I knew the results I wanted to see. I wanted a school culture built on mentorship and camaraderie. I wanted a system that inspired some friendly competition. I wanted to emphasize the traits that were lacking in our students and we felt like we could grow. I wanted to see students encouraging and congratulating each other for doing the right thing. I wanted our students to take pride in their school and their accomplishments within it.
We settled on a House System similar to the one that Hogwarts runs on in Harry Potter. So we began researching how to set this up. I looked into Ron Clark Academy, which has tons of great resources. But from conversations with my staff, a common pain point for us was the logistical hurdle of setting something like this up and keeping it going. One of my teachers even said “I just can’t pass out another piece of paper” in reference to the paper bucks system we were already using.
Instead of running our system manually, we found a digital House points system where staff can document student points, and then they are tallied up by houses. This made our idea a reality. It helped us create the culture I had envisioned while also solving the logistical needs that we knew would keep it from becoming a reality.
A Little About Me and Maranatha
My name is Kelly Rodriguez and I am the Junior High Principal for Maranatha Christian Schools in San Diego, California. In 2018 I joined Maranatha Christian Schools as Director of Curriculum and Instruction and then eventually became Junior High Principal. Maranatha Christian Junior High is a Private Christian School serving 230 students. MCS also includes Elementary and High School students with our entire campus hosting 940 students.
I believe in building a community that is proud to work together and does its best with all that is given to them. This is why I centered building MSC culture around creating the community.
Positive Behavior Reinforcement
The key aspect of our system that I hoped would shine was our emphasis on positive behavior reinforcement. Positive behavior reinforcement is a way of looking at discipline and behavior management from the perspective of what you want to see in your students as opposed to what you don’t want to see.
For us, we looked at several traits we felt were important for development but were lacking with our students. We then decided to take a page from Harry Potter and dedicate our Houses to those traits. Integrity, Reliability, Courage, and Perseverance would be the connective tissue around our houses.
Similar to focusing on expectations instead of rules, we hoped that by focusing on traits we would then in turn see more of those positive behaviors. This has been emphatically correct. Our kids have really adopted the reward system this year as 117,000 points have been awarded and 350+ prizes have been claimed in our school store.
How House Points Work for Us
No, I don’t have a magic sorting hat. So the task of sorting our students into the 4 houses was up to me. I made them equal in as many ways possible. I intentionally blended the houses by grade level because we wanted to create larger communities outside of the normal grade level bands. I wanted a culture of peer mentorship that just wasn’t possible before.
We created a points system where students can earn positive points for their house anywhere at any time. They can be awarded by any staff member as well. We wanted to do everything we could to highlight the positive behaviors we wanted to see more of. So we don’t miss an opportunity to reward our students for doing well in the hallway, class, recess, drop off, pick up, lunch, etc. We want to catch them doing good!
Points can be earned individually or by teams in events such as weekly Chapel Competitions, or on monthly Spirit Days. Each semester we host a House Points Blitz that is packed with games and activities that allow students to showcase house and school spirit.
We display the points on a monitor in the hallway as well as in the office, it is always up to date. I love hearing students congratulate each other as they see who earned points for their house. Those little moments of encouragement are exactly what we envisioned when we started this journey. We even developed fun and creative ways to choose House name ideas or some you could use to announce your Houses.
Culture through Community
At MCS we are using House Points as a tool to facilitate our behavior management program. But it is achieving much more than that. Our staff morale has benefited. Our student morale has improved. Engagement and motivation are up as well. With House Points, we are building culture by developing community.
Want to supercharge your school culture? Check out our guide to developing House spirit within your House system.
I knew the results I wanted to see. I wanted a school culture built on mentorship and camaraderie. I wanted a system that inspired some friendly competition. I wanted to emphasize the traits that were lacking in our students and we felt like we could grow. I wanted to see students encouraging and congratulating each other for doing the right thing. I wanted our students to take pride in their school and their accomplishments within it.
We settled on a House System similar to the one that Hogwarts runs on in Harry Potter. So we began researching how to set this up. I looked into Ron Clark Academy, which has tons of great resources. But from conversations with my staff, a common pain point for us was the logistical hurdle of setting something like this up and keeping it going. One of my teachers even said “I just can’t pass out another piece of paper” in reference to the paper bucks system we were already using.
