2016-2017 Wellstone Weekly

3-27-2017
2016-2017 Wellstone Weekly

Calendar
Monday 3/27
No Staff Meeting
Printer is down. Keep your laptops open.

Tuesday 3/28
Suzan out of building

Wednesday 3/29
ILT 3:10-4:00 B107

Thursday 3/30
SET 3:10-4:00 AB105

Friday 3/31
RECORD KEEPING-Licensed Staff- NO STUDENTS

Update for the week

Greeting from Anaheim CA!

Dan Aamot and I are here at the ASCD conference, and our panel presentation went very well
yesterday. We have had the chance to spend time with Ken Simon from World Savvy as well. I
wanted to provide a few updates since I won't be in this next week.

Update 1
Based on teacher feedback, I am moving up the process of teacher teams for 2017-2018. One
important piece of feedback that I appreciate is the need to know teams soon, so teachers can start
collaborating and planning. Know that teams will have support in collaboration through professional
development and planning time, so it is wonderful that teachers are thinking ahead. We have the pilot
team as our site-based group to bounce off ideas, and Gaylea is very much committed to ensuring
teams start off on the right foot.
A growth mindset is absolutely necessary in teams for next year. This may mean adjustments to
curriculum, instruction, assessment, and grading. The ILT has been working on reviewing an assessing
collaboration levels on teams, and we know this is an area of growth. All instructional staff need to
own the improvement in collaboration as we move forward into next year as this will be a firm
expectation. This also means rebooting how we talk and listen to each other during team time, how we
acknowledge each other's space, what we expect of ourselves and others as well as the building-wide
focus of collaborative and interdisciplinary projects. Team expectations will be tight so there is more
time for student-centered conversation around student work.

Here is the process for Teacher Team Assignments

Timeline
Team Draft from principal is given on Monday, March 27th to Leadership Team
Draft is sent out to staff from leadership team by Tuesday, March 28th
Staff gives feedback by Wednesday, March 29th
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Leadership Team available to meet with any teachers on Monday-Wednesday

ILT meets on Wednesday to approve Teams (this should be the only agenda on ILT since it the last
week of the quarter
Teams are published by Friday, March 31st.
By April 14th, team leads will be selected
First Leadership Meeting will be full day in April (TBD)
Leadership Team
Aimee Fearing
Lead Counselor
Lead Social Worker
Amy PS
Lead Team 1
Lead Team 2
SWS/ALC Coordinator

Update 2
Gaylea and I finally had some time to meet on Thursday before I had to leave. Most teachers have had
time to meet with Gaylea during her visits, so the time with her was very meaningful for me. We
discussed what she has been working on with the teams of teachers as well as what our end-of-the year
walk through will be in April. We also spent time on developing a strategic plan for next year. As you
know, we are paying much less for our contract for 2017-2018, and so I wanted to make sure every
penny will count. We decided on a few areas of intentional focus which include:
1. Make two interdisciplinary teacher teams and the ILT the primary structures for student and adult
learning, communication, and shared governance at Wellstone. This gives teams the autonomy to
focus on student and adult learning and to take ownership of the design, implementation and outcomes
based on what the team identifies.
2. Consolidate other school-wide teams (besides ILT) into a smaller number of standing committees
where possible. Create ad-hoc committees as needed and dissolve them once the purpose for creating
them has been resolved. This will help reduce the amount of "meeting time" and streamline to dos and
communication
3. Adopt common team/committee project management and communication tools so all members leave
with a common purpose and a feeling of progress from each meeting.

These will be areas I will review with ILT when I get back and then will be starting points with our SIP
for next year. Narrow and deep...! Gaylea has so much respect for our teachers in that most of her
work with Internationals centers around leadership coaching; however, she has continued to stay with
Wellstone because she loves our school, staff and students.

Update 3
Susan and Isabel will be admins on duty this week. One thing they noticed on Friday was the amount
of students in the wrong areas. Many of these areas were places where subs were assigned. If you are
out this week, please include a note to your sub that if a student is not on roster, he/she MUST leave the
2016-2017 Wellstone Weekly

space immediately. All MCTC students have passes from Renee, so any staff can ask any student for a
pass if it is in the middle of class time. MCTC students can show their pass if they are in transit. If
they are not moving toward a classroom, they need to be in the media center. If there is an issue,
please tell Renee. All other staff should be in the hallway during passing time-all staff... During class
time AEs and Admin will be in the hallways escorting students to class. Linda set out expectations
from SET, so please refer to those if students do not seem to understand. AEs can also explain in
another language if a student requires translation.

