Getting the word out

Building awareness that Xello is available and providing clear expectations and opportunities with the program is critical. Educators and students need to know how to access Xello and what they can do with it. Here are some ideas to get the word out:

• Help orient your educators and get them started with Xello with an email announcement or staff meeting presentation.
Introduce Xello to educators
• If your students are using single sign-on, like Google, Clever, or PowerSchool, create and share a short video to show students where to find Xello.
  Here is an example from Appleton East High School
  In the classroom: If you have a digital or video production class, make this an early assignment for them.
• Set aside time for educators to actually use Xello and collaboratively discuss their questions, concerns, and ideas about how to use the product with students. We recommend assigning our Xello Academy to educators as a way for them to explore Xello’s key features.
• In each school, assign specific parts of Xello for different educators to become familiar with, and then ask educators to teach each other about their own knowledge areas.
• Include Xello on your district website and post related resources there.
Create a website landing page
• Leverage existing staff meetings and communications to make sure educators know about Xello and how they can and should use it.
• Let parents and guardians know about Xello. You can use our pre-made templates or you can craft your own message.
  • PDF
    PDFParent/guardian letter

    Use this letter to provide an overview of Xello for parents and guardians. Share this with your parent community.

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    English

    French
• Put up posters around your district to let educators and students know that Xello is coming.
  • PDF
    PDFPromotional posters for Xello 6-12
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    English

    French
  • PDF
    PDFPromotional posters for Xello K-5
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    English

    French
• Schedule a pre-launch support session for educators where they can field their last minute feedback, questions, and comments and ensure they’re feeling confident and prepared to launch Xello with their students.

Building a team

College and career readiness is a team sport. Xello is most effective when different departments and specialties work together to build out the curriculum scope and sequence. There are many people who can be part of your Xello implementation:

School counsellors
CTE teachers
Subject area teachers
College & career readiness coordinators
Career advisers
Library and media centre specialists
Special education teachers
Principals and vice principals
District personnel
Social workers
Parents and supportive adults
Student leaders
Community members

Finding the time

The school day is already packed, so making time for future-readiness instruction can be a challenge. Here are some strategies that schools have used to integrate Xello into their schedule. Find the ones that work for your schools:

• Use Homeroom time for Xello activities with the homeroom teachers
• Advisory periods, ideally dedicating scheduled sessions ahead of time
• Integrate Xello into a dedicated careers course
• Bring counsellors into core subject classes like Language Arts, Social Studies, or Math
• Delegate instruction to core subject area teachers with pre-created lesson plans
• Use Xello during one-on-one and small group counselling sessions
• Focused exploration in CTE classes
• Have future-readiness units embedded into every course
• Schedule a specific time each week or each month to Xello, e.g. 1 hour every second Wednesday
• Connect Xello to school events like career days, curriculum nights, and college visits
• Delegate instruction to core subject area teachers with pre-created lesson plans
Subject area resources

Pro tip: Use the Xello Scope and Sequence workbook to collaboratively build a plan for the time and place future-readiness activities will take place.

Making readiness relevant

Educators can help students see that the work they do in Xello is about them and that they have agency in creating their own future.

• When introducing Xello, communicate to students how Xello fits into existing goals of that classroom or counselling setting. How does Xello connect to what they’re already doing? Establishing relevance will help get student buy-in.
• Educators can use Xello’s lesson resources to find ways to integrate introducing Xello into a full lesson.
Lesson resources for Xello 6-12
Lesson resources for Xello 3-5
• Educators can introduce Xello by doing a demo using their demo student accounts. They can take on a student persona, or do the demo using their own experiences and interests. Get students to collaborate when working through the demo.
• Educators can share stories about their own career journey with students as a way to connect with students. Educators can also share examples of others in their lives who have changed careers - respecting individuals’ privacy, of course.
• Teachers can use information on students’ interests to tailor work in core classes to create relevancy for class work.
Run reports on students' About me profile
Run reports on saved options
• Some teachers play music while students are working in Xello to foster a calm and positive environment.
• Develop a scavenger hunt for students to explore the areas of Xello you want them to investigate and engage with. This works particularly well with middle school students.
• Embed Xello activities directly in core subject curriculum. This is a win-win by clearly identifying how Xello is relevant to what they’re learning and establishing how what they’re learning is relevant to their future.
Subject area resources

Supporting Xello in your schools

• Make sure educators know about Xello Support. It has lots of resources, video, and downloadables to help them make the most of Xello with their students.
• Create an Advisory Committee to plan and monitor the implementation of Xello across and within schools.
• Add Xello as an agenda item to regular meetings with people in key roles. Review how your schools are doing in meeting the targets you’ve identified for student activities within Xello.
• Keep an eye on your reports in Xello to make sure educators and students alike are on track.
Run reports on lesson progress
• Archive year-end reports to see how your schools are performing year over year.
• Schedule periodic shareback sessions with educators so they can provide feedback, ask questions, and share experiences. Try to schedule these before Success Calls so results can be shared.
• Review your lesson sequence each year with people from the departments involved with using Xello like Counselling, CTE, Special Education, and Curriculum.
• Actively seek student feedback from students about Xello and the college and career readiness program overall through surveys and conversations.