Instead of running our system manually, we found a digital House points system where staff can document student points, and then they are tallied up by houses. This made our idea a reality. It helped us create the culture I had envisioned while also solving the logistical needs that we knew would keep it from becoming a reality.
A Little About Me and Maranatha
My name is Kelly Rodriguez and I am the Junior High Principal for Maranatha Christian Schools in San Diego, California. In 2018 I joined Maranatha Christian Schools as Director of Curriculum and Instruction and then eventually became Junior High Principal. Maranatha Christian Junior High is a Private Christian School serving 230 students. MCS also includes Elementary and High School students with our entire campus hosting 940 students.
I believe in building a community that is proud to work together and does its best with all that is given to them. This is why I centered building MSC culture around creating the community.
Positive Behavior Reinforcement
The key aspect of our system that I hoped would shine was our emphasis on positive behavior reinforcement. Positive behavior reinforcement is a way of looking at discipline and behavior management from the perspective of what you want to see in your students as opposed to what you don’t want to see.
For us, we looked at several traits we felt were important for development but were lacking with our students. We then decided to take a page from Harry Potter and dedicate our Houses to those traits. Integrity, Reliability, Courage, and Perseverance would be the connective tissue around our houses.
Similar to focusing on expectations instead of rules, we hoped that by focusing on traits we would then in turn see more of those positive behaviors. This has been emphatically correct. Our kids have really adopted the reward system this year as 117,000 points have been awarded and 350+ prizes have been claimed in our school store.
How House Points Work for Us
No, I don’t have a magic sorting hat. So the task of sorting our students into the 4 houses was up to me. I made them equal in as many ways possible. I intentionally blended the houses by grade level because we wanted to create larger communities outside of the normal grade level bands. I wanted a culture of peer mentorship that just wasn’t possible before.
We created a points system where students can earn positive points for their house anywhere at any time. They can be awarded by any staff member as well. We wanted to do everything we could to highlight the positive behaviors we wanted to see more of. So we don’t miss an opportunity to reward our students for doing well in the hallway, class, recess, drop off, pick up, lunch, etc. We want to catch them doing good!
Points can be earned individually or by teams in events such as weekly Chapel Competitions, or on monthly Spirit Days. Each semester we host a House Points Blitz that is packed with games and activities that allow students to showcase house and school spirit.
We display the points on a monitor in the hallway as well as in the office, it is always up to date. I love hearing students congratulate each other as they see who earned points for their house. Those little moments of encouragement are exactly what we envisioned when we started this journey. We even developed fun and creative ways to choose House name ideas or some you could use to announce your Houses.
Culture through Community
At MCS we are using House Points as a tool to facilitate our behavior management program. But it is achieving much more than that. Our staff morale has benefited. Our student morale has improved. Engagement and motivation are up as well. With House Points, we are building culture by developing community.
Want to supercharge your school culture? Check out our guide to developing House spirit within your House system.
I knew the results I wanted to see. I wanted a school culture built on mentorship and camaraderie. I wanted a system that inspired some friendly competition. I wanted to emphasize the traits that were lacking in our students and we felt like we could grow. I wanted to see students encouraging and congratulating each other for doing the right thing. I wanted our students to take pride in their school and their accomplishments within it.
We settled on a House System similar to the one that Hogwarts runs on in Harry Potter. So we began researching how to set this up. I looked into Ron Clark Academy, which has tons of great resources. But from conversations with my staff, a common pain point for us was the logistical hurdle of setting something like this up and keeping it going. One of my teachers even said “I just can’t pass out another piece of paper” in reference to the paper bucks system we were already using.
Instead of running our system manually, we found a digital House points system where staff can document student points, and then they are tallied up by houses. This made our idea a reality. It helped us create the culture I had envisioned while also solving the logistical needs that we knew would keep it from becoming a reality.
A Little About Me and Maranatha
My name is Kelly Rodriguez and I am the Junior High Principal for Maranatha Christian Schools in San Diego, California. In 2018 I joined Maranatha Christian Schools as Director of Curriculum and Instruction and then eventually became Junior High Principal. Maranatha Christian Junior High is a Private Christian School serving 230 students. MCS also includes Elementary and High School students with our entire campus hosting 940 students.
I believe in building a community that is proud to work together and does its best with all that is given to them. This is why I centered building MSC culture around creating the community.