Update 4
We will be offering professional development from MPS office of diversity. Carol Dallman and I
believe this is a good refresher (or new information for new hires) but also a way to have a common
foundation of expectations in the building. All staff will have access to these trainings. I am awaiting
from the office in MPS to find out what time/dates would work best.

Update 5
Use Friday as a day to stop by and say hello to a colleague you don't see very often. This is a good
chance to have lunch with a group of teachers who you don't see regularly or who may not have a
"team" to associate with. Take pictures of lunch time and send to Bob. I want our staff to be models
to students of how lunch time can be a place of community and inclusion. We will post these pictures
in the hallway for students to see us as models of what we would like them to do with their
peers. Often, I see our new students or other students sitting alone at lunch; there are also staff who eat
alone at lunch (sometimes by choice but maybe not all the time). No staff should have to wait for an
invitation to have lunch with colleagues--everyone should feel like they have a group to be with.

Update 6
I will be in the building over Spring Break as I will be attempting to complete our accreditation. Please
review the 5 standards and share with me any google docs that you think will be helpful. THANK
YOU to the teachers who shared their course sequence and lesson plans with me--you rock! If you
want to be in the building, please text me so I know. The second floor will be off limits as it will be
undergoing deep cleaning (no exceptions).

Update 7
Please fill out this form for summer hours (availability to meet with teams) as I need to have enough
funds to cover extended time. Except for extended contract staff (social workers and counselors)
teachers are not required to work in the summer. The pilot team did meet last summer and were able to
get a head start on necessary components before jumping into the school year and is something that
they strongly recommend for teams who are starting their journey together. This form will help me see
which teachers are available to meet and when as well as how much I need to allocate for extended
time. https://goo.gl/forms/M1nrGWxFpYSXqqPy2

Thanks from CA,

Aimee
2016-2017 Wellstone Weekly

In Other News. . .

1. This is a reminder that the printer will be down on Monday March 27th, 2017, so please plan
accordingly. Keep your laptops on and open. This is the only way the system will update.
There might be a time in the day where the printer will work for some and not others, please do
not worry. Wait your turn patiently.

2. Grades must be turned in by Monday April 10th, 2017 at 3:00pm.

3. The building will be closed over Spring Break. If you need access to the building, please contact
Aimee.

4. Reminder: No field trips this week

5. Peer Coaching training now available in eCompass: for those tenured teachers who have selected
Peer Coaching Training as their option for the 3rd Observation, they can now go into eCompass and
register for one of the two courses we have available.
Option 1: Course 90854 Section #109425: March 28 and April 11 5pm to 7pm at MFT
Option 2: Course 90854 Section #109427: April 20 and April 27 5pm to 7pm at MFT
Peer Coaching step: Please remind those tenured teachers who selected the Peer Coaching activity as
their Option for the 3rd Observation, that they should reach out to their Peer Coach and input their
information at their convenience -- they can do this at any time, and the expectation is that theyll input
information from a Peer Coaching Pre-Conference and a Peer Coaching Post-Conference by May 31.

Beyond Diversity Training (Heather McKerrow)

I would like to highly recommend the "Beyond Diversity" workshops to everyone. Melissa, Chris C and I went this week, and I k now
other teachers/staff have been as well. Definitely one of the most engaging and meaningful PDs I've been to.
There are 2-day workshops in April, May and June.
http://keepcertified.ties.k12.mn.us/facilities/wmep/index.cfm
(copy and paste link into browser)

