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.
Reaching for Our Reading Goal
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Each year, we hold an assembly on the first day of school for the obvious reasons, but the purpose of that assembly is also to set our reading goal for the year. The students select the number of books the whole school will read. Last year they read more than 33,000 books and their reward was beach day! Beach day is a day-long celebration for students who achieve their reading goals. Activities include beach volleyball (we have sand brought onto the track field), inflatable monster water slides, karoke music, hamburgers and hotdogs, water bucket relays, and slip-and-slides. We even crown a teacher "King or Queen of Beach Day." The activities are scheduled just like a traditional field day, but the activities are much more fun! This is a great way to motivate the students to keep reading all year. Their reading progress is posted each grading period and an applause assembly is held. Everyone gets into the act on Beach Day, which would not be possible without the support of parents. It is also a great way to finish the year and reward the students for a job well done.
Thanks to Dr. Cathy Vasile, Blossomwood Elementary School in Huntsville, Alabama.
Happy Hour
On Friday, during the last hour of the school day, teachers send students to visit me to share news of an A on a spelling test, a new baby at home, or any other "good news." I provide each visitor with a handwritten note to the parent on a special note card that has the words "Happy Hour" and my name.
Thanks to Diane Rose, principal at East Salem Elementary School in Salem, Virginia
RISE (Reading Is Surely Enjoyable) in the Morning
We hold a "RISE (Reading Is Surely Enjoyable) in the Morning" program. Each day, parents sit in the hallway and read to a child or groups of children.
Source: "Principals Share Parent Involvement ideas " (EducationWorld.com -- February 28, 2000)
The Golden Apple Award
With all teachers have to do, motivation is the key to keeping them focused and feeling worthy. At each month's staff meeting in our school, two teachers are awarded the "Golden Apple" for their above-and-beyond efforts. The neat thing about the Golden Apple is that the teachers select its recipients. Each of the winners of this month's Golden Apples are responsible for passing on the award to another worthy teacher at next month's meeting.
Source: Larry Davis, "25 Ways to Motivate Teachers" (EducationWorld.com -- November 19, 2002)
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