Get Back to School Ready

I honestly don’t know how it's already August. Didn’t June just start yesterday? As administrators, I'm sure you feel the same way since you were kept busy even during the summer months with evaluating how the last school year went and deciding what changes to make for the 2022-2023 school year. Hopefully, you still had some time to relax and re-energize for back to school.

I know that just because students and teachers aren’t in the building, that doesn’t mean you didn’t have a lot of work to do, but I hope that you were at least able to relax and get mentally prepared for the next school year. Some schools are finishing their first week, others are starting in just a few days, and some still have a month to take advantage of the empty classrooms. In this blog post, you'll find a back-to-school checklist to make sure you are prepared for your first day of school. For those that have already started, this checklist can still come in handy! 

Back to School Checklist:

• Final inventory check: By now you have already taken advantage of the empty hallways and classrooms to assess your facility and technology and determine your needs. You disposed of the old equipment properly by now and made plans for the replacements.  If you haven't received your new equipment yet, reach out to the company you ordered from to ensure the replacement equipment arrives before school starts.  Now, would be the time to do one final inventory check to make sure everything is up to date. I mean who doesn’t love taking inventory? Everyone… everyone dislikes it. I know that this probably is the least exciting part of your job, but it’s still important. Are your books and resources still useful for students and teachers? Check to make sure that things work properly and are up to date. This will set you up for success in the upcoming school year.
• Onboard new staff and teachers: Recruiting may be a priority throughout the year, but summer is the time to reach out and hire as many qualified teachers and personnel as possible. Reach out to your new employees weekly to make sure they are on track for the start of the new year. Do they have all the necessary information specific to your school or district? Did they complete and return all required forms and paperwork? Opening communication and building a strong relationship early with new employees will help to reduce turnover. Tech & Learning has a great resource for recruiting teachers and reducing turnover. 
• Secure substitute teachers: By now, you've created a pipeline of substitute teachers for when you are in need throughout the school year. Before school starts, reach out to each of these individuals to double-check their availability. Building a strong relationship with these individuals is important as they are the people you rely on when you're in need.
• TeacherLists: Make sure your teachers' supply lists are easily accessible to parents and students with TeacherLists. How does TeacherLists work? School staff will upload lists in any file format. Supply lists are automatically shared with major retailers and available online and via mobile devices, where you can easily purchase your entire list in just one click. TeacherLists can be easily uploaded and accessed through your school or district's branded mobile app by SchoolInfo. 
• Finalize crisis communication plan: You may not always be able to stop emergencies from happening, but you can develop a response plan so that you are prepared for it if something occurs. It's important to ensure that your plan is up to date and everyone is aware of it. Preparing now will eliminate stress and save time if an unexpected event does occur. Check out our previous blog post where we provide resources on how to develop a crisis response plan. 
• Finalize Communication Strategy: You know already how important communication is for schools and districts. Not only do you have to think about what to communicate to your teachers, students, parents, and surrounding community, but you also need to make sure they are receiving your messages. As technology evolves, so should your communication strategy. The simplest way to get your community the information they need is to send it directly to their smartphones with a branded mobile app from SchoolInfo.
  
  If you're stuck on where to start with your communication planning, don't worry we're here to help! We've written an ebook to help you complete a communication audit of your organization, develop a strategy for overcoming challenges, and build on the good you have already been doing. In our ebook, Digital Communication Strategies for Districts and Schools: A guide developing your communication strategy and tools from the team at SchoolInfo, you'll find information on communication planning, communication channels, and best practices for commonly used tools. Download our ebook today to ensure your communication plan is up to date for the 2022-2023 school year!