Positive Behavior Reinforcement
The key aspect of our system that I hoped would shine was our emphasis on positive behavior reinforcement. Positive behavior reinforcement is a way of looking at discipline and behavior management from the perspective of what you want to see in your students as opposed to what you don’t want to see.
For us, we looked at several traits we felt were important for development but were lacking with our students. We then decided to take a page from Harry Potter and dedicate our Houses to those traits. Integrity, Reliability, Courage, and Perseverance would be the connective tissue around our houses.
Similar to focusing on expectations instead of rules, we hoped that by focusing on traits we would then in turn see more of those positive behaviors. This has been emphatically correct. Our kids have really adopted the reward system this year as 117,000 points have been awarded and 350+ prizes have been claimed in our school store.
How House Points Work for Us
No, I don’t have a magic sorting hat. So the task of sorting our students into the 4 houses was up to me. I made them equal in as many ways possible. I intentionally blended the houses by grade level because we wanted to create larger communities outside of the normal grade level bands. I wanted a culture of peer mentorship that just wasn’t possible before.
We created a points system where students can earn positive points for their house anywhere at any time. They can be awarded by any staff member as well. We wanted to do everything we could to highlight the positive behaviors we wanted to see more of. So we don’t miss an opportunity to reward our students for doing well in the hallway, class, recess, drop off, pick up, lunch, etc. We want to catch them doing good!
Points can be earned individually or by teams in events such as weekly Chapel Competitions, or on monthly Spirit Days. Each semester we host a House Points Blitz that is packed with games and activities that allow students to showcase house and school spirit.
We display the points on a monitor in the hallway as well as in the office, it is always up to date. I love hearing students congratulate each other as they see who earned points for their house. Those little moments of encouragement are exactly what we envisioned when we started this journey. We even developed fun and creative ways to choose House name ideas or some you could use to announce your Houses.
Culture through Community
At MCS we are using House Points as a tool to facilitate our behavior management program. But it is achieving much more than that. Our staff morale has benefited. Our student morale has improved. Engagement and motivation are up as well. With House Points, we are building culture by developing community.
Want to supercharge your school culture? Check out our guide to developing House spirit within your House system.
I knew the results I wanted to see. I wanted a school culture built on mentorship and camaraderie. I wanted a system that inspired some friendly competition. I wanted to emphasize the traits that were lacking in our students and we felt like we could grow. I wanted to see students encouraging and congratulating each other for doing the right thing. I wanted our students to take pride in their school and their accomplishments within it.
We settled on a House System similar to the one that Hogwarts runs on in Harry Potter. So we began researching how to set this up. I looked into Ron Clark Academy, which has tons of great resources. But from conversations with my staff, a common pain point for us was the logistical hurdle of setting something like this up and keeping it going. One of my teachers even said “I just can’t pass out another piece of paper” in reference to the paper bucks system we were already using.
Instead of running our system manually, we found a digital House points system where staff can document student points, and then they are tallied up by houses. This made our idea a reality. It helped us create the culture I had envisioned while also solving the logistical needs that we knew would keep it from becoming a reality.
A Little About Me and Maranatha
My name is Kelly Rodriguez and I am the Junior High Principal for Maranatha Christian Schools in San Diego, California. In 2018 I joined Maranatha Christian Schools as Director of Curriculum and Instruction and then eventually became Junior High Principal. Maranatha Christian Junior High is a Private Christian School serving 230 students. MCS also includes Elementary and High School students with our entire campus hosting 940 students.
I believe in building a community that is proud to work together and does its best with all that is given to them. This is why I centered building MSC culture around creating the community.
Positive Behavior Reinforcement
The key aspect of our system that I hoped would shine was our emphasis on positive behavior reinforcement. Positive behavior reinforcement is a way of looking at discipline and behavior management from the perspective of what you want to see in your students as opposed to what you don’t want to see.
For us, we looked at several traits we felt were important for development but were lacking with our students. We then decided to take a page from Harry Potter and dedicate our Houses to those traits. Integrity, Reliability, Courage, and Perseverance would be the connective tissue around our houses.
Similar to focusing on expectations instead of rules, we hoped that by focusing on traits we would then in turn see more of those positive behaviors. This has been emphatically correct. Our kids have really adopted the reward system this year as 117,000 points have been awarded and 350+ prizes have been claimed in our school store.
