MASSP is committed to bringing you practical and easy-to-understand tips on how to use AI to work smarter, not harder. In this quarterly guide, we’ll show you a simple way to use AI in your daily routine with an idea and a prompt you can try today.
It’s no secret that the world is changing rapidly, and technology – especially AI – is becoming a part of our everyday lives. This can feel a bit overwhelming, especially if you’re already juggling a million other tasks. But the good news is that AI can actually help lighten your workload and make you more efficient. Keeping up with new technology trends might not be your top priority, which is exactly why we’re here to help.
Data Management Tips Incorporating AI
As a school secretary, you’ve probably had to bring administrators or colleagues up to speed on what happened at a meeting they were not able to attend, or assist an administrator in preparing a presentation based on meeting minutes or reports. Here’s how you can use AI to assist you with those tasks in the future:
Idea: Use AI like ChatGPT to assist in generating summaries or reports from meetings and planning sessions.
Scenario: Imagine you’ve been asked to help prepare a committee meeting summary that helps folks understand what happened at a meeting they could not attend and helps remind those who were there of what tasks they need to complete.
Sample Notes from a Committee Meeting:
School Safety Team Notes
Date of the Meeting: October 31, 2024
Attendees: Janice Compton (teacher rep), Kelly Swiggler (secretary rep), Jesse Brown (grounds/maintenance rep), Derek Huffington (athletics rep), Shawntell Harris (teacher rep), Monica Devine (parapro rep), Chris O’Brien (counselor rep), Officer Amy Harding (police liaison), JoLynn Franken (principal), Charles Ruttledge (assistant principal).
The Committee began the meeting by setting the drill schedule for the year, before the dates are released to staff the dates have to be cleared with the central office, the police and fire department. Office Harding will work to get the dates approved in the next few weeks so the dates can be shared in the opening staff packets. Kelly Swiggler will create the document for the staff packets and will add them to the internal school calendar. Important to note these dates are not to be shared with students/parents.
The Committee reviewed feedback from all the drills conducted last school year to update procedures accordingly:
Fire Drills:
Classrooms in A Wing will now exit the building from doors 53/54, there was a log jam of students exiting from doors 51/52, this will alleviate the problem. Signage will have to be updated in the classrooms with the new fire route exit. Staff in A Wing classrooms need to be notified. Kelly Swiggler will update the signs, Jesse Brown will post them in the classrooms and Janice Compton will notify the teachers.
Tornado Drills:
Last year we did not to a tornado drill practice during an unstructured time. One of our tornado drills will need to be done during a passing period this school year. During our October staff meeting Charles Ruttledge will talk to staff about tornado drills during unstructured time and the last 15 min of the staff meeting staff will do a practice. During the drill Monica Devine will walk the building to ensure there is staff coverage in all areas of the building and will make note of any concerns or things that need to be addressed.
Parent Communication:
We received feedback from parents requesting for immediate information when a drill of any kind is taking place. Principal Franken created template emails for all of the scheduled drills. Kelley Swiggler will have pre-schedule an email to go out to parents as soon as a drill starts informing them of the drill and also telling them they will need to wait outside of the building when a drill is underway. Derek Huffington will always be in the parent pick up loop during drills to keep parents informed and stop anyone from entering the building.
The Committee Talked About Some Areas to Address This School Year:
Adams Middle School in our neighboring school district went into lockdown last year due to an active shooter being cited on school property. Principal Franken will call the Adams MS principal to learn more about the incident, what their safety protocols were and what they are doing differently based on this experience. We may have the Adams MS principal at our next safety meeting if there seems to be a lot to share and consider in terms of how we would react in a similar situation.
During the 2023-24 school year we had the tragic experience of losing one of our students to suicide. The school safety committee was immediately assembled and the building went into a code yellow so that committee members could go to each classroom to read the prepared statement notifying the staff and students. This worked well overall, but staff members asked that they are pulled in the hallway should something like this ever happen again so they are prepared and not hearing the news along with the students. This was good feedback and we will add this to our official protocols.
The Committee set dates for monthly meetings throughout the school year. We will meet every second Tuesday of the month, September through June.
AI Prompt: Please take these notes from our School Safety Team meeting and create a summary of what was discussed in paragraph form, use a bullet point format where it makes sense to make it easy to read. A number of tasks have been assigned to committee members. Please make an “action steps” list following the summary to help committee members remember their assignments. The tone should be professional with an undertone that shows the great care and consideration the committee is taking to keep students and staff safe and that this work is taken very seriously. The summary will be shared with all staff to keep them apprised of the things the committee is working on. If staff have any questions or feedback for the committee they are encouraged to contact any representative from the committee to bring it back for discussion.
