Sunday, June 2, 2013
Good to Great - Reflection #6
Collins mentions throughout the book great companies have benchmarks and goals they hold each other accountable for. What is one big goal you have for Brilla (academic or non) that can be quantifiable and what is one personal goal you have for yourself at Brilla (that can also be quantifiable)?
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Major goal for Brilla: Create a sustainable work-life balance. This can be measured by judging how many hours employees are working and by asking simple questions like "Hey did you make it to the gym today like you said you wanted to?"
ReplyDeletePersonal Goal: Decrease the amount of time the Operations Department relies on outsourced vendors. Track this by tracking their time and their bills. Over time those #'s should go down and we should be institutionalizing the knowledge needed.
Major Goal: Create a sustainable enviroment that gets results. This can be measured by having all students meet our goals towards NWEA MAP and STEP and then considering two questions:
ReplyDelete1) Do staff members have time to do what is needed outside of the building on a weekly basis (cook diner, hit the gym, watch tv, doctors, etc)
2. Does the staff enjoy work while they are there? Have we created a culture that makes work a place were individuals feel they are part of a team and have fun. Q13 survey measures this.
Personal Goal: To have have the classroom I worked with 1-1 have the best results in the school for NWEA MAP and all IA's. This will be measured on the tests but also this is my way of seeing how my 1-1 coaching has impacted the teaching of others and continue to have 100% pass state tests.
Mr. Gillaspie,
DeleteI appreciate your major goal so very much. Although each of us care so much about the success of our students, we mustn't forget about ourselves. If we don't have time to cook dinner or go to the gym because of work, we are doing something wrong. Hearing an administrator recognize the importance of these daily outside activities shows you care not only for the school, but for the team members' well being. I haven't experienced that in my past, so thank you!
One larger goal that I have for Brilla is to constantly be in contact and be supportive of its students' families, friends, and guardians. We should hold ourselves accountable to the students' families in order to insure greater success. This goal can be measured by our timeliness in response to questions and concerns. This could be facilitated by a 72-hour rule where each teacher/administrator is responsible for responding to questions within 72-hours. It can also be measured by the families participation and attendance at all Parent Workshops/Parent University sessions. We should hold our families to the same high standard as our scholars and ourselves and thus create a better environment for the students.
ReplyDeleteOne personal goal I have is to complete my lessons thoroughly at least 24-hours before they will be taught. By using TLC and other resources, I can measure how thorough/complete my lessons are and do so in a timely manner. By holding myself to this 24-hour rule, I will come to school everyday more prepared to instruct the scholars efficiently and effectively.
Katherine, I strongly support your goal for Brilla of holding our Brilla families accountable to the same high expectations as the students. You said this could manifest itself through frequent communication with families, and it got me thinking about quantitative ways that we could measure communication. Perhaps we can set a benchmark that each family will have been contacted at least 3 times? 5 times? by the end of the first month of school. I believe that the technology we are using will provide an easy support to track this!
DeleteMajor Goal for Brilla: To create an office environment in which families feel welcome, respected and happy to be part of the Brilla community. This can be measured by their participation in school sponsored events, responses rate on DOE and internal surveys.
ReplyDeletePersonal Goal: Have 100% school compliance with department of Health and School Foods regulations by November 1, 2013. This can be measured by passing all visits and audits.
A welcoming office environment really does a lot for the school! The office is the first impression a visitor has of a school, and if that visitor feels welcome and respected, it starts their visit to campus on the right foot. Whether the visitor be a prospective student or a Brilla family, an exceptional front-office experience will help with student retention and parent satisfaction.
DeleteI would like to piggy-back on your comment Ms. Branchaud and say that you are correct in that the office is the first impression...it says so much about your school and how visitors feel when at the school. I worked in a school where the office environment was not welcoming, for teachers or families, and it really shined an unnecessary negative light on out school. Can't wait to see how welcoming we will be at Brilla!
DeleteMajor Goal: That each and everyone of my student is receiving the support they need to reach their highest potential academically and socially, which will be measured in testing and daily interactions with other students. I want my scholars to be prepared for their future and know that they are each other's support in the process. I would like to see a fraction of my class surpassing set goals and requiring support beyond their grade level.
