First Impressions

School has begun. What a busy few weeks this has been! Teachers came to school on July 29th and students began this past Monday. I have never been at a school where teachers came almost two weeks before students. What a great benefit. We had plenty of time for professional development without rushing! We took the time to build our teams and become familiar with each other.

The students arrived a bit timid. When students enter the gym each morning, a group of teachers greet them. You can imagine the strange looks we are receiving when we say to students "Good morning! Thank you for coming to school this morning. I am glad you are here." Today, the third morning, I heard a few students reply that they were glad to be there. Ah! First impressions! How important is the cover of the book!

As school begins what kinds of things will you do to set the culture of your classroom and school as a place where the adults are really glad that students decided to come to school?