We believe curiosity leads to connection. Check out our latest PEOPLE FIRST Connect Cards that will arm you with 18 fresh questions you can use with your staff or students. At the start your next staff meeting, the next time you meet with a student, or when you are greeting parents consider starting with one of these fun questions to create a PEOPLE FIRST moment.
Click the link below to download the PDF.
The new year gives us time to take a pause and reflect on the first part of the school year. Take a moment to celebrate what’s worked great and consider ways you want to continue to grow in 2024.
Use this Reflection Guide with your staff to find ways to support one another in the second half of the year.
Recently on Twitter we stumbled upon a great way to create tiny moments of connection between your staff. The Fall inspired activity was called “Pumpkin in your Pocket.”
Here is what Bryanna Norton shared on Twitter:
After sharing this idea with several of the schools we partner with, we got messages saying they pulled it off and had staff members talking with people from all over campus. A simple, yet powerful way to reconnect teams.
With Thanksgiving and Holiday Break around the corner, we wonder how you might twist the Rubix Cube to use this fun, yet connection based activity with your staff.
Below is a template you can use for Thanksgiving.
Are you looking to build deeper connections within your staff? Our Learning For Living Team partners with schools to provide fun, interactive, and deeply intentional PD workshops to remind everyone we are BETTER TOGETHER. To learn more click HERE.
In the fall of 2022, our team shared a podcast with John Eick when he originally shared the idea of Scroll Your Roll. A simple activity where people share a snapshot of their lives during a staff meeting or even in the classroom.
At a recent School Culture Summit one of the schools mentioned they had used Scroll Your Roll once and then turned the rubix cube to make it a Scavenger Hunt.
In the PDF below we share more about both ways to do the activity, but it was a great reminder for teams: It is okay to use the same activity throughout the year! Staff members and even students in the classroom need time to get used to an activity and then will enjoy a simple twist like the scavenger hunt style.
We are PEOPLE before PROFESSIONALS. We are PEOPLE before ACADEMICS. If we start with connections, relationship and trust will grow through tiny moments that leads to higher levels of engagement and success.
These People First Connect Cards are designed to grow connections through tiny conversations.
Carve out a few minutes at your next staff meeting or in the classroom and start with one of the questions. #WearePeopleFirst
During episode #104 of the School Culture By Design Podcast, Paul Lundburg shares the power of a good mid-year pit stop. If you haven’t already listened, check out the episode HERE.
A breakdown of the acronym RISE:
Reconnect: check-in with staff in simple and meaningful ways.
Inspire: pause and celebrate recent wins.
Serve: encourage the staff with food or serve a need they have.
Paul used the example of PANCAKE DADS. The PTA would recruit dad’s within the school community to host a pancake breakfast for the staff as a way to show appreciation.
Evaluate: Take time to evaluate what is working and what the team wants to focus on going forward in order to reset for the new semester.
Below is a mid-year pit stop reflection tool that can be used with your staff.
In School Culture By Design Podcast Episode #103, Dr. Deborah Beagle shared a fun activity involving paper airplanes and creating time for positivity.
Print the template (below). Feel free to add your school logo or tagline
Student or staff member to write their name and an inspiring quote (can search online, if needed)
Fold into an airplane using the dotted lines
During a specified time, everyone flies their paper airplane and each person then catches/picks up one
Expect some laughter and smiles as well as reminders of encouragement and inspiration!
**Another fun idea: A school recently heard about this idea and shifted it into a staff snowball fight.
During a staff meeting they gave each staff member a small piece of paper and encouraged them to write a recent win or why they appreciated the team.
They got into a circle (or smaller circles) and all at once tossed their snowballs into the middle. Each person would pick up one and share it with a partner.
Then they had a few people share with the entire group. It was a great way to validate all the work that was being done!
Try this relationship builder! In School Culture By Design Podcast Episode #100, Dr. John Eick shares a fun way to connect over cell phone photos.
What will you share… a photo of your family or pet, vacation highlight, favorite hobby, holiday tradition, or maybe an adventure from your summer break?
Take time to be PEOPLE FIRST and share part of your story as it will lead to lasting relationships and colleagues you can lean on during tough times.
