How to organize and then let your students take ownership of their House Meetings.
But creating this community is more than just placing students in a House. Like a team, you need to provide time for students to meet and connect. That’s where House Meetings come in.
A House Meeting is a time for the House to come together and build relationships. There is typically an agenda but it’s important that the main goal is to give students the opportunity to connect with each other.
You can even let students run the House Meeting! By doing this, they can learn how to communicate with each other. Plus, it’s an additional way for students to feel ownership over their House.
The staff members in each House can be in the meeting, as well, but their role should be taking a back seat to the students. Creating House Leaders is a great way to help provide structure for the students.
If your school has Houses with different grade-levels, then the older students can take on this role. Another option is to hold a vote on who will be House Leaders for the year to continue promoting ownership across the whole House.
A major question when planning House Meetings is around how often they should meet. This can vary from school-to-school but the most important thing is keeping a regular schedule and following through on it.
The most common frequency of House Meetings are:
These three options seem to be best as it is frequent enough to help the students feel a sense of community with their Housemates.
Also, as mentioned above, following through is important. So having the Houses meet during the school day and at a time that you’ll be able to be consistent with is vital.
If your school is meeting every two weeks but then things keep coming up and you’re not able to provide the time, it’s going to make a big impact on your students and their views on the House System.
Showing students that their time together with Houses is important to YOU will go a long way to achieving buy-in with your House System.
What you cover during your House Meeting can vary from meeting-to-meeting. At the beginning of the year, you’ll want to have activities where students get to know each other and discuss the House’s identity. This could mean you’re creating a House crest or motto, if it’s the first year of the House, or teaching the new students these House traditions.
As you get further into the year, you can have students completing activities to build relationships, discuss possible competitions for later in the year, and talk through how they are doing in the overall House Cup.
If you’re able to get data on your House Points, a great way to check-in as a House is to look at categories where you’re earning lots of points as well as areas for growth.
For instance, if your House is constantly getting points for class participation and helping others, that’s something to celebrate! But, if there aren’t many points for keeping the cafeteria clean or picking up after themselves, that can be a focus for the next month.
If you have a time when all of your Houses come together, you can have additional fun by creating awards to give out. For example:
No matter what, use the House Meetings to connect and build each other up.
Goals and Outcomes
Every time you come together as a House, you want students to leave the meeting feeling more connected than when they arrived. But it’s not about teaching students how to connect with each other. It’s about creating a community where they can feel connected.
As David Olinger, Director of Digital Strategy for O’Dea High School in Seattle, Washington mentioned on an episode of The Flywheel Effect,
“The goal is, of course, that the students come in and feel as if they are seen and known by an adult. They feel as if they are seen and known by other students.”
Creating a community where students have a sense of belonging is what it’s all about. ❤️
The meeting agendas can change based on time of year or action items that the House needs to complete. Here are some generic ideas to get you started:
10 Minutes: Ice Breaker
10 Minutes: Discussion
10 Minutes: Action Items
Based on how long you have with your House, you can edit these times to fit your needs. Or if this is too much to fit into one meeting, choose between the discussion or action item.
Most importantly, remember to take a step back and allow the students to run the show. That’s when the magic happens. 🪄
For more resources on Houses check out the magic happening at our partner school: Antioch Middle School.
But creating this community is more than just placing students in a House. Like a team, you need to provide time for students to meet and connect. That’s where House Meetings come in.
A House Meeting is a time for the House to come together and build relationships. There is typically an agenda but it’s important that the main goal is to give students the opportunity to connect with each other.
You can even let students run the House Meeting! By doing this, they can learn how to communicate with each other. Plus, it’s an additional way for students to feel ownership over their House.
The staff members in each House can be in the meeting, as well, but their role should be taking a back seat to the students. Creating House Leaders is a great way to help provide structure for the students.
If your school has Houses with different grade-levels, then the older students can take on this role. Another option is to hold a vote on who will be House Leaders for the year to continue promoting ownership across the whole House.
A major question when planning House Meetings is around how often they should meet. This can vary from school-to-school but the most important thing is keeping a regular schedule and following through on it.
