LM Sept.2019

details, agenda and preparation is needed. We put a lot of thought into how it’s going to make people feel, and we run with it. People want to be fed, so we plan meals. They want to feel welcome, so the leadership team and I greet them at the door. We have a fun décor too. There’s opportunity to reconnect with colleagues from the summer and other buildings and grade levels Q : Whatadvicedoyouhavefor superintendents interested inpursuing anactivity likethis? Maya Angelou famously said, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” As superintendents, we sometimes get caught up in all of the things we think we need to get done for the different stakeholder groups. Yet, we need to prioritize making a great impression at the start of the school year, getting teachers excited, energized and inspired to start the school year. The party is not inexpensive, but we budget for it. We have communicated the benefits to the BOE so they support and want us to use resources to make people feel good, safe and welcome—not only at the start of the year, but throughout the whole year. So if superintendents are interested in creating a socially and emotionally healthy climate for their staff and teams, they need to work with their BOEs and leadership teams and start early and plan what their next back-to- school theme should be. We are big on sparkle and bling in Diamond Lake SD #76, so everything usually has that theme and flair. People love it. It makes them feel special and good. Who doesn’t like a little sparkle and bling?

We have also completed a staff climate and culture survey that we implement in the fall of each year. We have received over 95 percent agree or strongly agree in each category for teacher leadership, ownership, communication, collaboration, trust and organizational health. Q : Howlongdoes it taketoplan something likethis? It is no different than a regular institute day planning for professional development. Two to three months of

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LM September 2019