During our Storytelling Sparks Connection podcast episode, guest Robin Nott shared the benefit of taking time to share our stories and how it can lead to a more PRODUCTIVE, CREATIVE, and SAFE environment.
Adapted from Robin's Story Sparks, this activity may be used with students or staff to SPARK CONVERSATIONS, BUILD RELATIONSHIPS, and remind us we are BETTER TOGETHER!
We believe relationships are the foundation to thriving school culture. These Connect Cards are designed to help make connections in a fun and low risk way.
Carve out a few minutes at your next staff meeting or in the classroom and pick a question or two. Perhaps you will discover shared interests and experiences and learn more about your colleagues or students, while also sharing a part of your story. #PeopleFirst
The winter break gives us time to take a deep breath and reflect on the past year. Take a moment to celebrate your wins and the challenges you overcame. Now, let’s look forward to the year ahead. The new year marks a time when we often make resolutions and set goals.
Use this form with students or staff to help guide thoughts and ideas.
Download the “Reflection & Resolution” guide today, and take a few minutes to reflect on 2021 and consider the potential for 2022!
Giving others the opportunity to share part of their story helps build strong relationships and collaboration. As Thanksgiving and the holiday season nears, take a few minutes during class or kick-off your next staff meeting or potluck with this fun and quick relationship builder!
Grateful: What are you GRATEFUL for?
Inspire: Who INSPIRES you?
Victory: What is one VICTORY you had this fall?
Eager: What are you EAGER to accomplish before winter break?
DETAILS:
PURPOSE: To build relationships by encouraging staff/students to share part of their story. To reflect on the positive and express gratitude.
TIME: 3-5 minutes in partners, 7-10 minutes in small groups.
SPACE: Space to pair up or form groups of 6-8.
SUMMARY: Have each person answer one or all of the G.I.V.E. questions.
TIPS:
After each person has shared, allow time for participants to ask follow-up questions or learn more from other participants by saying, “Tell me more about…”
Challenge the group to send a note/text of THANKS to the person that inspires them or who they are grateful to have in their lives.
The return to school this fall presents an amazing opportunity to reconnect…as a staff and student body! Let’s take time to genuinely check-in with each other and ask how others are doing after so much virtual time and after our summer break.
Check out the RECONNECT CARDS for an easy way to ask fun and interesting questions to get to know each other better and build relationships!
Click below to download a printable PDF of the RECONNECT CARDS!
This year has challenged us in many ways and taught us about our resilience and ability to adapt. Many of us had to dig deep to keep a positive mindset.
To help us keep that positive mindset, each week Laurie (my wife) and I write down our favorite memory from the week. We collect these in a jar on our table and then, on New Year’s Eve, our tradition is to read our memories and reflect on the past year. It helps us look back and be grateful for the little moments and encourages us to look forward to what might come next.
In the spirit of reflection, this upcoming winter break, we encourage you to take a few minutes to pause and reflect on your year. I can only imagine the multitude of emotions that may arise. To help, we have created the “Reflection and Intention” guide. For those of you who are ready to put 2020 in the past, page 2 is all about defining your intentions for the upcoming spring semester!
There is power in reflection...it provides opportunities to learn from the past and generate motivation for the future.
Download the guide today and take time to pause and celebrate the little wins!
For a few years we have offered the LOVE LIST to schools to encourage their adult staff on campus. It included questions such as “my favorite morning drink” or “a time I felt appreciated.” The intent was to learn more about one another and refer back to the list for future personalized surprises and appreciation weeks throughout the year.
Since the staff version was so popular, we thought why not create a LOVE LIST for your STUDENTS that would help create connections as many of us begin school with distance learning.
Imagine a notebook you keep next to your laptop with a dedicated page or two for each class. During the first few weeks of school ask your students in a casual way about different loves they have. Also, you can ask these questions in the chat room as a way for students to get to know each other – a question each day for the first two weeks. Ask students to listen to each other and write down similarities between classmates. Jot their answers in your notebook and then refer back to them during future conversations.
Consider some of these loves you might ask students:
Students want to know you listen to them, you remember things about them, and you notice them. What better way to do this than commenting later in the month or semester about something they have shared!
Also need the STAFF LOVE LIST? Click below to download an editable version.
