McKinley Monthly
October 2020
From the Principal
Welcome back to school! The McKinley staff is a dedicated and caring staff that enthusiastically looks ahead to the new school year. This year, especially! I would like to extend a special welcome to all new students and families. We are glad you have joined us at McKinley. The staff has worked collaboratively to identify values that we want people to think of when they hear McKinley Elementary. Thank you for working with us to use these words and actions in your daily activities.
THE WILDCAT WAY
We are CARING
We are RESPECTFUL
We are RESPONSIBLE
We are SAFE
We are McKinley
Thanks to Heat Transfer Warehouse!
Counselor's Corner
Hello and welcome back to school! This year has been tough on everybody, whether it’s figuring out the technology, adjusting to a new schedule, or wondering when we’ll get our ‘normalcy” back. Please continue to take care of yourselves (mentally, physically, and emotionally) and reach out to me for any questions or needs. We’re all in this together!
I have enjoyed popping into classrooms to say hello. This school year the kids will be watching videos of the counseling lessons in their classrooms and then I will be coming in to do a follow-up activity. I’m still available to meet with kids and help them with their social-emotional needs. Please don’t hesitate to contact me at: office #446-5217 or linnelj@fargo.k12.nd.us
Coats for Kids and Families
- Individuals can apply for the voucher and be able to pick up the coats at the same time.
- Includes “gently used” winter items such as coats, hats, mittens, snow pants, and boots for kids and families.
- Head of household must bring in a photo ID and a Social Security card for each member of their household who wants to receive a coat, hat, or gloves.
- Individuals can also register for the holiday food boxes during the distribution.
**Photo ID and social security card required for these registrations**
2020 Distribution:
October 1st-30th 9am-4pm
**By appointment only** please call 701-232-5565
304 Roberts Street Fargo, ND
Located one block north of the Federal Building (located near a bus stop)
Parent Involvement Plan
Involvement
McKinley Elementary shall:
In the fall, hold an annual meeting with parents of participating Title I children. The purpose of this meeting is to inform parents of the requirements of Title I and their right to be involved:
- Hold at McKinley Elementary in the evening.
Offer a flexible number of meetings, such as meetings in the morning or evening, and may provide with funds provided under this part, transportation, or child care, as such services relate to parental involvement.
- Meet with the parents twice a year at conferences – October and February
- Get input from parents at the Fall Parent meeting.
- Hold phone conferences if needed
Involve parents, in an organized, ongoing and timely way, in the planning, review and improvement of programs under this part, including planning, review and improvement of the school parental involvement policy.
- Parent Meetings.
- Annual Review meeting scheduled in the spring.
- Parent Surveys sent home in the spring.
- Information is shared throughout the year via letters, conferences, newsletters and phone calls.
Provide parents of participating children:
- Timely information about Title I programs.
- A description and explanation of the curriculum in use at the school, the forms of academic assessment used to measure student progress, and the proficiency levels students are expected to meet.
- If requested by parents, opportunities for regular meetings to formulate suggestions and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their children and respond to any such suggestions as soon as practically possible.
- Include Newsletters, Reading Logs, Math Journals, meetings, progress reports, notes and information given on the Title I curriculum involving Reading and Math.
If the school-wide program plan is not satisfactory to the parents of participating children, submit any parent comments on the plan when the school makes the plan available to the local educational agency.
Shared Responsibilities for High Student Academic Achievement
McKinley Elementary shall jointly develop with parents for all children served in Title I a school-parent compact. This compact outlines how parents, the entire school staff and students will share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement.
- The School-Parent Compact is part of this policy.
- The actual compact will be given to each Title I parent for review and feedback.
Building Capacity for Involvement
To ensure effective involvement of parents and to support a partnership among the school involved, parents and the community, to improve student academic achievement, each school and local educational agency assisted under this part…
McKinley Elementary shall provide assistance to the parents of children served by the school or local educational agency, as appropriate, in understanding such topics as the State’s academic content standards and the State student academic achievement standards, State and local academic assessments, the requirements of this part, and how to monitor a child’s progress and work with educators to improve the achievement of their children.
- Share academic and achievement standards such as school-wide newsletter, progress reports, parent-teacher conferences and other conferences as needed.
- Parent meetings.
- Information is shared throughout the year via letters, conferences, newsletters and phone calls.
- Reading Logs, Multiplication Fact Practice Sheet.
- Encourage meetings with the Title I teacher to discuss specific ways in which parents can assist their children to progress.
McKinley Elementary shall provide materials and training to help parents to work with their children to improve their children’s achievement, such as literacy training and using technology, as appropriate, to foster parental involvement.