2017-2018 Planning and Update (2/26) Yes, we are at that time again, where we look to next year and begin planning. Here are a
few things I will be requesting all staff to provide feedback, either by joining a taskforce or by giving verbal feedback at our next
2016-2017 Wellstone Weekly
Friday Feedback. Susan will be working closely with me in these areas because it is great experience for her to see the transition from
one school year to the next. All questions, though, should be sent Aimees way.
Design Team will begin work on proposing a schedule for 2017-2018
o Design Team has been collecting feedback regarding school scheduling for next school year. Please speak to a
design team member to give input: Melissa Persson, Alex Roob, John Hotaling, Renee Meyer, Chris Stoltenberg
Accreditation task force. Renee and Susan are leading this team; however, as we get closer to the actual time, we will need
all hands on deck. This includes helping to collect and organize information, be willing to help host the team coming to
observe Wellstone and to help Renee and Susan with any feedback or information needed from stakeholders. This is
voluntary.
Department Meetings. Our teams are very interdisciplinary; however, I want to make sure that our content is still vertically
aligned. I will need one person from each content department who will meet with me in February. We will be examining the
foundations of where our students are and where they need to be when they leave Wellstone. We will also put together a
visual of vertical alignment in each content area. This will be paid (sub if during school day) or extended time if after school.
o These are on hold until we complete our budget tie out, due March 24 th.
Budget team is site council. Please know that we may need some others if not all content areas and bargaining units are
represented currently. This would be voluntary and site council will put out an official request and process soon.
o School allocations have been pushed back to March 1 st.
o Please view the following video for Budget Basics. It is important that all staff understand the basics of school
allocations and budgeting. We are in a shortfall this year, so all buildings will experience at least a 2.5% cut to their
overall allocation. https://mpls.rev.vbrick.com/#/videos/e71f739e-72e3-4967-b915-159e3464d58e
o Budget Committee (Site Council) is open to receive feedback regarding priorities and budgeting. Please speak to a
budget committee member: Melissa Persson, Erik Linn Molin, Maureen Smith, Chris Castellano.
o Update: Budget Committee has met twice and have made progress in understanding and are in progress of drafting a
recommendation. Overall, the process is moving forward because those on the committee are thoroughly invested in
a budget allocation through the lens of equity, mission statement and student impact. As a reminder, budget
committee members are not allowed to speak to staff about any particulars of the allocations while in draft.
However, they are very much open to more feedback.

Q Comp Extended Time Codes

All staff who are using Q Comp extended codes need to use the following codes. Starting now, all staff must enter in their own
extended time (regular and Q comp) as I cannot be doing so as I am also the time approver. If you enter in time but the codes are not
correct, it will not be approved.

Q Comp
Cost Center 2363
Fund 1006
Functional Area: 640.335.000
Internal Order: 190000021

Regular Extended
Cost Center 2363
Fund 1001
Functional Area: 211.000.000
Internal Order: 190000004

5 Survey Results
5E copy can be accessed from Carol Dallman. It is very important to not allow the 5e to break culture but to see where our areas of
growth are as we head into next year. There must be a growth mindset in place when looking at the 5e results. There is a how to
part to read before digging into the 5e; Carol can also help you look into it.

Staff Supervision after school

No staff should allow students to be in a classroom unsupervised. Additionally, no staff should allow students to have their keys/IDs,
no exceptions, not even to make copies. At 3:45 to 4:00, if staff are leaving, they must ensure that students are on their way out of the
building. If staff see students in locations where there is no afterschool activity taking place, the staff member should bring the
student(s) downstairs to the main entrance where afterschool staff can monitor the students.

Documentation
2016-2017 Wellstone Weekly
Please remember that CFS (Classroom for Success) has a place where staff can record contact made with parents or with students,
themselves. This is a good place to keep track of conversations or attempts to call home.

Visitors and Volunteers

All non-Wellstone students and staff need to sign in and get the correct badge of identification. Former students need to sign in and
get a visitor badge. All volunteers should be signing in and wearing a volunteer badge. These are available at the front desk by door
11.

Vending Machine
The vending machines are no more. It is still the expectation that students and staff do not have food in classrooms.

Attendance Matters: Where are the Students?

Support Staff Attendance Roles
7:30 Open Doors Quinn Nelson
7:30 Main Office is open Angie Trimbach
8:05-8:20 First Floor Ali Kofiro and Marisol Campusano
8:05-8:20 Second Floor Chris Castellano and Teyent Germa
8:05-8:55 Second Floor Ali Baker and Quinn Nelson
8:00-9:00 Front Desk Maryan Sharif

First Lunch
11:25-11:55 Chris Castellano
Front Door 11(stand in front of the doors and do not let students out or in unless MCTC and has a pass)
11:20- 11:30 Teyent Germa
Door next to B 125=B126: Students cannot leave or come in through these doors
11:20-11:30 Marisol Campusano
Door across from Blue Gym (it is an exit door to a stairwell and outside. Do not let students exit or enter through this door)
11:25:11-55 Ali Kofiro
Door 1 (down by New Family Center)
Aimee, Ali B, and Quinn Nelson are lunch line and cafeteria support.

Second Lunch
12:20-12:50 Chris Castellano
Front Door 11(stand in front of the doors and do not let students out or in unless MCTC and has a pass)
12:15- 12:25 Teyent Germa
Door next to B 125=B126: Students cannot leave or come in through these doors
12:15- 12:25 Marisol Campusano
Door across from Blue Gym (it is an exit door to a stairwell and outside. Do not let students exit or enter through this door)
12:20-12:50 Ali Kofiro
Door 1 (down by New Family Center)
Susan, Ali B, and Quinn Nelson are lunch line and cafeteria support.

