Back to School Night is an important component of creating a warm and welcoming school community for all families. Technology is a great way to connect all families to these events regardless of their schedules. Creating this virtual Back to School Night website allowed even new families who joined later in the school year to be introduced to the authentic and engaging learning opportunities each of their educators’ provide.
As part of Willard Middle School’s (WMS) Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) team, I declared the day before Thanksgiving Break, Teamsgiving, to support our recognition system tier as part of our Pyramid of Interventions. Teamsgiving is a full-day event of giving back to the school and surrounding community through challenges culminating in an awards event. As part of the charter event, students participated in the challenge of creating dance videos for long-term care facilities in the community. This use of digital to contribute to positive social change helped build strong relationships within our school community.