ReplyDeletePersonal Goal: Get most of my work done at school so that I can come home to enjoy time with my family. I will measure this by assessing my life-work balance weekly and seeing how much time I spend with my children and husband. With that, I also will like to have strong relationships with my students' parents and have them on board with their education. With their support, we can reach all of our goals. I can measure that by tracking parent interaction in classes, events, and calls.
Hi Ms. Burgos-Castillo,
DeleteI really liked the explanation you gave for your Brilla major goal. Setting our kids up for academic success by exceeding school wide expectations will set them up for success down the road and put them on the path to a 100% pass rate on the 3rd grade state exam. I also really appreciate how you mentioned social growth. Character is so important and creating an environment where students can thrive and grow into thoughtful young men and women will be so important to their education.
Thank you for sharing!
Ms. Barry
Goal: Stay connected. I want to make sure that i stay connected with everyone I work with at Brilla. Communication is very important to me. Making sure if they are any question for me or if I have questions , that i can rely on my teammates for answers and they rely on me.
ReplyDeletePersonal Goal: not to over extend myself or put too much on my plate.
I truly believe in staying connected as well. Open lines of communication with staff, parents, and students can make our school community and culture a rich and productive one.
DeleteMS. Acosta, I also think staying connected is crucial. It's an important part of creating relationships and building a foundation for great school culture, which I know Brilla will be successful in.
DeleteMs. Acosta, collaboration is so crucial in a team and only healthy connections and open communication allow us to truly succeed as a team.
DeleteI definitely agree that staying connected is crucial to the success of Brilla, especially in its founding year. I think that goes back to being a jack-of-all-trades this upcoming year, and everyone pitching in when they can.
DeleteMajor Goal for Brilla: 80% staff participation at Brilla events (both staff social events and formal school-sponsored events). I think that how many people show up to things because they WANT to and they ENJOY it is such a strong indicator of our level of investment at Brilla and the strength of the Culture
ReplyDeletePersonal Goal: To be able to recognize by name all Brilla parents/families by the second month of school.
Hi Ms. Kopro,
DeleteI really like your personal goal of being able to recognize students and families by the second month of school! I added that on as one of my personal goals; thank you for the idea!
Ms. Barry
I am laying out a BIG goal for everyone that you will learn more about: staff will know the name of 100% of students on the first day of school. You will learn more soon
DeleteGood Morning Ms. Kopro!
DeleteI agree that both of your goals are essential to forming the Brilla community! We want to work in an atmosphere where everyone (students/families,/faculty) feels welcome and enthusiastic about being there. We cannot reach this goal without personalizing Brilla to everyone involved, therefore by knowing everyone's name and getting people excited about coming to our events then we are well on our way to creating an incredible community!
Have a great day!
Brilla Goal: 100% students will meet the expectations laid out on their Individualized Education Plans (IEPs). If students are meeting these individualized goals, we can continue to support and scaffold instruction so that all of our students have the ability to meet Brilla's big goals by year end. Achievement of these goals will get our scholars on the path to college and achieving personal and academic success at high levels.
ReplyDeleteBrilla Goal: 95% of Kindergarten and 1st Grade scholars will achieve a STEP 4 and 7 respectively.
Personal Goal: 100% of Kindergarten scholars will be able to achieve a STEP 3 at the end of the school year. This may require 1:1 instruction and support, but with targeted interventions, this goal is definitely achievable.
Personal Goal: I want to echo Ms. Kopro. I too would like to be able to identify all students and families by name within the first two months of school. Thanks, Ms. Kopro!
Good Morning Ms. Barry!
DeleteI really admire your goals in regards to the students' individual successes even if it takes more personalized attention and focus. I look forward to learning from you and the other teachers about how to best create an IEP and thus better support each students' academic achievement. Also, I have a lot to learn about the STEP testing and what/how they measure growth- so I am eager to learn about this as well!
Enjoy your weekend!
Brilla Goal: Brilla students will meet academic goals through testing.
ReplyDeletePersonal:
Keep parents involved and informed:
-- in their children's progress during school, and informed of any issues (academic, social, personal, emotional,etc) that arise. There should be no surprises on the parent's end.
--Send home positive notes about commendable behavior exhibited from individual students.
Ms. Wang, this is also a personal goal I have as well! We tend to get caught up with so many day-to-day things sometimes staying connected to parents (beyond just report card night) falls on the back burner. However this year I also hope to stay connected with parents throughout the entire school year.
