The first day of school sets the tone for the school year. Students opening lockers, finding someone to sit with in the lunch room, new teachers and students, etc. Overcommunicating these items before and throughout the first day will help students, staff, and parents feel comfortable and prepared.
Jason Messenger, Principal, Portage West Middle School
- For middle school students, the first day—and especially their locker—is a huge deal. To ease nerves and create a smoother start, consider offering designated times the week before school starts for students to come in, walk their schedule and practice their locker. We’ve found this simple step significantly reduces first-day stress and sets a positive tone for students and families alike.
- Do a spot check to ensure locker combinations are set correctly before students arrive. There’s nothing more frustrating for a nervous student than a locker that won’t open—especially when it’s because the combo was entered incorrectly or not reset from the year prior.
Theresa Stager, Principal, Saline High School
- Schedule social media posts before the school year starts. Using a program like Hootsuite or Buffer allows you to schedule your first day of school communication, early release/half days and exam schedules so you don’t have to worry about them later.
- Consider areas of “announcements” around the building. We created Announcement boards that have areas to include flyers and communications that are easy to change out. It allows for information to be in centralized locations and also easy to monitor and remove when the information is out of date.
- Create a Google/Outlook calendar for your staff. Include testing dates, meetings, days when the bells will be shut off, when building-wide events are happening, or anything that may change the normal daily routine. They can turn it on and off as they please, but you have a centralized location to share it all.
- Invite students in the week before the first day of school to explore the building, walk their classes, etc. Having time without pressure to find where they need to be can help with anxiety on the first day.
Jon Wilcox, Principal, Petoskey Middle School
- When welcoming students and staff back to school, make sure to communicate your school’s core values at every possible opportunity.
- Work with your staff to re-evaluate your school’s priorities and have them sign a printed list of those priorities. This not only communicates the priorities, but also provides staff to have a voice in the process, and therefore increases buy in.
- When you are in the hallways, be on the lookout for students who are anxious or nervous. Make sure teachers and counselors know these students may need a little extra support.