Strategic Budget Plan
For our Budget and Finance course, we were tasked with creating a strategic budget plan for a school based on the School Improvement Plan, achievement and perception data, and the current budget. For this assignment, I worked with two other Principal Residents to develop a plan that called for organizational restructure, specific professional development, targeted intervention, and family engagement opportunities. We used our knowledge of budget codes and how specific funds can be spent to determine the best way to spend our money. Prior to completing this assignment, I had a conversation with my bookkeeper about the Benson Elementary School budget and she provided me with a resource detailing what can be purchased within each budget code.
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Crucial Conversations Training & Reflection
In our ELP 552: School-Based Planning, Management, and Evaluation in PLC's course, we reviewed the elements of our Crucial Conversations training from the previous summer. We discussed the importance of planning crucial conversations, if possible, to ensure you start the conversation with facts and utilize "STATE" skills to reach desired results . One of our assignments required us to reflect on a recent crucial conversation we had engaged in to determine how effective we were in our communication and whether an agreed upon solution was reached.
School leaders must manage the complexities of human interaction, which involves holding high-stakes, emotion-filled conversations with staff and students. Using the skills learned in our Crucial Conversations training will ensure I can manage and resolve conflicts so that the focus of the school can be on student achievement. |
Calm Down Corner for Students
As a school leader, it is important to help not only teachers but also students manage and resolve conflicts. This year, in accordance with our School Improvement Plan goal focusing on students' social-emotional well being, we encouraged all teachers to create and utilize a Calm Down Corner in their classroom. We shared resources for the Calm Down Corner with teachers and teacher assistants. The purpose of having this area in all classrooms is to give students a place to go when they are feeling particularly emotional; the space asks them to identify their feeling(s) and offers them steps for calming down and preparing their mind and body to refocus on learning. Our goal is to help our students identify their emotions and exhibit self-control in managing them appropriately.
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Creation of "BES Central" Resource
While serving as Principal Resident, I created a document called "BES Central" for the purposes of streamlining information and communication for internal stakeholders. I organized our school information into relevant categories (such as School Improvement, Calendars, and Schedules), and hyperlinked corresponding documents into each section.
I shared the "BES Central" with every employee who served Benson Elementary students, including employees who were shared with other schools, to ensure all staff members had access to the information. Several teachers and teacher assistants thanked me for creating this resource, which reiterated the importance of ensuring staff members feel informed and connected within the school building. |
Staff Mid Year Survey
In an effort to provide all staff with an opportunity to have their thoughts and concerns heard, the Benson Elementary administrative team developed and sent out a mid year survey. We asked staff members to reflect on procedures, culture, and administration. As a team, we analyzed the feedback and Mrs. Dunston, my principal mentor, addressed the concerns that were raised in a staff meeting. Efforts to improve communication among all stakeholders is an ongoing process, and school leaders must utilize various methods for distributing information and gaining feedback.
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Staff Handbook Session
I facilitated a session on the Benson Elementary School Staff Handbook during our teacher workdays at the beginning of the year. This session allowed me to go over school-wide expectations and explain new procedures to all staff. In addition, I was able to answer questions, offer points of clarity, and seek input on areas of concern from the previous year. We played "Kahoot!" as a fun way to review the material covered.
I took the feedback staff offered during the session to my administrative team and together we revised certain procedures and/or parts of the handbook that were unclear. For example, last year during fire drills, teachers used green cards to signal all students were accounted for and safe, but the handbook did not specify this procedure so the staff had questions about it. The administrative team discussed this process and decided it was best to only use a red card to signal missing students or injuries so the process would be similar to that of a lockdown. In a crisis situation, we do not want staff to have to think about which card to use. All changes and updates were shared with staff members on the following day. We were able to address potential "blind spots" and improve upon our processes and procedures by allowing all staff members' voices to be heard in the session. |
BRONCO Expectations
During one of our first School Improvement Team meetings, we discussed the school-wide "BRONCO" expectations that were in place from the previous school year. The team determined that some of the expectations were too wordy and/or difficult for students to understand. We decided to simplify the language and reduce the length of each expectation. We had posters of the updated "BRONCO" Expectations made for every classroom. Teachers are encouraged to utilize positive reinforcement and reference the "BRONCO" Expectations on a daily basis. Clear school-wide expectations create consistent structures that optimize time spent learning and on-task.
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