Can you believe it’s already August? As a principal, this is one of the busiest times of year for you as you prepare for the first day of school — not to mention all the days that follow.
Your students will be banging down the school doors and running through the halls before you know it! Are you feeling a little overwhelmed by the back-to-school rush?
If so, you’re in luck. We’ve put together a comprehensive collection of checklists to help you get prepared and ready to tackle the new school year.
Personnel Checklist
The personnel checklist will help you ensure you don’t miss anything when it comes to managing teachers or staff. Here are some essential steps every principal should take before school starts:
- Fill any remaining personnel vacancies
- Identify and contact potential candidates
- Set up interviews, conduct background checks, and make final hiring decisions
- Review and finalize remaining personnel decisions, such as:
- Classroom assignments
- Job assignments
- Schedules
- Collect necessary personnel paperwork, including:
- District forms
- Emergency contact information
- References
- Select and assign mentors for new staff members
- Clarify mentor responsibilities and share them with appointed staff mentors
- Select a date for the new teacher orientation meeting
- Plan activities and create documents for new teacher orientation
- Select a date for a welcome back meeting for all teachers and staff
- Plan activities and create documents for the welcome back meeting
- Plan check-in meetings with key teachers (this includes special education and resource teachers)
- Review expectations and schedules
- Review policy and procedure changes
- Plan check-in meetings with secretaries and other support staff
- Review expectations and schedules
- Review policy and procedure changes
- Plan check-in meetings with the school nurse(s)
- Review policies for immunizations, student health plans, etc.
- Review substitute teacher candidates
- Create a substitute teacher pool to share with teachers
Communications Checklist
From newsletters to policy changes, school principals deliver a lot of written messages each day, even before the official beginning of the school year.
The following are some communications-related tasks you should complete early to minimize stress and prevent confusion when school begins:
- Draft and send end-of-summer letters to teachers and other staff members
- Reach out to new teachers and invite them to new teacher orientation
- Draft and send welcome letters to students and their families
- Compile and send a new school year packet to teachers and staff, which should include the following:
- School handbook
- Updated school guidelines
- Relevant announcements
- Dates and times for summer meetings
Operations Checklist
As a principal, it’s up to you to make sure all aspects of the school, from the playground to the cafeteria, run smoothly. This operations checklist can help you make sure this happens:
- Review the district calendar for important dates and deadlines, including those for:
- Testing
- Key documents
- Notifications
- Reports
- Create and share a school calendar that includes the dates listed above, as well as other important dates, such as:
- Teacher professional development days
- Holidays
- Community events
- Fire drills, earthquake drills, etc.
- Book fairs and science fairs
- Student recitals and performances
- Review and approve the annual budget
- Update school safety plan and emergency procedures
- Conduct a school walk-through and take note of necessary repairs
- Be sure to check the bell system, intercom system, fire alarms, etc.
- Review and sign contracts for vendors, including:
- School pictures
- Vending machine suppliers
- Professional development instructors
- Review purchase orders
- Arrange for machines to be repaired
- Order new furniture as needed
- Arrange for deep cleaning of the entire school (this should include all lockers and storage areas, as well as the teacher’s lounge)
- Inventory and account for all school master keys
- Finalize school transportation plans and processes
- Organize your office
- Clear out and archive all leftover files from your office
Instructional Support and Materials Checklist
An important part of your job as a principal is to provide teachers with instructional support and materials to do their jobs. Here are some steps to take before school starts to ensure everyone has what they need:
- Ensure all technology is working properly, including:
- Classroom computers, computer lab computers, tablets, etc.
- Inventory instructional materials for each grade
- Ensure there are enough materials for each student and order more if necessary
- Prepare copies of the following documents and ensure they’re ready to be distributed to teachers:
- Learning standards
- Curriculum guides
- Teacher resource materials
- School year calendars
- Deliver badges and keys to new teachers and staff members
Community-Building Checklist
It’s much easier for your school to run smoothly if you, your teachers, and other staff members have strong relationships. These steps will help you build a sense of community:
- Finalize plans for the new teacher orientation meeting
- Finalize plans for the welcome back meeting for all teachers and staff
- Plan and schedule a thank-you event (such as a lunch or brunch) for custodians and others who helped with school cleaning and new school year prep
- Send email or text invites for this event
- Contact after-school service providers and discuss plans/logistics for the upcoming school year
- Schedule meeting with PTO/PTA leaders to discuss plans for the new year
- Discuss plans for outreach activities, holiday celebrations, etc.
- Include opportunities for PTO/PTA leaders to share concerns, questions, and goals for the upcoming year
- Plan a community “walk-about” event
- Meet with local business owners, community organizations, and others who may become donors or contribute to your school in some way
- Introduce yourself and share contact information with these individuals
Need More Help Preparing for the New School Year?
Whether this is your first year as a principal or you have decades of experience under your belt, you can never be too prepared for the beginning of a new school year.
Follow this checklist and you’ll have no trouble setting yourself — and the rest of your school — up for success.
Do you need more help making plans for this school year? If so, JAG Consulting Services is here to help with a variety of education and private school consulting services.
Get in touch today to learn more about what we can do for you, your teachers, and your students.