Mattoon
CUSD #2
The Paradigms
The core paradigms aim to create a school culture at Franklin Preschool that fosters leadership skills, character development, and personal responsibility in students, preparing them to be effective leaders and citizens in their communities and beyond.
Paradigm of Leadership
Everyone can be a leader.
Franklin frequently hears, “Well how do you get such little people to show leadership skills. That must be hard.” It truly isn’t. We’ve learned that when you allow children opportunities and trust them to do great things, they will produce great things. To all of Franklin’s staff, Leadership isn’t about the size of the person but the size of the heart. Franklin’s students and staff have the biggest hearts, though we have the smallest bodies. We feel as a staff that if we model leadership through our words, actions, strengths, and skills we will infuse leadership into all children.
Our School Mission statement is, “Growing our Future Leaders Together.” We fully believe that we are the beginning seeds of teaching preschoolers to be leaders. Classrooms also develop their own mission statement within each room the first few weeks of school that sets the tone for the rest of the school year. This has been a powerful tool in creating a classroom community each year and uniting students to believe in and work towards accomplishing this promise. It serves as a reminder that by working to live this mission, we are not only bettering ourselves, but also the group.
Paradigm of Leadership
Spotlight Stories
Paradigm of Potential
Everyone has genius.
At Franklin Preschool, we recognize that everyone has genius. We believe that staff should be able to follow their passions and involve themselves in activities and teams that interest them so we can truly celebrate and capitalize on each other’s strengths!
At the end or beginning of each year staff members choose an Action Team. It is encouraged for staff to sign up for an Action Team that their talents will benefit, with the goal of implementing change. Allowing staff to choose where they best feel they can make an impact, creates balanced and focused teams. Action Teams meet monthly throughout the school year. These meetings are an opportunity for all voices to be heard. Action Teams have helped to organize and “share the load” of the wonderful things staff and students do to enhance the school, connect with the community, and celebrate the greatness happening within the building’s walls. Other action teams may pop up throughout the year, and interested staff can choose those as well. Action teams are also run by staff members, not administrators. Parents are also invited to attend certain action teams from our Parent Advisory Council.
Leadership Roles are also utilized in every classroom to allow students more opportunity to practice leadership skills. These roles allow students to learn responsibility, and how they can contribute to the overall greatness of their classroom and school. Classroom leadership roles allow students an opportunity to discover their passions. Students are also given opportunities to have jobs during Learning Walk Days in which they can help lead groups of adults around the building to show our school. On Family Nights, student leaders help pass out snacks, greet and assist with family sign in, and sometimes introduce speakers or start events as the master of ceremonies.
Paradigm of Potential
Spotlight Stories
Paradigm of Change
Change starts with us.
Franklin Preschool has a wonderful staff and together we recognize that change starts with us. Staff members are dedicated to teaching and modeling the 7 habits, not only in the school setting but in their personal lives. In order to understand and truly embrace LIM, staff have participated in trainings, completed book studies, and gone on school visits to see LIM in different settings. Our staff members attend Professional Learning Communities weekly, and reflect on our teaching through meaningful conversations with administration.
Since the Leader In Me stresses that “It Starts with Adults Learning and Modeling” a staff Lighthouse/Leadership Team was created. When the team meets, we discuss what needs to be accomplished, answer questions posed by staff and parents, and work to create new and creative ways of incorporating staff and student leadership throughout the school day and year that is appropriate for preschool aged children.
Franklin Preschool is a unique school that houses children with and without disabilities ranging in ages from 3 to 5 years old. We play and learn from each other everyday! Our generosity helps others! In the past, we have raised money for multiple students’ medical expenses, sponsored individuals with disabilities to attend Camp New Hope, and raised money for Douglas Hart Nature Center after they experienced damages from a winter flood.
Paradigm of Change
Spotlight Stories
Our preschoolers are learning that they can make a difference. We have had several service learning projects & raised a lot of money for different organizations and people within the community.
Paradigm of Change
Spotlight Stories
Students, families, and the community helped to make our butterfly garden beautiful.
Paradigm of Change
Spotlight Stories
Care for the Rare Day
Follow this LINK to see how students participated in this event both at home and school!
Franklin collaborated with Mattoon Middle School to create a large and small group lesson as well as a snack to celebrate the students of the world with the extremely rare diseases, specifically our student with Kidins220.
Paradigm of Motivation
Educators empower their students to lead their own learning.
At Franklin Preschool, we are teaching students how to grow their leadership skills at a young age! Students and staff work together to create goals they can work on throughout the year. These goals are written down and kept in their Leadership Portfolios. Throughout the year, students and staff evaluate their goals and adjust them as needed. When students reach their goals they are celebrated!
Teachers at Franklin Preschool lead by example. All teachers have created their own personal goals as well! Teachers model to students that when you create a plan and approach it with a positive mindset, everyone can accomplish difficult tasks. Teachers also demonstrate the importance of a team. Teachers check in with their accountability partners frequently, to evaluate the progress towards their goal. Here at Franklin Preschool, we consider ourselves a family, so the students are encouraged to use one another as cheerleaders, resources, and partners.
Students are first taught what a leader and a habit is, then students are taught what a WIG is. They then work with a teacher to create a couple of goals to focus on throughout the school year. Students will also have a classroom WIG, which they will all work together to create. Throughout the year, the class will celebrate accomplishments and adjust goals as needed. The classroom WIG’s progress is displayed for all students to see. Students are able to use this visual to assist them in tracking their goal! Classroom WIGS correlate to schoolwide WIGS that are then tracked in the main pod area for the whole school to see.
Paradigm of Motivation
Spotlight Stories
Paradigm of Education
Educators and Families, Partner to Develop the Whole Person
Here at Franklin Preschool, the Paradigm of Education is at the forefront of everything that we do. Through this paradigm and the Leader in Me framework, we as educators have remembered our “why”. We chose this profession as a calling so that we could give the love of education to all of our students. This has refreshed us and given us renewed purpose in our calling. We focus not only on academics, but the “whole child” and help them grow into the young leaders that they are.
We have partnered with our families to create an environment of learning and growth. Through Parent Advisory Committee events, community events, and classroom involvement we are educating our students and their families as well.
Once a month, 7-Habit family projects are sent home for students to complete with their families. Also, families are given information about the Habit of the Week through newsletters, family activities, etc. Students are also explicitly taught Second Step (our social-emotional curriculum) along with Leader in Me. They are also provided with techniques and strategies to utilize when they are upset, such as calm-down areas, counting, breathing techniques, problem solving strategies, etc.
