October 30 Update

Happy Friday, everyone!  It sounds like it's going to be a nicer weekend -  I hope you can get outside!

We've got a lot going on - and I can tell emotions and stress are high in the building.  Please make sure you are taking some time for you, as well as checking on and supporting your colleagues.  We all go through situations differently - as the picture above outlines.  Take care of YOU! 

Coming your Way - Jokesgiving! (read this!)

On November 24, we will celebrate "Jokesgiving!"  This is a time for staff to have fun and engage with each other.  Each of you are on teams - check out this document for more information!   

Upcoming Events:

November 2- PLCs

November 3- Go Vote!

November 5- Happy Birthday, Sue Marquardt!  

November 5 - Staff Food Truck, 10:30-1:00pm

November 5- End of 1st Quarter

November 6 - No School - Teacher Professional Development Day

November 10 - Staff Meeting, 2:40pm

November 10 - Fire Drill, 9:30am

November 16 - PLCs

November 17 - Virtual Conferences, 3-7pm 

November 19 - Virtual Conferences, 3-7pm

November 20 - NO SCHOOL/Virtual Conferences, 7:40-12:00pm

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

-Justin

October 23 Update

Good morning!
Ready or not, winter arrived this week!  

This quote is a great reminder for us all.   We often get bogged down on the negatives - our ever-growing to-do list, the lack of engagement from some students, COVID, etc.  We let those ideas drain our energy.  Over the next 24 hours, take some self-reflection time and focus on everything you've tackled - accomplished- and succeeded with over the last 3 months.  Your celebrations may range from huge things to much smaller self accomplishments.  Take the time to acknowledge all of these.  We have taken a situation that was impossible and made it work - and done well in the process.  Take some time to celebrate your strength and celebrations - and reflect back on how far you've come in only a month and a half of school! 

Staff Meeting Agenda

We are looking forward to collaborating as a distance learning team at our staff meeting next week.  Earlier this week, the staff meeting agenda was sent out.  Please be sure to come prepared to the meeting by:

• Reading pages 102-111 in the Distance Learning Playbook.

• Completing your Continuum of Engagement by making a copy and filling in your students where you feel they are the majority of the time.

• Being prepared to share a formative assessment that you have used.

Jokesgiving - SAVE THE DATE!

Back by popular demand - our second annual "Jokesgiving 2020!" On Tuesday, November 24, you and your assigned team create fun jokes and pranks (work appropriate!). Please let me know by Tuesday if you are not interested. I promise it's a good time - nothing to stress about! Staff had a great time last year - we were silly and had fun all day long!

Click this link to read about Jokesgiving 2020!

Upcoming Events:

10/26 - Red Ribbon Week

10/26 - School Board Meeting, 5:30pm

10/27 - Lockdown Practice, 10:00am

10/28 - Success Coaches are in a meeting, 8-12pm

10/28 - Common Planning for K, 1, 2, 3, and 5th Grade

10/29 - Common Planning for 4th Grade

10/29 - K, 1, and 2nd Grade Engagement Meetings (we will come to your room)

10/30 - 3, 4, and 5th Grade Engagement Meetings (we will come to your room)

10/30 - Child Collaboration Team (CCT), 7:25am

10/30 - PLC Goals need to be entered to Standards for Success

11/2 - Optional Tech PD with Kenneth, 12:00pm (virtual)

11/2 - PLCs, 2:40pm

11/3- Election Day - go Vote!

11/3 - DL Collaboration Time, 12:00pm

11/5 - End of 1st Quarter (reminder - no report card)

11/6 - No School - Teacher Workday

11/10 - Staff Meeting, 2:30pm in Learning Studio

11/10 - Fire Drill, 9:30am

I hope you have a relaxing, enjoyable weekend with those you love!

-Justin

October 14 Update

Good morning!  Happy "Friday"! 

We made it!  The blog this week is pretty short - but has some important things in it.  

Self Care - This Long Weekend:

It's been a great start to the school year  - it thrills me to see you and our scholars together and learning!  This start has also created more stress and emotion than any other year.  We don't want to end up saying this...

Please take some time over this long weekend to take care of YOU!  Sleep in, don't get out of your pajamas, have lunch with a friend... anything that takes care of YOU!  Don't set any expectations for the day - just roll with it!  

I care about you and your health.  Please take some time this weekend to relax, rejuvenate, and refresh yourself.  You deserve every minute of it!  