The most common frequency of House Meetings are:
These three options seem to be best as it is frequent enough to help the students feel a sense of community with their Housemates.
Also, as mentioned above, following through is important. So having the Houses meet during the school day and at a time that you’ll be able to be consistent with is vital.
If your school is meeting every two weeks but then things keep coming up and you’re not able to provide the time, it’s going to make a big impact on your students and their views on the House System.
Showing students that their time together with Houses is important to YOU will go a long way to achieving buy-in with your House System.
What you cover during your House Meeting can vary from meeting-to-meeting. At the beginning of the year, you’ll want to have activities where students get to know each other and discuss the House’s identity. This could mean you’re creating a House crest or motto, if it’s the first year of the House, or teaching the new students these House traditions.
As you get further into the year, you can have students completing activities to build relationships, discuss possible competitions for later in the year, and talk through how they are doing in the overall House Cup.
If you’re able to get data on your House Points, a great way to check-in as a House is to look at categories where you’re earning lots of points as well as areas for growth.
For instance, if your House is constantly getting points for class participation and helping others, that’s something to celebrate! But, if there aren’t many points for keeping the cafeteria clean or picking up after themselves, that can be a focus for the next month.
If you have a time when all of your Houses come together, you can have additional fun by creating awards to give out. For example:
No matter what, use the House Meetings to connect and build each other up.
Goals and Outcomes
Every time you come together as a House, you want students to leave the meeting feeling more connected than when they arrived. But it’s not about teaching students how to connect with each other. It’s about creating a community where they can feel connected.
As David Olinger, Director of Digital Strategy for O’Dea High School in Seattle, Washington mentioned on an episode of The Flywheel Effect,
“The goal is, of course, that the students come in and feel as if they are seen and known by an adult. They feel as if they are seen and known by other students.”
Creating a community where students have a sense of belonging is what it’s all about. ❤️
The meeting agendas can change based on time of year or action items that the House needs to complete. Here are some generic ideas to get you started:
10 Minutes: Ice Breaker
10 Minutes: Discussion
10 Minutes: Action Items
Based on how long you have with your House, you can edit these times to fit your needs. Or if this is too much to fit into one meeting, choose between the discussion or action item.
Most importantly, remember to take a step back and allow the students to run the show. That’s when the magic happens. 🪄
For more resources on Houses check out the magic happening at our partner school: Antioch Middle School.
But creating this community is more than just placing students in a House. Like a team, you need to provide time for students to meet and connect. That’s where House Meetings come in.
A House Meeting is a time for the House to come together and build relationships. There is typically an agenda but it’s important that the main goal is to give students the opportunity to connect with each other.
You can even let students run the House Meeting! By doing this, they can learn how to communicate with each other. Plus, it’s an additional way for students to feel ownership over their House.
The staff members in each House can be in the meeting, as well, but their role should be taking a back seat to the students. Creating House Leaders is a great way to help provide structure for the students.
If your school has Houses with different grade-levels, then the older students can take on this role. Another option is to hold a vote on who will be House Leaders for the year to continue promoting ownership across the whole House.
A major question when planning House Meetings is around how often they should meet. This can vary from school-to-school but the most important thing is keeping a regular schedule and following through on it.
The most common frequency of House Meetings are:
These three options seem to be best as it is frequent enough to help the students feel a sense of community with their Housemates.
Also, as mentioned above, following through is important. So having the Houses meet during the school day and at a time that you’ll be able to be consistent with is vital.
If your school is meeting every two weeks but then things keep coming up and you’re not able to provide the time, it’s going to make a big impact on your students and their views on the House System.
Showing students that their time together with Houses is important to YOU will go a long way to achieving buy-in with your House System.
What you cover during your House Meeting can vary from meeting-to-meeting. At the beginning of the year, you’ll want to have activities where students get to know each other and discuss the House’s identity. This could mean you’re creating a House crest or motto, if it’s the first year of the House, or teaching the new students these House traditions.
As you get further into the year, you can have students completing activities to build relationships, discuss possible competitions for later in the year, and talk through how they are doing in the overall House Cup.
