February 8–10, 2023
St. Andrew’s School
Boca Raton, Florida
Reimagined around the skills you need to lead thriving residential and student life programs in 2023 and beyond, TABS Lab provides experience utilizing leadership frameworks and techniques that enhance your ability to craft a compelling residential life vision, create alignment within your team, and implement projects and initiatives that allow your students to thrive. In the process, you’ll build your personal toolbox of skills and resources and your capacity as a leader.
In two and a half days of workshopping and reflection, you’ll participate in interactive presentations and work sessions with colleagues from across the industry, creating space to share and synthesize resources from a variety of schools and gather and leverage feedback as you design and refine elements of your school’s programming.
TABS Lab provides an ideal setting for residential life teams and leaders engaged in design work focused on residential life and character curriculum, advisory, inclusivity and belonging, student leadership, and social-emotional learning to convene with like-minded practitioners and leverage their ideas during the design process. You’ll have time to workshop program drafts, gather feedback, and share policy resources with other leaders engaged in similar projects.
Get to know your program faculty and participants with icebreakers designed to build community and share the purpose and goals you bring to the program. Walk through the desired outcomes and structure of our time together.
Take a deep dive into the habits of mind and key practices for leaders prioritizing EQ. How might you leverage each interaction in your day as an opportunity for leadership?
In this interactive workshop, you’ll craft and refine the vision for your residential and student life program in direct alignment with your school’s mission. Learn how to prioritize big picture thinking, test assumptions, and build community in the process.
Discuss scenarios including methods for engaging your community to develop and cascade vision, evaluate the boldness and “elevation” of your vision, and testing assumptions.
Work in school teams and/or individually to workshop and refine the vision for your residential life program or project.
How do we get everyone rowing in the same direction? Building alignment around vision requires skillful communication to build buy-in with a variety of stakeholders (students, colleagues, even parents), navigating nay-sayers who may mourn the loss that comes with change, and reflective responses to feedback.
Discuss scenarios including communication strategies, handling resistance to vision, offering intentional encouragement at just the right moment.
Presenter: Ryan Pagotto and Program Faculty
Leaders who execute effectively set conditions and lay the path for achieving vision. Explore the key components for providing the resources and environment necessary for your team to bring vision to reality.
Presenter: Ryan Pagotto and Program Faculty
Understand the journey from vision to alignment to execution, including challenges and lessons learned along the way, as two school leaders share the path to establishing All-Gender Housing and Restorative Discipline Practices within their school communities.
Work in school teams and/or individually to assess alignment and refine the execution strategy for your residential life project.
Participate in discussions and resource-sharing sessions focused on topics generated in pre-arrival surveys. Example topics might include student mental health support, life skills curriculum, student leadership, team development and morale, technology policies, weekend activities, international student support, and collaborating with parents.
In small groups, participants will use feedback and discussion protocols to workshop challenges faced by program participants in their residential life work, brainstorming solutions and learning a problem-solving strategy they can take back to their teams.
Work in school teams and/or individually to plan strategies for gathering feedback and assessing efficacy of your residential life project.
Participate in discussions and resource-sharing sessions focused on topics generated in pre-arrival surveys. Example topics might include student mental health support, life skills curriculum, student leadership, team development and morale, technology policies, weekend activities, international student support, and collaborating with parents.
1950 Glades Rd
Boca Raton, FL 33431
(561) 368-5200
to Wyndham Boca Raton from Ft. Lauderdale Airport
Program attendees will stay together at the Wyndham Boca Raton Hotel, where conversations from the program will spill over to provide additional inspiration and collaboration. TABS has reserved a block of rooms at the reduced rate of $209.
Reservations can also be made by calling (888) 404-6880 and supplying TABS group code 020823TAB and your date of arrival. February is high season in Boca Raton so book your room early! Reduced room rates will be available until midnight on January 13, or until the room block is sold out.
Transportation will be provided between the Wyndham and St. Andrew’s School each morning and at the completion of the program each day.
Please contact Emily if you encounter any problems reserving a room.
Executive Director,
The Association
of Boarding Schools
Dean of Class of 2023,
Associate for Alumni Engagement,
Choate Rosemary Hall
Associate Head of School,
Blair Academy