Never Stop Moving Forward

It’s a few weeks until Winter Break.  What’s a #principalsinaction leader supposed to do to keep the learning going, both for our students and our staff?  Now is not the time to change up the procedures and routines.  Now is the time to review them and make sure to keep learning at the forefront in our schools.

So...what ideas do you have to keep this going?  Mark, Ryan, and I suggest the following:

• Get Out Of Your Office! (If you need a reminder, send Jay a DM on Twitter and he’ll send you a #principalsinaction bracelet!) You can only be a principal In action if you're in the hallways, classrooms, cafeteria, out front, and on the playground interacting with others.
• Be intentional with your classroom visits. Make sure you're getting into classes, participating with students, and seeing the great things happening. There are a lot of fun things to see between Thanksgiving and winter break.
• Maintain communication with families about the importance of attendance all the way to Winter Break. We can only be effective and build relationships with students when they're present.
• Maintain your meeting schedules (all staff or teams) to keep the focus on their learning and student learning. Staff, as well as students, like structure and routines. Many schools take on service projects at this time of year with their communities. It is also a great time to do a staff service project.
• Don’t use the “it can wait until after Winter Break” excuse. You've already got full days after break so don't overload those.
• Have fun with your staff and show appreciation and thanks. Plan some "12 Days of Christmas" or "10 Days Until Winter Break" activities to put smiles on adult faces. Send Mark a DM and he'll share what other principals are doing.
• Look for opportunities to take over a class for a teacher and give the gift of time for them. Being a principal in action, means that you have to be ready for anything. Surprising a teacher with the gift of time, keeps moods positive and the climate is upbeat.
• Build Relationships: Write a letter that can be sent to students via snail mail over break. There is nothing like receiving mail. You can also send a letter, card, or note to your staff members during winter break.
• Ryan took ten minutes at his last staff meeting to have all staff members write letters to students to be mailed over winter break. Building a strong community must be intentional and sincere. Once you have the community anything is possible.

We look at the weeks before winter break as opportunities to continue learning, strengthen relationships, and have fun. So, find ways to connect, smile, and get out of your office!