If you’re able to get data on your House Points, a great way to check-in as a House is to look at categories where you’re earning lots of points as well as areas for growth.
For instance, if your House is constantly getting points for class participation and helping others, that’s something to celebrate! But, if there aren’t many points for keeping the cafeteria clean or picking up after themselves, that can be a focus for the next month.
If you have a time when all of your Houses come together, you can have additional fun by creating awards to give out. For example:
No matter what, use the House Meetings to connect and build each other up.
Goals and Outcomes
Every time you come together as a House, you want students to leave the meeting feeling more connected than when they arrived. But it’s not about teaching students how to connect with each other. It’s about creating a community where they can feel connected.
As David Olinger, Director of Digital Strategy for O’Dea High School in Seattle, Washington mentioned on an episode of The Flywheel Effect,
“The goal is, of course, that the students come in and feel as if they are seen and known by an adult. They feel as if they are seen and known by other students.”
Creating a community where students have a sense of belonging is what it’s all about. ❤️
The meeting agendas can change based on time of year or action items that the House needs to complete. Here are some generic ideas to get you started:
10 Minutes: Ice Breaker
10 Minutes: Discussion
10 Minutes: Action Items
Based on how long you have with your House, you can edit these times to fit your needs. Or if this is too much to fit into one meeting, choose between the discussion or action item.
Most importantly, remember to take a step back and allow the students to run the show. That’s when the magic happens. 🪄
For more resources on Houses check out the magic happening at our partner school: Antioch Middle School.
But creating this community is more than just placing students in a House. Like a team, you need to provide time for students to meet and connect. That’s where House Meetings come in.
A House Meeting is a time for the House to come together and build relationships. There is typically an agenda but it’s important that the main goal is to give students the opportunity to connect with each other.
You can even let students run the House Meeting! By doing this, they can learn how to communicate with each other. Plus, it’s an additional way for students to feel ownership over their House.
The staff members in each House can be in the meeting, as well, but their role should be taking a back seat to the students. Creating House Leaders is a great way to help provide structure for the students.
If your school has Houses with different grade-levels, then the older students can take on this role. Another option is to hold a vote on who will be House Leaders for the year to continue promoting ownership across the whole House.
A major question when planning House Meetings is around how often they should meet. This can vary from school-to-school but the most important thing is keeping a regular schedule and following through on it.
The most common frequency of House Meetings are:
These three options seem to be best as it is frequent enough to help the students feel a sense of community with their Housemates.
Also, as mentioned above, following through is important. So having the Houses meet during the school day and at a time that you’ll be able to be consistent with is vital.
If your school is meeting every two weeks but then things keep coming up and you’re not able to provide the time, it’s going to make a big impact on your students and their views on the House System.
Showing students that their time together with Houses is important to YOU will go a long way to achieving buy-in with your House System.
What you cover during your House Meeting can vary from meeting-to-meeting. At the beginning of the year, you’ll want to have activities where students get to know each other and discuss the House’s identity. This could mean you’re creating a House crest or motto, if it’s the first year of the House, or teaching the new students these House traditions.
As you get further into the year, you can have students completing activities to build relationships, discuss possible competitions for later in the year, and talk through how they are doing in the overall House Cup.
If you’re able to get data on your House Points, a great way to check-in as a House is to look at categories where you’re earning lots of points as well as areas for growth.
For instance, if your House is constantly getting points for class participation and helping others, that’s something to celebrate! But, if there aren’t many points for keeping the cafeteria clean or picking up after themselves, that can be a focus for the next month.
If you have a time when all of your Houses come together, you can have additional fun by creating awards to give out. For example:
No matter what, use the House Meetings to connect and build each other up.
Goals and Outcomes
Every time you come together as a House, you want students to leave the meeting feeling more connected than when they arrived. But it’s not about teaching students how to connect with each other. It’s about creating a community where they can feel connected.
As David Olinger, Director of Digital Strategy for O’Dea High School in Seattle, Washington mentioned on an episode of The Flywheel Effect,
“The goal is, of course, that the students come in and feel as if they are seen and known by an adult. They feel as if they are seen and known by other students.”
