My school’s mission statement states:
“Our school strives to stimulate a strong mind and body, concentrating on the total child. Our mission is that all children have the opportunity to improve themselves intellectually, physically, and emotionally in a safe, challenging, and inclusive environment. Through a strong focus on academics, as well as physical fitness and wellness, students are encouraged to reach their full educational and social potential. Our school atmosphere is one that is warm, child-centered, safe, and orderly. Our desire is to encourage our students to become confident, compassionate, and responsible citizens. Parents are an integral part of our program, and we encourage and appreciate parent involvement. We seek to develop common goals with home and community to better prepare our students to lead active and productive lives through a commitment to lifelong fitness and well-being.”
The underlined portions of the mission statement explain the school’s outlined mission to make stakeholders feel welcomed at our school. It states that we will provide a warm environment for students to help them grow, we will encourage parental involvement and will make efforts to develop relationships with others in the community. Therefore, having it explicitly stated in our mission statement to provide a welcoming school is the first step to creating a culture of achievement.
There are a few stakeholder groups that could be more effectively welcomed at my site. I thought about how little parental involvement we have on a daily basis at my site and how we have many students who transfer in and out of our school every year. These two stakeholder groups are the two that I would like to make feel more welcomed if I were the school leader. Often times at back to school night or open house, we have about half to two-thirds of our students’ parents that attend. These two nights would be a wonderful time to make parents feel more welcomed. Instead of making the parents feel as if attending is a chore, we should make it more welcoming and ask what they would like to learn about during these times. We can send home a survey asking what they would like to learn or do on back to school night and integrate that into our plans. If we value their opinions, they will feel more welcomed and will be more likely to attend.
In our grade level last year, we had eleven students who ended the school year with us, but did not begin the school year with us. These eleven students started some time after the beginning of the year and they need to feel welcomed and valued even though they were not there on the first days of school. If I were the school leader, I think it would be helpful to provide these students with a tour of the campus, observe what some of the classrooms are like and have a time to get to know their class and teacher before they are thrown into the first full day of lessons with new peers and teachers. If we take the time to show these students our school culture, they are more likely to engage and participate as new members of our school.
Even though I am not the school leader, I can still welcome these groups by implementing these strategies at my site in my grade level, which is within my current sphere of influence. I can send home a survey asking parents what they would like to learn about on back to school night and integrate it into my plans. I can also designate certain students to support and mentor our new students who start during the middle of the year. This will make parents and new students feel more welcomed and will begin to develop a culture of achievement in my grade level.
Here are five things I am willing to commit to do this semester to make my school a more welcoming place:
- I will make an effort to reach out to parents to open communication between myself and them to make them feel valued and welcomed.
- I will practice the “eyes up” philosophy when walking through the halls, taking the time to say good morning or ask if someone needs help.
- I will assign a specific student to help support and welcome new students starting in my class.
- I am the Safety Patrol advisor at my site and am present before and after school for patrol. I will make all visitors feel welcomed by saying “Good morning” to everyone that enters the school and offer assistance if needed.
- I will send home a parent survey for back to school night to ask parents what they would like to learn about to make them feel more valued.