We "Mustache" You a Question

Here is something cute we did with our staff this year: Mustache Questionnaire Click on the link and download the file if you are interested. Every week I change the form and picture so that three different staff members are highlighted.

We do this each year and nobody likes their picture. :) This year we took them with silly mustaches, and everyone loves it. Very fun!

Words of Wisdom - Alphabet Soup

This an example of my Principal Word Wall. Since all of my teachers have content-specific vocabulary areas, I decided to do the same. Each week I change the word in the frame and put up the next "Alphabet Soup" word of the week.

ABCD for Staff

This is an example of our ABCD recognition.

Parent Conference - and other - sign up sheets

We have tried for several years to determine the best way to schedule parent conferences. Should the parents pass around a form during Curriculum Night? (too disruptive) Maybe have them sign up in the hall after the meeting? (traffic jams) Perhaps the teacher should just assign the time? (too unfriendly) This year we are going to try www.signupgenius.com across the grade levels. It allows teachers to build their schedules of time, keep all other names private, and have reminder emails sent a day or two earlier. Our counselor even implemented it today for the teachers to use as they signed up for classroom guidance lessons. Hopefully this will make the logistics of parent conference sign up run smoothly!

A, B, C, D... A Little More Alphabet Soup

I am going to go ahead and admit right now that I sometimes have "beagle on the bunny" syndrome. (I'm not sure if that is a real term, or if it is in my vocabulary simply because I am from the country...). I tend to lock on to an idea, and it is occasionally hard to get me off it...

So, that is what is going on with my Alphabet Soup idea: (1) ABCD - staff monthly recognition; (2) ABCD - staff word of the week and fun treats; (3) ABCD - next phase... enter the Above and Beyond the Call of Duty award. This will allow parents to submit the name of a staff member that has gone over and above to help their child (or the parent) with a problem/concern, etc...

I'm attaching the form that we are going to add to each of our newsletters (below). I have to admit that I am so excited to have figured out how to insert fields into an Adobe document (yeah, me!). Parents can return the form, and we will honor staff members throughout the month. I have ordered some cute pins from www.baudville.com and will provide them with a certificate as well.

I think this will be a great way to recognize my fabulous staff and involve our community in the process!

ABCD Parent Referral

All Teachers Were Once Students

Recently our district held our annual back to school leadership convocation. It is always motivational and uplifting. We love seeing all of our leader-friends, the supportive adminstration, and hear a "State of the District" address from our superintendent. This year our guest speaker was author Flip Flippen. I have had the pleasure of hearing Flip before and have had several conversations based on his bookThe Flip Side with my administrative team. In passing, Flip mentioned that his office contains pictures of all his employees as children to help them remember that they were once kids themselves and to use that feeling as a framework for decisions and words. I loved that idea and asked our teachers to send me photos of themselves in the grade they will be teaching. We are posting them outside the classroom doors so that every child will see their teacher as a kindergartner, third grader, etc. Our theme this year is Peace, Love, & Lions, so I placed them on this cute paper. Love this idea of helping teachers remember that they were little once, too!

iPad Introductions

Today we discussed the logistics of bringing iPads into the classroom: teacher accountability, student expectations, etc... Prior to blowing their minds with an awesome repertoire of apps (haha!), I felt that I needed to do a little assessment of their knowledge, comfort, and desire levels. I created these posters to have the teachers reflect where they would fall on a knowledge continuum and on a comfort/desire quadrant framework. I am going to use these posters to tailor our professional development to their learning levels so that we make the most of our time.

More Alphabet Soup

One of the activities I am going to do with my staff is have them brainstorm what we are "all about". I won an award this spring and spent a great deal of time reflecting on the strengths of our campus, staff, students, culture... (Watch more about that here: HEB video ). My plan is to organize all of the great comments that they will share into these four categories: Advocating for children; Being a team player; Creating instructional success; Demonstrating leadership skills. Every activity, tradition, and belief that I can think of can fall into one of those categories. We are going to recognize them as the cornerstones of our campus beliefs.

Then, each month, one staff member will be recognized at our staff seminar (my fancy word for the faculty meeting... because it is an instructional seminar, not just "sit-and-get"). They will get to house a special trophy and have their picture taken/displayed all month. We will also present them with a pin and certificate so that they will have a tangible reward to keep. (This is an awesome site for free certificates: certificatestreet). At the next monthly staff seminar, they will pass the trophy on to a staff member that has demonstrated that same quality. The only caveat, however, is that the new recipient may not be on their team. This way we will continue to build strong relationships across grade levels and departments.

Thanks to that awesome principal Kelly Gerletti for sharing the staff recognition idea with me! I loved it, stole it, and am tweaking it to make it work for us (which means it must go into the alphabet soup!) It is a perfect addition to this "recipe" for a great year!

Here are some samples of what I think the staff may share (although they will certainly expand the list, I have no doubt!)

4 awards
A and B
C and D

Staff Recognition 2012 - And So The Process Begins!

I am soooo looking forward to some awesome staff recognition ideas for our upcoming school year. I have been tossing around some thoughts this week, and I think that I am going to go with an Alphabet Soup approach for 12-13. So in addition to our fantastic school theme (Peace, Love, & Lions - it is going to be SO fun for teachers and kids!), I am going to implement various words, activities, etc with a letter of the week plan. (Clearly we will have a few weeks that share the same letter...). For example, for "A", I might have a word like "Attitude", and place quotes about attitude on each table in the lounge. (Last year I placed 5x7 Love & Logic quotes in acrylic frames on the lounge tables each week. They were great conversation starters.). I also might have a little treat, like candy to tie into it. (Idea: Place Your Attitude is the Bomb! on cherry bomb jawbreakers.) Or, I may use a "freebie" incentive: Your Attitude Makes Kids Want to Run Into the Classroom Each Day - Enjoy Sneakers with Jeans Tomorrow. (These are off the top of my head, right now, so they definitely need a little more polishing.) However, I am already waking up in the middle of the night with some light bulb moments!