AI Result:
Summary of School Safety Team Meeting – October 31, 2024
The School Safety Team held its first meeting of the 2024-25 school year to establish safety protocols, review feedback from previous drills, and discuss critical areas for improvement. The team emphasized its commitment to maintaining a secure environment for students and staff, ensuring that all feedback and new measures are implemented with the utmost care and seriousness. Staff members are encouraged to reach out to any committee representative with questions or feedback for further discussion.
Key Points Discussed:
- Drill Schedule for the Year
- Officer Harding will coordinate drill dates with central office, police, and fire departments for approval.
- Once finalized, Kelly Swiggler will create a document for staff packets and update the internal school calendar.
- Drill dates are not to be shared with students or parents for security reasons.
- Review of Last Year’s Drills
- Fire Drills: Adjustments include rerouting A Wing classrooms to exit through doors 53/54 to alleviate congestion at doors 51/52.
- Action Steps: Kelly Swiggler will update fire exit signs, Jesse Brown will post them in classrooms, and Janice Compton will notify teachers.
- Tornado Drills: A tornado drill will be conducted during a passing period this year.
- Action Steps: During the October staff meeting, Charles Ruttledge will discuss procedures for drills during unstructured times and lead a staff practice session. Monica Devine will oversee the drill to ensure staff coverage and address any issues.
- Fire Drills: Adjustments include rerouting A Wing classrooms to exit through doors 53/54 to alleviate congestion at doors 51/52.
- Parent Communication
- Template emails have been created to notify parents when drills begin, informing them to wait outside during drills.
- Kelley Swiggler will pre-schedule these emails, and Derek Huffington will oversee communication with parents in the pick-up loop during drills.
- New Focus Areas for the School Year
- Lockdown Protocols: Principal Franken will contact the principal of Adams Middle School to learn from their experience with an active shooter situation and potentially invite them to the next safety meeting for further insights.
- Crisis Communication: Based on feedback from last year’s tragedy, staff will be informed of sensitive situations (e.g., student death) privately in the hallway before addressing students. This will be added to official protocols.
- Committee Meeting Schedule
- Monthly meetings will take place on the second Tuesday of each month from September through June.
Action Steps for Committee Members:
- Drill Approval and Scheduling:
- Officer Harding: Obtain approval for drill dates.
- Kelly Swiggler: Create the staff packet document and update the school calendar with approved dates.
- Fire Drill Adjustments:
- Kelly Swiggler: Update signage for A Wing fire exits.
- Jesse Brown: Post updated signs in classrooms.
- Janice Compton: Notify A Wing teachers of the new exit route.
- Tornado Drill Preparation:
- Charles Ruttledge: Train staff on tornado drill procedures during the October staff meeting.
- Monica Devine: Monitor and document building coverage during the drill.
- Parent Communication for Drills:
- Kelley Swiggler: Pre-schedule drill notification emails for parents.
- Derek Huffington: Supervise communication in the parent pick-up loop during drills.
- Lockdown Protocol Enhancements:
- Principal Franken: Consult Adams MS principal regarding their active shooter experience and invite them to the next safety meeting if applicable.
- Crisis Communication Update:
- Incorporate feedback into the official crisis response protocol to ensure staff are privately informed of sensitive situations before addressing students.
By addressing these critical safety measures and proactively responding to past feedback, the School Safety Team aims to create a secure, responsive, and supportive environment for all. Staff input is welcomed and valued as we work together to maintain safety and preparedness.
Next Steps: Now that ChatGPT has done most of the heavy lifting, you can easily make edits to or ask the AI to refine it further. For instance, you could ask ChatGPT to adjust the tone, make the message shorter/longer or include additional details it may have missed.
Going Further: Consider making a list of similar commonly-requested tasks and write prompts for each one. Store these as templates in a shared folder where office staff can easily access them. This will ensure consistent preparation across staff and save even more time in the long run.
Important Reminder: Remember not to input any private staff or student information into AI tools. If an email contains sensitive details, replace them with generic terms like “student” or “teacher” before using AI to help craft a response. You can then add back in the real details once the response has been generated.
Additional Resources: If you are new to using AI, you can set up a free ChatGPT account and start trying it out today. Here are some helpful guides you can review to teach you how to get started with ChatGPT or similar AI programs.
What is ChatGPT (and how to use it)
How To Write Effective Prompts for Generative AI Tools
Prompt Framework for Educators
This guide aims to make AI a useful and approachable tool in your daily work, helping you manage your workload more effectively. Keep your eye out for the next edition which will cover how you can use AI to assist with Developing Marketing Materials by creating content for flyers, posters, and social media posts related to school events and activities.
If you have ideas for future topics or would like to share how you are using AI in your work, please send us an email at lydia@massp.com.