We identify in many roles in our lives, both professionally and personally.
Think about all of your roles. Which was the first one you thought of?
It is important to remember that we are all people first, especially during our virtual conversations. As we are on our conference calls and video meetings with colleagues or students, before jumping into business or online learning, let’s take time to genuinely check-in with each other and ask how others are doing.
Further, why not take a few minutes to learn something new about your staff or students! Check our latest edition of the Connect Cards. The BETTER TOGETHER edition provides fun and interesting questions that you can ask staff or students to get to know each other and build relationships. Pick one of these 18 questions to kick-off your next virtual meeting!
Click below to download a printable PDF of the Better Together Connect Cards for FREE!
Recently I experienced a heartfelt example of passing traditions down in my family. It originated with my wife’s Grandma Ivy’s famous pink cookies. She would bake them in Alaska for family and neighbors… and everyone LOVED her cookies! Generations since have continued the tradition of baking pink cookies. This time, my 3 year old grandson, Miles, learned this special pink cookie recipe from his great-grandma, Karran. Miles was SO excited the moment he walked in the door and sweetly asked to start making cookies!
In a moment of honesty that morning, Karran told us she had “almost” made the cookie dough herself. She then realized, if she is going to pass on the art of pink cookie baking, she must teach all of it...every step! I thought, bravo!
Passing it on must be intentional – because it is really easy to just bake the cookies and have them ready when Miles walks in. Passing it on became intentional when Karran asked Miles and his mother, Shyana, if they wanted to learn how to make the pink cookies together. Miles experienced the process first hand as he added the sugar to the bowl.
Yep, sugar is sweet and so is passing it on! Some day Miles may not remember many details about his great-grandma, but he will never forget who taught him how to make those Pink Cookies.
Take a moment and think about some of the traditions at your school. What traditions do you have? How can you help ensure the traditions will be passed down each year? Traditions could be homecoming, an annual spring art show, or maybe an amazing way to send off graduating seniors. Traditions may evolve over time with new staff and students. And...it’s never too late to start a new tradition!
What is a tradition your school is planning this spring? We would love to hear! Share with us on our “School Culture by Design” Facebook page!
Valentine’s Day marks a great opportunity to spread LOVE and TOGETHERNESS across your campus! We’ve heard so many great ideas in past years and wanted to share a few below for inspiration. Start planning now and collaborate with either an established club at your school or assemble a new team to create a memorable Valentine’s Day event!
Just think if EVERYONE at your school received something on Valentine’s Day… it would brighten their day and ensures they receive at least one thing.
If your school has not yet planned for a Valentine’s Day activity, we hope these ideas inspire you to use this day as an opportunity to intentionally build culture and relationships among students and staff.
Share your Valentine’s Day event and photos on our School Culture By Design Facebook group!
#BetterTogether #SchoolCultureByDesign
This past week one of my educator friends posted a graphic on Facebook titled Teacher’s Winter Break Checklist and typed “It’s coming…8 more days 😂.” It included scenarios that all educators can connect with, such as leaving your teacher bag in your vehicle, staying up way too late, wearing pajamas for multiple days, and going to the bathroom whenever you want!
Her post made me pause…because that is what the holiday break offers to educators…a PAUSE. A pause in the hectic pace of school life. A pause from pouring so much of ourselves into other people, and instead, taking time for ourselves. For some, that may mean wearing pajamas for three straight days, bingeing on Netflix, or even eating cookies for a meal!
Taking a pause is necessary. Not because we don’t love what we do, but because a pause is what we need to be our best for our schools, students, staff, and families.
The holiday break offers an opportunity to REFLECT on the previous semester and to look forward to the upcoming semester. There is power in reflection because it provides opportunities to learn, heal, and generate motivation.
That’s why we are providing the 20/20 Reflection Form. Use it to facilitate an internal discussion about what went well, what could have gone better, and what you should focus on second semester to continue to make your school the best place it can be.
You deserve that. Everyone in your school community deserves it too.
So put down your cookies. Take a break from your Netflix binge. Curl up with our 20/20 Reflection Form to celebrate the victories from the fall semester and to get motivated for a great 2020!
Enjoy the pause!