my version of transparent, collaborative leadership...with a Teamann twist

Fabulous Fridays

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Sometimes it’s the little things that can make the biggest difference.

February is a long month. It’s a solid month of instruction, leads up to Spring, and typically, both students and staff get a touch of the spring fever.

We decided to have “Fab Fridays in February” and have a fun activity each week to help offset that feeling. These were cheap (or free!) and really helped alleviate some the doldrums many were feeling.

The first Friday I recruited some of our amazing moms to bring in crockpots of soup to show our teachers they were “soup”-er. It was a warm treat on a cold day and everyone enjoyed some down home cooking.

The second Friday coincided with Valentine’s Day and we played “Love Connection”. I found a bunch of “famous” couples…from Thelma and Louise to our principal and her husband and I cut them in half. I then placed half a couple in each person’s room. The goal was to find your loooooooove connection. It was SO much fun to see teacher’s racing down the halls, trying to figure it all out. There were current couples as well as some golden oldies, 🙂

Have you seen Legally Blonde 2? (yes, yes, I know. ) The next Friday we did our own version of the Snap Cup.

I placed a staff list and slips of paper in a cup and let the love flow! Teachers wrote their “warm fuzzies” on a slip, and passed it on. Next year, I think I’m going to start the love cup on Monday and then post them on the Friday, but either way, it was SO rewarding to see all the happy thoughts that were shared. From old team members to new hires…everyone felt the love!

The last Fab Friday we deemed as sweets for the sweet…we served cookies and milk! Once again, I had amazing moms who baked (or bought!) cookies and brought them to school. I supplied the milk and viola! A sweet way to celebrate all the hard work that our teachers do, each and every day.

Our campuses are more than just a job. They are like a second home! The culture we build and cultivate is a beacon that can either lure or repel the best and brightest. Your culture is evident in everything,  from how you communicate to your teachers (or students!) to how the halls are decorated. It ALL plays a role in defining your brand, in showing who you are.  The better your culture is on the inside, the more attractive you will look to the outside…and in public education these days? We always want them to see our BEST!

Whether you have a campus or a classroom,  you can make Fab Fridays work for you! (Or Marvelous Monday’s, or, Terrific Tuesday’s….)

(Thanks to Melinda Miller for sharing all of her Fab Friday ideas! We’re all better together, :))

 

Fab FridayN,

Amber

 

 

 

Voxer: an Edcamp on my phone

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voxer-logo-horizontalWhat do you get when you combine a free walkie talkie app, a New Yorker, some Wisconsins, a Missouri-an, and a Texan?

Day after day after day of professional advice, personal support, and a LOT of smiles.

Jessica Johnson introduced me to Voxer while planning our Indiana Leadership presentation. I have to admit, I didn’t quite get the point…why couldn’t we text? or email? or tweet?

Did I really need another techie tool?

Thank goodness she was persistent! Daily now I am in conversation with Jessica Johnson (principalj), Curt Rees (@curtrees) Tom Whitford,(@twhitford), Leah Whitford (@leah_whit), Jay Posick (@posickj ) Joe Sanfelippo (@Joesanfelippofc) Tony Sinansis (@TonySinanis) and Melinda Miller (@mmiller757).

From the crazy events that happen throughout our days to the how would you handle this moments, we have a group to add ideas,thoughts, and advice.  Tony mentioned today that these convo’s have become mini edcamps on our phone and I completely agree. We throw out random questions or thoughts and get feedback from in a safe, non-judgmental, different perspective environment.

What have I gained from random, when we have time, less than a minute each (Curt’s rule) messages? Well, considering that this is a group of rock stars…a lot. All principals and a superintendent….I’m literally hanging with the cool kids!

 

  • “That’s me!” An activity in whole group settings where you ask questions and the participants all say, “Hey, that’s me!) A great way to show that we all have more in common than we think…
  • How to handle staff situations gone awry
  • Instructional writing programs, a debate on a package versus organic teaching/learning
  • Inspirational videos on demand
  • How to get out, take a break, reflect on difficult situations
  • Ways to support our teachers and provide communication tools to help them connect with parents
  • Social media management, handling multiple accounts for a campus and a personal one
  • That the FC crickets are THE team! (And I have the tee shirt to prove it!)
  • That seasoned, experienced administrators struggle, that we all have bad days, but that we do all LOVE our jobs!