- Model techniques at parent meetings and conferences.
- Instructional books and games provided to parents.
- Leveled book list for at home reading.
- Provide materials for drill and practice (ex. Flashcards).
McKinley Elementary shall be involved with educating school personnel with the assistance of parents, in the value of parent contributions, and in how to reach out to, communicate with, and work with parents as equal partners, implement and coordinate parent programs, and build ties between parents and the school.
- Title I teachers will pass along information gained through professional development to parents, faculty/staff, principal by handouts, meetings and conferences, newsletters and staff meetings.
McKinley Elementary shall, to the extent feasible and appropriate, support parent involvement programs and activities with Head Start, Even Start, the Home Instruction Programs for Preschool youngsters, the Parents as Teachers Program, public preschool and other programs, and may develop other activities, such as parent resource centers, that encourage and support parents to more fully participate in the education of their children.
- School Nurse and counselor.
- Distribute parent information at conferences.
- Newsletter to communicate to parents about community resources.
McKinley Elementary shall ensure that information related to school and parent programs, meetings and other activities is sent to the parents of participating children in a format and to the extent practicable in a language parents can understand.
- Translators are used to translate oral and written language as needed.
- Informational materials are advised for content readability.
- Information is provided orally when written materials are unsuitable.
Involve parents in the development of training for teachers, principals and other educators to improve the effectiveness of such training.
- Parents may be involved in the professional development committee.
- Title I teachers are members of the McKinley PTA.
- School board meetings are open to the public.
May provide necessary literacy training from Title I fund if the district has exhausted all other reasonable available sources of funding for such training.
May pay reasonable and necessary expenses associated with local Title I parental involvement activities, including transportation and child care costs, to enable parents to participate in school-related meetings and training sessions.
May train parents to enhance the involvement of other parents.
May arrange school meetings at a variety of times, or conduct in-home conferences between teachers or other educators, who work directly with participating children, with parents who are unable to attend such conferences at school in order to maximize parental involvement and participation.
- Teachers are available and respond in a timely manner.
May adopt and implement model approaches to improving parental involvement.
May establish a district parent advisory council to provide advice on all matters related to parent involvement activities.
Shall provide other reasonable support for parental involvement activities under this as parents may request.
- Provide parents with websites that will enrich their child’s academic skills.
- Send home Reading Connection and DynaMath monthly.
Accessibility
The district and schools shall provide full opportunities for the participation of parents with children with limited English proficiency, parents with children with disabilities and parents of migrant children. The district and schools will provide information and school reports, when practicable in a format and language parents can understand.
Translators are available upon request.
McKinley Elementary resources on staff include: Physical Therapist, Occupational Therapist, Speech-Language Therapist, Learning disabilities Teacher and a Special Education Teacher who assists student with emotional/behavior needs. These teachers act as resources for parents and students.
COVID-19 School Attendance Guidelines
Dispute Resolution Policy
Federal regulations require that each district adopt procedures for receiving and resolving disputes pertaining to Title programs.
If a parent, school personnel or any interested person wishes to file a complaint, the following process must be followed:
The written complaint must be sent via mail or e-mail to:
(Manager of Specific Title program)
Fargo Public Schools
415 North 4th Street
Fargo, ND 58102
Fargo Public Schools Title Managers
Title I Part A (Disadvantaged Students) Jan Andersonanderja@fargo.k12.nd.us
Title II Part A (Teacher Training/Recruitment) Robert Groszgroszr@fargo.k12.nd.us
Missy Eidsnesseidsnem@fargo.k12.nd.us
Title III (English Language Acquisition) David Burkmanburkmad@fargo.k12.nd.us
Title IX (Discrimination/Sexual Harassment) Brad Franklinfranklb@fargo.k12.nd.us
Patty Cummingscumminp1@fargo.k12.nd.us
Section 504 (Students with Disabilities) David Burkmanburkmad@fargo.k12.nd.us
Any complaint must include:
• The date;
• The name of the district, unit, or individual the complaint is against;
• The name, address, and telephone number of the person making the complaint;
• A detailed description of the complaint, including specific facts; and
• The signature of the person making the complaint.
When a complaint is filed, the appropriate Fargo Public Schools Title Manager will investigate and issue a written response within sixty (60) calendar days from the date the complaint is received.
Reconsideration
Once a response is received from Fargo Public Schools staff, the person making the complaint has the right to have their complaint reconsidered. The complainant may submit a reconsideration request in writing to the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction and the U.S. Department of Education.
