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Home > Administrator's Desk Channel > Administrator's Desk Archive >Principal Ideas > Principal Ideas Article |
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| PRINCIPAL IDEAS ARTICLE | ||
 Principal
Ideas #18 Just think of Principal Ideas as a virtual show-and-tell for principals. Each week in the coming school year we'll present five new principal-tested ideas. Send in your idea today! See the sidebar to learn how to be part of Principal Ideas.
To help staff get to know each other better, I ask a question every month. I write the question on a large dry-erase
board that is located in the faculty lounge. (I have sectioned off part of the dry-erase board to accomodate this
activity.) Faculty members are free to record their answers to the monthly question. Staff enjoy writing a response
and reading the responses of their collegues. Examples of questions include On faculty-meeting days I cover up the responses to the monthly question. I choose one of the teacher's responses to share and ask the staff "Who said...?" The teacher who correctly identifies the staff member who gave that response wins a prize. In addition, the staff member whose response was chosen also wins. Thanks to Fran Eggleston, principal at McDole Elementary School in Montgomery, Illinois Seeing STARS for Good Behavior If a teacher is looking for a way to improve classroom discipline, you might suggest this teacher-tested idea.
It's a program called STARS -- Students That Are Really Serious. Every time a teacher catches a student doing something
positive, he or she gets a star for their chart. Stars are given for being on task, turning in homework, participating
in class, helping out the teacher, and so on. When students earn a specific number of stars, they are able to choose
from rewards such as a homework pass, sitting in the beanbag chair during class, listening to music as they work,
a class period in the library for independent study, or a food item (candy or chips)… With the STAR program, the
teacher reports, students even remind each other to have correct behavior now. Conference Chrysanthemums Purchase fresh flowers for teachers' desks during parent-teacher conference week. Welcoming New Students We conduct a new-student orientation during the weeks before school starts. This event is a huge success. We send
out flyers a couple weeks before the event, which provides parents an opportunity to purchase school uniforms and
supplies and to become familiar with our school's expectations. We discuss first-day procedures, lockers, physical
education clothing, attendance, and general school rules. In addition, the athletics department gives an overview
of their activities and how students can participate in them; guidance gives an overview of its program; Student
Council members welcome new arrivals; cheerleaders perform for the crowd and get them excited about football season;
and the parent organization (PTSA) welcomes new parents and recruits parents for upcoming events.
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