Leadership, Principal Files, Staffing> School Administrators Article |
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SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS ARTICLE | ||||
Your School's Main Office:
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Each year, the school’s administrative and office teams reviewed procedures for greeting parents and visitors. Those “refresher courses” were always focused on improving the visitor experience and taking advantage of a unique opportunity for some positive public relations.
As hard as Hagen worked to make his office a welcoming spot, there were things he always wanted but never got. “My wish list would have included a buzzer system at the entrance to announce visitors and better secure the building; security cameras in the main office; and computers that parents and other visitors might use as they wait.”At Woodward Academy in Detroit, the front office is the first point of contact for the public as they do business with the school. That’s why Principal Layne Hunt has taken pains to make it aesthetically pleasing as well as operationally functional.
“The colors, scents, and sounds are pleasing and soothing to our office staff and visitors,” said Hunt. “We’ve included plants, artwork, music, snacks such as candy or cookies, and air fresheners to help our office be a pleasant place to visit.
“And I work hard to ensure that our office displays what we are all about. We display student work; and a flat-screen monitor runs a PowerPoint slide show that includes information about our school, the latest school news, and announcements of special events of the day and week.
“I firmly believe the more pleasant the main-office experience, the more productive and pleasant that other encounters will be throughout the building for everyone.”
At Rindge (New Hampshire) Memorial School, Principal John Stone had the unique opportunity for input when it came time to design his school’s office space. An addition to the building put the old office space in a spot that was inconvenient to the school’s new natural entrance, so Stone took over a classroom at the front of the building and converted it into the school’s main office.
“A wall was put in to separate my space at the back of the classroom from the main office and a waiting area,” said Stone. “Since my new office was a former classroom, I now have a large space with closets, cabinets, a sink, and other nice features. And the windows in my office look out onto the parking lot and playground.”
Up front, plants, a clean countertop, and two friendly secretaries greet visitors, added Stone.
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“The office is also very close to the café and gym, so meetings are close by and not on the other side of the building like before,” added Stone. And the new office is close to the offices of the guidance counselor and behavior specialist, with whom Stone works closely.
Principal Addie Gaines was in on the planning of her office space too. “The main office where my administrative assistant is seated has a large window so she can observe the lobby,” explained Gaines, who is principal at Kirbyville (Missouri) Elementary School.
Since the school shares a nurse with the district’s middle school, the administrative assistant’s office space also provides a direct view of the nurse's office.
“That is one of the things I wanted when I designed our office complex. In our old building, we could not observe the nurse's office so we had to send kids back to class or home when the nurse was not on duty.”
The office’s proximity to the school entrance makes it a natural spot for visitors to stop to sign in, added Gaines, whose office is on the opposite side of the admin area from the nurse’s space. Her space includes a conference area with a table that seats 6; nine feet of floor-to-ceiling shelving; and a door to the outside.
Read the Other Parts of This Article
Does Your School Office Shout “Welcome!”?
The Office Toolkit: Improving Efficiency and Security
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Copyright © 2008 Education World
10/09/2008