State Superintendent The Secretary of Education
North Dakota Department of Public Instruction U.S. Department of Education
600 E. Boulevard Avenue, Dept 201 555 New Jersey Avenue NW
Bismarck, ND 58505-0440 Washington, D.C. 20208
7/2016
Revised 7/2017, 7/2018
School-Parent Compact
Title I and the parents of students participating in activities, services and programs funded by Title I agree that this compact outlines how they will share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement and the means by which the school and parents will build and develop a partnership that will help children achieve the State’s high standards.
This school-parent compact is in effect during the 2020-2021 school year.
School’s Responsibilities
McKinley Elementary will:
1. Provide high-quality curriculum and instruction in a supportive and effective learning environment that enables the participating children to meet the state’s student academic achievement standards as follows:
- Provide curriculum and supplemental instruction at an appropriate level
- Provide alternative methods of instruction
- Use research-based methods and curriculum
- Teach to the standards and benchmarks
- Provide a caring, small group setting with differentiated instruction
2. Hold parent-teacher conferences, during which title teachers will be available to discuss this compact as it relates to the individual child’s achievement. Specifically, these conferences will be held in conjunction with the District calendar of parent-teacher conferences held twice a year:
- Beginning of Year: Three different dates in November
- Midyear: Three different dates in February
3. Provide parents with frequent reports on their children’s progress. Specifically, the school will provide reports as follows:
- Progress Report: Conferences and end of year
The school may provide additional reports as follows:
- Informal notes of progress
- Phone calls and or email
- Conferences as needed
- Reading logs
4. Provide parents reasonable access to staff. Specifically, staff will be available for consultation with parents as follows:
- Phone calls: 446-5200. Please leave a message with the office staff and the teacher will return your call in a timely way
- Email addresses can be found on the Fargo Public Schools website
- Individual meetings by appointment
5. Provide regular communication to parents.
- Monthly newsletters will be sent home from school administration
- Teachers will send home weekly monthly newsletters
6. Provide parents opportunities to volunteer and participate in their child’s class, and to observe classroom activities as follows:
- Encourage open-door policy for visiting the classroom. Please call ahead to make arrangements
- Encourage parent volunteers
- Invite parents to observe a Reading Recovery®, Title I or classroom lesson
Parent’s Responsibilities
Parent’s will:
We, as parents, will support our children’s learning in the following ways:
- Getting my child to school on time each day
- Making sure that homework is complete
- Attending parent-teacher conferences
- Limiting the amount of time my child watches TV and plays electronic games
- Volunteering in my child’s classroom/school
- Participating, as appropriate, in decisions relating to my child’s education
- Promoting positive use of my child’s free time
- Reading and responding to communication from school in a timely manner
- Participating, if possible, in whole school activities and/or organizations as available
Parents Right to Know
Dear Parents,
In compliance with the requirements of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) McKinley Elementary would like to inform you that you may request information about the professional qualifications of your student’s teacher(s) or instructional paraprofessional(s).
A. The following information may be requested for teacher(s):
- Whether the teacher has met McKinley teacher certification requirements for the grade level and subject areas in which the teacher provides instruction.
- Whether the teacher is teaching under an emergency or other provisional status through which Washington qualifications or certification criteria have been waived.
- The college major and any graduate certification or degree held by the teacher.
- Whether the student is provided services by paraprofessionals, and if so, their qualifications.
B. The following information may be requested for instructional paraprofessional(s):
Paraprofessionals must work under the supervision of a certified teacher. In schools that operate a schoolwide program, all paraprofessionals must meet professional qualifications. In a Targeted Assistance program, any paraprofessional who is the direct supervision of a certificated teacher must meet the professional qualifications.
Paraeducators can provide a copy of their high school diploma — transcripts are not necessary. Schools that operate a Title I, Part A program must have a high school diploma or GED and completed the following:
1. Completed at least two years of study at an institution of higher education; or
2. Obtained an associate’s or higher degree; or
3. Pass the ETS ParaPro Assessment. The assessment measures skills, and content knowledge related to reading, writing and math;
4. Completed previously the apprenticeship requirements and must present a journeycard or certificate. The portfolio and apprenticeships are no longer offered for enrollment; however, the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) will continue to honor this pathway.
If you wish to request information concerning your child’s teacher’s and instructional paraprofessional’s qualification, please contact Cheryl Janssen at 701-446-5200.
McKinley Elementary
Jill Linnell, Counselor
Romelle Speral, Administrative Assistant
Website: www.fargo.k12.nd.us/mckinley
Location: McKinley Elementary School, 8th Street North, Fargo, ND, USA
Phone: 701.446.5200