School Play Tryouts

Tryouts for the school play will be held on Tuesday, January 10th right after school for students 1st grade - 5th grade. Everyone that trys out will get to be in the play, but you must be willing to attend all required practices. The final performances will be in April.

If your student would like to tryout, please have them come ready to recite a short poem and a sing a song.

The play is a lot of fun, come join in!

January Calendars

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January Principal Message

What Makes a Quality School?

Quality public schools recognize that all students can learn and provide the tools, support, and connections students need to reach their full potential. Here at McKinley School, we take this very seriously. The following are some of the concepts we take seriously:

* Parent and community support: Parents and community members are actively engaged in supporting their schools in constructive ways. They hold school officials and themselves accountable for results. We feel extremely good about the support of the community. We have seen great improvement in our test scores and progress in our reading. We have many parents that volunteer in our classrooms and we are always open for more parent involvement and interaction.

* Public engagement: Educating all of our children to high standards is a collective responsibility and one that requires ongoing engagement and support of the community. Our teachers have incorporated the new language arts common core into their curriculum along with the new math concepts and have outlined the entire year with lessons and testing blocks to guide their curriculum in the correct direction. We have also added more aides in our classrooms to help in this effort.

* Qualified teachers in every classroom: Highly qualified teachers who benefit from continuous professional development strengthen teaching and learning. Every one of our teachers and aides are highly qualified and are also qualified under the No Child Left Behind Act. Many of our teachers have Master Degrees and many are currently working on higher degrees and attend extra training when it is offered. This is done on their own time and using their own money.

* Rigorous curriculum and fair assessments: A rigorous instructional program tied to high standards builds student knowledge and strengthens critical thinking skills, while fair assessments monitor progress and truly measure what students know and can do. Our teachers plan their time well and use their time well to teach what is required. We try our best to teach the whole child and appreciate any constructive criticism when it is needed.

* Safe, healthy and supportive learning environment: Safe, sound facilities and student enrichment activities create an environment where students can learn and grow. Our staff is very supportive of each other and our school has a sound learning environment that encourages student participation. All classes are active in whole group, small group, and partner instruction.

* Schools and classrooms equipped for teaching and learning: Students and staff have access to timely, relevant resources including up-to-date textbooks and current technology. All classrooms are equipped with SMARTboards and document cameras (ELMOs) and the teachers are using up-to-date information from the internet, workshops, and textbooks. Plus, 80% of our classrooms are equipped with mini computer labs and plans are in the works to have 100% of our classrooms equipped with computer labs by the end of the school year.

* Sufficient resources that help all students achieve: Student achievement is the measure of school success. Resources and teaching strategies are tied to this goal at quality public schools. Our Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) are going great! Each grade level meets weekly to discuss student growth, and are asking themselves: 1. What do we want students to learn? 2. How will we know when they have learned it? 3. What will we do if they don’t learn it? 4. What will we do once they have learned it? All grade levels are conducting either daily or weekly assessments and then following up with detailed interventions (Cougar Time) to help all students achieve their best.

Even though it sounds like we are patting ourselves on the back, I feel good about what is happening at McKinley School. This is a great place to be and we deliver high quality education. True, there are things we need to work on but as a TEAM we can do it. This includes the teachers, aides, parents, and community. As our mission statement reads: “Together Everyone Achieves More.” We’re all in this together so please drop by my office anytime and share with me any concerns, suggestions, or celebrations you might have.

As always, thanks for your help and support!

Mr. Chadaz

School Board Meeting at McKinley

On Wednesday, January 11th the Box Elder School Board will have their monthly meeting at McKinley Elementary School. This will be an opportunity for our school to show and tell of the wonderful activities happening at our school. The entire 4th grade will be sharing a couple of songs on their recorders and also singing a couple of songs. We will also be sharing a few of our successes that we have experienced these past couple of years. We invite all to come and participate in this event. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will be held in our multi-purpose room (gym).

BOGO Book Fair

PTA will be hosting a BOGO (Buy One Get One Free) Scholastic Book Fair. It will be in the gym on the stage. The schedule is as follows:

Wednesday, December 7th from 3-5 PM
Thursday, December 8th during lunch and from 3-5 PM
Friday, December 9th during lunch and from 3-5 PM

This is a great time to buy some great Christmas gifts. Come check it out.

December Calendars

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December Principal Message

Parent – Teacher Communication

I have been involved with many associations and committees and with these varied experiences I have come to realize that communication is key. When it comes to your child’s education one thing sticks out:

Parental involvement enhances student success. A first step toward involvement is communicating with your child’s teacher. Effective communication consists of meeting with the teacher, being a positive partner in the learning experience, and keeping lines of communication open. Here are a few ideas to help us all:

• Find out the best way to contact the teacher. Ask for times when it is convenient to talk. Don’t expect them to be able to talk if you happen to be at the school and run into them.
• Write short notes (written or as an e-mail, if allowed) and follow up with a phone message to the school if you don’t get a response in a few days. Be sure to include your phone number and/or e-mail address.
• Be diplomatic, especially in e-mail. Choose words carefully and avoid criticizing the teacher.
• In e-mail communication, be brief, stick to the point. Stick to school-related information in e-mail.
• Be positive and curious. Open with phrases such as “Can we talk about…?” Use “I” statements such as “I’m confused about…” so you don’t put the teacher on the defensive.
• Don’t be afraid to talk to me. I might be able to intervene if you are unable to communicate with your child’s teacher.
• Be a partner in your child’s learning. Assist with homework, help your child learn time management skills, talk about school matters at home.
• Send a note of appreciation to the teacher when things go well in class (and mention this to me).
• It may be difficult to hear what teachers have to say if they deliver bad news about your child. Try to focus on solutions and work with the teacher to come up with a healthy plan to help your child learn.
  

I can’t believe how fast this school year is going. There is so much good happening at McKinley School and thanks to our great staff, PTA, and parents we are seeing much success. This is a great place to be. Our next book fair is December 7 – 9. This might be good time to purchase a Christmas book for your child especially since its BOGO time (buy one get one free).

As usual, it there are any concerns or times for celebration, please stop in my office and visit.

Thanks, Mr. Chadaz