 

I am SO thankful that I have this group daily to hear from, learn from, and laugh with. Considering that I’ve only “met” Jessica, it sure is ironic that I talk more with these “online” peers than I do some of my closest friends.

 

Thank you, Voxer fam, you are such a great addition to my PLN world!

 

beep beep,

Amber

 

 

Lunch & Learn: a parent engagement opportunity!

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Never under estimate a team of creative teachers who want to show off their creative students.  Our kinder team hosted a lunch and learn for their parents last week.  With November being a month of family engagement, this just tied right in!  After 30 minutes in classrooms, parents also got to enjoy lunch wit their child. Despite having packed classrooms and 22 five year olds, I was so impressed with the calm & collected manner in which our teachers worked the room, making sure each and every child had someone to share with.

They sent home invites asking parents to come in for thirty minutes before their lunch time. As they walked in, their student greeted them with an iPad and they went and found somewhere to sit. Sharing a set of headphones, the student showed the parent how to get to the iBooks page. On that page, they were greeted by this, over a dozen student created iBooks showing off the culmination of their animal unit.

Photo Nov 08, 9 49 06 AM

 

After a field trip to the petting zoo, our kinder kiddos came back and created these iBooks. They took pictures and videos of their chosen animals in small groups. They came back and were asked different facts and fun questions by their teacher. It was all then compiled into a presentation that they were so proud to share. The beaming smiles on ALL of the faces reminded me that yes, school can be FUN, and accomplish its curricular goals. Students worked together, had tasks to complete, and had to learn facts about their chosen animal. Sounds like a typical kindergarten activity…but what made this different? The opportunity for their voice to be heard by their family. The opportunity to make an artifact that showcased their pictures and their videos in a format that excited them. Moms, dads, and even grandparents, got to share the excitement of pigs, sheep, and cows through a 5 year olds eyes.

A principal colleague recently asked if school should be fun. This day full of smiles and a much more authentic version of “what I learned on my field trip” reassures me that yes, yes it should.

 

engagement proud,

Amber

 

ps: That lunch and learn concept? Imagine the possibilities. PD. Any grade level can do it with parents. A google hangout with other administrators. A principal’s roundtable on any number of topics. Everyone likes food and a 30 minute commitment isn’t too much to ask…

“Reddit”, Set, GO!

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The site “Reddit”  both fascinates and terrifies me. It’s not somewhere I find resources because of my un-awareness of it, but I did discover something pretty cool! One of our teachers received a free box of goodies for his SPED classroom this year, from an anonymous donor, from the Reddit site.

Here’s the explanation blurb off the Reddit site:

Reddit gifts for the teachers is our annual program where teachers sign up who are in need of supplies for their classrooms, and nice people sign up to send them some supplies! There is no minimum or suggested value of these gifts, they can be as simple as some pencils or glue sticks – anything makes a difference and we need your help! Last year, participants from around the world sent almost $150,000 worth of supplies for teachers as the new school year started.
PLEASE sign up and share this page with anyone and everyone!

Did you know this was out there? How great! Make a note for next year OR donate today!!

disclaimer: Reddit is a site best viewed at home. It offers an open platform to its contributors and may not be appropriate for school.

 

Here’s our teacher’s thank you page…just a lil’effort on his part had a great payoff!

 

Reddit and weep,

Amber

 

 

 

Early bird gets the…reading skills!

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At the beginning of the year there is always a need for scaffolding basics, especially for younger students or students who may need a reminder of what reading is all about.

Teach your Monster to Read is a free game to practice the first steps of reading. It is built on the principles of synthetic phonics.

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Teach Your Monster to Read is intended to be used by teachers and parents/guardians as a reading-related teaching tool for children between 3 and 8.

Teachers and parents may register on the site, and as a result become “Users”. Users may set up individual accounts for their Students, which allow the Students to access, and the User to track students’ performance. Accounts may only be established by Users, and not by Students themselves; Students must have Users’ permission to use the Game Service.

On the How It Works Page, you can find links to how the game has been conceived and used in schools.

Bright, fun, free, & fabulous! All good things!

Monsterishly,

Amberstein