Attendance is a concern at Wellstone, and so we will begin by tackling the first cause of tardiness and absenteeism that is in the realm
of our control: allowing students into spaces they should not be.
No staff should be allowing students into their space if the student is required to be elsewhere, such as class. There may be
reasons why a staff member allows a student to skip a class but the overarching message is that of enabling and low expectations.
So, we start this week with ensuring all students are where they are supposed to be, no exceptions.
Teachers, only students who are on your attendance role (this includes advisory unless the student has a pass to be there)
should be in your space, no exceptions.
Support staff, only students who have a pass from their teacher should be in your space, no exceptions. If a student comes to
request to see you, have the student make an appointment. If it is an emergency, then call the teacher to let him/her know
you have the student.
MCTC students should be in the media center, no exceptions. Renee and Chris S will communicate this to students.

Lunch Expectations
2016-2017 Wellstone Weekly
After receiving feedback from staff and student council, site council has decided to NOT have open campus lunch. No outside food
should be brought into the building by students; this includes MCTC students.

No staff should be buying outside food and/or sharing personal food with students. This breaches ethical issues (why some
students get food and others dont). If a staff member has his/her own lunch, this needs to be eaten by the staff member and NOT
shared with students, especially in a public area.

Hats/Hoods Expectations

After receiving feedback from staff and student council, site council has decided to allow hats but NO HOODS in the building.
Students are not allowed to wear clothing that can create an unsafe environment.

ProPay 1-2-3: Classroom Engagement with Circles, Technology, and More

Here are the details/dates for a QComp/Pro-Pay class that starts soon and still has space open. Teachers can go to the QComp section
of the MPS web page and find a link in the Winter/Spring catalog, and can also go to eCompass and search by course number. If there
are dates/times that don't work, the instructor (Ccd on this email) is willing to schedule some make up time for participants. This
course will also more than cover the behavior course requirement for probationary staff completing their AofT portfolio requirements.
All ProPay 1-2-3 courses can lead to a lane change.

ProPay 1-2-3: Classroom Engagement with Circles, Technology, and More

In this course, teachers will learn advanced circle strategies to improve relationships with and between students in their classroom.
Teachers will also learn to better use interactive technologies (classroom web sites, etc.) to engage students and family members.
Teachers will also learn other classroom activities (such as Kindness projects, Improv games, and Create-your-own-books) to increase
engagement and improve relationships.

eCompass Course: 91574

Instructor: Matt Streit, Language Arts teacher, Lake Harriet Upper

Times and Location:

Saturday, February 4th - 8:00am - 4:00pm, Davis Center Room N1-052
Saturday, February 18th - 8:00am - 4:00pm, MFT Boardroom
Saturday, March 4th 9:00am 3:00pm, Davis Center Room N1-051
Saturday, March 18th 9:00am 1:00pm , MFT Boardroom
Saturday, April 15th 9:00am 1:00pm , MFT Boardroom

SOEI (Teachers Only)

You will be receiving invites for your observations. Paul will be speaking to teachers who have NOT chosen their observations; these
choices were due in the Fall in order for observers to plan accordingly. Please know that MPS staff requested flexibility in types of
observations and to reduce work-load, so we must do our part to respect the newly-designed process. If you are a TENURED teacher,
you must have your choices marked in Ecompass by the end of this week.

Please remember short observations are unannounced. Full observations require 3-day sequenced invites for pre-conference,
observation and post-conference.

ROOM CHANGES (YES AGAIN!)

The Large Conference room in the cafeteria will now be the new CSCM (Confederation Somali Community of Minnesota) new office
space. Their former office space is now going to be connected to the (some day coming) mini clinic. B107 and staff lounge (behind
main office) can still be used as meeting spaces.

WELLSTONE SPIRIT
2016-2017 Wellstone Weekly

Please remember to wear Wellstone spirit clothing on Fridays. Wellstone t-shirts, sport polos, and fleeces are on sale in the main
office. T-shirts are 5.00. Sports Polos are 10.00 and Fleeces are 20.00.
You can always just wear green!

PRINCIPAL UPDATES

I will be accompanying Daniel Aamot at presenting at the ASCD conference in Anaheim, California March 24-31st. This
includes a few personal days as well.
Amy Petersen Sagrado, Melissa Persson, and Chris Stoltenberg and I will attending Internationals Leadership Retreat May 3-8th.
I will be meeting other principals from Internationals schools as well as attending professional development with them. This will
be in New York City.

