Periscoping for Your Viewing Pleasure

We are stepping out on a shaky limb tomorrow, my friends, and we are super excited! At 9:30 tomorrow morning, our school counselor, Elisa Krug, is hosting a parent meeting on "Building Self Confidence in Your Child." That is great and part of what makes your school a strong resource for our families, but we are taking it to the next level with the meeting! We are going to Periscope this session, using the app and my phone. Oh. Wow! This will be a great opportunity for our parents who have other commitments - work, babies, etc., because Periscope will not only stream it live (no pressure at all, Mrs. Krug!), it will keep it on broadcast availability for 24 hours. For parents joining us live, they will be able to post questions via the site. If this is successful, we are already thinking about other applications, such as student programs. We want parents to feel as if they are still a part of everything - even when they cannot physically be present. Do you use Periscope? If so, follow me at @drcbartlett and see what awesome things are happening at Lone Star Elementary!

5 Minutes @ End of Day

I read this tip earlier in the month while browsing through Principal magazine: End each day by writing a positive note to a staff member, which will also help you exit feeling good about the day. This sounded like a simple enough strategy to try, so I grabbed a little notepad and set it on my desk. I have done this for two weeks now, and I loooove it! I have to admit that I ran out a couple afternoons and forgot, but I am determined to make this a habit. I've found that the extra 5 minutes focusing on specific praise for a staff member about something that happened during the day is helping me walk out with a smile. This is great for everyone (me, my family, my staff, and so on...)

Also, I am going to buy some cute notepads at Vistaprint... It is on my to-do list. So. Many. Choices. I am overwhelmed! Until then, my little star notes work fine. They are for my star staff, after all!

We ❤️ Reading!

This is my staff reading wall. We showcase every staff member reading a book. There are teachers on vacation, at their house, with their children, etc... Everyone is reading a book of their choice. I can't tell you how many kids and visitors stop by to check it out. I just looooove the look of it and the message it sends. I've been trying to find the link for the READ signs so I could share it with you. When I do, I will add that information. I probably found it on Stephanie McConnell's blog, The New Principals Principles. If not, just look around there anyway - she is fab.

Now that I look at it in this panoramic view, I am wondering if they are placed a little too randomly. Straightening them up or putting them in (dollar store) frames looks like an upcoming project!

Here is my picture with my little man... He wasn't too sure about my daughter snapping a photo!

Open House is ON!

Last year we accidentally booked our Open House evening on the same night as a Houston Texans football game. Who would think to check the NFL calendar when deciding on dates in July?? Well, we made the most of it! We ordered t-shirts that say "This Teacher Loves the Texans" (we wear them whenever they win!), and we moved the start time up to 5:00. It was a great evening! We had high attendance, but everyone was gone by 6:45 (which is great for students and teachers!). There was a positive spirit in the air because this is Texas - and we all LOVE football!!

We thought it went so well that we took advantage of another Thursday night game again this year! We wanted to kick it up a notch, so we shot a video in "sports" theme to invite the families. Take a look at it here:



 

If you watch it and want the signs our A-Team is holding up, download them for free here: Fun Signs for School Leaders I think they would be useful for many events, photos, and office decorations!

 

How do you organize Open House to balance meaningful event with fun, but keep it in a quick time frame so everyone can come back the next day, refreshed? #somanyhats