/Conferences, 7:40-12pm

Have a great weekend!

-Justin