STANDARD FIVE - Managerial Leadership
A. School Resources and Budget: The school executive establishes budget processes and systems which are focused on, and result, in improved student achievement.
The title one budget plan outlines the ways we use the money to fund additional staff positions key to our students' success at Cooper. Working with my principal to understand how money was allocated and the ways in which he has used money at previous schools in the past was also useful information. While learning about budget is an ongoing process, I learned that most often when title one money is given in smaller increments it is frequently used to hire supplemental staff within the building. In our case, we hired additional classroom teachers.
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Working with my group, we created this budget project to show ways in which we would spend money using various budget codes and program codes. The budget course was beneficial to me to learn more about what money is available to use and how we can use them within our school. It was helpful to learn what funds can be used to secure additional staff without the worry of non-recurring funds that could disrupt that.
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B. Conflict Management and Resolution: The school executive effectively and efficiently manages the complexity of human interaction so that the focus of the school can be on improved student achievement.
Daily, I am communicating with staff to assist as challenges arise. I hold crucial conversations as appropriate and follow up several days later to further clarify any needs. I have found that frequent and quick responses are helpful and make staff feel valued and a part of the school family.
In addition to staff communication, I created a binder to keep all documentation from communications with students and parents to allow for quick reference when needed. This binder houses details about phone conversations and discipline details if applicable. I was unable to get a snapshot of this binder due to limited availability at the school site beginning in March. |
I utilize the JCPS board policy to determine consequences for students when discipline is needed and complete the paperwork in a timely manner. Above is a sample of the disciplinary form we are required to use with JCPS when a student is suspended for any reason. I learned a lot this year in regards to discipline. While there are policies in place for non-negotiables, when possible, I allowed students to work out their conflicts and determine how to best mend their relationships. This included several options that were used including writing apology letters, writing thank you notes, cleaning around our building, and spending time with our SEL team.
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C. Systematic Communication: The school executive designs and utilizes various forms of formal and informal communication so that the focus of the school can be on improved student achievement.
The Rocket News is distributed by our principal each week, however, the material contained within the newsletter is a collaborative effort of our school. Key items include staff celebrations and awards, upcoming field trips, and meetings. Communication is crucial and providing regular up-to-date information to staff in a familiar format is key.
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This is a screenshot of the schedule of events on my google calendar for Cooper Academy Field trips. This is shared with staff to allow them the opportunity to see what field trips are occurring throughout the year and who is involved in those trips. Working with PLC's and field trips taught me the value of effective organization skills and the need to collaborate within our district to ensure transportation needs are met for our students.
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Our school website gets updated regularly to inform stakeholders of events happening at Cooper and within our community that involve our students and families. This is an example of systemic communication to reach all families. I regularly share pictures and updates from testing with Mr. Stoke to add to our website on a regular basis.
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D. School Expectation for Student and Staff: The school executive develops and enforces expectations, structures, rules and procedures for students and staff.
The faculty handbook is available to all staff through our google drive and outlines the expectations for all staff. We use this as a reference when needed to reinforce expectations and procedures. In addition, the master schedule was created and is updated regularly by me for inclement weather needs (delayed start or early release needs) and is sent to staff when appropriate. Providing staff with expectations at the start of the year gave them a standard to follow.
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Each day staff are expected to sign in at the front office to allow our bookkeeper to keep accurate records for staff absences. This was new for some staff, but familiar for me. There are pros and cons to a sign in sheet. I personally believe in accountability and prefer to have the documentation. I believe that relaying the purpose of the sign in is important for the naysayers to see why it is there.
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Each time we have open house or parent involvement activities, we require staff to have sign in sheets in their classrooms to tabulate the participation for each grade level and classroom. This sign in sheet is from our Title 1 Parent Night required by federal and state guidelines.
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