Build Community

 

 
 
 

Build Community

 
 

Example 1

 

First, check in with yourself:

Reflect upon a group you’ve been a part of with a strong sense of community. What shared activities helped build that group identity? What shared activities helped you build connections with others within this group?
 
 
 

Second, think about leader moves to build community.

Leaders live out this value by…

 

  • Leaders create regular opportunities for staff to express gratitude for one another and build connections, fostering a supportive and connected work environment.

  • Leaders create opportunities for staff to connect in interest-based groups, fostering relationships and collaboration beyond their immediate teams.

  • Leaders encourage staff to engage in meaningful conversations about identity, promoting inclusion and creating a workplace where everyone feels valued and seen.

  • Leaders dedicate part of all-staff meetings to wellness activities, helping staff recharge and build stronger connections in a supportive environment.

  • Leaders foster understanding and camaraderie by encouraging staff to share aspects of their lives outside of work, promoting inclusivity and deeper relationships.

  • Leaders create opportunities for staff to connect in welcoming environments, promoting trust, camaraderie, and a culture of mutual support.

  • Leaders live out this value by experiences between school years for connection building.

  • Leaders lead by example and find opportunities to model the Whole Child practices in staff culture.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Example 2

Leaders live out this value by…

 
 
 
 

Read more about each of these strategies below!

 
 
 
 
 

Example 3

 
 

Strategies for Leaders to Build Community

 

First, leaders check in with themselves:

Reflect upon a group you’ve been a part of with a strong sense of community. What shared activities helped build that group identity? What shared activities helped you build connection with others within this group?

Second, leaders foster this value by:

  • Sharing appreciation through activities

  • Connecting beyond grade-level teams

  • Fostering connections across lines a difference

  • Prioritizing wellness during staff meetings

  • Sharing personal stories and lives

  • Creating spaces of belonging

  • Summer Connection Experiences

  • Modeling Whole Child Strategies

 
 
 
 

Sharing Appreciation through Activities

 
 

Leaders live out this value by setting up ongoing opportunities for staff members to share appreciation with one another.

 
 
 
Example Impact
A Secret Buddy exchange can be set up by a Wellness or Sunshine committee. All staff fill out a paper survey at the beginning of the year, sharing their favorite beverage, favorite snack, etc. Pair up each staff member with one other (tip: keep a list of all the pairings!) Each month, Secret Buddies find a way to secretly share a special treat with their buddy. Gifts should be less than 5 dollars in value: a favorite bag of chips, a kind note, a $5 gift card. By making this an ongoing practice, staff members both give and receive a regular token of appreciation from a colleague. Staff who participated reported stronger connections beyond grade level teams.
 

Connecting Beyond Grade-Level Teams

Leaders live out this value by setting up ongoing opportunities for staff members to gather in groups beyond their grade-level teams.

 
Example Impact
Each staff member took a survey to share about their extracurricular interests. A leader used the results of this survey to create intentional small groups, based on shared interests. Examples included, Mystery Lovers, Crossword Solvers, Reality TV Fans, etc. Staff members had to work together to guess what their uniting interest was. Staff members gathered several times in these groups as part of meeting openers throughout the year to connect on their shared topic Staff members discovered new things they had in common that they were not aware of before and had an opportunity to connect outside their grade level of subject matter groups.
 

Fostering Connections Across Lines a Difference

Leaders live out this value by creating ongoing opportunities for staff members to meaningfully connect across lines of difference.

 
Example Impact
A teacher shared the power of participating in regular professional development opportunities focused on race and equity, like those offered by Kindred or The Equity Lab. Teachers named that acknowledging differences in identity is important and allows people to show up to work as their full selves. Staff reported that regular participation in these conversations about identity allowed staff members of color in particular to feel acknowledged and seen.
 
 
 

Prioritizing Wellness During Staff Meetings

Leaders live out this value by using a portion of all-staff time for Wellness Time.

 
Example Impact
During pre-service, 45 minutes was devoted to Wellness Time. Staff opted in to various wellness stations, with titles like: Nature Walking, Arts & Crafts, Group Games, Yoga, Rest, Zumba, etc. Staff participated in their chosen activity alongside a small group. Staff participated in these rotations again on a January professional development day. Months later, staff recalled this time as one that helped them build relationships with other team members. Staff reflected that the built-in pause served to fill their cups during a busy time.
 
 

Sharing Personal Stories and Lives

Leaders live out this value by creating opportunities for staff to share with one another about their lives outside of school.

 
 
Example Impact
During pre-service, staff created a family photo wall. The activity was designed to directly mirror an activity that teachers could do with students during the first weeks of school. Staff were given craft supplies and spent about 15 minutes decorating picture frames. Staff were asked to send in a picture of their families and then had the opportunity to share their image with a small group. Family pictures in the frames were then displayed on a bulletin board at the front entrance of the school. Staff reported that this was a powerful way to learn more about the personal lives of colleagues in a way that allowed all teammates to share as much or as little as they would like. Other staff reported that it brought them joy to walk in and see their family displayed at the front of the school. Still others shared that it helped families to see staff members as whole people with loved ones of their own. Finally, this helped illustrate to new staff some of the key principles of Classroom Design in an inclusive and approachable way.
 

Creating Spaces of Belonging

Leaders live out this value by creating adult spaces that convey belonging.

 
Example Impact
School teams devoted resources to making their staff lounges into inviting spaces. Some changes were as big as adding a vending machine or new seating and others were as small as adding a nice soap dispenser. When staff had an inviting space outside of classrooms that was clean and comfortable, they reported being more likely to use break time as a meaningful time to recharge. They reported returning to classrooms feeling refreshed. They also noted that using this shared space allowed them to connect with staff members they might not regularly see on their hallway or floor.
 

Summer Connection Experiences

Leaders live out this value by planning experiences between school years for connection building.

 
Example Impact
Back to School PD - Integrate community-building activities into back-to-school professional development days. This could include morning yoga sessions, mindfulness workshops, and collaborative goal-setting exercises. Starting the school year with a focus on community and well-being sets a positive tone, promoting a culture of support and mutual respect among staff.
 

Modeling Whole Child Practices

Leaders live out this value by applying elements of the Whole Child Model to intentionally build adult culture.

 
Example Impact
Lead by example by building a culture of greeting staff members by name in the morning. Encourage members of your Whole Child design team to take ownership of this too. At most schools, no formal process of adult greetings was implemented; instead a small number of staff members committed to greeting others with warmth in the morning. Staff members reported that just as we can observe the difference a warm greeting makes for students, they also felt the positive impact of a greeting from a peer, both as individuals and on their school culture.
 
 

Example 4

Scroll to see examples of Community Building in action!