The House System 101
July 13, 2018
Dear PBJHS Staff,
Get ready, get set, it's almost GO TIME! Our House of Mules are almost ready to go! Thank you to those that were able to help with the organization. Below are the big ideas and we will go more in-depth at our back to school PD.
Thanks so much and have an awesome day,
Candace
You may be asking yourself why are we doing this?
The why of the house system:
- Physical and emotional safety so that our students cant thrive at high levels.
- Develop a system where EVERY student has a place to belong, be supported and be succesful
- Foundational concepts we will address: Empathy and Empowerment to live our mission and vision ... "Together We Can"
What is a House System Anyway?
Below are a few resources to help get a big picture of a house system:
https://mrsbowley.wordpress.com/2012/09/30/the-ron-clark-challenge-sorting-students-into-houses/
https://prezi.com/ageam65xbby7/the-house-system-inspired-by-the-ron-clark-academy-adapted/
How Will Houses Be Organized?
We will have 6 houses that are what is our traditional teams (Teams 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6). Each house will have approximately 125 students with six to eight staff members each (all teachers will be assigned a house). Houses will have their own flag, color, Team Chant/Cheer (that they create) and a designed crest. I'm working on getting t-shirts donated for each house as well. Houses will all be named "Mules" but in other languages.
How Will Houses Earn and Track Points?
- Activity Nights
- Spirit Weeks
- House competitions during assemblies
- Monthly attendance
- Attendance at events
- Grades
- Contests
- Adopt - a- spot
- Dress Code (Lose points)
- Discipline Referral (Lose Points)
- Tardies (Lose Points)
- ICU Referrals (Lose Points)
- Community service projects (one per quarter)
- Each team will choose a community organization to represent (ex: Hearts for Rescue, Haven House)
We will develop an easy to manage system to track points (probably through Google). We will also display house information in the front lobby and bulletin boards.
What Incentives Can Houses Earn?
There will be a House Trophy of Awesomeness that will be awarded to the house with the highest total of points at the end of the year, but we will reward houses as they hit milestone points too. These are sample incentives:
- Mule Swag
- Pizza Parties
- Outside time
- BBQ at the Park
- Trip to the Movies
- And the list will continue to grow
House Organization by Teams
We are all Mules...that's our theme. Each house name is the word "Mule" in a different language.