September 2008

It's The Little Things

Welcome to the new year! For most of us in education, our year doesn’t begin January 1^st, rather it starts sometime in August or early September when it’s Back-to-School time. We hope you enjoyed a restful summer and that you are looking forward to a great school year.

As you all well know, the start of the school year is the most hectic time in the life of a Link Crew or WEB program. With so much going on, it is easy to let some of the little things slide. You might have noticed at your orientation how a few little things can really change the day. Did you have an organized VIP table or did it dissolve into chaos? How many of you discovered the value of walkie-talkies? Did your sound system perform in the way you needed it to?

Just as with orientation, it is the little things at the beginning of the year that can often mean the difference between a new student experiencing an amazing start to the school year or getting lost in the crowd. Here are some of those little things that can make a big difference:

1.      Challenge your Leaders to collect each of their student’s email and phone numbers by Sept 19^th.

2.      Have your Leaders place a phone call within the first week of school to each of their students; have them check in on their schedule and feelings about school so far.

3.      Encourage your Leaders to find one of their students this week and have lunch with them. Remind them that one on one meetings might be more successful for some of their students.

4.      HOST A LEADER MEETING! Ok, so this goes in the category of BIG things! You have to bring your students back together early in the school year to keep the Link/WEB momentum up!

5.      ATTEND THE FOLLOW UP TRAINING! Remember, if you were trained in 2008 this conference is already paid for! You just need to register. At the Follow Up we talk about dozens more ‘little things’ that can make a huge difference for your program!

Upcoming Trainings

The Follow Up courses are ready to go and we are looking forward to seeing you. Remember that the Follow Up Course is designed as the fourth day of the basic training. If you have already been through a Follow Up, you are welcome to come again at the cost of $150.00; please know though, that the day is focused on those we are there for the first time. Dates and locations are listed below. In addition, you should be receiving a brochure in the next few weeks.

The Student Link Conferences

We are excited again to host the Student Link Conferences. They are a great opportunity to connect your Link Leaders with others in your area.  They will leave refreshed and motivated to connect with their freshmen and with some skills to do it! The current locations we are planning for are below.  If you don't see your area, but are interested in either hosting or going to a conference, let us know and we will try and work to make it happen!

Book Recommendations

Book Recommendation: Enriching the Brain: How to Maximize Every Learner’s Potential, by Eric Jensen

Lesson plans coming out your ears? This book will not only inspire you to do think differently about how you plan, but also excite you about the potential in your students. Eric Jensen is one of the foremost authorities in translating the latest brain research into very practical and doable techniques for educators. You are guaranteed at least 10 strategies you can start implementing immediately.

You get back what you give. It’s been our motto since day one. It was that motto that led us to the creation of the Boom Boom Cards. We wanted to provide a tangible way to pass that concept on to our students and to our community. Because the Original Boom Boom Cards were such a hit, we created a specific set just for teens. This way, instead of practicing “random” acts of kindness, these help kids along by giving them specific acts of kindness to accomplish.

As with the original version there are more than 50 cards with simple acts of kindness that can be done to make a difference; once an act is completed, you pass that card on to someone else and they do that same act and then pass the same card on to another person and so on.  Look for our new Boom Boom Revolution website to launch this November where you will be able to register your cards and track each one to see where and how far your acts of kindness travel. These are excellent for building into your Leader Initiated Contacts program this year!

You can see our entire catalog online at www.boomerangproject.com/catalog

Please know that all of your efforts, although perhaps not recognized by many on your immediate sites, are greatly appreciated by us. We do know how hard you are working to create a better and more welcoming school so that students can have the optimal experience. We are glad that you are part of a team of educators throughout the US and Canada that believe in kids and believe in possibility.