How House Points Work for Us
No, I don’t have a magic sorting hat. So the task of sorting our students into the 4 houses was up to me. I made them equal in as many ways possible. I intentionally blended the houses by grade level because we wanted to create larger communities outside of the normal grade level bands. I wanted a culture of peer mentorship that just wasn’t possible before.
We created a points system where students can earn positive points for their house anywhere at any time. They can be awarded by any staff member as well. We wanted to do everything we could to highlight the positive behaviors we wanted to see more of. So we don’t miss an opportunity to reward our students for doing well in the hallway, class, recess, drop off, pick up, lunch, etc. We want to catch them doing good!
Points can be earned individually or by teams in events such as weekly Chapel Competitions, or on monthly Spirit Days. Each semester we host a House Points Blitz that is packed with games and activities that allow students to showcase house and school spirit.
We display the points on a monitor in the hallway as well as in the office, it is always up to date. I love hearing students congratulate each other as they see who earned points for their house. Those little moments of encouragement are exactly what we envisioned when we started this journey. We even developed fun and creative ways to choose House name ideas or some you could use to announce your Houses.
Culture through Community
At MCS we are using House Points as a tool to facilitate our behavior management program. But it is achieving much more than that. Our staff morale has benefited. Our student morale has improved. Engagement and motivation are up as well. With House Points, we are building culture by developing community.
Want to supercharge your school culture? Check out our guide to developing House spirit within your House system.
I knew the results I wanted to see. I wanted a school culture built on mentorship and camaraderie. I wanted a system that inspired some friendly competition. I wanted to emphasize the traits that were lacking in our students and we felt like we could grow. I wanted to see students encouraging and congratulating each other for doing the right thing. I wanted our students to take pride in their school and their accomplishments within it.
We settled on a House System similar to the one that Hogwarts runs on in Harry Potter. So we began researching how to set this up. I looked into Ron Clark Academy, which has tons of great resources. But from conversations with my staff, a common pain point for us was the logistical hurdle of setting something like this up and keeping it going. One of my teachers even said “I just can’t pass out another piece of paper” in reference to the paper bucks system we were already using.
Instead of running our system manually, we found a digital House points system where staff can document student points, and then they are tallied up by houses. This made our idea a reality. It helped us create the culture I had envisioned while also solving the logistical needs that we knew would keep it from becoming a reality.
A Little About Me and Maranatha
My name is Kelly Rodriguez and I am the Junior High Principal for Maranatha Christian Schools in San Diego, California. In 2018 I joined Maranatha Christian Schools as Director of Curriculum and Instruction and then eventually became Junior High Principal. Maranatha Christian Junior High is a Private Christian School serving 230 students. MCS also includes Elementary and High School students with our entire campus hosting 940 students.
I believe in building a community that is proud to work together and does its best with all that is given to them. This is why I centered building MSC culture around creating the community.
Positive Behavior Reinforcement
The key aspect of our system that I hoped would shine was our emphasis on positive behavior reinforcement. Positive behavior reinforcement is a way of looking at discipline and behavior management from the perspective of what you want to see in your students as opposed to what you don’t want to see.
For us, we looked at several traits we felt were important for development but were lacking with our students. We then decided to take a page from Harry Potter and dedicate our Houses to those traits. Integrity, Reliability, Courage, and Perseverance would be the connective tissue around our houses.
Similar to focusing on expectations instead of rules, we hoped that by focusing on traits we would then in turn see more of those positive behaviors. This has been emphatically correct. Our kids have really adopted the reward system this year as 117,000 points have been awarded and 350+ prizes have been claimed in our school store.
How House Points Work for Us
No, I don’t have a magic sorting hat. So the task of sorting our students into the 4 houses was up to me. I made them equal in as many ways possible. I intentionally blended the houses by grade level because we wanted to create larger communities outside of the normal grade level bands. I wanted a culture of peer mentorship that just wasn’t possible before.
We created a points system where students can earn positive points for their house anywhere at any time. They can be awarded by any staff member as well. We wanted to do everything we could to highlight the positive behaviors we wanted to see more of. So we don’t miss an opportunity to reward our students for doing well in the hallway, class, recess, drop off, pick up, lunch, etc. We want to catch them doing good!
