Welcoming Schools:
Seal of Excellence
Continued from page 4
5
many of the concepts taught in the program were
already a part of our school culture. Finally, we
put the Welcoming Schools lessons in our School
Improvement Plan. In January, they asked us to
come and share what we had been doing. After
we presented, they seemed to be very interested
in what we do and eventually invited us to a
ceremony to receive the award.
What advice would you give to a school
counselor or teacher who would like to bring
programs like Welcoming Schools to their
campus?
Start small. Pick a grade level or team that wants
to try it out. Select a book to focus on with the
students. Story time is a chance for students from
diverse families to see themselves. Think about
what you already do at your school and improve
upon it.
Above: Mirror Lake’ Elementary’s
Media Center contains a variety of
books focused on diversity
Below: Student artwork and projects
(Right: Kayla Reid- 4th grade)
It seems like this has been an excellent year for
Mirror Lake Elementary. What's next?
I would like to bring more families on board. We
would like to find ways to bring the Welcoming
Schools message into the home. Our school plans
on having more resources for our families to
spread this positive message.
Visit Mirror Lake
Elementary’s exclusive
website to learn more
about their success as a
Welcoming School
Scan the
QR code to
access the
site on your
smartphone!
Visit the
Welcoming
Schools
website for
lesson plans,
resources, and
much more!
Click on the video to watch the trailer for the new Welcoming Schools film,
“What Do You Know”