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School Culture. Presented by: Debbie Sledge, Nepolian Dynamite, Andy Taylor, Barney Fife, Mark J. Rathbun. Objective. To build an even more positive school community. We would like for you to define school culture.
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School Culture Presented by: Debbie Sledge, Nepolian Dynamite, Andy Taylor, Barney Fife, Mark J. Rathbun
Objective • To build an even more positive school community.
We would like for you to define school culture. • Take about 3 minutes to write down what you think the word “School Culture” really means. Please do this at a level 1.
Sharing Time • At a level 2, we would like for you to get up and move around to share with a couple of different people what school culture means to you. In just a few minutes, we will have individuals share with the whole group.
School Culture is defined as the beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors that characterize the school in terms of: • * How people treat and feel about each other. • * The extent to which people feel included and appreciated. • * Rituals and traditions reflecting collaboration and collegiality.
How Full is Your Bucket? • When I first saw the title of this book, I said, “My bucket is too full” • Thinking of things in the negative rather than the positive made me at first think that I didn’t even want to read this book. • This book proved to be one of the best books I have ever read.
What did we learn from the “Bucket Book” • We need our buckets to be full of great things. • We can accomplish and overcome more when our buckets are full. • We need to work to fill one another’s buckets. • You can’t fill someone else’s bucket without it effecting our own bucket.
Push for Praise • We need to work to lift our students and one another up with specific meaningful praise. We must work toward at least three positives for every one negative. • I really want to do more of this for all of you. I appreciate each of you so much. I do mean that. But again, this is a blanket statement that doesn’t really mean as much to you as it would if I were talking specifically to or about you.
Alvaton Motto: A.E.S. • Achieving Excellence for all Students.
Achieving Excellence for all Students • Current Mission Statement: • We are committed to providing quality education to the children of Alvaton Elementary School, which will prepare them for successful futures.
Brainstorm words that are essential for our mission statement. • Share with the group. • Essential words will be written on chart paper.
Group Time • Please use this method of forming groups from time to time. (But not always). • Create cards that will match or group in some way that deal with the content you are covering. • This is like a game, but the classroom stays quiet and it makes the students observant and responsible.
Take a look at our Guidelines for success while remembering our “mission essential” words. • SOAR • Share your talents. • Own your actions. • Always strive to learn • Respect others and yourself.
Formulate a possible new mission statement: • Use our brainstormed words and “SOAR” to discuss within your groups and to create a possible mission statement that everyone in the group feels good about. • Then write the possible new mission statement on the large post it sheet.
Discuss what we like best from every statement. • Work to formulate one statement that we feel represents what truly conveys our mission at Alvaton Elementary. • Discuss whether or not the new statement is worthy of replacing our current mission statement.
Break Time • Twelve minutes: Restroom if needed, then mingle with your friends and discuss something that has nothing to do with school or work.
Common Areas Procedures • Positive • Proactive • Consistent • Loving • Share handout
Rigor and Relevance • We must have Rigor and Relevance in the classroom to help students achieve at high levels. • But that is not all that is needed.
Relationships • Children will work beyond their ability levels for teachers they love and care about. • Children will only care about us if they know that we care about them. • One of the most important factors in student success is knowing that their teacher likes them and believes in them.
Here is the line up we must shoot for: • Relationships • Relevance • Rigor • They have to know we care for them. • The work/learning has to be meaningful. • The work/learning has to be challenging.
Resources • CHAMPs books available in the library. • “The First Days of School” by: Harry Wong • “Classroom Management That Works” • By: Robert Marzano
“The Essential 55”by: Ron Clark • Please take just a few minute to scan through the table of contents to get the gist of what the rules are. • Most of these are common sense to us and to many of our students. • However, there are many students who don’t know and need to be taught what to do in certain situations.
Rules to focus on this school year: • You may have others you wish to focus on as well, but please push for these: • 1. Respond to adults with “Yes ma’am/sir” • 9. Always say, “Thank you.” • 18. Be as organized as possible. • 30. Be responsible for your trash. • 50. Be positive and enjoy life. • 55. Be the best person you can be.
Words of Wisdom for Us to Live by: • Seek first to understand, then to be understood. • Always be quick to hear and slow to speak. • Listen to understand, not just to reply.
There is no substitute for brains: • However, silence is the closest to a substitute that we can get.
Never sneak up behind a kicking horse and touch him on the rump. • Never enter a boy’s restroom barefoot. • Wearing socks only is also a bad idea. • Never throw a cat high into the air. • And if you do, be sure to move before he comes back down.