Points can be earned individually or by teams in events such as weekly Chapel Competitions, or on monthly Spirit Days. Each semester we host a House Points Blitz that is packed with games and activities that allow students to showcase house and school spirit.
We display the points on a monitor in the hallway as well as in the office, it is always up to date. I love hearing students congratulate each other as they see who earned points for their house. Those little moments of encouragement are exactly what we envisioned when we started this journey. We even developed fun and creative ways to choose House name ideas or some you could use to announce your Houses.
Culture through Community
At MCS we are using House Points as a tool to facilitate our behavior management program. But it is achieving much more than that. Our staff morale has benefited. Our student morale has improved. Engagement and motivation are up as well. With House Points, we are building culture by developing community.
Want to supercharge your school culture? Check out our guide to developing House spirit within your House system.
I knew the results I wanted to see. I wanted a school culture built on mentorship and camaraderie. I wanted a system that inspired some friendly competition. I wanted to emphasize the traits that were lacking in our students and we felt like we could grow. I wanted to see students encouraging and congratulating each other for doing the right thing. I wanted our students to take pride in their school and their accomplishments within it.
We settled on a House System similar to the one that Hogwarts runs on in Harry Potter. So we began researching how to set this up. I looked into Ron Clark Academy, which has tons of great resources. But from conversations with my staff, a common pain point for us was the logistical hurdle of setting something like this up and keeping it going. One of my teachers even said “I just can’t pass out another piece of paper” in reference to the paper bucks system we were already using.
Instead of running our system manually, we found a digital House points system where staff can document student points, and then they are tallied up by houses. This made our idea a reality. It helped us create the culture I had envisioned while also solving the logistical needs that we knew would keep it from becoming a reality.
A Little About Me and Maranatha
My name is Kelly Rodriguez and I am the Junior High Principal for Maranatha Christian Schools in San Diego, California. In 2018 I joined Maranatha Christian Schools as Director of Curriculum and Instruction and then eventually became Junior High Principal. Maranatha Christian Junior High is a Private Christian School serving 230 students. MCS also includes Elementary and High School students with our entire campus hosting 940 students.
I believe in building a community that is proud to work together and does its best with all that is given to them. This is why I centered building MSC culture around creating the community.
Positive Behavior Reinforcement
The key aspect of our system that I hoped would shine was our emphasis on positive behavior reinforcement. Positive behavior reinforcement is a way of looking at discipline and behavior management from the perspective of what you want to see in your students as opposed to what you don’t want to see.
For us, we looked at several traits we felt were important for development but were lacking with our students. We then decided to take a page from Harry Potter and dedicate our Houses to those traits. Integrity, Reliability, Courage, and Perseverance would be the connective tissue around our houses.
Similar to focusing on expectations instead of rules, we hoped that by focusing on traits we would then in turn see more of those positive behaviors. This has been emphatically correct. Our kids have really adopted the reward system this year as 117,000 points have been awarded and 350+ prizes have been claimed in our school store.
How House Points Work for Us
No, I don’t have a magic sorting hat. So the task of sorting our students into the 4 houses was up to me. I made them equal in as many ways possible. I intentionally blended the houses by grade level because we wanted to create larger communities outside of the normal grade level bands. I wanted a culture of peer mentorship that just wasn’t possible before.
We created a points system where students can earn positive points for their house anywhere at any time. They can be awarded by any staff member as well. We wanted to do everything we could to highlight the positive behaviors we wanted to see more of. So we don’t miss an opportunity to reward our students for doing well in the hallway, class, recess, drop off, pick up, lunch, etc. We want to catch them doing good!
Points can be earned individually or by teams in events such as weekly Chapel Competitions, or on monthly Spirit Days. Each semester we host a House Points Blitz that is packed with games and activities that allow students to showcase house and school spirit.
We display the points on a monitor in the hallway as well as in the office, it is always up to date. I love hearing students congratulate each other as they see who earned points for their house. Those little moments of encouragement are exactly what we envisioned when we started this journey. We even developed fun and creative ways to choose House name ideas or some you could use to announce your Houses.
Culture through Community
At MCS we are using House Points as a tool to facilitate our behavior management program. But it is achieving much more than that. Our staff morale has benefited. Our student morale has improved. Engagement and motivation are up as well. With House Points, we are building culture by developing community.
