It is that time of year again, back to school. If you are like me, you experience this time of year with equal parts excitement and anxiety. We spend a lot of time thinking about welcoming our children and their families to our programs, and how we welcome our staff is equally important. It can be a delicate balance between welcoming veterans and new staff. I feel it is important to welcome everyone with a sense of new possibilities for the upcoming year. At our program, we are fortunate to have a teacher week before the opening of school. This week is packed with professional development, meetings, and classroom set-up time. I believe providing time for sharing experiences, thinking, and reflecting together helps teams and the entire staff bond. Providing meals, snacks, and a few surprises helps to make teachers feel valued.
This is how I like to structure the week:
Day 1: Welcome Back Brunch and Ice Breaker: The goal of this is only social. I try to create a fun environment where everyone has a chance to meet and get to know each other. I also have little gifts or treats set out for each teacher. I have found that this helps to alleviate some anxiety for those who are new to the program and creates a shared fun experience to begin the year.
The remainder of the day is for a new staff orientation or for teaching teams to meet and look at classroom needs.
Day 2: Breakfast and Professional Development Session for 2-3 hours with an outside presenter on site.
The afternoon is for classroom set-up and prep work.
Day 3: Light Breakfast and staff meeting. In this meeting, we review all safety protocols, handbook policies, and general policies and procedures. The Clergy and Temple Support Staff also joined us during the meeting to introduce themselves and talk about their roles. In the past I began the week with this meeting but have found that the middle of the week works best for teachers processing information and asking questions.
The meeting is followed by Remini Training (the communications app we use).
We end meeting time socially, having lunch together.
Afternoon is set aside for classroom set-up and prep work.
Day 4: Light Breakfast and Professional Development for 1-2 hours with an outside presenter on site. This is followed by documentation and portfolio training.
We end the morning with lunch together.
Again, the afternoon is set aside for classroom set-up and prep work.
Day 5: Light Breakfast and CPR and first aid training
Lunch with schedule review for the first week of school, reflection, and questions.
We end by 1:00 for the weekend to give all time to rest up for the busy weeks ahead.
Heidi Baker, Director of Education
Temple Beth Avodah
Newton, MA
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