Morning Meeting

A deeper dive into why we do what we do...

I'm going to devote the focus of my next few blogs to share with you some of the rituals we engage in here at Renaissance. Likely, you've heard your kids use the language that labels these rituals and you have come to know them through your children. I'd like to give you a little window into the purpose of these rituals and hopefully build a strong understanding of why we devote the time we do to these shared experiences. Many of these rituals are the foundation of how we have built the unique culture at Renaissance.

I'm beginning with Morning Meeting.

Morning Meeting is an engaging way to start each day, build a strong sense of community, and set children up for success socially and academically. Each morning, students and teachers gather together in a circle for twenty to thirty minutes and interact with one another during four purposeful components:

Crew's gather in a circle for Morning Meeting.

Greeting:
Students and teacher greet one another by name.

Sharing:
Students share important information about events in their lives.
Listeners often offer empathetic comments
or ask clarifying questions.

Morning Message:
Students read and interact with a short message written by their teacher. The message is crafted to help students focus on the work they'll do in school that day.
Above is an example at the primary level.

And above is an example at the intermediate level.

The model of Morning Meeting is designed to:

* Set the tone for respectful learning

* Establish a climate of trust

* Motivate students to feel significant

* Create empathy and encourage collaboration

* Support social, emotional and academic learning

This model isn't limited to just students -we also participate in this model when we meet as a staff to do professional development together.

If you can ever find time, come participate in a Morning Meeting!


Next up - Closing Circles!


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