Creating Connection
Are you experiencing the following symptoms:
- Poor student attendance
- Low percentage of students participating in extracurricular activities
- High teacher turnover
- Frequent teacher absenteeism
- Lack of parental and community involvement
- No cohesive or unifying traditions, visuals, mantras, or procedures
- Low teacher morale
- Disengaged students
- High discipline referral rates
If so, these are symptomatic of a lack of connection of stakeholders to your school. The Renaissance resources below can help you create meaningful and long lasting connection for all stakeholders within your school community. Our top recommendations are listed first, followed by our entire library of resources for building connection. If you would like input on how to best use these resources, check out the Implementation Plan section at the bottom of this page.
Featured Resources
Harbor Episode – Showing Up
This episode of The Harbor by Jostens shares the key to creating a connected culture on any school campus – showing up for one another. Show this episode to all student leadership and extracurricular groups on your campus, share events for each group with one another, and then practice the act of showing up for all student groups. Then, watch your culture become one that is connected.
Jostens Renaissance Virtual Conference Breakout – Building Community
This video on demand resource provides best practices for using students to building community on your school campus. Show this video to your administrative and student leadership teams, discuss the key takeaways, and begin planning a course of action for your leadership students to take as they focus on connecting all students to your school.
ConnectEd Podcast – Welcoming Traditions
How new members are welcomed into your school community sets the tone for their future level of engagement, whether it be educators, students, parents, or event substitute teachers. Listen to this episode of The ConnectEd Podcast by Jostens Renaissance for easy, fun ways to welcome any new member into your school.
Exclusive Resources for Creating Connection
Video on Demand sharing best practices for building an inclusive culture for each student
Jostens Renaissance Virtual Conference Breakout – People’s Choice Awards
Video on Demand explaining a special way to honor and connect students, staffulty, and parents with one event
Jostens Renaissance Virtual Conference Breakout – Connecting Brand to Culture
Video on Demand with tips and strategies for living out your school’s brand in the classroom and hallway
Jostens Renaissance Virtual Conference Breakout – Branding an Entire District
Video on Demand to help leaders brand messaging and values throughout an entire district
Jostens Renaissance Virtual Conference Breakout – How a High School was Rebranded
Video on Demand recounting one school’s journey of building a unified culture of which all students were proud to be a part
RenTalk – School Identity
Video on Demand discussing the importance of identifying your school’s essence in order to connect stakeholders
RenTalk – Harbor Homeroom
Video on Demand sharing a best practice for combining student peer mentorship and character education
Harbor Episode – Mentorship
Video-based lesson with discussion prompts on the importance of have a mentor and tips for how to be a good mentee
Harbor Episode – Sarah Edwards
Video-based lesson with discussion prompts promoting small acts of kindness as a way to connect with others
Harbor Episode – Communication
Video-based lesson with discussion prompts with tips for how to become a better communicator
Harbor Episode – Cliques
Video-based lesson with discussion prompts focused on changing a clique culture into a connected culture
Harbor Episode – Collaboration over Competition
Video-based lesson with discussion prompts explaining how collaboration can lead to better relationships and results than competition
Curriculum Lesson – What is Community?
A classroom lesson plan showing students the extent members of a community are interconnected
Curriculum Lesson – School Culture and Climate
A classroom lesson plan explaining how school culture and climate create connectedness
Curriculum Lesson – The School Culture Formula
A classroom lesson plan highlighting how recognition and rewards lead to a culture of connection
Curriculum Lesson – Culture Building Resources
A classroom lesson plan sharing resources specific to culture, climate, and connection
Curriculum Lesson – Alignment of Self to Group
A classroom lesson plan promoting self reflection for identifying how one fits into a group
Curriculum Lesson – Networking
A classroom lesson plan teaching tips for networking and initiating conversations
Curriculum Lesson – Team and Trust Builders
A classroom lesson plan providing numerous team building and icebreaker activities
Curriculum Lesson – School Group Identification
A classroom lesson plan analyzing different groups on campus and the level for which they are recognized or connected
Curriculum Lesson – Representation
A classroom lesson plan designed to measure student voice
Idea Exchange – New Member Bingo
Best practice activity encouraging new students to get to know adults in your school
Idea Exchange – Morning Greetings
Best practice idea for starting each day of with positivity and connection
Idea Exchange – Passing the Torch
Best practice ceremony for advancing from one grade to another
Idea Exchange – Engrave a Brick
Best practice for engaging local community members with your school
Idea Exchange – Military Wall of Honor
Great way to provide recognition to students pursuing military careers
ConnectEd Podcast – Power and Planning of Tradition
Podcast episode discussing the role traditions play in building lasting connection
ConnectEd Podcast – School Spirit and School Culture Traditions
Podcast episode linking school spirit and school traditions to student connectedness and campus safety
ConnectEd Podcast – Recognition
Podcast episode sharing best practices for formal and informal student and staff recognition
ConnectEd Podcast – Reward
Podcast episode sharing best practices for creating formal and informal student and staff reward systems
ConnectEd Podcast – Reinforce
Podcast episode discussing how recognition and rewards reinforce student and staff connection to your school
ConnectEd Podcast – Identity
Podcast episode expressing the importance of knowing you are as a school and how that provides something for people to connect to
ConnectEd Podcast – Community
Podcast episode sharing how to brand your school within your community
ConnectEd Podcast – Student Involvement
Podcast episode with dialogue on how students can work from within to build a culture of connection
ConnectEd Podcast – Brand Activation
Podcast episode discussing how to live your school brand out on your school’s campus
Courageous Conversations – Building Your Brand
In this episode of Courageous Conversations, Steve Bollar (aka Stand Tall Steve) shares simple insights on how to build the brand you desire for yourself.
Courageous Conversations – Engaging StudentsÂ
In this episode of Courageous Conversations, Jonathan Alsheimer shares several ideas for how to transform your existing instructional resources and practices into ones students won’t be able to resist engaging with.
Courageous Conversations – Relationships
Dr. Farah Ortega-Choate shares the impact prioritizing relationships has had on her as educator and as a person
Courageous Conversations – Parental Involvement
In this episode of Courageous Conversations, Julie shares how parental involvement diminishes in middle and high school grades and provides easy ways parents can respect their child’s growing independence and autonomy without backing out of their educational experience.