Creating a community where students have a sense of belonging is what it’s all about. ❤️
The meeting agendas can change based on time of year or action items that the House needs to complete. Here are some generic ideas to get you started:
10 Minutes: Ice Breaker
10 Minutes: Discussion
10 Minutes: Action Items
Based on how long you have with your House, you can edit these times to fit your needs. Or if this is too much to fit into one meeting, choose between the discussion or action item.
Most importantly, remember to take a step back and allow the students to run the show. That’s when the magic happens. 🪄
For more resources on Houses check out the magic happening at our partner school: Antioch Middle School.
But creating this community is more than just placing students in a House. Like a team, you need to provide time for students to meet and connect. That’s where House Meetings come in.
A House Meeting is a time for the House to come together and build relationships. There is typically an agenda but it’s important that the main goal is to give students the opportunity to connect with each other.
You can even let students run the House Meeting! By doing this, they can learn how to communicate with each other. Plus, it’s an additional way for students to feel ownership over their House.
The staff members in each House can be in the meeting, as well, but their role should be taking a back seat to the students. Creating House Leaders is a great way to help provide structure for the students.
If your school has Houses with different grade-levels, then the older students can take on this role. Another option is to hold a vote on who will be House Leaders for the year to continue promoting ownership across the whole House.
A major question when planning House Meetings is around how often they should meet. This can vary from school-to-school but the most important thing is keeping a regular schedule and following through on it.
The most common frequency of House Meetings are:
These three options seem to be best as it is frequent enough to help the students feel a sense of community with their Housemates.
Also, as mentioned above, following through is important. So having the Houses meet during the school day and at a time that you’ll be able to be consistent with is vital.
If your school is meeting every two weeks but then things keep coming up and you’re not able to provide the time, it’s going to make a big impact on your students and their views on the House System.
Showing students that their time together with Houses is important to YOU will go a long way to achieving buy-in with your House System.
What you cover during your House Meeting can vary from meeting-to-meeting. At the beginning of the year, you’ll want to have activities where students get to know each other and discuss the House’s identity. This could mean you’re creating a House crest or motto, if it’s the first year of the House, or teaching the new students these House traditions.
As you get further into the year, you can have students completing activities to build relationships, discuss possible competitions for later in the year, and talk through how they are doing in the overall House Cup.
If you’re able to get data on your House Points, a great way to check-in as a House is to look at categories where you’re earning lots of points as well as areas for growth.
For instance, if your House is constantly getting points for class participation and helping others, that’s something to celebrate! But, if there aren’t many points for keeping the cafeteria clean or picking up after themselves, that can be a focus for the next month.
If you have a time when all of your Houses come together, you can have additional fun by creating awards to give out. For example:
No matter what, use the House Meetings to connect and build each other up.
Goals and Outcomes
Every time you come together as a House, you want students to leave the meeting feeling more connected than when they arrived. But it’s not about teaching students how to connect with each other. It’s about creating a community where they can feel connected.
As David Olinger, Director of Digital Strategy for O’Dea High School in Seattle, Washington mentioned on an episode of The Flywheel Effect,
“The goal is, of course, that the students come in and feel as if they are seen and known by an adult. They feel as if they are seen and known by other students.”
Creating a community where students have a sense of belonging is what it’s all about. ❤️
The meeting agendas can change based on time of year or action items that the House needs to complete. Here are some generic ideas to get you started:
10 Minutes: Ice Breaker
10 Minutes: Discussion
10 Minutes: Action Items
Based on how long you have with your House, you can edit these times to fit your needs. Or if this is too much to fit into one meeting, choose between the discussion or action item.
Most importantly, remember to take a step back and allow the students to run the show. That’s when the magic happens. 🪄
For more resources on Houses check out the magic happening at our partner school: Antioch Middle School.
But creating this community is more than just placing students in a House. Like a team, you need to provide time for students to meet and connect. That’s where House Meetings come in.
A House Meeting is a time for the House to come together and build relationships. There is typically an agenda but it’s important that the main goal is to give students the opportunity to connect with each other.
You can even let students run the House Meeting! By doing this, they can learn how to communicate with each other. Plus, it’s an additional way for students to feel ownership over their House.
