WHOLE SCHOOL ENGAGEMENT

Unified Champion Schools must engage the entire school community. An inclusive school climate that fosters understanding and respect for all can influence how students think and act, both within and beyond the school.

CHECKLIST FOR IMPLEMENTING WHOLE SCHOOL ENGAGEMENT

• Include school administration early in the process.
• Share the goals for whole school engagement with the school community.
• Select and plan an initial activity that is manageable, energizing and appealing to the whole school.
• Build upon activities that are already being offered to make them socially inclusive activities.
• Develop a process for engaging all students in whole school activities, ensuring the development of socially inclusive attitudes, values, knowledge, skills and actions.
• When building awareness, nurturing inclusive relationships, and building expectations for inclusive behavior, provide opportunities in both structured and unstructured settings.
• Provide consistent opportunities to engage a broad range of stakeholders throughout the school and wider community in developing, implementing and sustaining a wide range of inclusive activities. Remember the “whole-school” can include all of the school staff, parent organizations, all student groups and community partners.
• Connect with your State Special Olympics Program for support and share stories from the activities.
• Share photos, videos and stories of social inclusion activities and events using the school’s website or social media.
  

Whole School Engagement Activities

School-wide opportunities that are focused on social inclusion raise awareness and create an educational environment where respect and acceptance are the norm and all students feel included and engaged. This welcoming community
cultivates a positive school climate and enhances other school-wide efforts such as PBIS. Whole school activities offer a platform for young adolescents to positively impact their school community by promoting social inclusion. While
these activities can vary from school to school, some examples include:

• Unified Spirit Week
  
• Unified Rally
• Spread the Word INCLUSION campaign
• “Choose Kindness”
• Unified Young Readers school-wide book project
  
• School Assembly promoting unified messages to entire school

• Hosting a Special Olympics Unified Sports competition
• Recognition of Unified Sports teams at school pep rallies
• Unified Play, such as It’s Our School, too
  
• Young Athletes event, Unified Sports Day, or other whole-school event
• Fans in the Stands
• Special Olympics team send-off celebrations

For more Whole School Engagement ideas and resources, visit the UCS Resource Page.