8. Classroom Community Building Beyond Back-to-school

<p><strong>Summary: </strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In today’s episode, I share simple systems and activities you can implement in your classroom to continue strengthening your classroom community in a genuine way. These ideas go beyond the basic get-to-know-you and team-building activities and work to build sustainable ways to boost student engagement, motivation, and trust. If you are interested in more in-depth explanations of these strategies, additional ideas, and a set of templates to get you started right away, check out the October Edition of my Classroom Community Building Collection</span> <a href= "https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Classroom-Community-Building-October-Activities-6151081"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">here</span></a><span style= "font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><strong>Key Points:</strong></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Teacher systems to implement:</span></li> <li style="list-style: none; display: inline"> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Positive notes and calls home</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">- create a system to jot down who you’ve contacted and a quick jot about the topic can help you see patterns. Who have you been noticing often, who have you been missing and do you need to be more intentional about focusing on the positive for, and what patterns do you notice in things your students are doing well?</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Patterns of motivation</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">- particularly for students who need a boost in motivation or encouragement, pay attention to what motivates them. When are they the most engaged? Did a particular topic or activity type pep them up? Is it a pattern of more participation early in the morning or later in the day? How can you use these observations to boost their motivation at other times or during other activities?</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Weekly newsletters with student shout outs</str