Titan House System!
Official Launch: 2021-2022
What is the House System?
Tega Cay Elementary, soon to be known as the Titan House, is excited to announce the launch of the Titan House System. This inspiring and exhilarating process comes to us from the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta, GA. I have personally been there to experience the power of the House system, and its impact on students still leaves me speechless.
At Tega Cay Elementary, The House System will be used to promote character, academic success, school spirit, a family atmosphere, and a culture of excellence. Every student, teacher and staff member in the school will belong to one of five groups known as Titan Houses. Our Houses are like families and/or teams. Every individual in the entire school belongs to one of our five Houses and every individual participates. Each House is named for one of our school's five core values and are named as follows:
Integritas (Latin) - House of Integrity; Rishton (Hindi) - House of Relationships; Sabar (Javanese) - House of Open-Mindedness; Zavezanost (Slovenian) - House of Commitment; & Deernis (Afrikaans) - House of Compassion.
The Competition, Rollout & Implementation:
School, Community & The Competition:
Throughout the year, our Houses compete against one another in a variety of competitions accumulating House points. Individual students can also accumulate points for their House based on behavior and academic success. At the end of each quarter, we will celebrate the house leading our school with the most points earned. Then, at the end of the school year, the house with the most points earned throughout the entire year wins the House Championship — and all of the honor and glory that comes with it!
The Titan House system will bring an astounding level of energy, comradery and competitive spirit to our school community. This type of energy, especially in children, can be contagious. It is our hope that this contagious energy follows our students home each afternoon and soon overtakes the Tega Cay peninsula. While certainly a promotion of competition, the House system teaches students the importance of working together for a common cause. It teaches students how to effectively work as a team, as well as the qualities of sportsmanship, like how to be a good winner or loser.
Rollout & Implementation:
For the 2021-2022 school year, to roll out this initiative, students will belong to the same house as his/her homeroom teacher which will allow students to focus on learning about the House System and our school's core values together as a homeroom/family. Again, each House reflects a core value embodied by our TCES community, and we passionately believe that this approach, in conjunction with our school's core values and the House system itself will push students beyond academic excellence and will provide them the life skills for success in middle school, high school and beyond.
During the 2022-2023 school year, when students are placed in homerooms, an intermingling of houses will occur. Kindergarten will still be sorted according to their teacher so that they can learn about the House System as well as all things Kindergarten. Then, when the kindergarteners become first graders, they will disperse into homerooms comprised of students from all five Titan houses.
The Parent Role & Participation:
Parent Involvement & What We Need from YOU:
Finally, parent involvement & participation is highly encouraged and appreciated. Parents and teachers alike will have access to the RCA House System App which not only provides live, real time updates on House points, but also provides information on your student's individual points in addition to academic & behavioral information. In order for us to upload parent information (i.e. name, email address & phone number) to the House app so that you, parents, may have access to and use of the app, we need your permission.
Please CLICK HERE to complete the google form granting TCES permission to share your information with the RCA House App. Once we have your permission and enter your information into the app's database, please be on the lookout for an email from the House app which will provide you instructions for setting up your account. Your participation enables you as a valued stakeholder in the establishment of the Titan House System process as we continue to establish a culture of belonging in a school-wide community where the focus on character is equally as important as our focus on academics.
* Parents with More than one TITAN:
For parents who have multiple students at TCES, please know that it is okay for siblings to be part of different houses. While this may seemingly create a "house divided" atmosphere at home - it often can be fun and even entertaining to pull for two or even three houses simultaneously.
Benefits of the House System:
Students and teachers at schools where the House System has been put in place have raved about the impact it has had on the educational experience. Children have noted such things as how it has helped them to form friendships and create closer bonds with their peers. Teachers have noted how students perform at higher levels when points are assigned and their peers are cheering them on. Additional benefits include the following:
- Culture of Belonging: The House System gives students a sense of community on a slightly smaller scale. This culture will contribute to the promotion of high academic and behavioral expectations. We want each student to gain a sense of belonging at Tega Cay Elementary.
