Source:

Here’s how one principal uses June and July to tie a bow on one year and set the stage for another

Teachers are dedicated, passionate people, so as a principal I encourage my teachers to recharge their batteries over the summer. At the same time, I try to stay connected enough to them that they’ll come back in late July feeling excited and knowing how much I value them. Here are five ways I use the summer to set the stage for the fall and stay connected with your teachers.

1) Handwritten thank-you notes

Once I get everything settled down from the end of the school year, I hand-write a personal note to every teacher and mail it. Email or text might be quicker, but there’s something so powerful about getting a note from your principal in the mailbox. Starting in mid-June, I write five to seven notes every night until I’ve sent a thank-you note to each of my teachers.

This year my notes will all relate to our mindset of the year, “We Are Connected.” These notes don’t have to be long. I just tell each teacher how grateful I am for them, and include one personal thing such as, “I know this year was hard because you had a baby and you were learning to balance, but you rocked it. I just wanted you to know how proud I am of you for that.” Or, “Hey, you ended your first year! Take a deep breath. Enjoy the summer and know that you’re appreciated.”

2) Grade-level play dates

Every summer I encourage my grade chairs and teachers to get together as a grade level and play. It could be a pool party at somebody’s house. It could be going to a movie together. Research shows that if you connect personally with someone, it leads to more trust between you. In the summer, when everything is not so hectic, you can bond differently than you do during the school year and stay connected with your teachers in a new way.

Click here to read the full article.