Welcome back to school!  As you embark on a new school year, here are a few tips for maximizing the impact of Open Circle in your school:

In the Classroom

• For the first two weeks of school, hold Open Circle Meetings daily for 15 minutes to establish classroom routines, rules and community.

• After the first two weeks, hold Open Circle Meetings twice a week for 15 minutes - put it in your schedule - it helps! Find a time that works best for you and your students (e.g. beginning of the day, after recess, after lunch - see what works).

• Encourage students to problem solve getting in and out of the circle. Come up with a plan, try it out, evaluate, revise, and test again. It's problem solving in action, right from the start!

• Pace yourself. Give yourself permission to get through part of a lesson in one meeting. Go at a pace that suits your class and your student needs.

• Send Home Links letters to families to reinforce Open Circle approaches at home.

• If this is your first year implementing Open Circle, be patient with yourself as you learn and practice facilitation techniques.

Across the School

• Create a schedule for all adults in your school community to visit and sit in the open chair during an Open Circle Meeting.

• Unite your school community by infusing Open Circle vocabulary and non-verbal signals into special subjects, whole school events, announcements, and visuals throughout your school.

• Strengthen staff relationships by leveraging Open Circle concepts and community-building activities in staff meetings.

• Obtain books from Open Circle's Literature Connections lists and designate an Open Circle section in your library.