DeleteI'm really looking forward to interacting with the parents and community, so this is definitely a goal of mine. It's extremely important that we get every parent to buy into their child's education and the Brilla model, whether that is weekly phone calls, emails, or multiple home visits.
DeleteMs. Wang, I agree with you that parents should be well-informed and connected. I like the idea of calling parents and sending emails or personal notes. It sends a message that we care and want to partner with them to encourage our students to work hard so that they can succeed. Most, if not all, parents want to be involved in their children's progress and these efforts can also motivate parents to get involved in school activities and organizaitons.
DeleteMajor Goal for Brilla: Everyone knows everyone. That's a bit ambitious but lets say each student knows at least five students in each class. Each faculty member knows everyone. At most schools, teachers know their own students and families. At most schools students know only the students in their own classroom. We are not "most schools". This can be done if we promote friendships and teamwork outside of our own classroom. We can achieve this goal by mixing up tables at lunch, having reading partners, or any of the exciting ideas you all had on our post a couple weeks ago. This can be measured easily by: asking any student about their friends in other classes or a fun game disguised as an assessment ( a formal assessment may be a little over the top).
ReplyDeleteOngoing Everyday Personal Goal: Help others and never be afraid to ask for help. Before leaving every day I will ask myself if there is anything I need help with. If I do, I'll ask for help. It seems so simple, yet it is a hard thing for me. This will relieve stress and improve efficiency. I will also ask my colleagues if there is anything I can help with before leaving. I have to be conscious of how full my plate is and remember we're all in this together.
Ms Mann, You hit the nail on the head: Brilla is not "just another school". If we want top notch community and customer service knowing names is a main key behind this.
DeleteBrilla Goal: For the culture and dedication Brilla implements within our school walls is also embedded into the community and the homes of all of our students. I would love for Brilla to not only change the lives and futures of our students but also play a role in the future of Mott Haven. By connecting with our students' families, Brilla will create a ripple affect and truly make a difference in the community we serve.
ReplyDeletePersonal Goal: To continue the relationships with my students' parents. The overall goal is to lead and support my students to their highest potential, and in that, creating a partnership with parents in guiding and pushing our students to be the best.
Ms. Martinez, I really agree with your goal of having the Brilla values disseminated across the community. I was trying to think of tangible ways to measure this and see this vision realized. I think that our Saturday family sessions might be a really great opportunity to extend our influence. Maybe when putting on a show, we invite not only our families put also the community at large. We can provide sessions about how to align messaging at home with the attitudes and behaviors we are encouraging in our students at school. I'd love to think with you more about what quantitative measures we can use to measure our impact/presence in the community.
DeleteHi Mrs. Martinez,
DeleteMy goal is the same as yours- having trust from the parents of your students allows us to do our job. Gaining that trust comes from open, honest, and accessible communication.
Major Goal for Brilla: A 95% retention of our original 200 students. The more we nurture and strengthen the relationships with our students and families, the more we can be sure that our 'original 200' will be fully invested in our school and therefore will make it to school despite in some cases having to drive long distances and having other schools to choices. By contrast, having a high attrition rate will hurt us not only from a cultural perspective of having to bring in new students throughout the year, but from a funding standpoint as well.
ReplyDeletePersonal Goal: I will echo exactly Mr. Barnes' goal of minimizing our dependance on vendors, tracking progress through billing trends. By year end we should have all finance and operations operating done in-house.
Mr. Martinez,
DeleteYou bring up a great point! Having students come and go can totally throw off the sense of community! Not only is it sad to see someone go, but it's hard for these young students to have new students become a part of the routine. I'd also infer that a new student will feel a little left out, as much as we try to include them. This will not only leave a kink in routines, but may slow down instruction. If we keep our relationships strong and communication constant, we will keep our 'original 200' moving full speed ahead.
Brilla Goal: I really want Brilla to have the best relationships with parents out of any other school -- going back to the idea of customer service. If we are constantly in contact with them, supporting them, and keeping them updated on their children's progress, then we will have a huge tool working in our favor outside the classroom. Parents will enhance their child's learning and lead to overall better results from testing to day-to-day engagement.