The staff members in each House can be in the meeting, as well, but their role should be taking a back seat to the students. Creating House Leaders is a great way to help provide structure for the students.
If your school has Houses with different grade-levels, then the older students can take on this role. Another option is to hold a vote on who will be House Leaders for the year to continue promoting ownership across the whole House.
A major question when planning House Meetings is around how often they should meet. This can vary from school-to-school but the most important thing is keeping a regular schedule and following through on it.
The most common frequency of House Meetings are:
These three options seem to be best as it is frequent enough to help the students feel a sense of community with their Housemates.
Also, as mentioned above, following through is important. So having the Houses meet during the school day and at a time that you’ll be able to be consistent with is vital.
If your school is meeting every two weeks but then things keep coming up and you’re not able to provide the time, it’s going to make a big impact on your students and their views on the House System.
Showing students that their time together with Houses is important to YOU will go a long way to achieving buy-in with your House System.
What you cover during your House Meeting can vary from meeting-to-meeting. At the beginning of the year, you’ll want to have activities where students get to know each other and discuss the House’s identity. This could mean you’re creating a House crest or motto, if it’s the first year of the House, or teaching the new students these House traditions.
As you get further into the year, you can have students completing activities to build relationships, discuss possible competitions for later in the year, and talk through how they are doing in the overall House Cup.
If you’re able to get data on your House Points, a great way to check-in as a House is to look at categories where you’re earning lots of points as well as areas for growth.
For instance, if your House is constantly getting points for class participation and helping others, that’s something to celebrate! But, if there aren’t many points for keeping the cafeteria clean or picking up after themselves, that can be a focus for the next month.
If you have a time when all of your Houses come together, you can have additional fun by creating awards to give out. For example:
No matter what, use the House Meetings to connect and build each other up.
Goals and Outcomes
Every time you come together as a House, you want students to leave the meeting feeling more connected than when they arrived. But it’s not about teaching students how to connect with each other. It’s about creating a community where they can feel connected.
As David Olinger, Director of Digital Strategy for O’Dea High School in Seattle, Washington mentioned on an episode of The Flywheel Effect,
“The goal is, of course, that the students come in and feel as if they are seen and known by an adult. They feel as if they are seen and known by other students.”
Creating a community where students have a sense of belonging is what it’s all about. ❤️
The meeting agendas can change based on time of year or action items that the House needs to complete. Here are some generic ideas to get you started:
10 Minutes: Ice Breaker
10 Minutes: Discussion
10 Minutes: Action Items
Based on how long you have with your House, you can edit these times to fit your needs. Or if this is too much to fit into one meeting, choose between the discussion or action item.
Most importantly, remember to take a step back and allow the students to run the show. That’s when the magic happens. 🪄
For more resources on Houses check out the magic happening at our partner school: Antioch Middle School.
Hannah works with the LiveSchool team as our Product Marketing Manager. She works diligently to help teachers and administrators improve school culture and student behavior.
She understands firsthand the challenges that LiveSchool addresses because she worked for seven years as a teacher in Metro Nashville Public Schools before joining the team full-time.
In addition to supporting educators achieve their culture vision, Hannah also enjoys rooting on the Cubs, playing tennis, trivia, and traveling!
But creating this community is more than just placing students in a House. Like a team, you need to provide time for students to meet and connect. That’s where House Meetings come in.
A House Meeting is a time for the House to come together and build relationships. There is typically an agenda but it’s important that the main goal is to give students the opportunity to connect with each other.
You can even let students run the House Meeting! By doing this, they can learn how to communicate with each other. Plus, it’s an additional way for students to feel ownership over their House.
The staff members in each House can be in the meeting, as well, but their role should be taking a back seat to the students. Creating House Leaders is a great way to help provide structure for the students.
If your school has Houses with different grade-levels, then the older students can take on this role. Another option is to hold a vote on who will be House Leaders for the year to continue promoting ownership across the whole House.
A major question when planning House Meetings is around how often they should meet. This can vary from school-to-school but the most important thing is keeping a regular schedule and following through on it.
