Morning Assembly

Introduction

Morning assembly (also referred to as morning meetings or school

assembly), is a gathering of the whole, or parts of, the school community.
It is usually held in the morning before classes start and typically consists
of sharing information and experiences. Morning assemblies may differ
between schools depending on the purposes that the organizer wishes to
pursue.

Contents
1) Types of morning assemblies
1.1 Kindergarten
1.2 Elementary, Middle and High School
2) Assembly Activities
3) Assembly Organizer
4) Purpose

Types of morning assemblies

Kindergarten
While it differs based on the size of the school, morning assemblies held in
kindergartens can be mainly divided into two types: where the first one
gathers the whole school community and the other is held in the
classroom in a form similar to circle time.[1] Morning assemblies of the
first type are mainly held in large areas with space for everyone, for
example, outdoor pavilion areas or indoor ceremony halls and
auditoriums. Activities done during this type of morning assembly varies
according to the school community and is more commonly practiced in
elementary, middle, and high schools which typically includes sharing
information and celebrations of the achievements of students.[2]
However, organizer(s) often choose to include more interactive activities
in the assembly in order to accommodate the younger audience.

On the other hand, because pre-schools have a higher ratio of teachers to

students than other education levels, most pre-schools may choose to
hold morning assemblies in the classroom, where the teachers are able to
address to each students needs. These meetings in the classroom
generally consists of four essential components:
1. the greeting (children greet each other)
2. sharing (several children share important information about
themselves)
3. a group activity (the group engages in a lively, community-building
activity)
4. news and announcements (the teacher discusses a message written to
the class). [3]
It is also not uncommon for a kindergarten to hold both types of morning
assembly, where the classroom assembly follows after.

Elementary, Middle and High School

From elementary school onwards, the number of students in each school
tend to increase by almost twice the number compared to kindergartens.
As the ratio of teacher to student decreases, morning assemblies that
gather the whole school community together becomes the preferred, if
not the only, type of morning assembly. Announcements made once to an
entire school group provide uniform explanation, whereas repetition in
different rooms permits variations [4], thus making this type of morning
assembly more popular than the other. Similar to how its held in
kindergartens, achievements of students are celebrated and information is
shared. However, more emphases is put on the latter and student
involvement is increased.

School assemblies can also be held indoors

(Source: http://www.hbssportscentre.co.uk/?
page_id=2214#prettyPhoto[pp_58cbae1f4f1ac]/2/)

Assembly Activities

While it varies, a few standard activities are held in most morning

assemblies, including a greeting, message of the day, important
announcements and celebration of certain festival or events. On top of
that, there are also some activities that are known to be held during
assemblies, but may not be held by every school depending on its
organizer(s), some of these include:
1. Skits
Short skits are more common in kindergartens and elementary schools as
they are more interactive and appeals to the younger audience. Students
and staffs take part in acting out certain scenes depending on the purpose
of the skit. Popular topics include morale and educational values.[5]
2. Group dancing/exercising
Exercising in the morning proves to be beneficial and allows students to
be more awake for the rest of the school day, boosting their study
performances. Group dancing in kindergarten is more popular than in
higher levels of education and parents can also join in.[6]
3. Group prayer
An activity practiced in schools with religious backgrounds, where the
school community gathers together to pray, recite religious versus, share
bible readings, or sing sacred songs. Although the whole school
community can choose to take part in the activity, members who are not
of the religion can choose to abstain from the practice. However, prayers
are usually led by faculty members or students who are members of the
religion.

