Rituals

= Are there rituals that should be added to or removed from our day? = =Are there new weekly or yearly rituals that should be considered?=

I am not sure if greeting every student each morning with a handshake has been a ritual at GCDS in the past. I have not been doing it, but perhaps it should be part of our day. If not everyday, maybe every Monday. (AB)

I love the fact that students have jobs. This is a part of GCDS I would not want to lose in the new space. I only really see the kids who do their job in my office, so I don't know how well the rest of the jobs run. (AB)

I notice that some teachers ask their students to stand when an adult enters the room... has this always been a personal choice, or was it at one point a school wide practice? (AB)

I wonder if going back to homeroom for 10 minutes before sports would be a productive ritual for 7th graders. They could make sure they have their assignments in their planners, confirm it with their homeroom teacher and then head down to sports. (AB)

I love that kids say "thank you" at the end of a class...not sure where they explicitly learn that, but that is new to me. My other schools, most kids did not do that. (AB)

When we move into the new Upper School, what **behaviors** would we like to inculcate into our students so as to make them meaningful traditions in their lives? We will be present at the creation, so this is an excellent time to make a new beginning. For example, what responsibilities might we create for 9th graders to balance the privileges they enjoy? What jobs will be created for 7th and 8th graders? Who will oversee this? ( JJ)