The most common frequency of House Meetings are:
These three options seem to be best as it is frequent enough to help the students feel a sense of community with their Housemates.
Also, as mentioned above, following through is important. So having the Houses meet during the school day and at a time that you’ll be able to be consistent with is vital.
If your school is meeting every two weeks but then things keep coming up and you’re not able to provide the time, it’s going to make a big impact on your students and their views on the House System.
Showing students that their time together with Houses is important to YOU will go a long way to achieving buy-in with your House System.
What you cover during your House Meeting can vary from meeting-to-meeting. At the beginning of the year, you’ll want to have activities where students get to know each other and discuss the House’s identity. This could mean you’re creating a House crest or motto, if it’s the first year of the House, or teaching the new students these House traditions.
As you get further into the year, you can have students completing activities to build relationships, discuss possible competitions for later in the year, and talk through how they are doing in the overall House Cup.
If you’re able to get data on your House Points, a great way to check-in as a House is to look at categories where you’re earning lots of points as well as areas for growth.
For instance, if your House is constantly getting points for class participation and helping others, that’s something to celebrate! But, if there aren’t many points for keeping the cafeteria clean or picking up after themselves, that can be a focus for the next month.
If you have a time when all of your Houses come together, you can have additional fun by creating awards to give out. For example:
No matter what, use the House Meetings to connect and build each other up.
Goals and Outcomes
Every time you come together as a House, you want students to leave the meeting feeling more connected than when they arrived. But it’s not about teaching students how to connect with each other. It’s about creating a community where they can feel connected.
As David Olinger, Director of Digital Strategy for O’Dea High School in Seattle, Washington mentioned on an episode of The Flywheel Effect,
“The goal is, of course, that the students come in and feel as if they are seen and known by an adult. They feel as if they are seen and known by other students.”
Creating a community where students have a sense of belonging is what it’s all about. ❤️
The meeting agendas can change based on time of year or action items that the House needs to complete. Here are some generic ideas to get you started:
10 Minutes: Ice Breaker
10 Minutes: Discussion
10 Minutes: Action Items
Based on how long you have with your House, you can edit these times to fit your needs. Or if this is too much to fit into one meeting, choose between the discussion or action item.
Most importantly, remember to take a step back and allow the students to run the show. That’s when the magic happens. 🪄
For more resources on Houses check out the magic happening at our partner school: Antioch Middle School.
But creating this community is more than just placing students in a House. Like a team, you need to provide time for students to meet and connect. That’s where House Meetings come in.
A House Meeting is a time for the House to come together and build relationships. There is typically an agenda but it’s important that the main goal is to give students the opportunity to connect with each other.
You can even let students run the House Meeting! By doing this, they can learn how to communicate with each other. Plus, it’s an additional way for students to feel ownership over their House.
The staff members in each House can be in the meeting, as well, but their role should be taking a back seat to the students. Creating House Leaders is a great way to help provide structure for the students.
If your school has Houses with different grade-levels, then the older students can take on this role. Another option is to hold a vote on who will be House Leaders for the year to continue promoting ownership across the whole House.
A major question when planning House Meetings is around how often they should meet. This can vary from school-to-school but the most important thing is keeping a regular schedule and following through on it.
The most common frequency of House Meetings are:
These three options seem to be best as it is frequent enough to help the students feel a sense of community with their Housemates.
Also, as mentioned above, following through is important. So having the Houses meet during the school day and at a time that you’ll be able to be consistent with is vital.
If your school is meeting every two weeks but then things keep coming up and you’re not able to provide the time, it’s going to make a big impact on your students and their views on the House System.
Showing students that their time together with Houses is important to YOU will go a long way to achieving buy-in with your House System.
What you cover during your House Meeting can vary from meeting-to-meeting. At the beginning of the year, you’ll want to have activities where students get to know each other and discuss the House’s identity. This could mean you’re creating a House crest or motto, if it’s the first year of the House, or teaching the new students these House traditions.
As you get further into the year, you can have students completing activities to build relationships, discuss possible competitions for later in the year, and talk through how they are doing in the overall House Cup.
If you’re able to get data on your House Points, a great way to check-in as a House is to look at categories where you’re earning lots of points as well as areas for growth.