- School-Wide Community: The House System will bring together students and staff across grade levels which will build a community that will strengthen the social and academic lives of the Tega Cay! Traditionally, schools are split up into grades and students never interact with older or younger peers. This type of role modeling and mentorship, provided on a consistent basis to students as they go through each grade of the school, can be exponentially valuable to their growth!
- Character Building: The House System builds character with a reward system that goes beyond something like earning a piece of candy from a candy jar for doing something good. Instead, each student’s achievements add to a collective group, making the reward communal and social. Each house has a name and color that symbolizes positive characteristics and qualities we want to instill in our students. Our goal with the House System is to foster our school's mission to 1) promote teamwork, 2) develop character, 3) challenge excellence, 4) and maintain a student-driven focus!
The History Behind the House System Launch!
All About the Five Titan Houses
Integritas - House of Integrity (Latin)
Symbolic Animal: Pharoh Hound
Symbolic Color: Indigo
Original House Leaders:
Brennan Roberts, Math Interventionist
Brigitte Wagner, Principal
Jane Marker, TCES 5th Grader 20-21
Sam Neu, TCES 5th Grader 20-21, Artist
Laike Tolentino, TCES 5th Grader 20-21
Rishton - House of Relationships (Hindi)
Symbolic Animal: Asiatic Lion
Symbolic Color: Yellow
Original House Leaders:
Kelly Taylor, 4th Grade Teacher 20-21
Ozzi Kinkopf, 5th Grader 20-21
Kylie Mathies, 5th Grader 20-21, Artist
Bella Sale, withdrew from TCES
Sabar - House of Open-Mindedness (Javanese)
Symbolic Animal: Komodo Dragon
Symbolic Color: Orange
Original House Leaders:
Marla Helms, Art Teacher
Tripp Hartley, Assistant Principal
Lucy Blank, TCES 5th Grader 20-21, Artist
Max Thompson, TCES 5th Grader 20-21
Agnes Zilinskaite, TCES 5th Grader 20-21
Zavezanost - House of Commitment (Slovenian)
Symbolic Animal: Golden Eagle
Symbolic Color: Red
Original House Leaders:
Kelley Nugent, Technology Teacher
Mason Burt, TCES 5th Grader 20-21
Madison Rice, TCES 5th Grader 20-21
Dylan Smith, TCES 5th Grader 20-21, Artist
Deernis - House of Compassion (Afrikaans)
Symbolic Animal: African Elephant
Symbolic Color: Green
Original House Leaders:
Julie Wells, Lead Teacher
Lisa Lucas, Assistant Principal
Kendall Clark, TCES 5th Grader 20-21
Makenzie McCormack, TCES 5th Grader 20-21, Artist
Rhett Palladino, TCES 5th Grader 20-21
The House Points App
RCA House Points is a free app that allows teachers and staff to add individual, class or whole house points conveniently from their phone or mobile device. Teachers and staff will also be able to automatically notify parents, via in-app notifications, when their child earns house points.
House point totals update in real-time. These real-time updates will display for all to see in our main lobby and our cafeteria.
How can students earn points?
IROCC - Integrity, Relationships, Open-mindedness, Commitment & Compassion
The point system is broken down into the following categories:
• Academic Excellence
• School Spirit
• Outstanding Performance
• Effort
• Teamwork
• Core Value Good Character: Displays of Integrity, Relationships (positive interactions with others); Open-mindedness; Commitment; or Compassion
• Other Good Character: Displays of responsibility, humility, empathy, positivity, etc.
Tega Cay Elementary School
Website: http://fortmilltces.ss11.sharpschool.com/
Location: 2185 Gold Hill Road, Tega Cay, SC, USA
Phone: 803-548-8282
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tegacayelementary
Twitter: @tegacaytitans