Be proactive and nip things "in the bud"

Here is a copy of a post from the Staff as Activator section of this blog from last June. It is worth revisiting it at this time of the year when the end of term is looming and our staff find themselves caught up completing assessments and reports, preparing for interviews and in our case a school production. I have adapted this post.

image credit to all-father4.rssing.com

We have just finished the seventh week of a ten week term. Staff are busy completing assessments for mid year reports as well as continuing their normal teaching and learning commitments. Winter is upon us with student and staff absence increasing due to sniffles, coughs and splutters. This is the exact time when 'little' niggling behaviours across the school can sometimes begin to escalate. The very time when staff and families need to be proactive and nip everything "in the bud".

Learn more about this saying at https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nip_in_the_bud

Isn't it easier just to count down to the end of term and hope it all 
goes away in the holidays ? NO. 

Let's be proactive and nip things in the bud. So....what can we do ?

This is the perfect time to revisit our school values and behavioural guidelines 

with all learners and families. 

It is a chance to meet with learners and parents about real time concerns 

that might need more time than just the end of term parent meetings. 

Be explicit and work towards solutions collaboratively.

These are our school values and guidelines:

3 key ways to be proactive and nip things "in the bud":

1. Be transparent. Share links to this information in the weekly emails to 

parents and on the school news blog. Ask parents to have conversations 

with their children around the guidelines. 

2. Ask staff to link certificates and awards to school values and guidelines. 

3. Capture photos of the values in action and create videos with 

student leadership groups to reinforce these messages.

It's important to understand that these behaviours arise naturally 

towards the end of a term at all schools. They can be positively actioned 

when we focus on building quality learning relationships as a whole 

school community together. 

Be proactive and nip things "in the bud".

What are you doing at your school to ensure a stressfree and 

successful end to the term for all ?