For instance, if your House is constantly getting points for class participation and helping others, that’s something to celebrate! But, if there aren’t many points for keeping the cafeteria clean or picking up after themselves, that can be a focus for the next month.
If you have a time when all of your Houses come together, you can have additional fun by creating awards to give out. For example:
No matter what, use the House Meetings to connect and build each other up.
Goals and Outcomes
Every time you come together as a House, you want students to leave the meeting feeling more connected than when they arrived. But it’s not about teaching students how to connect with each other. It’s about creating a community where they can feel connected.
As David Olinger, Director of Digital Strategy for O’Dea High School in Seattle, Washington mentioned on an episode of The Flywheel Effect,
“The goal is, of course, that the students come in and feel as if they are seen and known by an adult. They feel as if they are seen and known by other students.”
Creating a community where students have a sense of belonging is what it’s all about. ❤️
The meeting agendas can change based on time of year or action items that the House needs to complete. Here are some generic ideas to get you started:
10 Minutes: Ice Breaker
10 Minutes: Discussion
10 Minutes: Action Items
Based on how long you have with your House, you can edit these times to fit your needs. Or if this is too much to fit into one meeting, choose between the discussion or action item.
Most importantly, remember to take a step back and allow the students to run the show. That’s when the magic happens. 🪄
For more resources on Houses check out the magic happening at our partner school: Antioch Middle School.
Building Community. That’s what a House Points System is all about. Similar to having students join teams or clubs to give them a sense of belonging, you can provide that opportunity to EVERY student in your school by creating Houses.
But creating this community is more than just placing students in a House. Like a team, you need to provide time for students to meet and connect. That’s where House Meetings come in.
A House Meeting is a time for the House to come together and build relationships. There is typically an agenda but it’s important that the main goal is to give students the opportunity to connect with each other.
You can even let students run the House Meeting! By doing this, they can learn how to communicate with each other. Plus, it’s an additional way for students to feel ownership over their House.
The staff members in each House can be in the meeting, as well, but their role should be taking a back seat to the students. Creating House Leaders is a great way to help provide structure for the students.
If your school has Houses with different grade-levels, then the older students can take on this role. Another option is to hold a vote on who will be House Leaders for the year to continue promoting ownership across the whole House.
A major question when planning House Meetings is around how often they should meet. This can vary from school-to-school but the most important thing is keeping a regular schedule and following through on it.
The most common frequency of House Meetings are:
These three options seem to be best as it is frequent enough to help the students feel a sense of community with their Housemates.
Also, as mentioned above, following through is important. So having the Houses meet during the school day and at a time that you’ll be able to be consistent with is vital.
If your school is meeting every two weeks but then things keep coming up and you’re not able to provide the time, it’s going to make a big impact on your students and their views on the House System.
Showing students that their time together with Houses is important to YOU will go a long way to achieving buy-in with your House System.
What you cover during your House Meeting can vary from meeting-to-meeting. At the beginning of the year, you’ll want to have activities where students get to know each other and discuss the House’s identity. This could mean you’re creating a House crest or motto, if it’s the first year of the House, or teaching the new students these House traditions.
As you get further into the year, you can have students completing activities to build relationships, discuss possible competitions for later in the year, and talk through how they are doing in the overall House Cup.
If you’re able to get data on your House Points, a great way to check-in as a House is to look at categories where you’re earning lots of points as well as areas for growth.
For instance, if your House is constantly getting points for class participation and helping others, that’s something to celebrate! But, if there aren’t many points for keeping the cafeteria clean or picking up after themselves, that can be a focus for the next month.
If you have a time when all of your Houses come together, you can have additional fun by creating awards to give out. For example:
No matter what, use the House Meetings to connect and build each other up.
Goals and Outcomes
Every time you come together as a House, you want students to leave the meeting feeling more connected than when they arrived. But it’s not about teaching students how to connect with each other. It’s about creating a community where they can feel connected.
As David Olinger, Director of Digital Strategy for O’Dea High School in Seattle, Washington mentioned on an episode of The Flywheel Effect,
“The goal is, of course, that the students come in and feel as if they are seen and known by an adult. They feel as if they are seen and known by other students.”
