One of the areas that I wanted to improve after becoming administrator at my current school was involvement. I realized that we needed to raise the level of involvement of teachers, students, parents, and community organizations. By focusing on involvement, I hoped to increase the level of buy-in and school pride.
Teachers:
To increase teacher involvement, I chose to develop and implement eight committees. Each committee consists of 3-4 faculty/staff members, and is managed by a lead teacher. The committees meet once per month, and submit a report to me after they meet. The report states who attended, when they met, what they discussed, and what they need from me. I follow up with each group to provided needed assistance. My teachers have appreciated having a say in how things are organized and run at our school. The following is a list of committees at our school, and what each committee focuses on:
Safety
Responsible for reviewing and maintaining school safety. This includes drill planning and procedures, building /safety issues, and crisis planning & support.
PBIS
Responsible for monitoring and maintaining our PBIS system, and providing input and feedback for administration regarding student discipline issues. The committee will develop, plan, and organize PBIS student rewards throughout the year.
Communications
Responsible for communicating important school events/information to faculty, students, parents, and stakeholders. This includes managing the school website, social media sites, and updating the school calendar.
Beautification
Responsible for improving the school campus. This includes organizing clean up events, greening up outdoor spaces, reporting issues with the facility or grounds.
Parent Education
Responsible for planning and organizing six (3 Fall Semester, and 3 Spring Semester) parent education sessions throughout the year. Provide bear bucks to students that have parents attend sessions.
Special Events
Responsible for managing special events throughout the school year. This includes: planning, organizing, getting volunteers, collecting needed materials, soliciting donations, and promoting the event. Ex: Open House, Veteran's Day Program, Fun Fest, Winter Fest, etc...
Hospitality
Responsible for overseeing the Sunshine account and sending cards, flowers, or other appropriate gifts when needed. Also responsible for overseeing special events, such as teacher appreciation, Secretary's Day, and monthly potluck lunches at our school. Fundraising
Responsible for planning, scheduling, organizing, and overseeing fundraising activities at our school.
The lead teacher of each committee also serves on the school leadership team, also known as the P.A.C. (Principal's Advisory Committee). I meet with the P.A.C. quarterly to discuss school-wide issues and concerns. The P.A.C. also assist in the roll out of new initiatives.
In the picture above, you will see nine committees. We cancelled the Accountability Committee, as we decided that was something the P.A.C. was already responsible for.
Parents:
To increase parent involvement, we started hosting parent information sessions throughout the school year. This allows parents to come to our school a few evenings each year to learn about important programs and topics. However, we don't just present information. We also ask our parents for input. For example, when we discuss school safety, we ask for concerns and suggestions from our parents. They have provided some very valuable feedback. We also include parent representatives on our School Improvement Planning Team. This team meets throughout the year to discuss school data, progress, programs, and issues to address in the coming year. By including parents and hosting parent events, they feel more connected to the school. Therefore, they are more supportive of our school.
Students:
To increase student involvement, we realized that we needed to address the non-athletic population. We have always had multiple athletic programs for students of all ages. However, outside of athletics there has been very little opportunity for students. To address this issue, we developed programs that focused on academics and socialization. One of these programs is the STEM Club. The STEM Club meets every Wednesday after school. The teacher-sponsors plan fun learning activities that require students to collaborate and complete hands-on activities, using science, technology, engineering, and math. Another club that we started at our school is the Student Safety Patrol. These students stand out front each morning and assist younger students to get safely into the school. They take great pride in greeting the smaller students each day and helping them start their day safely. Other clubs that provide student opportunity are the student council, book clubs, FCA, etc…
Community Organizations:
To increase the involvement of our community organizations, we had to reach out and invite them into our school. We have churches, a ruritan club, and a volunteer fire department in close proximity to our school. We reached out to different churches to help support programs and activities in our school. For example, we have two churches that provide clothes, backpacks, and hygiene supplies for our students. We have other churches that bring treat bags for students, and provide meals for needy families. The ruritan helps sponsor student rewards, trips, and they manage our football concessions. The fire department helps us organize our "touch a truck" event for our students. They arrange for emergency vehicles to be brought to the school, and even has Wings (emergency helicopter) fly in and land on our football field. Having these organizations involved at our school makes them feel more invested, which naturally causes them to be more supportive.
The above listed activities have definitely improved the overall involvement at our school. As we move forward, we plan to continue to develop opportunities for all stakeholders to feel more and more involved. The more involved we are, the more invested we become. The more invested we are, the more exceptional it becomes!