Check out some ideas on how to take care of YOU

Upcoming Events:

Oct 19 - PLC's, 2:40pm

Oct 20 - DL Collaboration Meeting, 12:00pm

Oct 21 - Common Planning for K, 1, 2, 3, and 5th Grade

Oct 21 - District Flu Shot Clinic, OHS from 3-6pm

Oct 22 - Common Planning for 4th Grade

Oct 22 - District Flu Shot Clinic, OMS from 3:15-6:15pm

Oct 23 - CCT Meeting, 7:25am

Oct 26 - School Board Meeting, 5:30pm

Oct 27 - Staff Meeting in Learning Studio, 2:30-3:30pm

Oct 28 - Lockdown Practice, 10:00am (please note this is during a learning block!)

Oct 30 - PLC Goals are due!  

Nov 2- PLCs, 2:40pm

Nov 5- End of 1st Quarter (remember, this is not a grading period)

Nov 6 - NO SCHOOL - Teacher Workday 

I'm honored to be on this journey with you - creating new educational programming for our learners.  We work hard, we play hard, we have fun.  Now is the time to turn school off and focus on you and your family.  I hope you can enjoy some time for just YOU!  You deserve it.

-Justin

Friday, October 9 Update

 Happy Friday!! 

I know we have those days - days we are exhausted and have nothing left to give.  Keep this and remind yourself - you made someone smile and feel loved.  This hasn't been the easiest start to a year, has it?  One thing remains constant - we have our students WITH US and they are loved.  And, that matters a lot.  

Emails/Deadlines:

Just a friendly (and frustrated) reminder to fully read your emails and honor deadlines.  I feel we do a great job of communicating and over communicating.  We need you to follow through with fully reading emails and meeting deadlines.  I am having to go back in and check things and re-send information.  We have to fully read emails and get deadlines set in our calendars.   

Teacher Clarity

“Do your students know what they are supposed to be learning? Or do they see the class as a list of things to do? There is a big difference between these two. When students know what they are expected to learn, they are more likely to learn it.”

These sentences have caught my attention in The Distance Learning Playbook multiple times. When I think of things I’ve embedded into PD in Google Classroom in the past or used with students online, I feel a pang of guilt thinking about the “list of things to do” part...guilty! :s What a great reminder that when students know their end goal, their focus and understanding gain depth as they move through connected practice. 

Check out this brief reminder for teachers and a connection for families around clarity from The Distance Learning Playbook and The Distance Learning Playbook for Parents!

Social Media:

Below are some tips and guidelines around using social media with students.  If you are not using social media, now is the time.  Make an account for your class and share the great things you are doing - and our story!  If you aren't, now is the time.  I find Twitter to be a great way to reach families.  Also, don't forget to be sending pictures to socialmedia@isd761.org.  

Attendance Update:

Just a reminder - we are taking attendance once during the day (still the plan as of now).  If you have a student who is leaving live sessions early (or showing up late), please share that information with Selena. She will code this appropriately in Campus (so we know they left at a certain time).  Again, we don't need to watch every minute.  But, if you have students who are chronically missing - or missing significant amounts of your instruction - please let her know.  We code this on our end.  

Google Tech Toolkit:

Kenneth Griswold recently shared a Google Tech Toolkit. This is a great document with family-friendly information regarding Google.  This may be something you consider sharing with your families, if you haven't already.  

Tech Toolkit for Families and Guardians- Google for Education

Upcoming Events:

October 13 - Invite Only Conferences, 2:50-6:50pm

October 14 - Common Planning (K, 1, 2, 3, & 5th Grade)

October 15 & 16 - NO SCHOOL - Go RELAX! 

October 19 - Welcome Back!  PLCs, 2:40pm

October 20 - DL Collaboration, 12:00pm

October 21 - Common Planning (K, 1, 2, 3, & 5th Grade)

October 21 - District Flu Clinic, 3-6pm at OHS

October 22 - District Flu Clinic, 3:15-6:15pm at OMS

October 22- Common Planning (4th Grade)

October 23 - Child Collaboration Team, 7:25am

It's going to be a beautiful weekend!  Put the computer and resources away and get outside - enjoy those you LOVE!  Go recharge!   - Justin

October 2 Update

 Happy Friday, Educators!

Check-In:

We are four weeks in - it's time to check in on YOU!  Please complete the survey below.  It's designed around a 3-2-1 response.  Please include 3 responses for the 3 question, 2 responses for the 2 questions, and 1 response for the 1 question.  Please complete this by Wednesday, October 7.  Thank you! 

