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McKinley Elementary

Meet Your Principal

I have been in the Fairport Harbor district for many years. I started as a title 1 teacher, and have since taught kindergarten, first grade, and served as the academic coach. Over my years here, I have led our school-wide positive behavior supports, helped to implement many of our curricular programs, and served on many of our collaborative teacher based teams. I feel that my greatest accomplishment at McKinley has been building all of the relationships I have with our students, parents, and community.

A little bit about me... I have two children of my own who have both attended Fairport Schools since they were 3 years old. They keep me very busy, running them to all of their after school activities. In my free time, I love to travel and read. Fun fact, I also have a crazy cat who my kids talked me into getting over the pandemic, who acts more like a dog than a cat!

I want to thank everyone for your continued support over the years. My McKinley family has made me the leader that I am today, and I will do everything I can to make our school the best that it can be!

Heidi Elmore

McKinley Elementary Kindergarten Open House -Thursday, March 20, 2025 

Parent Meeting begins promptly at 6:00 PM in the McKinley Gym

 

Welcome to McKinley Elementary School!                       

Principal Heidi Elmore helmore@fhevs.org 440-354-5400 ext 200

Prek-Grade 5

We are so excited to have you as part of our school community.  McKinley is a wonderful school that focuses on developing caring students who treat others with respect.  We strive to provide a collaborative and innovative educational experience, where all students become drivers of their learning and education.  

McKinley Mission Statement

To create an inclusive environment, where all stakeholders display honesty, dedication, responsibility, and are kind citizens who make the world a better place.

The McKinley Motto

I am HONEST-I tell no lies!

I am DEDICATED, give my best try!

I show Responsibility, do the right thing!

Be a good CITIZEN to make

McKinley SING!!

McKinley Schedule

McKinley Page Students may enter for breakfast at 8:10, breakfast is 8:10 to 8:30 and school begins (tardy bell) at 8:30 am. Elementary Lunch and Recess run from 11:00 to 12:40 based on grade level.   Dismissal begins at 2:45 for car riders.  Preschool walkers are dismissed at 2:55 and all other walkers are dismissed at 3:00.

McKinley Student Handbook

Below you will find the McKinley Handbook in English and Spanish.

McKinley Elementary School English Handbook 24-25

McKinley Elementary School Spanish Handbook 24-25

McKinley is located at:

602 Plum Street

Fairport Harbor, OH  44077

You can reach the main office at: 440-354-5400 (Select Option 3)

Fax Number:440-354-4012

The tip line is an anonymous reporting system that accepts tips via call, text, webform, and mobile app 24 hours-a-day. 

 

Curriculum  Aligning SGM® with The Zones of Regulation, and Tech-Tie-Ins! - MindWing  Concepts, Inc.

 

Social and Emotional Learning:

Zones of Regulation: We believe very strongly in educating the whole child, which means we put a strong emphasis on students' social and emotional well-being.  As part of our social emotional curriculum, we utilize The Zones of Regulation.  "The Zones of Regulation framework and curriculum (Kuypers, 2011) teaches students scaffolded skills toward developing a metacognitive pathway to build awareness of their feelings/internal state and utilize a variety of tools and strategies for regulation, prosocial skills, self-care, and overall wellness. This includes exploring tools and strategies for mindfulness, sensory integration, movement, thinking strategies, wellness, and healthy connection with others. The Zones of Regulation provides a common language and compassionate framework to support positive mental health and skill development for all, while serving as an inclusion strategy for neurodiverse learners, those who have experienced trauma, and/or have specific needs in terms of social, emotional, and behavioral development."  This overview can be found on their website, along with other information about the program.  

Zones of Regulation Website

Language Arts:Science of Reading | Learning Without Tears

Literacy Vision Statement:

All students will grow academically, think critically, and develop a passion for learning.

Literacy Mission:

At McKinley we,

  • Use direct, explicit instruction grounded in the Science of Reading to teach ALL students the 5 domains of literacy, plus writing.

    • Phonics

    • Phonemic Awareness

    • Comprehension

    • Vocabulary

    • Fluency

Benchmark Advance: This year, McKinley will be piloting a new ELA curriculum called Benchmark Advance. Aligned with Science of Reading research, Benchmark Advance is a core language arts program that provide a cohesive structure for the development of literacy skills and content knowledge.

Click here for the Benchmark Advance Family Page

*Heggerty-Phonemic Awareness

The Heggerty Curriculum is utilized to prepare students to be lifelong learners. Through the use of Heggerty, students learn to hear and manipulate sounds. Students begin to understand how letters and sounds work. With Heggerty, students will learn skills such as counting sounds, categorizing, rhyming, blending, segmenting, and manipulating (adding, deleting, and substituting).

