There are five of us involved here and only four slots for heads of houses. I'm sure each of us would volunteer to step aside from the "head of house" role but, seriously, only one of us can.
Let's assume our ideas get the approbation necessary. Now what? We need house heads. We need house names. We need house traits. But, first, we need house heads.
Noah mentioned this need earlier and we've all felt it. Let's flesh this out.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Executive Summary
Proposed ECHS House System
Executive Summary
Rationale:
As our school has grown, we have managed to maintain a high level of focus on academics and to maintain our unique culture. We sense it slipping in many subtle ways. We want to preserve our culture and improve our performance and create an even better atmosphere in which to teach and learn. We see the house system as a way to do so.
Mission Statement:
The house system at ECHS exists to create opportunities for edifying bonds between and among students and faculty, to foster student mentoring, to facilitate and improve discipline, and to perpetuate the Charterian spirit: a spirit of loyalty, creativity, respect, intellectual achievement, perseverance, courage, kindness, good judgment, humility, fairness, and citizenship.
House Establishment:
· At the onset, the houses (we propose four for purposes of clarity and competition) shall be established on a club-level based on student interest. Membership is open to all students and faculty.
· Faculty will volunteer their time to serve as house leaders. Faculty members involved in this discussion at this writing include (in alphabetical order) Endermann, Lansing, Panlasigui, Takagi, and Waterhouse.
· The teachers chosen as heads of house shall divide all interested students into homogeneous groups.
· The houses shall each seek to especially embody two or three of the traits listed above as part of what it means to be a true Charterian. The focus of each house shall, of course, be academics and service.
· Student leaders shall rise and take leadership roles in the houses—mentoring other students and planning activities.
House Activities:
Houses shall have three sorts of activities: academic, social, and service. Each house shall have students mentoring and tutoring other students. Each house shall meet socially-to share lunch occasionally or have some sort of activity at the discretion of the house itself and ECHS administrative authority. Ideally, this will serve as a “senior buddy” system often mentioned in staff meetings, younger students will be brought into the unique ECHS culture and see clearly our focus on academics and edifying relationships. Each house shall have service activities and commitments similar in nature to the commitments required of NHS and CSF. These projects shall reflect the foci of the various houses.
House Cup:
At the core of the house system is the House Cup competition. Students are awarded team points for excellence in academics (scores on exams, success on papers, etc.), behavior (positive service on campus in and out of the classroom), and service (special projects in the ECHS community). Houses also receive points based on the outcomes of regularly scheduled house competitions which may be charter Olympic style events or academic competitions. This is done under the supervision of the ASB and requires minimal funding.
House members lose points for their house for rule infractions and negative behaviors—tardies, cell phone violations, dress code violations.
At specific intervals, academic semester or academic year, the House Cup is awarded to the house with the most points during that interval of time.
Executive Summary
Rationale:
As our school has grown, we have managed to maintain a high level of focus on academics and to maintain our unique culture. We sense it slipping in many subtle ways. We want to preserve our culture and improve our performance and create an even better atmosphere in which to teach and learn. We see the house system as a way to do so.
Mission Statement:
The house system at ECHS exists to create opportunities for edifying bonds between and among students and faculty, to foster student mentoring, to facilitate and improve discipline, and to perpetuate the Charterian spirit: a spirit of loyalty, creativity, respect, intellectual achievement, perseverance, courage, kindness, good judgment, humility, fairness, and citizenship.
House Establishment:
· At the onset, the houses (we propose four for purposes of clarity and competition) shall be established on a club-level based on student interest. Membership is open to all students and faculty.
· Faculty will volunteer their time to serve as house leaders. Faculty members involved in this discussion at this writing include (in alphabetical order) Endermann, Lansing, Panlasigui, Takagi, and Waterhouse.
· The teachers chosen as heads of house shall divide all interested students into homogeneous groups.
· The houses shall each seek to especially embody two or three of the traits listed above as part of what it means to be a true Charterian. The focus of each house shall, of course, be academics and service.
· Student leaders shall rise and take leadership roles in the houses—mentoring other students and planning activities.
House Activities:
Houses shall have three sorts of activities: academic, social, and service. Each house shall have students mentoring and tutoring other students. Each house shall meet socially-to share lunch occasionally or have some sort of activity at the discretion of the house itself and ECHS administrative authority. Ideally, this will serve as a “senior buddy” system often mentioned in staff meetings, younger students will be brought into the unique ECHS culture and see clearly our focus on academics and edifying relationships. Each house shall have service activities and commitments similar in nature to the commitments required of NHS and CSF. These projects shall reflect the foci of the various houses.
House Cup:
At the core of the house system is the House Cup competition. Students are awarded team points for excellence in academics (scores on exams, success on papers, etc.), behavior (positive service on campus in and out of the classroom), and service (special projects in the ECHS community). Houses also receive points based on the outcomes of regularly scheduled house competitions which may be charter Olympic style events or academic competitions. This is done under the supervision of the ASB and requires minimal funding.
