December 2015-2016 McKinley Elementary An International Baccalaureate Candidate School Welcome To McKinley Our Mission is to ensure high level learning for every student through collaboration, innovation and acceleration. Year 1 of IBPYP Candidacy! WELCOME WINTER! Greetings Skipper Families! Thank you for a wonderful first quarter! Our students have done a wonderful job embracing the International Baccalaureate philosophy. Over the years the district has prided itself on building knowledge through collective inquiry and professional development. We have implemented Positive Behavior Supports as well as project-based learning in our classrooms. Our staff works to develop formative assessments and collaborate as a team to ensure that we are a results-driven organization. We believe that the International Baccalaureate Program will advance deeper learning at every level and allow for trans disciplinary units of student to be implemented. In order to embrace the change for the betterment of learning, we have organized a building wide Category 1 in-school workshop for our teachers and staff. The Category 1 workshop provides insight into the basic philosophy and curricular model of the Primary Years Program. It assists in learning the program standards and practices and identifying the appropriate framework for our curriculum. Holding a site-based training at McKinley will allow for our staff to develop their personal knowledge and understanding of international-mindedness and the learner profile. For more information please see the IBPYP Update section of the newsletter. FHEVS Vision Focus on Learning We are a student-centered organization. We believe learning is constant and use proven instructional strategies for individualized instruction. We provide a rigorous and robust curriculum Collaborative Culture We build knowledge through collective inquiry and professional development. We promote innovation & critical thinking for development of global competencies and uphold the districts mission, vision, values and goals Results Oriented We monitor student progress toward specific learning targets and create data-driven environments where learning is constant. We provide feedback that is cyclical in nature and drives instructional decisions. We reflect on the results of teaching and learning. Acceleration We believe in accelerated learning for all. We use student s talents and interests to advance them to their fullest potential. We assist students in making informed academic choices.
International Baccalaureate Candidate School Update The Fairport Harbor Schools and the staff of McKinley elementary have been approved by the International Baccalaureate organization to host a Primary Year Program Level One Training in February of 2016. We have also been granted 2 waiver days by the Ohio Department Of Education to implement this innovative training. This means that the students at McKinley will have an early release day on FEB. 10. School will be dismissed early. Students will not have school on FEBRUARY 11 and 12. (Waiver days: Please note that this impacts ONLY the McKinley Students, Harding High School will have classes as usual) During that time the teachers and staff members of McKinley will receive a rigorous PYP Level 1 training from the International Baccalaureate. As a host city, we may also have other teachers who are seeking to be level 1 trained joining us from around the region or country. We are very excited for this unique experience and look forward to sharing more information with you in the future. The important thing is to not stop questioning; curiosity has it s own reason for existing Albert Einstein Parents! Please visit our Website www.fairportharborschools.org (click on Schools McKinley) for more information. Or you can visit the IB website at www.ibo.org The IB Learner Profile Spotlight CITIZENSHIP! We are Global Citizens! At McKinley we are currently focused on the traits of: KNOWLEDGABLE- I can explore new ideas about the world around me. I can increase my knowledge and understanding. CARING: I can be respectful of other people s feelings. I can act to make a positive difference in the lives of others. OPEN-MINDED: I can try to understand others and experience new things. I know that there is more than one way to look at things. 2
Spanish spot Greetings Parents! We have had an exciting Fall learning new words in Spanish. Students practice with each other how to ask and answer basic questions. They are getting very good at the basic vowel sounds. Our 3rd, 4 and 5th Grade students have been learning: th Greetings and goodbyes Numbers 0-31 & Telling ages Months & Telling the date the Alphabet & how to spell their names Days of the week and colors Please ask them to share what they have learned!! Sincerely, Senora Kozenko Join Us for Harbor Holidays! Please visit Fairport Harbor Village Hall between November 24th and December 4th to cast your vote for the grade that made the most awesome ornaments. All the decorations were diligently made by our McKinley students. They did a phenomenal job!!! So please support them and cast a ballot. Bring your children with you and have them pick a candy cane from the tree. The ballots will be counted at noon on December 4th and the winning grade will be announced at the Harbor Holiday festivities. The Mayor and Village Administrator will bring a treat to the winning grade! 3 The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery Harbor Holidays & A Day with the Grinch December 5, 2015 More than two-dozen businesses, churches, and organizations participate in this Village-wide event featuring ethnic foods, arts, crafts, shopping, games and more. From 11 AM to 4 PM, the Grinch will be on the loose stealing presents from participating businesses and organizations to give to Toys for Tots. Activities continue until 6 PM, when the Grinch climbs the lighthouse to read the Dr. Seuss classic tale, How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Afterwards, children can pose for photos with the Grinch, Max and Santa at Veteran s Park and enjoy hot chocolate and cookies at Fairport Harbor Congregational Church. Events are free