Accreditation

Renee Meyer and Susan Samaha will be leading the accreditation team. Accreditation is required for Wellstone to stay a
recognized MPS high school. Please follow up with requests as they come from the team. Thank you
Aimee Fearing

From Susan (sent in email) April 20 and April 21 will be the visit
o As you may have heard Renee Meyer and myself are working on the renewal process for accreditation for Wellstone
to remain recognized as a MPS High School. We need YOUR help. In order to answer several of the questions, we
need all stakeholders to provide answers to any of the information listed in the attachment. A team will be coming
out in April to look at what we do on a daily basis and to determine if we will maintain our accredited status. In
preparation for this review we must collect evidence that shows how we are performing in multiple areas. Please
open the attachment and read the parts that say "Practices" and "Artifacts." We will need evidence from teams such
as SET, ILT, Design Team, Site Council, etc. Everyone has a say in this process. Please send any evidence to Renee
Meyer via email or mailbox. You can find the attachment in the email or see Susan for a paper copy. Here is the
timeline below:

1/6-1/9: Purpose and Direction (pages 1 and 2 of attachment)

1/10-1/20: Governance and Leadership (page 3 of attachment)
1/23-2/10: Teaching and Assessing for Learning (page 4 of attachment)
2/13-2/24: Resources and Support Systems (page 5 of attachment)
2:27-3/10: Using Results for Continuous Improvement (pages 6 and 7 of attachment)
Thank you very much for your help in this process. It is really important that we get as many people to help in this process.

Womens Wellstone embroidered Jacket

I have a new, womens large embroidered jacket in my office. It is 50.00. The size runs a little small. Please stop by and check it out
if you are interested.

Check and Connect

Check and Connect Caseload Rachel Amerman
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dolYfZyRml9MItEQd000HAsnBuS-m2X2Dam1gnU5dRA/edit?usp=sharing

Volunteer Information Staff Leader: Quinn Nelson

Let Quinn know if you would like a volunteer in your classroom.

Social Committee Donations Staff Leader: Brian Gardner

Please give Brian Gardner 20.00 for staff celebrations and condolences. This is optional.

Coffee Club Staff Leader: Aimee Fearing

Please donate coffee or $$ to the main office coffee club. You can give funds to Aimee. You can put any coffee grounds in the
cupboard. This is optional.
2016-2017 Wellstone Weekly

REMIND
I will be texting out reminders regarding school schedule or last
minute notifications. If you check your text messages more than
email, this might be the route to go. It is optional, and I do not see
your phone number.

Staff Lounge
Please consider eating lunch with your colleagues. I am the absolute
worse role model of this as if I get 5 minutes for lunch, I am usually
multi-tasking, HOWEVER, this is the one time, do what I say, not as I
do, moment. Build community with your colleagues and eat together.
Also, general reminder: Keep the staff lounge clean.

Second Semester Personal Reflection

Second Semester Personal Reflection times have changed, and, as we
did last year, we switched period 6 and 7. Therefore, period 6 will be a
class, period 7 will be advisory, and period 8 will be a class. Please
remind students they are to attend advisory for 10 minutes. Personal
Reflection time will be from 1:50-2:10. For Fridays, they are expected
to attend advisory and please excuse them right away to be part of the
personal reflection as a group.

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out.

Thank you very much-Susan

Lead Fieldtrips and Student Activities X

MPS Board Resolution on MPS as a Sanctuary Site

I am very supportive of this, and I believe, this time, more than ever, we must make a stand and be explicit about our role in keeping
students safe in our buildings
Key Messages from MPS
Sanctuary resolution

It is our mission to educate every student who comes through our schools doors.
We already have policies that provide equal education opportunities to students regardless of citizenship and immigration
status.
Its not our role to ask for or collect information about citizenship or immigration status.
We comply with whats required by law, but it is not required that we enforce federal immigrations laws.
This resolution simply reinforces our current policies and practices.
It has been our practice that if an immigration official inquires about a student or family, they are referred to the MPS Office
of General Counsel.
General Counsel then requires valid authority in order to release any information the district may have about a student or
family.
It has been extremely rare for immigration officials to ask the district for information.
We will continue to provide a safe and welcoming learning environment for our students and families.

Intercultural Development Continuum https://idiinventory.com/products/the-intercultural-development-continuum-idc/