Religious school communities gather together to pray every day during

morning assemblies.
(Source:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_02Y8fdwaYmU/TVAuL1bCwfI/AAAAAAAAAAs/pYtQd4x92P8/s160
0/DSC_0078.JPG)
Students can get involved in morning assemblies by singing or performing
skits
(Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/fljckr/2603192935)

Students take part in group exercises before classes start

(Source: http://www.zgcschool.cn/xiaoxue/deyu/201407021783.html)

Assembly Organizer

The organizer(s) of morning assemblies, depending on the size of the

assembly, can be a person or a committee set up solely for this purpose. It
is common for students to be involved in the planning process under the
supervision of a faculty advisor. During the planning process, the
organizer(s) take into consideration the type of school community they are
planning for. For example: the size of the school, age/ level of education,
religious backgrounds or school mottos may all be factors to be
considered. The organizer(s) aim(s) to make their planning detailed,
organized, and understood by all involved.[7] Their responsibilities of the
organizer(s) can generally be listed as:
1. Planning all assemblies, selecting topics, dates, coordinating with
teachers and curriculum
2. Selection of the physical setting for all assembly programs, including all
equipment and set-up materials
3. Contacting speakers and groups with telephone calls and follow-up with
written thank yous
4. Providing student ushers and written program information when needed
5. Conducting receptions for guest speakers, performers and other
assembly participants
6. Performing master of ceremonies duties
7. Taking down all program set-ups
8. Providing publicity to the school and to the community when
appropriate
9. Evaluating programs [8]

The Purpose of assemblies

As the organizer defines the general purpose of each morning assembly,

different activities may be used to achieve that. Generally, the purposes
of holding morning assemblies in kindergartens include building on
childrens needs for social guidance, structure and interaction. For older
students, the main purposes include pushing up the goals of
socialization and using detailed knowledge of students social, emotion,
and cognitive development. In summary, morning assemblies aim to
achieve the following:
1) Morning meeting sets the tone for respectful learning and establishes a
climate of trust
2) The tone and climate of Morning Meeting extend beyond the Meeting.
3) Morning Meeting motivates children by addressing two human needs:
the need to feel a sense of significance and belonging and the need to
have fun
4) The repetition of many ordinary moments of respectful interaction in
Morning Meeting enables some extraordinary moments.
5) Morning Meeting merges social, emotional, and intellectual learning. [9]
6) Morning assembly fosters relationships with faculty, students, parents,
and citizens in the community. [10]
For schools with religious backgrounds, morning assemblies may also aim
to help students feel like part of a unified, Christ-centered community
that extends beyond their classroom walls [11], as well as allowing them
to further understand and connect with their religion.
 Morning meeting sets the tone for respectful learning and establishes a
climate of trust[12]
(Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kendriya_Vidyalaya_Tenga_Valley#/media/File:Children_Prayi
ng.jpg)
Citations
[1] Bornstein, Jodi, and Jennifer Bradley. Time to Circle Up: Using Morning
Meeting in Professional Development. YC Young Children, vol. 62, no. 4,
2007, pp. 2627., www.jstor.org/stable/42730040
[2] Rise and Shine With Morning Assembly Retrieved from
http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/admin423.shtml
[3] Kriete, R, 2002. The Morning Meeting Book. Greenfield, MA: Northeast
Foundation for Children.
[4][5] JOHNSTON, ALICE STONE. Assemblies in Small High Schools. The
Journal of Education, vol. 116, no. 20, 1933, pp. 525527.,
www.jstor.org/stable/42845923.
[6] Rise and Shine With Morning Assembly Retrieved from
http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/admin423.shtml
[7][8] Clotz, Marilyn J., and Chester M. Kwiecien. Meaningful School
Assemblies: Building for the Impossible. American Secondary Education,
vol. 9, no. 2, 1979, pp. 5862., www.jstor.org/stable/41063267
[9] Kriete, R, 2002. The Morning Meeting Book. Greenfield, MA: Northeast
Foundation for Children.
[10] Rise and Shine With Morning Assembly Retrieved from
http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/admin423.shtml
[11] Center your students with Morning Assembly Retrieved from
https://www.aopschools.com/blog/center-your-students-with-morning-
assembly/
[12] Kriete, R, 2002. The Morning Meeting Book. Greenfield, MA: Northeast
Foundation for Children.