Whoo hoo - the start of school is almost here!
Summer vacation is a wonderful time for teachers (and students) to rest and rebuild the energy needed to make the first few weeks of school the best. But with the start of school around the corner, it's time to build momentum and get ready to start the year off with a bang. If you attended the MoEFACS Summer Inservice, then you got a great dose of enthusiasm from keynote speakers and workshop presenters - I know the wheels have been turning in your mind about what you will accomplish this year in your classes and FCCLA chapter.
How will you introduce FCCLA to your classes during the first few weeks of school? What activities will your chapter do to promote membership and activities? How will your FCCLA chapter help members "Discover the Magic of Leadership?" (Which by the way is the 2010 Missouri FCCLA State Leadership Conference theme).
Here are some suggestions from some past issues of Teen Times, FCCLA's national magazine and from the Be Part of It! membership kit:
1. Hold an introduction to FCCLA ice cream social.
2. Have a display at open house for students and parents.
3. Hide FCCLA emblems throughout the school and offer a prize for the people who find them and return them to the advisor. Invite them to be part of the next meeting.
4. Have classes choose a national FCCLA program to implement as a classroom project.
5. Promote your FCCLA chapter through your school's website, Facebook, or other social media.
Now it's your turn - and here's the contest part. I have five (count 'em 5) of the exclusive FCCLA Lesson Planners. These planners are exclusive to the FCCLA Adviser Academy program and are not available through the FCCLA store. (Ooh, that makes you want one, right?) The planners have monthly calendar pages, weekly lesson planning grids, helpful tips to a successful chapter, and other resources designed to help you guide your students and integrate FCCLA into your classes. Each month includes a strategically placed tip sheet featuring topics that will help at that time of the year.
If you'd like to be placed in a drawing to receive one of these exclusive planners, here's what you have to do (and it's really easy):
Comment on this blog post with 1 idea (or more) for introducing FCCLA to your students during the first few weeks of school.
(Told you it was easy.)
Since many schools begin in Missouri mid-August, we'll hold this contest through August 15. If you want to be included in the contest, just don't comment as "anonymous." It would be also helpful if you would put you first initial, last name and name of your chapter in your comment.
So what do you say? Leave an idea in your comment, help another advisor out (because we know we all get stuck in a rut sometimes) and you might just win a prize!
We gave out Arrive Alive t-shirts for members who joined in August. It helped our member drive because students wanted a t-shirt.
ReplyDeleteI like to introduce my students to FCCLA by doing a sacvanger hunt around my classroom and/or hallway. During the sacvanger hunt they are looking for different facts about FCCLA.
ReplyDeleteK.Reach
Mt.Vernon FCCLA Advisor
I will use the Step 1 Activity which is found on the on the FCCLA website at http://www.fcclainc.org/assests/files/pdf/membership/08stepone.pdf
ReplyDeleteTracey Newman has a great spoons game with FCCLA information that my students also love to play. It helped interest a different group of kids that weren't usually very interested in FCCLA.
I am also going to have students participate in the Banana Split Quiz where students will answer questions about FCCLA for parts of the ice cream treat. This is always a huge hit with my students.
My newest idea is something I found on a FACS wiki. I am going to make a bulletin board with foil cookie sheets and encourage students to join FCCLA by putting a paper cookie on their class's cookie sheet. The first class to get everyone to join will get to make cookies. It will be titled Join the batch at...
The Brunswick FCCLA chapter has a picnic in the park the first week of August before all of the band and sports practices. We send invitations to all incoming 7th graders and any student that has expressed an interest in FCCLA and all current members and their families. Last year we had about 65 people attend. At the picnic the chapter provides hog dogs, buns and condiments and everyone brings a covered dish. It costhe chapter about $35. After the meal each officer talks about something related to FCCLA, i.e. Power of One, STAR Events, Leadership opportunities, etc. Then the first week of school we again invite all incoming 7th graders for ice cream sundaes after school. The officers dip the ice cream and personally invite each student to join. The end of the second week we are having a swimming party at the local party for everyone who has paid dues as an incentive to get dues in early. Beth Warren
ReplyDeleteOur chapter at Clearwater High School held a breakfast last year during homeroom as a membership drive...many of the kids who smelled the bacon cooking as they entered the building came and joined FCCLA just so they could have breakfast! :-)
ReplyDeleteChristy Johnson
Piedmont, MO
I have a bulletin board in our schools commons all about FCCLA. At our back to school night we will have a display about FCCLA and our members. B Strope
ReplyDeleteTypically, my chapter officers meet in early August to plan for the coming year. This year we changed things up and met in June instead. From that meeting came some great ideas for recruitment, including a table at the school registration with a prize wheel. Members who officially pay dues at registration will win an FCCLA prize (some I picked up while at the MoEFACS conference) ranging from a free chapter t-shirt to FCCLA pens, calculators, etc. In addition to that, our chapter has a scavenger hunt/luau planned. The officers chose a beach theme for this year and the after school event will be built around that theme. The major goals are to simply get the members excited about opportunities for them and help the new members become more familiar with the organization.