ReplyDeletePersonal goal: While maintaining a solid work-life balance, I also want to dedicate a lot of time to outside activities that involve students. This goes back to the last post of ideas we all have -- I'd like to see myself constantly interacting with students outside the classroom, from after school activities to athletics. Building a strong relationship in which students know we care will allow us to be better educators.
Mr. Larsen,
DeleteI too would like to dedicate a lot of time to after-school activities for the students. Clubs, arts programs, sports teams, etc. offered after school not only give students a stronger sense of community and a stronger desire to be at school, but provide parents with free or low-cost extra-curricular activities for their kids.
Mr. Larsen,
DeleteI like how you mention outside activities to involve students. It is through those interactions that we build meaningful relationships with our students and their families.
Brilla Goals: To build strong, meaningful and great relationships with our students and their families. I also want to build and have this type of relationship with the faculty and staff of BCP.
ReplyDeleteAcademically, I would like for 100% of our students to meet and/or exceed the standards as measured by STEP and NWEA assessments. I will work hard it give it my all and with teamwork, I am sure that we will meet this goal.
Personal Goals: To have a sustainable and well-balanced home/work life. My husband and I also would like to start a family within the next year.
Mrs. Gibson-
DeleteIt is great to hear that you want to balance your home/work life. Sometimes I think we feel so dedicated to our jobs that it becomes our life. And if that isn't what we want, sometimes we can be afraid to say it, in fear that we may seem less devoted. Being able to perform well at work requires a healthy personal life, and having successful relationships and a happy personal life requires a healthy work life. It's important to come to work, be dedicated, and then be able to go home and relax and not necessarily have to stress about the day or the next day. In the end, we want happiness and quality of life for ourselves-- this requires that balance you mentioned.
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ReplyDeleteMajor Goal: To support my students to become their best possible selves emotionally, socially, and academically. I'll help them meet/exceed school-wide goals and celebrate with them every step of the way. This can be assessed through interim cycles and daily check-ins and exit tickets. My biggest success would be seeing my students come into class everyday with smiles on their faces ready to learn and to see them be proud of their daily gains and achievements.
ReplyDeletePersonal: To work in a place that supports me to become my best possible self. I love what I do and I want to enjoy my journey along the way. I want to be able to ask myself everyday if I enjoy what I'm doing...and for that answer to be a resounding YES - even on those days when I'd rather be in Australia. I want to have a healthy work/life balance. I want to be able to meet/exceed school-wide goals and to be able to get my nails done and have dinner with friends/family.
I really like your outlook on work life balance. I think by working hard and playing harder you will feel love and support inside and outside of school
DeleteMajor Brilla Goal: To become a safe-haven for students and their families, where they feel comfortable to learn, ask questions, and grow- academically and socially. I want all families to feel supported and be exposed to opportunities that they might not be provided elsewhere. This is possible through avid, weekly communication with parents and students, creating a welcoming, loving environment for everyone in the Brilla family. This can be measured by parent feedback and involvement in school functions, as well as by student success and growth throughout the school year.
ReplyDeletePersonal Goal: To help each of my students see and understand their full potential and to strive to be the best. I will work with them to set individual monthly goals, and will meet with each student to evaluate their progress on these goals and communicate their progress with them and their parents on a regular basis. This will help my students to become independent learners who set goals for themselves and understand how to track their progress, becoming future-minded, confident, well-versed scholars. This can be measured by tracking students' goals and achievements each month.
Brilla Goal: Having and maintaining constant communication and close relationships among all people on staff. I think it’s crucial that we build a true community and family (hope that’s not too cheesy) amongst the staff. I know a lot of schools say they want that, but don’t truly achieve it; so I hope we do!
ReplyDeletePersonal Goal: Making enough personal time (for myself and my friends/family), which includes getting adequate sleep, getting healthy and exercising. This has been a struggle for me the past 2 years and I look forward to being able to do this at Brilla!
Ms. Cuevas,
DeleteI'm able to sympathize with your personal goal because I also struggled for two years trying to keep a healthy work life balance. I'm also looking forward finding that balance at Brilla.
Goal for Brilla: Great working relations so that our efforts in teaching, evaluations, communications, services, parent relations, involvement in the community, and self-checks serve to make Brilla the top ranking school in our district for academic achievement and social development.
ReplyDeletePersonal Goal: Learn as much as I can and manage time wisely to maintain a healthy balance between work, study, and family.