School: Building vs. Body

Is your school a place to go, a building, or is it a group of people loving on kids and serving just
about the highest purpose there is?

Here is an awesome tweet for you:

The church is not a place you go to; it is a people you belong to. You need your church, and your church needs you.
— Rick Atchley (@RickAtchley) February 8, 2015

10 Ways to Have an Amazing Morning Drop Off Experience

Following breaks away from school are always great times to revisit routines.  Following Thanksgiving, Christmas and Spring breaks will find classrooms giving the expectations a review and practice in the cafeteria, hallways, etc.  Our front loop has been on my agenda for a review since returning from the Christmas break and I'm finally making the time to get it done in a, hopefully, creative and fun fashion.

Six Edentity Questions

A school with a clear identity is one that people are drawn to, parents and professionals.  They desire to be apart and contribute to the amazing things happening .  A campus identity is instructional and curricular, of course, but we know that education is more than those alone and a successful school has some additional "intangibles' that set it apart from others.  I'm not talking about being different to be different or to put on a show, but special for kids' sake! How we choose to develop and refine that identity is important in how we relate to our community and how they relate to us.  Asking some key questions is important this process!

What are we passionate about? - Is there something as a campus that is an area of strength because of passionate pursuit of practice?  Do you have gurus on the campus (literacy, math, technology, etc.)

Five Big School Branding Questions

Deep down inside, I think we are clear on the need for connectedness within our school and our community.  We know we need to be close to the people we serve.  We understand that the power of relationship doesn't just work for us in the classroom, but for our campus as a whole as we do the important work we do each day!

Own Your Connections

I shared this quote in a presentation last week in regards to the importance of writing across the curriculum.  This quote from Fundamental Five highlights for me the important of the blog in digital leadership.  When we write, we own our learning.  When we share, we learn out loud for all to see.  We model the connection.  We model the practice.  We grow as individuals and professionals!  Is that not what learning is all about?

"The act of writing critically encapsulates the learning."

Cain, Sean; Laird, Mike (2011-05-11). The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction (Kindle Location 874). CreateSpace. Kindle Edition. 

For me this blog made the presentation I gave possible.  Over the past six months my thoughts, ideas, belief and vision have been refined just in the simple (yet not necessarily easy) act of putting thoughts down, sharing and receiving feedback.

How has blogging helped you own your connections and learning?

Happy posting

B

PBIS and Your School's Brand

We just completed our 3rd marking period and it is always a great celebration as our school comes together to review what makes us Eagle Ridge PROUD and to honor students that exemplify those traits on a daily basis!  It's also great to see kids and teachers let their hair down a bit and dance and play.  Here are a few amazing highlights from the experience:

• 2nd PE award - certainly proud of the recipient, but I loved the spirit of the classmates that surrounded him.  They all jumped up,  congratulated and were so

More Time #SAVMP

I have a problem.  I am inattentive, unfocused and easily (VERY) distractable.  It is one of the more major roadblocks in life, not just job, that I tackle everyday.  I've learned over time that this is a good thing, job wise, because I can and do exercise some control over myself!  HA!  Now, being and elementary school administrator, this problem is sometimes compounded by being at a school of near 800 students, 60+ staff members that need time and attention various ways throughout the day.  It has the possibility to become something quite like a perfect storm of inefficiency  without some specific supports and strategies in place (this is now sounding like an RtI meeting, is it not...you might say I'm a tier 3 for time management!)

Often an easy go-to answer (wishful thought more like) is to say I need "more time".  But the truth of the matter is that even if we had more time, we would always have the same issue, With more time