Students in grades K-3 engage in multisensory methods of instructions using Fundations. Fundations is a systematic program derived from research used to teach students their sounds, representative letters and their combinations to form words, phrases, and sentences. Fundations can also be used in differentiated group settings and increased in frequency to serve as an intervention tool as needed for remedial instruction.

*Fundations-Phonics

Students in kindergarten through grade 3 utilize Fundations, which is a multi-sensory, structured language program that focuses on the foundational reading skills of phonemic awareness, phonics/word study, high frequency word study, reading fluency, vocabulary, comprehension strategies, handwriting, and spelling.

Fundations Parent Page

Students in grades 4-5 needing remedial instruction to strengthen their literacy skills engage in Just Words, a program designed to review and build on skills learned in Fundations.

*Just Words- Remedial/ Advanced Phonics

Just Words is an Accelerated Word Study Program to Develop Proficient Readers and Spellers. This highly explicit, multisensory decoding and spelling program is for students in grades 4–12 and adults who have mild to moderate gaps in their decoding and spelling proficiency but do not require intensive intervention.

Math:

Fairport Math Vision Statement: In the Fairport Harbor Exempted Village School District, we will build on and advance math knowledge that students have learned in past units and previous grades. We will create an engaging learning environment for students to develop an understanding of key math concepts so they can see how they are connected and apply their skills to solve problems and tasks. 

HMH Into Math: The study of mathematics in K-5 incorporates multiple standards that differ across grade levels. HMH Into Math is used as the core math curriculum.  HMH Into Math for Grades K–8 incorporates the latest research by having students connect concepts and skills to gain a deeper understanding of mathematics while incorporating a positive mathematical mindset through perseverance. Into Math is focused on meeting the needs of the whole child, inspiring students to see themselves as doers of mathematics and instilling a positive attitude toward math. The HMH Into Math curriculum includes whole-group, small-group, and partner work that encourages collaboration .

Click here for the K-5 HMH Into Math Scope and Sequence.

HMH: into Math Student workbook Grade K, Modules 14-16: Juli Dixon:  9780358002109: Amazon.com: Books

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Our Mission

Collaborate. Innovate. Accelerate.

Our mission is to ensure high-level learning for every student through collaboration, innovation, and acceleration.

Our Vision

Focus on learning

  • We are a student-centered organization.
  • We believe learning is constant.
  • We use proven instructional strategies for individualized instruction.
  • We celebrate our successes.
  • We provide a rigorous and robust curriculum.


Collaborative Culture

  • We build knowledge through collective inquiry and professional development.
  • We promote innovation & critical thinking for the development of global competencies.
  • We uphold the district's mission, vision, values, and goals.


Focus on results

  • We monitor student progress toward specific learning targets.
  • We 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 through the advancement of students in subjects at a rate that places them ahead of where they would be in a regular school curriculum.
  • We use student’s talents and interests to advance them to their fullest potential.
  • We differentiate through self-paced instruction, continuous progress, curriculum compacting, and extra-curricular opportunities.
  • We assist students in making informed academic choices through dual enrollment and college and career readiness.

Our History

 Referenced from: A History of Fairport Harbor Ohio 1976, By The Fairport Harbor Bicentennial Committee.

 

Very little is known of the first educational opportunities in early Fairport, or Grandon, as it was first named in 1812. The earliest reference that had anything to do with Fairport schools was the enumeration of youth between the ages of four and twenty-one years residing in District No. One of Painesville Township in October of 1842. Apparently sometime before this enumeration took place, school districts were organized in Lake County.

Fairport's first school was located on Third Street; it housed only one teacher, a bell of rectangular iron, and a large stove in the middle of the room for heat. The first brick school building was built in 1876 and was also located on Third Street, the building currently houses the fire department and village hall.

In August of 1899, the Board of Education decided to let the citizens vote on the construction of a new school. In the fall of 1903 students moved into the new building constructed on Plum Street. The high school building on Vine Street opened in September of 1921. "A grand celebration with a large parade was held the day Harding High School was dedicated. That evening, a program was given in the new auditorium, which was packed to the doors." The stadium was dedicated on a sunny day on October 3, 1931, when Fairport won over Painesville 13-6.

In the spring of 1924 by resolution of the Board, the names of the three Ohio presidents who died in office were given to the three schools of Fairport. The high school officially became Harding High School; the old Third Street building became the Garfield School; the Plum Street school became McKinley School. In September 1936, Fairport broke from the County Board of Education and remains an Exempted Village School to this day.

Fairport schools have always been an integral part of our community. Today we are innovating our theory and practice to ensure the preservation of our traditions.