House members lose points for their house for rule infractions and negative behaviors—tardies, cell phone violations, dress code violations.
At specific intervals, academic semester or academic year, the House Cup is awarded to the house with the most points during that interval of time.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Meeting Summary
JP, Mel and I met with Shawn on Thursday to discuss the House System. (With the arrival of the brand new Takagi last week, Jonathan was unable to attend.)
We discussed the basic idea in general terms; and then Shawn had some specific questions and concerns. His concerns were some of the same concerns we have had in discussing all of this; and as an administrator, he just wanted to make sure those issues were addressed. We discussed them and addressed the issues that arose; the discussion was positive and productive.
Among the items discussed were: the overall purpose of the House System; the potential benefits, academic and social, of the House System; the general structure of the Houses; the kinds of programs and activities the Houses would run; and the perpetual issue of the House names.
There was a general consensus about using E, C, H, S names, with the mild protest of Mel who dislikes acronyms, but likes the rationale for using such names; and some discussion about which E, C, H, S names to use. The names and themes Jackie proposed were discussed as possibilities. Everyone liked the idea of the themes she had developed, but different people had different feelings about some of the names. (I think we'll be engaging in friendly debate over the issue of the names until the week we have to have them.)
SIDE NOTE: As a suggestion...perhaps we should determine who the four Heads of House are going to be, assign the core values to each of them, and let the Heads pick a name following certain guidelines, with the stipulation that the other Heads of House have to approve the names? I don't know if it matters that everybody like ALL the names so much as it matters that the teachers in the House like their own House name.
Mel volunteered to write a one-page executive summary for Shawn which he can present to Coach by means of explaining and getting final approval. (It would take me longer to write a one-page summary than to write a 20-page explanation, so I'm grateful to Mel for taking on this task.)
We also discussed a general plan for getting it started at the beginning of the year; that general plan being:
1. Advertise in the Charter Notes and around campus during the first week of school
2. Hold a meeting/assembly in the first two weeks for anyone interested to come for
information and to be given the basic rules.
3. Establish a deadline for signing up.
4. Sort students into Houses. (Jackie's method of random assignment from categories looks
like the front-runner.)
5. Hold a meeting/ceremony in which the results of the sorting are revealed.
6. Start up all the House activities!
If anyone who was at the meeting cares to add anything I missed, please feel free; or if anyone who wasn't at the meeting has any questions, go ahead and post them, and I'll answer them to the best of my ability.
We discussed the basic idea in general terms; and then Shawn had some specific questions and concerns. His concerns were some of the same concerns we have had in discussing all of this; and as an administrator, he just wanted to make sure those issues were addressed. We discussed them and addressed the issues that arose; the discussion was positive and productive.
Among the items discussed were: the overall purpose of the House System; the potential benefits, academic and social, of the House System; the general structure of the Houses; the kinds of programs and activities the Houses would run; and the perpetual issue of the House names.
There was a general consensus about using E, C, H, S names, with the mild protest of Mel who dislikes acronyms, but likes the rationale for using such names; and some discussion about which E, C, H, S names to use. The names and themes Jackie proposed were discussed as possibilities. Everyone liked the idea of the themes she had developed, but different people had different feelings about some of the names. (I think we'll be engaging in friendly debate over the issue of the names until the week we have to have them.)
SIDE NOTE: As a suggestion...perhaps we should determine who the four Heads of House are going to be, assign the core values to each of them, and let the Heads pick a name following certain guidelines, with the stipulation that the other Heads of House have to approve the names? I don't know if it matters that everybody like ALL the names so much as it matters that the teachers in the House like their own House name.
Mel volunteered to write a one-page executive summary for Shawn which he can present to Coach by means of explaining and getting final approval. (It would take me longer to write a one-page summary than to write a 20-page explanation, so I'm grateful to Mel for taking on this task.)
We also discussed a general plan for getting it started at the beginning of the year; that general plan being:
1. Advertise in the Charter Notes and around campus during the first week of school
2. Hold a meeting/assembly in the first two weeks for anyone interested to come for
information and to be given the basic rules.
3. Establish a deadline for signing up.
4. Sort students into Houses. (Jackie's method of random assignment from categories looks
like the front-runner.)
5. Hold a meeting/ceremony in which the results of the sorting are revealed.
6. Start up all the House activities!
If anyone who was at the meeting cares to add anything I missed, please feel free; or if anyone who wasn't at the meeting has any questions, go ahead and post them, and I'll answer them to the best of my ability.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
MEETING UPDATE--IMPORTANT
The meeting to discuss the House System has been rescheduled. It will be on the same day, but a new time.
So...
Thursday, July 3
at
1:15 pm.
Thanks!
So...
Thursday, July 3
at
1:15 pm.
Thanks!
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