McKinley School is where students and staff come to Grow Our Hearts and Our Minds. We adopted that mantra several years ago when we all committed to the idea that everyone is a work in progress and that with a positive mindset, our experiences here can help us grow both academically and personally.
McKinley is lucky to be a part of a strong school district which is supported by an active and involved parent community. Our Parent Teacher Organization partners with us on our curricular and character development goals every year. Our P.T.O. Board is vital in providing experiences for our students that help create the culture of our community.
McKinley's teachers work hard to know their students well, both as people and as learners. They work hard to be cohesive teams, to push themselves to progress pedagogically, and to be important contributors to our school's mission.
Sincerely,
Marc Biunno -- Principal
Mr. Biunno's Blogs, Articles, Photos and More!
Social Emotional Learning at MCK and in Westfield Schools...
The Westfield Public School District has created a series of short TED-style Talks to explain Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) and each of its five core competencies, with examples of how they are being used in our district and the research that tells us why they work. We hope this series helps you to better understand the tremendous benefits of social and emotional learning. Beginning this week and for the next five weeks, a new TED-style Talk will be released. We begin with this introductory overview by Superintendent Dr. Margaret Dolan.
On the evening of 2/6/19, MCK welcomes Mrs. Herits (Student Assistance Counselor) and Mrs. Mazzarese (Director of Guidance) to teach parents about the 5 SEL competencies and how they can help us speak to kids in a way that helps them grow to be resilient and emotionally intelligent young adults.
Westfield's TED-Style Talks on SEL:
The first of the Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) competencies is Self-Awareness. Self-awareness is crucial to all levels of success. When we are self-aware, we are able to recognize our emotions and how we respond to them, identify our strengths and weaknesses, and appreciate our self-worth and capabilities. As part of a series of TED-style Talks produced by the Westfield Public School District to explain SEL and how it is being used in our district, K-12 Director of Guidance Maureen Mazzarese focuses on the Self-Awareness competency of SEL, which allows us to live courageously, pursue our individual goals and dreams, and be our true selves.
Self-Management is the second of five core competencies of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). It is the ability to successfully regulate your emotions, thoughts and behaviors in different situations, to effectively manage stress, control impulses and to set and work toward personal and academic goals. In this third segment of the district's series of TED-style Talks on SEL, Westfield High School principal Dr. Derrick Nelson outlines the critical importance of self-management in our schools and in our lives.
MCK students donated, on average, 10 items per student during this year's campaign! MCK loves participating in this food drive because we get to help others. Class 5-P helped load all of the food into cars so it could be delivered...
MCK's Great Kindness Challenge Continues!
Students and staff at MCK are having a great time trying out all of our kindness challenges. See below for the checklists. We will be continuing the challenge into next week and beyond. Here are some of the ideas that classes have come up with...
Class 2-SP's kindness tree...
Class 2-P's helping hands...
5th graders made the challenge a little more accessible...
The Great Kindness Challenge Starts 1/28/19!
During MCK's GKC, students will be encouraged to attempt acts of kindness and then reflect on them with peers during morning meeting. Families are encouraged to participate, as well as faculty and staff!