Click here to access the Check In Form 

Assessments:

Thank you for the great learning work we had on Tuesday around formative assessment using Catlin Tucker's course (click for slides and notes).  As we know, this will be a great area of growth for us all - we are re-designing education!  Please continue to build in those checks for understanding and formative assessments - it's critical we know if and where students' learning is at.  If you need help with this, the coaches, Ann, or myself would love to help.

Just a reminder - we do not do a formal grading for quarter 1 (no report card).  We will grade in quarters 2, 3, and 4. 

Guest Blog - 

I found this on a principal's blog and thought I'd share....

Office Hours Reinvented

In the spring, we suddenly had the added schedule item of "office hours."  We tried to make ourselves available for our students and parents.  And now, this year, as we begin the year remote, our "office hours" can at times feel like they are taking over our lives.  I know I have spoken to some of you and you are making calls to parents late at night or you are answering tech questions and brainstorming over the phone throughout the day or you are up early responding to the never ending emails.  During this new way of teaching, our jobs can easily become 24/7.

But that is not sustainable.  That is certainly not an expectation, being available at every hour of the day.  And it has the potential to very quickly burn us all out.  

So I propose a new requirement.  I am calling this new expectation "family hours."  I expect that we all set aside some time each day designated to "family hours."  During this part of our schedule, we cannot answer emails, we cannot call parents, we cannot plan lessons.  This is a time to do something for yourself unrelated to work.  This is a time to spend with your family.  This is a time for you to fill your emotional cup back up.  

I need to be the example.  I need to model "family hours" for all of you.  I recognize that I will have a mental breakdown if I continue to physically leave work, but mentally keep bringing it home with me.  I plan on scheduling this time on my calendar so that I have a visual reminder to focus on self care every single day.  I am thinking I may even add it to my email signature so everyone knows.  I propose that you all do the same thing.  Give yourself the time.  I need you and our students need you this whole year, through the good, the bad and the ugly.  Set some limits.  Do not work 24/7.  Schedule in "family hours."  

You are the best staff around.  I expect the best and want the best.  You don't want or deserve what's left of me.  So I don't want what's left of you.  Time to reinvent our office hours.  Family hours.  Pencil it in.  Schedule it into Google calendar.  Turn off your notifications.  Take care of you.

Hashtags & Twitter:

First, if you are still not on Twitter, now is the time!  Not only is it a great way to share what you are doing, but it's an amazing professional development for educators.  I learn something new every time I log on!  If you tweet with something you are doing, please use the following hashtags:  

#761distancelearning - to share things specific to our program.  

#owatonnaproud - to share things, district-wide, you are proud of.  Our social media company watches this hashtag and uses it for retweets and marketing.  

If you do tweet, please make sure you are not showing students' last names.  

Paper Copies:

Please watch the amount of paper copies you are making - at the copy machine and sending to Offset.  With us being distance learning, there should not be large quantities of copies being made or sent away.  When we end up doing a material pick up (more info coming soon), we will need to possibly send things home.  

Upcoming Events: 

Make sure you add the Distance Learning Calendar - this will be updated with events! 

October 7- Lockdown Practice, 8:45am (know where you should go if a lockdown happens)

October 8 - Fire Drill, 12:30pm

October 9 - CCT Meeting, 7:25am

October 12- School Board Work Session, 5:30pm

October 13 - Save for Invite-Only Conferences

October 15 & 16- MEA Break, NO SCHOOL

October 19- PLCs, 2:40pm

October 21 & 22 - District Flu Clinic for staff

I hope you have a great weekend - go do something for YOU!

Justin

September 25 Update

Happy Friday, Distance Learning Teachers!

I hope you had another great week of learning and relationships!   It's been great to see the routines and relationships continue to strengthen...

Google Meets - Virtual Whiteboard:

Below is a tweet from our Technology Department regarding a virtual whiteboard that is built into Google Meet.  If you need assistance with this, feel free to connect with Brent or Libby.  Also, if you aren't on Twitter yet, now is your time!  Twitter is an amazing spot to learn new ideas, share resources, and collaborate. It's free- join today! 

