A sense of belonging at Monmouth Junction Elementary School
By Maribeth Edmunds, Principal
Imagine for a moment, that you entered a school that had no school spirit.
What would it look like? What would be missing? More importantly, how would a school without school spirit make you feel?
As you consider these questions, you might be thinking that most of what gives a school personality would be missing.
Just imagine … no school colors, for example, or no school sports teams. There would be no slogan or mascot. There would be no marching band, no school cheer or cheerleaders for that matter. No traditions.
The list would go on and on.
Essentially, the personality, the vitality and the character of the school would disappear, leaving only brick and mortar behind.
Beyond this concept of a school’s personality, there is something that runs much deeper than the list of stereotypical spirit items just mentioned.
A Sense of Belonging Building a strong sense of belonging in children is just as important as the formal curriculum because feeling as though one belongs to a special group helps to strengthen the bonds of loyalty, pride and connected-ness that are essential for a safe environment where children can learn.
Psychologists believe that humans have a basic need to belong to a valued group in order to develop their identity and self worth. Feeling as though we belong helps us feel physically and emotionally safe. When children feel safe, respected, nurtured and supported by others, they are motivated and thus, better able to learn and be successful.
The South Brunswick School District has made a strong commitment to developing a sense of community by adopting a character education program called the Responsive Classroom Approach. Simply stated, this approach developed by the Northeast Foundation in Massachusetts is grounded in the principle that the students we teach are as important as the content we teach.
At Monmouth Junction, we have two certified Responsive Classroom trainers who support teachers by helping them develop responsive practices to be used with students in classrooms. Mrs. Karen Navantieri, instructional support teacher, and Mrs. Debra Armento, resource room teacher, are highly skilled in the techniques, strategies, language and activities that help to build community in school.
Here are some examples of our programs and initiatives.
Morning Meetings Each morning, classroom teachers engage students in a 15 – minute Morning Meeting in order to start the day. Meetings follow a predictable structure that begins with each child greeting others and ending with the Morning Message. These daily experiences help to shape the norms of behavior that are expected in students’ classrooms and around the school as well. Sometimes, Morning Meeting is used to talk about how we solve problems together.
Morning Meetings promote the basics of respectful listening and sharing of ideas. Over time, children practice their interpersonal skills through these activities and thus are better able to collaborate with others on their academics.
School Wide Assemblies Getting all of our classes together in the gym is another way we develop a sense of belonging at Monmouth Junction. In September, we held our first one, the Welcome Assembly, where we acknowledged all the students and faculty members who were new to the school. Each class paraded into the gym holding a sign with the teacher’s name on it as well as a picture of our new mascot, SPOTS! The signs are displayed on the walls of the gym.
At assemblies, Mr. Jared Judge, our music teacher, leads the students in morning announcements, the flag salute and the singing of the ‘Star Spangled Banner.’ Following this, we engage students in the Monmouth Junction cheer … ‘We Are … MJ!’ All of these traditions build school spirit and help students feel as though they are a part of the school.
At our recent Thanksgiving assembly, buddy classes performed for the school. At the conclusion, Mr. Judge led the entire student body singing ‘The Friendship’ song. We always conclude each assembly with our school song, ‘We Are Kids from Monmouth Junction,’ a long time tradition at the school.
Additionally, Ms. Karinsky, a third grade teacher, works with our Welcome Ambassadors to help give a warm welcome to students who are new to the school. Throughout the year, the Welcome Ambassadors visit the new student’s classroom and share the school song. This is a fun way to be introduced to our school and help the new student feel like he or she belongs.
Promoting School Spirit In September, our students voted on a new name for our mascot, the Junction Jaguar. Although we had many nominations from our classrooms, (such as Jersey Jaguar and Mc Jaguar), our students overwhelmingly voted for the name "SPOTS."
At our Welcome Assembly, we announced the name of the jaguar and have since created opportunities to share SPOTS with others. Our PTO, for example, designed new T shirts with the SPOTS character on it. Mr. Thomas Kelly, our head custodian, also painted a picture of SPOTS on the gym wall. Children love SPOTS!
Our School’s Slogan In order to share our school’s mission, we wanted to communicate these ideas in kid- friendly language. As such, we developed a simple message as follows: ‘We take care of one another at Monmouth Junction.’ This slogan has successfully helped us share with students the basics of respect, empathy and caring for others.
We also use this slogan to help students when interpersonal challenges occur among them. We will say to children, "Show me how we can take care of one another at our school." Children respond positively to this request, especially when they have developed this bond with their classmates and with the school at large.
Our School’s Mission Statement Several years ago, Monmouth Junction teachers and parents contributed to the development of a mission statement. It guides our work and our approach with students, especially when there is a challenge to face.
We live the mission not only through our daily work, but also through our evolving programs and initiatives. At the center of our mission is our commitment to helping children feel as though they belong. It reads as follows:
Our mission at Monmouth Junction Elementary School is to promote an optimal educational experience and provide an environment where students feel safe, respected, nurtured and supported.
School spirit is important to the personality and character of the school; however, developing a sense of belonging is critical in order to promote the social/emotional growth in young children. If a child feels as if he or she doesn’t belong, it is much harder to learn.
At Monmouth Junction, we love our mascot SPOTS and our time together with our classmates and teachers. Our school is a wonderful place to be. It takes thoughtfulness, energy and commitment on the part of the faculty and staff to help children feel safe, respected, nurtured and supported.
When all of these pieces come together, students are ready to learn and are better able to take care of one another.