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Here we are once again,
families are returning from
summer vacations, students
are returning from summer
camp, teachers are
decorating and preparing
classrooms, and the annual
“Back to School”
advertisements are popping
up in the local newspapers
and on the radio and
television airways. The
much anticipated summer vacation is quickly
coming to an end. Yes, here it comes…another
school year!
The start of a new school year is a special
event; some even consider it a holiday. It is an
exciting time for the students, parents, faculty, staff
and administration. For the school superintendent,
it is an excellent opportunity to engage the district
stakeholders, reinforce the districts values, and
communicate goals, beliefs and strategic
initiatives. The “Back to School” environment is
also an excellent opportunity to promote all that is
good about public education.
There are a number of activities a school
superintendent should pursue to secure a
successful beginning of the new school year. The
following list represents some of the approaches
that are considered important in focusing on the
launch of a new school year:
Focus on communications
Develop a list of “Back to School” talking
points, including things such as a brief review of
the previous year’s accomplishments, goals and
strategic initiatives for the new school year,
challenges and opportunities, and special events
for the new school year.
Develop a “Back to School” news release for
your district and distribute via your local media
contact list to stimulate and promote the local
media’s interest in the district’s return to school.
Utilize your talking points. This is a great
opportunity to advance a positive message about
your school district and to also promote the value
and importance of the public education systems.
Develop “Back to School” welcome letters for
staff and faculty, administration, the Board of
Education, parents and students.
Utilize your talking points to develop the “Back
to School Welcome” for the district’s website.
Contact local, civic, fraternal and professional
organizations to schedule opportunities to make a
presentation regarding the new school year for the
district. This is also a great time to include a
message about the merits of the public education
system.
Keep in mind that local groups are always
looking for presentations for their weekly or
monthly programs. Plan on scheduling an
opportunity each month to deliver a message
about your school and the importance of the public
education system. It is time for us to recapture the
conversation regarding the merits of the public
school system.
Develop the all-inclusive “Back to School”
agenda. Share this agenda as part of your
communication activities.
Plan ‘Back to School’ events
Hold an annual “Back to School” meeting and
engage your staff in the planning of the meeting.
Keep the focus of the meeting positive and upbeat.
Provide refreshments and pre meeting time for
socialization.
Provide a formal “Welcome Back to School”
message. Include representation from the Board
of Education and the staff/faculty unions, and
clearly set out the district goals for the new school
year and emphasize the upcoming opportunities
and challenges. Also talk about statutory and
funding changes, new policies, or updates to your
district’s regulations.
It is essential to share the district’s key vision,
priorities and successes with staff at the start of
the school year. Staff can serve as
communication ambassadors who carry key
messages to a wider audience.
Recognize any retirements and resignations
that would have occurred over the summer and
formally introduce all new staff members.
Encourage each school to establish “Back to
School” events that provide for the students,
parents and staff an energetic and exciting return
to school.
Schedule “Back to School” visits. Visit each of
the schools during the first two days to welcome
back the students and the staff. It's important to
acknowledge all of the faculty and staff in your
district, you are all working together as a
community and you want to assure that the new
(Continued on page 11)
Dr. Nick Osborne
Field Services
Director, IASA
Back to School: Tips for thriving, not just surviving