Want to supercharge your school culture? Check out our guide to developing House spirit within your House system.
Kelly Rodriguez received her B.A. in Journalism from Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego. After working in journalism for several years, Kelly decided to return to the school that ministered to her throughout her education, Calvary Chapel. It is where she taught English Literature for twelve years while maintaining the role of ASB Advisor, Vice Principal of Staff and Curriculum. In June 2018, Kelly moved to San Diego and joined the MCS family where she served as the Director of Curriculum and Instruction for three years before becoming Junior High Principal. Kelly currently holds a California Teaching Credential and a Masters from Concordia University in Curriculum and Instruction. Mrs. Rodriguez has a passion for finding victory in Christ as we daily strive to be His disciples. She is always working towards building a community of believers who are proud to work together as we do our best in all that we were given!
I started down my journey with House Points after a conversation with one of my parents. She was in my office one afternoon and asked a rather innocent question; “how are you teaching kindness to your students?” I thought about it. Surely we are. Of course, we are. Aren’t we? Even if we are, I had trouble answering the ‘how’ portion of her question and that troubled me.
I knew the results I wanted to see. I wanted a school culture built on mentorship and camaraderie. I wanted a system that inspired some friendly competition. I wanted to emphasize the traits that were lacking in our students and we felt like we could grow. I wanted to see students encouraging and congratulating each other for doing the right thing. I wanted our students to take pride in their school and their accomplishments within it.
We settled on a House System similar to the one that Hogwarts runs on in Harry Potter. So we began researching how to set this up. I looked into Ron Clark Academy, which has tons of great resources. But from conversations with my staff, a common pain point for us was the logistical hurdle of setting something like this up and keeping it going. One of my teachers even said “I just can’t pass out another piece of paper” in reference to the paper bucks system we were already using.
Instead of running our system manually, we found a digital House points system where staff can document student points, and then they are tallied up by houses. This made our idea a reality. It helped us create the culture I had envisioned while also solving the logistical needs that we knew would keep it from becoming a reality.
A Little About Me and Maranatha
My name is Kelly Rodriguez and I am the Junior High Principal for Maranatha Christian Schools in San Diego, California. In 2018 I joined Maranatha Christian Schools as Director of Curriculum and Instruction and then eventually became Junior High Principal. Maranatha Christian Junior High is a Private Christian School serving 230 students. MCS also includes Elementary and High School students with our entire campus hosting 940 students.
I believe in building a community that is proud to work together and does its best with all that is given to them. This is why I centered building MSC culture around creating the community.
Positive Behavior Reinforcement
The key aspect of our system that I hoped would shine was our emphasis on positive behavior reinforcement. Positive behavior reinforcement is a way of looking at discipline and behavior management from the perspective of what you want to see in your students as opposed to what you don’t want to see.
For us, we looked at several traits we felt were important for development but were lacking with our students. We then decided to take a page from Harry Potter and dedicate our Houses to those traits. Integrity, Reliability, Courage, and Perseverance would be the connective tissue around our houses.
Similar to focusing on expectations instead of rules, we hoped that by focusing on traits we would then in turn see more of those positive behaviors. This has been emphatically correct. Our kids have really adopted the reward system this year as 117,000 points have been awarded and 350+ prizes have been claimed in our school store.
How House Points Work for Us
No, I don’t have a magic sorting hat. So the task of sorting our students into the 4 houses was up to me. I made them equal in as many ways possible. I intentionally blended the houses by grade level because we wanted to create larger communities outside of the normal grade level bands. I wanted a culture of peer mentorship that just wasn’t possible before.
We created a points system where students can earn positive points for their house anywhere at any time. They can be awarded by any staff member as well. We wanted to do everything we could to highlight the positive behaviors we wanted to see more of. So we don’t miss an opportunity to reward our students for doing well in the hallway, class, recess, drop off, pick up, lunch, etc. We want to catch them doing good!
Points can be earned individually or by teams in events such as weekly Chapel Competitions, or on monthly Spirit Days. Each semester we host a House Points Blitz that is packed with games and activities that allow students to showcase house and school spirit.
We display the points on a monitor in the hallway as well as in the office, it is always up to date. I love hearing students congratulate each other as they see who earned points for their house. Those little moments of encouragement are exactly what we envisioned when we started this journey. We even developed fun and creative ways to choose House name ideas or some you could use to announce your Houses.
