Bragg Street Academy
Are you a thermostat or thermometer?
The reality is that many school cultures get stuck in thermometer mode. Their temperature just fluctuates up and down depending on who is in the room or what happens day to day. If it’s cold in a meeting and there is no life in the room, everyone goes cold. If it’s hot in the room and plenty of conflict or drama, everyone gets hot. Day by day their culture is just up and down depending on the temperature of the day.
But, the very best school cultures operate more in thermostat mode. They are very clear what temperature they are trying to set. They intentionally take time to make sure all on their team understand what type of culture they are trying to create. They are precise with their language, they communicate consistently, and they coach others to understand what temperature they are striving to achieve every day. When it gets too hot in a room, they are able to regulate the temperature back down. When there is no life in a room and it’s way too cold, they are able to breathe life and warmth into the environment.
The best teachers and leaders enter into a process that clearly defines the temperature they are striving for each day. They strategically place teacher leaders (thermostats) in all areas of the organization and work passionately to develop and grow. These people understand that their effectiveness is directly tied to their alignment around the temperature and clarity of thermostats all set.
Perhaps next time you see a thermometer or a thermostat you will think differently about the environment you’re trying to create! During our faculty meeting on Tuesday, we will discuss the current temperature at Bragg. We will also brainstorm ways to activate our thermostats!
Student of the Month
Golden Apple Award
Bragging About Our Students
Congratulations to ALL of our students that were recognized this month.
Liliana De La Cruz
Shakiah Canady
Ahliyah Fox
Omarvin Muniz
Melvis Cabrera Benitez
Kymari Berryman
Will Vandernuet
Kymari Berryman
An Insider Look
On Wednesday, we had our statewide tornado drill. You all did a fantastic job. There were two areas of concerns that we will address tomorrow during our faculty meeting. We will have a code red drill by the end of the month. Please review and practice this drill with your students.
Lee County Schools Board of Education voted to discontinue the 15 minutes beginning March 25th and reinstate the Optional Teacher Workday for Friday, March 21st.
I have completed most mid-year PDPs and will finish these up tomorrow. Peer Observations were due by Friday, March 8. If this has not been completed, I will need Beginning Teachers to touch base with your peer mentors to set up a day. Please make sure those are all LOCKED by the workday because I'll be going into NCEES to check off this next round.
Remember that it is an expectation that your lesson plans are readily available by Monday and that students are receiving BELL-TO-BELL instruction in ALL classes. If you provide a class incentive for on-task and work completion, please ensure that students are not disturbing others who are working. Music is allowed during independent work. Please remind students are wearing earbuds during these times. Monitor---Monitor---Monitor your students working on their laptops. Students have been found recently logging in under a different email to bypass Costiuni. It is imperative that you have a process in your class to ensure all students are logged into your classroom.