Recently I contemplated making a serious move in my career, but it turns out that it was not the right fit for me. Now that I have worked through that pros/cons process, I feel totally rejuvenated and 100% committed to our next school year! I am going to have staffing changes across the board - a new staff member on every team and several new teammates on my ATeam. In fact, I purposely hired quite a few first year teachers. That nervous excitement is catching; we will all be training each other and collaborating on new ideas. It is going to be a great year, and the planning starts now!

Super Bowl Super Fun!

I know this is a little late for the current year, so go ahead and file it away for 2013! Here are two fun and fantastic ideas we do at my campus each January.
SuperBowl Squares
I stole this idea from my good friend and colleague Kelly Gerletti, principal at Robison Elementary. Staff members earn labels throughout the month for a variety of reasons - participation in teambuilding events (see next idea), turning grades/attendance/etc. on time, rising to any number of challenges. I give out sheets of labels to my administrative team so that we are throwing out plenty of praise! Staff write their names on the labels and place them on 10x10 posterboard chart. Once the chart is full, we make a new one if needed. This year we created three charts. There were several spots left on the last chart, so I added labels that say, "Coke Floats", "Donut Day", or "Jeans 4 All". Finally, we draw the numbers for each side and add the team names. This is just like a regular football pool, but the prizes we hand out for each quarter are gift certificates to the teacher supply store! We will have three posters with four quarters - 12 winners! If the magic square is a label I created (above), then the whole staff ends up winning that item. Super Fun!

SuperBowl Shoot Out

On the Friday before the Big Game, during each grade level's Large Group (Art/Music/PE) time, the grade level teachers and students congregate in the gym. The students cheer for their teachers as they compete in a hybrid football-musical chair game that my doll of a PE teacher created. The teachers start in a row of chairs, jump up when the whistle/music starts, and start throwing footballs. We have three hula hoops rigged up and two big tubs of footballs. The teachers throw the footballs at the hoops until they get one in, then they run back to a chair. Each time they stand up, we take away one chair. Finally, it gets down to the last two contestants - then the "big winner"! For participating, everyone gets a label. The winner for each grade level will earn a teacher supply gift certificate. The students enjoy this almost as much as the teachers! I absolutely love seeing the staff and our kids have fun.

SuperBowl Super Feast

Of course we "tailgate" on this Friday, as well! Snacks, dips/chips - we provide a little spread of yummy food to make this day fun. I have also asked PTO to provide food some years, if we are stretched a little too thin. I love football, and I love my staff - so blending these two things is, well, Super!!

What's Your Sign?

So, I am leaving my vacation spot of "Stay at Home Mom Land" tomorrow morning to return to "Real World". While I was visiting S@HML, I enjoyed doing things like using the crockpot instead of the microwave, driving my child to school instead of trying to beat the bus, and doing laundry because it was dirty - not because we ran out of socks! I have also begun collecting "Potent Printables" - little signs of witty sayings to print out and use at home and school. Here are some samples:

The signs have got me thinking about some original ones I would like to create for my role as principal. I think I might need some signs to share (and explain) this wisdom:
1. I'm Not Ignoring You - If I don't wave or stop to chat when I see you in the hall, it is likely that I am in the middle of an "almost crisis" or have left my glasses in the office and don't know who you are... Don't take it personally.
2. Dress to Impress - I have never shown up with my child to the pediatrician's office to find the doctor dressed in ripped jeans and a low cut top. If I did, I think I would have a hard time taking what she said seriously. I realize that in education we have "spirit days" (and many others that seem purposely designed for jeans). I have seen teachers of all ages look great by adding a cute sweater, tucking in their shirt, and/or wearing trouser-style jeans. Really - we should not have the same wardrobe as the students.
3. A Rainy Day Does Not Equal Movie Time - Unless it is a film design class, the days of movies in the classroom should be ancient history, much like filmstrips. With streaming, DVR, DVD, smartphones, tablets, cable television, and DVD players in cars, do we really think that movies are special or new? Small clips to support instruction are fine, but I wonder how attentive my staff would be if I sat them down to watch Grease at our next professional development opportunity and then asked them to compare it to the book?
4. Make Every Moment Count - We don't get to pick the days to teach. We teach every day. This means on the first day, the last day, the "party days", days before (and after a holiday), and all of the days in between. Period. Don't make me discuss this with you. It was part of the deal when you were hired.
5. Kids are My Business - Don't get me wrong, I also like teachers. I am one, actually, at night. However, my job is to make sure that all decisions are made with the children's best interest in mind. If the teachers' best interest is the same - well, that's just swell! If it isn't, I regret that. The only time I think I have ever truly disagreed with staff is when they were looking out "for number one". Otherwise we should be able to professionally discuss, debate, and determine the right plan of action for our students.
6. Be Careful With Your Words - Public comments, like facebook or the teachers' lounge, always find their way back to the principal. Rise above it. Everyone has moments when they would rather stay home or are unhappy with their day/team/supervisor/etc. Professionals rise above it. There is a quote I love, which I think will actually be the sign I create:


Be careful of your thoughts, for your thoughts become your words.
Be careful of your words, for your words become your actions.
Be careful of your actions, for your actions become your habits.
Be careful of your habits, for your habits become your character.
Be careful of your character, for your character becomes your destiny.