Creating a community where students have a sense of belonging is what it’s all about. ❤️
The meeting agendas can change based on time of year or action items that the House needs to complete. Here are some generic ideas to get you started:
10 Minutes: Ice Breaker
10 Minutes: Discussion
10 Minutes: Action Items
Based on how long you have with your House, you can edit these times to fit your needs. Or if this is too much to fit into one meeting, choose between the discussion or action item.
Most importantly, remember to take a step back and allow the students to run the show. That’s when the magic happens. 🪄
For more resources on Houses check out the magic happening at our partner school: Antioch Middle School.
Building Community. That’s what a House Points System is all about. Similar to having students join teams or clubs to give them a sense of belonging, you can provide that opportunity to EVERY student in your school by creating Houses.
But creating this community is more than just placing students in a House. Like a team, you need to provide time for students to meet and connect. That’s where House Meetings come in.
A House Meeting is a time for the House to come together and build relationships. There is typically an agenda but it’s important that the main goal is to give students the opportunity to connect with each other.
You can even let students run the House Meeting! By doing this, they can learn how to communicate with each other. Plus, it’s an additional way for students to feel ownership over their House.
The staff members in each House can be in the meeting, as well, but their role should be taking a back seat to the students. Creating House Leaders is a great way to help provide structure for the students.
If your school has Houses with different grade-levels, then the older students can take on this role. Another option is to hold a vote on who will be House Leaders for the year to continue promoting ownership across the whole House.
A major question when planning House Meetings is around how often they should meet. This can vary from school-to-school but the most important thing is keeping a regular schedule and following through on it.
The most common frequency of House Meetings are:
These three options seem to be best as it is frequent enough to help the students feel a sense of community with their Housemates.
Also, as mentioned above, following through is important. So having the Houses meet during the school day and at a time that you’ll be able to be consistent with is vital.
If your school is meeting every two weeks but then things keep coming up and you’re not able to provide the time, it’s going to make a big impact on your students and their views on the House System.
Showing students that their time together with Houses is important to YOU will go a long way to achieving buy-in with your House System.
What you cover during your House Meeting can vary from meeting-to-meeting. At the beginning of the year, you’ll want to have activities where students get to know each other and discuss the House’s identity. This could mean you’re creating a House crest or motto, if it’s the first year of the House, or teaching the new students these House traditions.
As you get further into the year, you can have students completing activities to build relationships, discuss possible competitions for later in the year, and talk through how they are doing in the overall House Cup.
If you’re able to get data on your House Points, a great way to check-in as a House is to look at categories where you’re earning lots of points as well as areas for growth.
For instance, if your House is constantly getting points for class participation and helping others, that’s something to celebrate! But, if there aren’t many points for keeping the cafeteria clean or picking up after themselves, that can be a focus for the next month.
If you have a time when all of your Houses come together, you can have additional fun by creating awards to give out. For example:
No matter what, use the House Meetings to connect and build each other up.
Goals and Outcomes
Every time you come together as a House, you want students to leave the meeting feeling more connected than when they arrived. But it’s not about teaching students how to connect with each other. It’s about creating a community where they can feel connected.
As David Olinger, Director of Digital Strategy for O’Dea High School in Seattle, Washington mentioned on an episode of The Flywheel Effect,
“The goal is, of course, that the students come in and feel as if they are seen and known by an adult. They feel as if they are seen and known by other students.”
Creating a community where students have a sense of belonging is what it’s all about. ❤️
The meeting agendas can change based on time of year or action items that the House needs to complete. Here are some generic ideas to get you started:
10 Minutes: Ice Breaker
10 Minutes: Discussion
10 Minutes: Action Items
Based on how long you have with your House, you can edit these times to fit your needs. Or if this is too much to fit into one meeting, choose between the discussion or action item.
Most importantly, remember to take a step back and allow the students to run the show. That’s when the magic happens. 🪄
For more resources on Houses check out the magic happening at our partner school: Antioch Middle School.
Every day, the LiveSchool Vision becomes reality.