Mindset:

Please don't forget about the power of your mindset.  I recently came across the below quote - "deficit mindset is like an oil spill - it coats every organism, it obscures beauty, it does great harm to the environment, and it's tedious to clean up."  Please remember this as we enter into the 20-21 school year.  If your mindset looks for deficits, you will find it.  But, your thinking also impacts the environment and "beauty" of McKinley.   You are responsible for the mindset you bring to McKinley each day!  :)

Student Concerns:

Thank you for your flexibility as we teach and support students (and families) on distance learning.  Our big rock was getting families on during live times; this has become more routine.  We are now moving into supporting those students who are having issues - engagement, not joining all live sessions, and those not doing independent work.   Based on our meeting yesterday, we are asking you to complete the spreadsheet with those students you are most concerned about.  Next week, Ann and I will be meeting to go through the students and develop plans.  

Making Phone Calls: 

Thank you for your committment to making sure our students are present and engaged.  I know this is a new struggle - we appreciate you not giving up on these learners!

Just a friendly reminder to try another communication tool if families are unresponsive to email.  If you email and a family doesn't respond within 24-36 hours, please call home.  I know this isn't always something ideal; however, we really need regular communication with families (including phone calls).  If you have concerns, please use the Check and Connect time to establish a meeting with the family.  If you want Ann or I to attend, we'd be glad to.  

If you have called and a family is still not responsive, we will assist you.  However, Ann, Steph, Selena, or I should not be the first call home - unless it's a unique situation.  We do need you to call.  

Upcoming Events:

9/29 - Distance Learning Staff Meeting @ 2:30pm

9/30 - Justin out at meeting, 8:30-10:30am; Common planning times for K, 1, 2, 3, and 5th Grade

10/1 - Justin out all day at U of MN; 4th Grade common planning

10/1 - Distance Learning Picture Day (for those who have not taken pictures) @ 2:30-5:00pm at McKinley

10/2- Justin out all day at U of MN; Child Collaboration Team Meeting @ 7:25am

I hope you are able to relax and recharge this weekend - enjoy your weekend!

-Justin

September 18 Update

Happy Friday, Distance Learning!  

I hope you've had a great week of learning with your students! 

Student-First Language:
Have you ever heard people say that your words and beliefs become our actions?  Well, it's true.  There is research to support that the way a teacher talks about a student becomes the belief they have of that student.  And, as we know, your beliefs are translated to action as an educator.  One of my favorite quotes is below - something I live by each and every day.  

You may think - "oh, it's just words".  Well, you are right and wrong.  It is words.  However, those words program your brain to think a certain way - and start to act in a certain way.  I'm going to challenge each of you to watch the words you use over the next week, particularly when describing students.  I'm going to challenge you to use student-first language.  Instead of saying "EL Student", or "Special Education Student" or "low student", think about the student first.  It's a "student who receives EL services" or a "student who is on IEP" or a "student who is struggling with a concept".  If we believe every one of our scholars is a student-first, the services or labels come second.  This alone wires you brain to see them as a student which raises the expectations for our learners.  

I challenge you - watch the words you are using this week.  If you use "student first", you start to see each of our learners as a student, with the services second.  This thinking will ultimately become your beliefs which become your actions!  

Fun Virtual Games & Activities:

I found this on Twitter last week.  There are some fun games and activities for morning meetings or transitions.  Use if you'd like (click pic to enlarge)! 

Student Engagement:

As we know, students need to find relevance in their learning.  This can often times be a big challenge when instruction is done virtually.  We want learning to engage students from the minute they begin.  Please remember the Teaching and Learning Coaches are available to help you with this.  Engagement requires a lot of planning and preparation!

If you have students you are struggling with to engage, let us know.  I'm hoping that my visit to morning meetings will help remind students that this IS school and that there are grades.  However, we are here to help you if a student is not completing learning activities or not engaging in the live sessions.  Let us know!  

Self-Care:

We give and give all day long.  Often times, our battery light is flashing by the end of the day.   Please don't forget to take care of you!  Please monitor and respond to your own needs  - you can't pour from an empty cup!  If you are looking for ideas, here's a great graphic..

Upcoming Events:

9/21-9/28 - Justin is joining morning meetings (sign up!)

9/21- Grading and Assessment Discussion (2-2:40pm, virtual)

9/21 - PLCs 

9/22- DL Collaboration, 12:00pm

9/23 - Common Planning for Kdg, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 5th Grade

9/24 - Common Planning for 4th Grade

9/24 - DL Collaboration, 12:00pm

9/25 - Child Collaboration Team (CCT) Meeting, 7:25am

9/29 - Distance Learning Staff Meeting, 2:30pm

October 1 - Guided Groups begin!  

I hope you have a great, relaxing weekend! Do something to take care of YOU! 
-Justin and Ann