Culture through Community
At MCS we are using House Points as a tool to facilitate our behavior management program. But it is achieving much more than that. Our staff morale has benefited. Our student morale has improved. Engagement and motivation are up as well. With House Points, we are building culture by developing community.
Want to supercharge your school culture? Check out our guide to developing House spirit within your House system.
I started down my journey with House Points after a conversation with one of my parents. She was in my office one afternoon and asked a rather innocent question; “how are you teaching kindness to your students?” I thought about it. Surely we are. Of course, we are. Aren’t we? Even if we are, I had trouble answering the ‘how’ portion of her question and that troubled me.
I knew the results I wanted to see. I wanted a school culture built on mentorship and camaraderie. I wanted a system that inspired some friendly competition. I wanted to emphasize the traits that were lacking in our students and we felt like we could grow. I wanted to see students encouraging and congratulating each other for doing the right thing. I wanted our students to take pride in their school and their accomplishments within it.
We settled on a House System similar to the one that Hogwarts runs on in Harry Potter. So we began researching how to set this up. I looked into Ron Clark Academy, which has tons of great resources. But from conversations with my staff, a common pain point for us was the logistical hurdle of setting something like this up and keeping it going. One of my teachers even said “I just can’t pass out another piece of paper” in reference to the paper bucks system we were already using.
Instead of running our system manually, we found a digital House points system where staff can document student points, and then they are tallied up by houses. This made our idea a reality. It helped us create the culture I had envisioned while also solving the logistical needs that we knew would keep it from becoming a reality.
A Little About Me and Maranatha
My name is Kelly Rodriguez and I am the Junior High Principal for Maranatha Christian Schools in San Diego, California. In 2018 I joined Maranatha Christian Schools as Director of Curriculum and Instruction and then eventually became Junior High Principal. Maranatha Christian Junior High is a Private Christian School serving 230 students. MCS also includes Elementary and High School students with our entire campus hosting 940 students.
I believe in building a community that is proud to work together and does its best with all that is given to them. This is why I centered building MSC culture around creating the community.
Positive Behavior Reinforcement
The key aspect of our system that I hoped would shine was our emphasis on positive behavior reinforcement. Positive behavior reinforcement is a way of looking at discipline and behavior management from the perspective of what you want to see in your students as opposed to what you don’t want to see.
For us, we looked at several traits we felt were important for development but were lacking with our students. We then decided to take a page from Harry Potter and dedicate our Houses to those traits. Integrity, Reliability, Courage, and Perseverance would be the connective tissue around our houses.
Similar to focusing on expectations instead of rules, we hoped that by focusing on traits we would then in turn see more of those positive behaviors. This has been emphatically correct. Our kids have really adopted the reward system this year as 117,000 points have been awarded and 350+ prizes have been claimed in our school store.
How House Points Work for Us
No, I don’t have a magic sorting hat. So the task of sorting our students into the 4 houses was up to me. I made them equal in as many ways possible. I intentionally blended the houses by grade level because we wanted to create larger communities outside of the normal grade level bands. I wanted a culture of peer mentorship that just wasn’t possible before.
We created a points system where students can earn positive points for their house anywhere at any time. They can be awarded by any staff member as well. We wanted to do everything we could to highlight the positive behaviors we wanted to see more of. So we don’t miss an opportunity to reward our students for doing well in the hallway, class, recess, drop off, pick up, lunch, etc. We want to catch them doing good!
Points can be earned individually or by teams in events such as weekly Chapel Competitions, or on monthly Spirit Days. Each semester we host a House Points Blitz that is packed with games and activities that allow students to showcase house and school spirit.
We display the points on a monitor in the hallway as well as in the office, it is always up to date. I love hearing students congratulate each other as they see who earned points for their house. Those little moments of encouragement are exactly what we envisioned when we started this journey. We even developed fun and creative ways to choose House name ideas or some you could use to announce your Houses.
Culture through Community
At MCS we are using House Points as a tool to facilitate our behavior management program. But it is achieving much more than that. Our staff morale has benefited. Our student morale has improved. Engagement and motivation are up as well. With House Points, we are building culture by developing community.
Want to supercharge your school culture? Check out our guide to developing House spirit within your House system.