New OR Noteworthy! PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR CHILD IS DRESSED FOR THE WEATHER EACH DAY! Even though it may feel warmer inland, the lake breezes often reduce the temperature by several degrees. As a school, we monitor temperatures closely but students WILL go outside if weather permits. While we pay careful attention to the falling temperatures throughout the school day, we WILL go outside in cold or light snow. Students should come to school prepared to go outside in various conditions. (Hat, coat, gloves and boots) Also, please discuss with your child the importance of not sharing hats with friends. If your child is in need of winter clothing articles due to financial hardship (such as warm coat) please contact the main office. Visitors- All visitors are required to sign in at the main office. PLEASE DO NOT PROP the doors. Please help us keep our learning environment secure! Attendance At McKinley we have high expectations for our students and honor our instructional time. We appreciate that you get your child to school on time daily. If your child reaches 10 absences in a semester you are required to meet with the attendance committee before your child will be granted credit for the semester in order to determine what interventions are necessary to ensure learning time is not lost. New Contact Information- Please go to the Newsletters section of the Fairport Harbor Website and sign-up for the weekly newsletter! The weekly newsletter is sent on MONDAY of each week by Mrs.Polak and can only be read online. It contains reminders for the upcoming week! Also please note that our district contact info has changed! You can contact your child s teacher at firstinitiallastname@fhevs.org PTO News * Thank you to everyone who sent in donations for the Forbes House, ordered from our fall fundraiser, and helped at our classroom parties! We hope you have a safe and cozy winter break! PTO dates and happenings for December: Dec2-5 Santa Shop Dec 5 Harbor Holidays Dec 10 PTO mtg @ Rego's Dec 14 PTO Holiday Skating Party Dec 18th is the last day to send in Forbes House donations- The complete wish list can be found at www.forbeshouse.org Dec 18 holiday classroom parties Example: jpolak@fhevs.org 4
IB PYP Dear Parents, I am happy to report that our progress with the International Baccalaureate program is going very well. We are working with our wonderful students on introducing the IB Learner Profile Attributes. During the first months of school, the students learned that by being principled and reflective, we are demonstrating our honesty. Currently we are reinforcing the idea of citizenship. Our global kids are busy demonstrating the attributes of knowledge, caring and open- mindedness. Hopefully your child has been sharing with you about our Positive Referral Shout- Outs and our IB assemblies where we recognize our students who exemplify the focus attributes. Later in the Spring, McKinley will hold an International Baccalaureate night, where parents and community members can learn more about the journey we are taking on our path to becoming an IB World School. If you have any questions, please contact me through email at srowan@fhevs.org, or feel free to call and leave a voicemail at (440) 354-5400 ext. 208. Best Regards, Sabrina Rowan, IB PYP Coordinator PBS Dear parents, I am thrilled to announce our pride in our McKinley students as they embrace the characteristics of the McKinley moto - Honesty, Citizenship, Dedication, Responsibility and its relation to the Learner Attributes as we are immersed in the IB philosophy. Students continue to be specifically taught the expectations and receive consistent positive reinforcement to always be aware of their words and actions as global citizens through emphasis of the character traits and learner attributes through our school wide token economy, McBucks. We just recently celebrated our successes through our November movie event where students earned an afternoon watching the movie Inside- out and enjoying a goody bag. We also had a Christmas tree challenge where each class earned ornaments for demonstrating our character traits and learner attributes in all areas of school life ( classroom, lunchroom, specials, recess, etc). The class with the most ornaments will earn a trip to the tree nursery to pick out a tree for McKinley Elementary. We are so proud of our students at McKinley for not only exemplifying the McKinley Motto and learner attributes but also teaching others how to pay it forward by their words and actions. We continually strive to help our students learn the value of not only being a global citizen, but, also help others demonstrate those qualities as well. Honesty Principled - Act with integrity and honesty. Show respect for the dignity and rights of people everywhere. Reflective- Thoughtfully consider the world and our own ideas and experiences. Work to understand our strengths in order to support our learning and personal development. Citizenship Knowledgeable- Explore concepts, ideas and issues with local and global significance. Acquire knowledge and develop understanding. Caring- Show empathy, compassion and respect. Have commitment and act to make a positive difference. Open-Minded- Critically appreciate our own culture as well as the values and traditions of others. Seek and evaluate others points of view. Kindest Regards, Mrs. Michelle Nizen, Academic Coach mnizen@fhevs.org 5
SAVE THE DATE! November Calendar Important Dates This Month: Dec2-5 Santa Shop Dec 5 Harbor Holidays Dec 10 5th grade Band Concert Dec 10 PTO Meeting @ Rego s Dec 14 PTO skating party Dec 16 K-2 Holiday Concert 6:30pm Dec 18 holiday classroom party 2pm Sunday Monday Tuesday Nov 30 6 7 Wednesday 1 8 Thursday Friday Saturday 2 3 4 5 Santa Shop Santa Shop Santa Shop Harbor Holidays!! 12-4pm 9 10 5th grade Band Concert 7pm 11 12 18 19 PTO Meeting @Regos 13 14 15 Board Meeting 7pm 16 K-2 Holiday Concert 6:30pm 17 Holiday Parties 2pm PTO Holiday Skating Party 20 21 No School Through Jan 3 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 1JAN 2JAN CLASSES RESUME Jan 4