Party Time: What, How, and Why We Celebrate Presented by: Genevieve Amaris, Enose Christmas, Kelsey Gernert, and Monica Sorensen

WELCOME Congratulations to our “Early Birds”! Please describe in one word how receiving your certificate made you feel… “Celebrate what you want to see more of. “ -Tom Peters

Why do we celebrate? “Celebrate what you want to see more of.” -Tom Peters We want to see… Participation Teamwork Punctuality and Preparedness Creativity and a “Can Do” Attitude...So we will celebrate participants who demonstrate these qualities with Free and/or Almost Free incentives!

Why do we celebrate?  “Creating a can-do climate for both students and staff starts with a school-wide culture of success, usually beginning with a collaboratively created vision of that school climate.”  “Positive school climate approaches build on staff and student assets and tap those assets to contribute to school-wide improvement initiatives.” Source: Pillar IV, TD Secondary Simply stated, celebrating success breeds success! We can motivate and engage our students by highlighting what they are doing right, rather than focusing on what is wrong.

Why do we celebrate?  “Research has shown that the implementation of punishment, especially when it is used inconsistently and in the absence of other positive strategies, is ineffective. Introducing, modeling, and reinforcing positive social behavior is an important step of a student's educational experience. Teaching behavioral expectations and rewarding students for following them is a much more positive approach than waiting for misbehavior to occur before responding. The purpose of school-wide PBIS is to establish a climate in which appropriate behavior is the norm.” Source:

What Do We Want to SEE in our DN Middle Schools? Quick Audience Poll:  What specific behaviors do we want to see from Middle School students?  What are model qualities of a Middle School Teacher?

What can we celebrate?  Attendance  Students AND Staff  Grades  Honors  Improvement  Behavior  “Caught Being Good”  Growth  Academic  Personal  Extracurricular Excellence  Capitalize on student interests

What Motivates Middle School Students? What motivates YOU?

Now what Motivates Middle School Students? Table Activity #1: 5 minutes  Think all the way back to Middle School...  Jot down your top 3 priorities.  Fast forward to High School. Did those priorities change?  Think/Pair/Share.

EDIT: What Motivates Middle School Students?  NOTE: This slide is due to be revised. The team has been looking for info/research presented in a previous STF Institute session on the unique needs of Middle School students. Middle grades learners represent a unique challenge. Particularly vulnerable at this stage in life both to positive influences that can lift them onto a winning trajectory and to negative influences that can bring them down to new lows. Community, camaraderie, supportive relationships.

The Voice of Experience: Celebrating at Charles R. Drew Middle SCHOOL PROFILE Location: Miami # of Students: 252 Free and Reduced Lunch: 99% Diplomas Now! (2 nd Year) Talent Development Communities in School City Year Charles Drew Middle School Dress to Impress Luncheon

The Voice of Experience: Celebrating at Charles R. Drew Middle “Celebrate what you want to see more of!” Attendance Behavior Course Performance Teachers and Staff

Time to stretch your legs! INSTRUCTIONS: 1) Blow up your balloon 2) Locate table with matching balloon 3) Move to table quickly when asked First seated table group will receive a prize!

Connecting Expectations to Celebrations: Table Activity #2- 10 minutes As a group, please brainstorm the following:  REASONS to celebrate in a Middle School  Whole School  Grade or Team Level  Individual  HOW we celebrate  Where?  When/Frequency?  $$$  EFFECTIVENESS of celebration  Desired outcome?

Create, Share, and Vote Please write the group’s favorite celebration scenario on the provided piece of chart paper. Choose one group member to present to the room. Now…VOTE

“Great idea, but how do I pay for it?” Fundraising Ideas  Don’t assume that the answer is “No”:  School District  School Administration  Mutually beneficial relationships:  Educational Partners  Local Business  Community Groups  Close to home:  Staff  Parents  Students

Table Activity #3- 5 minutes As a group, please brainstorm the following:  Celebrations that cost nothing  Fundraising options for celebrations that would cost money

The Voice of Experience: Celebrating at Charles R. Drew Middle Free Recognition Privileges Experiences Almost Free Small Incentives Don’t Forget! The importance of collaborative planning for DN celebrations: DN Partners, Community, EESAC, School Partners, Parents.

We’re moving again! INSTRUCTIONS: 1) Please get up and move to the perimeter of the room 2) School teams choose a table and sit 3) Remaining participants will count off and be placed in work groups

Let’s Party! Table Activity #4- 30 minutes Celebration Planning Tool Objective: Leave this session with an actionable plan for a specific Middle School celebration that you want to execute at your school. Be creative, and have fun!  CALENDAR  What?  When?  Who?  How? Facilitators will circulate to answer questions and give suggestions.

All good parties must come to an end… SHARE REVIEW AWARDS

And the winner for “Best Celebration” is…

“Celebrate what you want to see more of.” Looking Ahead Next Steps: Executing Celebrations Wrapping Up Why? What? How?

Thank you! Comments, Questions, and Contact Info: Genevieve Amaris at Monica Sorensen at Enose Christmas at Kelsey Gernert at