Whether you’ve already had students in your buildings this week or the focus has been on working with your staff to prepare for the year ahead, September is the month when school is fully back in session. Let your Board of Directors help you focus on what needs to be done next month with your September Quick Tips.
Todd Distelrath, Principal, Chippewa Valley High School
- Make sure that all 504 and IEP information has been shared with staff, including accommodations and behavior plans. Encourage special education staff to meet in person with teachers for the most unique or challenging situations. Provide time for staff to review documents if you’re able.
- Prepare your open house presentation. This is a time to share your mission and vision, as well as values, goals and themes for the year.
Steve Forsberg, Principal, Ludington High School
- Find ways to use AI to streamline, automate, and/or improve your work as a principal. It can be as simple as running stakeholder communications through ChatGPT or Gemini. Or using some of the Magicschool.ai or SchoolAI.com tools, which are specifically designed for different education tasks.
- Set or reaffirm a plan for your daily routine. When do you want to make sure you are out of your office, in classrooms, welcoming kids, etc.? When do you plan to answer emails and return calls? Do you have daily/weekly meeting responsibilities?
- Check your calendar for key dates, including after school activities you will want to attend. Sit with your admin team to divvy up dates and make sure you have representation across key events.
Nicole Rabac, Principal, Woodworth Middle School
- Make time to revisit and reinforce family communication routines. Now that school is underway, double-check that your communication systems such as newsletters, messaging apps, and weekly updates are consistent and accessible. Set a rhythm families can rely on, and use early feedback to adjust tone or timing.
- Reinforce staff expectations by staying visible and providing timely feedback. Even if expectations were shared during staff return week, early September is the time to reinforce them through walkthroughs, check-ins, and modeling. Celebrate what’s working and offer clear, supportive reminders where needed.
- Treat your first 30 days like a playbook by outlining key priorities, tasks, and checkpoints to guide your actions and focus. List your top-priority walkthroughs, student schedule reviews and safety audits in a timed calendar format. Having a structured plan reduces stress and keeps your focus on visibility and impact.
- Confirm that critical operations are running smoothly to ensure the school day flows safely and efficiently. Check daily routines like arrival, dismissal, lunch and hallway transitions. Watch them in action, ask questions, and adjust staffing or student expectations where needed to keep systems smooth and safe.
Jason Schrock, Principal, Howell High School
- Create a shared calendar for department leads so that you are aware of when your various teams are meeting. It is important to honor their time and not double book yourself or your teacher leaders.
- One of the ways to help your staff get to know new faces is to highlight them in your newsletters. If you have multiple new staff (don’t forget food service and support staff!) ask them to share a fun picture and bio to include in one of your weekly newsletters! SAMPLE