Our students are organized into “Gator Packs” (our mascot is an alligator) and we meet monthly with other K-5 students who are also in our pack and complete team building activities. We also have Gator Gold awards that students can earn daily when they are respectful, responsible, or safe in their day. The Gator Pack with the most at the end of each month gets a shout out! Students can also earn the Golden Fork for excellent cafeteria behavior and the Silent Slipper for a whole class demonstrating that they walk down the hallways silently each day.

At our school, we have different grades that have reading, math, and science buddies. I also have tried a "lunch bunch" with different lower grades to help with learning the rules and procedures of the cafeteria.

Our kindergarteners are writing buddies with third grade. Our first graders are reading buddies with the fourth grade students.

This is a different perspective, but to build community among our staff we often use vertical teams. I think it is so important to have clear vision across all grades, and a lot of times teachers don't ever get the opportunity to share in how their work connects to the grade above and below or to create goals among different teams. It definitely builds trust and community among staff!