ReplyDeleteFor anyone who needs more ideas, there is a section on the national FCCLA website with lessons and activities for integrating FCCLA into classroom work as well.
I am hanging FCCLA logo's from my classroom ceiling. During the first week of school, I keep previous STAR Event display boards set up around my room. On day 2 of school I have my DVD of FCCLA pictures from the previous year playing as they walk into the room. In the display case outside my room, I have a display of FCCLA pictures from Previous years and title it "The Places you will go with FCCLA". During Freshmen Orientation this year, my students are going to hand out brochures on FCCLA and have the DVD of pictures playing as the Freshmen go through the school.
ReplyDeleteKristi Christy
Chillicothe H.S.
This year Seneca FCCLA will Par-Tay!! We are starting off at Open House, the Monday before classes begin. Got the idea with the MOEFACS Happy Birthday Party at Summer Conference. We are going to bake mini-cupcakes and set up balloon bouquets in my classroom. When parents and student come in, it will give us (w/FCCLA officers) a chance to celebrate 100 years of FCS education as well as share about leadership opportunites with FCCLA. We'll probably blog about how it goes. I always teach FCCLA in all my classes the first week of school anyhow. Blessings!
ReplyDeleteWe are going to have the officers set up an information table during the two days of registration. Students can join FCCLA at this time, and parents can ask questions.
ReplyDeleteWe introduce FCCLA to Kirksville students first at registration/orientation. We have a booth set up and offer a treat for stopping by for a visit. If they have not had a FACS class, I encourage them to change their schedule to include a FACS class so that they may join in on all of the fun. I spend the first couple of days using a Webquest that explores the state and national sites. In addition, I use the Be Part of It! DVD. Lastly, I make sure to use a Power of One project in each class.
ReplyDeleteMonica Kertz
Kirksville H.S.
We are going to have root beer floats after school one day and we will use that to tell students what FCCLA is about and what the chapter has planned for the year. We will also be kicking off our fundraiser that day and students who sell a certain dollar amount will qualify for free dues.
ReplyDeleteWe are also going to put little notes with a piece of candy on the students lockers, i.e. tootsie roll that says Get rolling with FCCLA, for the first week of school.
My officers are going to go the freshman class and do a presentation about FCCLA that will hopefully encourage them to join.
Sara Gallivan
Halfway High School
We are also going to put little notes with a piece of candy on the students lockers.
ReplyDelete___________________
Jessica
Payday Loan online in 24hours
Hermann FCCLA holds a "Rush Week." We generally have it the first week of September because that is when we have our first club meeting. Leading up to the club meeting, my officers plan events to get students excited about FCCLA and to teach them a little bit about what FCCLA has to offer. Events range from a bean bag toss (throw into cut-outs lined with the officers pictures as well as ours!) where students were told a new fact or opportunity about FCCLA with each toss, to scavenger hunts.
ReplyDeleteOur officers seem to enjoy it and get excited and potential members do too!
Beth Beattie
Hermann Sr. FCCLA
I use a web scavenger hunt with all my high school classes. The answers to questions can be found on the National FCCLA website.
ReplyDeleteI use a web scavenger hunt with all my high school classes. The answers to questions can be found on the National FCCLA website.
ReplyDeleteI also create a welcome back hallway bulletin board for FCCLA. This highlights our activities by posting pictures of events held throughout the year.
Linda Stinson
Mark Twain High School
I will begin by doing the scavengar hunt from the new Ultimate Leadership Handbook to spike interst. Of course the more FCCLA stuff you can hang up the better. This gets them asking questions. I have a professional made banner that hangs on the back wall of my room- this is the FCCLA Wall! I also have posted the mission, purposes, and creed. We will discuss the basics of FCCLA and go over the benifits of becoming a member. All of my students will complete a web quest to investigate the national programs. Finally, we will end with the Planning Process Lesson Plan from the Ultimate Leadership Handbook that way they are prepared to use the planning process throughout the semester.
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