Friday, July 26, 2019

Huddle Break

At the end of every huddle or meeting, we "break" in the same way that sports teams do.  The last member of the team to place their hand in the middle has to give "the word" that everyone will repeat with enthusiasm after the count off.  Also, each team member has to hold their weight.  This fun little ritual ensures some levity and positivity is always a part of our gatherings.


Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Words and Phrases: A Lexicon of Sayings at School

Here's an ongoing lexicon of words and phrases we use at Cristo Rey De La Salle High School that we use with intentionality.

Glows: Appropriated from the Summit Learning Network to identify positive attributes that we wish to highlight and reinforce.

Grows: Also appropriated from the Summit Learning Network to identify the challenges that we need to overcome in order to get to the next level.


Little by little / paso a paso: A phrase used by our Enrollment Manager to remind ourselves that we'll achieve our goals, little by little.  

We'll Make It Happen: Another catchphrase by our Enrollment Manager.

Huddle:  A quick 5 - 10 minute meeting to go over essential details of an event, to discuss items of concern, or to talk about recurring issues which need special attention.

Run of Show: A cue-to-cue sequence or detail of an event. 

Feedback is Gold: We are working on becoming a community that can analyze and synthesize data through surveys about our processes and programs.

We Hear You: Words often spoken in a circle, a communal, or a prayerful context by those present to affirm the speaker.

Assume Positive Intent: Consider that a person's actions or words are well-meaning.  That said, there are times in which unintentional actions or words, or bias needs to be addressed.

Correct: Interestingly, my coworkers remarked that I tend to use this term quite frequently in place of a simple yes.

I Appreciate You: Most people seem to say "I appreciate it" where "it" refers to the action that somebody may have undertaken for another.  Replacing "it" with "you" wonderfully acknowledges who is undertaking the action.  Our former Director of School Culture introduced this to us.

EOD / EOB: Stands for "End-of-day" and "End-of-business" to cue folks to respond to an ask before same.  

RBO: A locally developed term which stands for "Relationship Building Opportunities" a way of reframing supervision to make it a positive opportunity for adults to build relationships and community with the students entrusted to their care.