Principal Entry Action Steps

Doneen Johnson    Principal Entry Action Steps                        1

  GOAL #1 Perform a needs assessment to establish strengths and areas in need of improvement. It is my job as principal to assess systems, identify weaknesses to improve upon them, and indicate strengths to continue. However, this is not enough. I must also get stakeholders involved and engaged by establishing trust and allowing them a vote in our vision. During initial meetings, stakeholders will understand the core values and vision for our school. It is important that we establish a culture of confidence, excitement, and excellence that resonates with students. OBJECTIVE #1 ACTIONS TIMELINE Engage Leadership Teams August - September ❖ Meet with the school leadership team to “break the ice” and discuss necessary first steps. ❖ Meet with district administration, principals, coordinators/directors. Use discussion questions as a guide. Engage Staff August - September ❖ Send a letter of introduction: invite them to meet one-on-one. “L​ istening Tour” ❖ Invite staff to a summer planning session - have fun and build connections. Identify stakeholders’ ❖ Organize structured meetings for goal setting with all staff. Use discussion questions as a values, beliefs, and perceptions of our guide. school. Engage Students and Families August (Ongoing) ❖ Meet ​personally​ with students and families who have the highest attendance, discipline, and academic concerns - let them know we care and discuss ways to work together for success. ❖ Meet with parents and community members - establish family culture by meeting places parents may find comfortable (library, coffee shops, churches, home, etc.) ❖ Begin a Parent Book Club: Choose a book, meet at different venues with families to discuss books/education/our school. ❖ Meet with Students: Host themed meetings with the principal and provide light refreshments to meet the students and listen to their expectations/goals for the school year. Engage Community Members August (Ongoing) ❖ Build relationships with our community by visiting venues for meetings and fundraising, ❖ Invite stakeholders to themed meetings to discuss ways to become united and areas to focus. 2

  OBJECTIVE #2 ACTIONS TIMELINE Review Quality Data August (Ongoing) ❖ Get to know students as a group and as individuals. “Data Analysis” ❖ Student Achievement: School, District, State, National Achievement Rankings We can’t control where ❖ District Assessments, State Assessments, State Accountability Reports we’re going if we don’t ❖ Student Engagement: attendance, extracurricular/club participation, county/geographic dropout know where we’ve been. rates, tutoring use and success, rigorous activities Analyze data sets to ❖ Discipline: referrals (top 3 offense codes), parent-teacher conference participation, narrow focus on goals for excellence. suspensions, detentions, bus violations ❖ Survey Data: Teacher Working Conditions Survey, Title 1 Survey, Community Survey ❖ Demographics: free/reduced lunch, SED, SLD, ELL, ethnicity, foster, homeless, other OBJECTIVE #3 ACTIONS TIMELINE “Open School” Opening Day for Staff August We must have an ❖ Staff must support and engage in establishing expectations, vision, and values of the school August exciting, well-prepared opening to our school during the first day back to school for staff. year by planning and ❖ Complete personalization activities: Brainstorm as a team to determine the direction we want organizing the effective opening of the school the school to go as a whole. year. ❖ Determine how each person will contribute to the success of the school. Open House ❖ Families must feel welcomed and connected from the first day. Host fun events/stations during open house so that students can release a bit of anxiety while still with family prior to the first day of school. 3

  GOAL #2 Strengthen a culture of learning for students, staff, and parents with clearly defined high expectations. In our school, expectations will be clear to all stakeholders and consistently modeled by the principal each day no matter the obstacles. We must all take ownership in our school and commit to doing whatever it takes to be the best school. It is important that we switch from a culture of teaching to a culture of learning. Ultimately it is what students learn that matters as that is what we assess, but how they learn defines their success both within and outside the classroom. To build a culture of learning, we must commit to the philosophy that ​all​ students can learn and that we will maintain high expectations for a​ ll​ students. We must work collaboratively as a team to develop new ideas and strategies to help our students. We must have an organized system that sets clear expectations for students and answers the following questions: ● How do we know that students are learning? ● How can we support/assist students during the learning process? ● Based on a collaborative analysis of the results of our efforts, what can we do to improve student learning? OBJECTIVE #1 ACTIONS TIMELINE Gather Input August August (Ongoing) “Staff Engagement” ❖ Examine initiatives and programs during the first School Improvement Team meeting. Develop a plan for staff ❖ Establish consensus pertaining to strengths and areas to improve. Set goals to improve to work together to student learning and achievement. assess our needs and establish goals to Develop Teacher Leaders improve student ❖ Review the district strategic plan and agree upon school-wide goals that will improve student learning. Revisit the learning as the basis of the school-wide professional development plan. plan throughout the ❖ Conduct a staff book study as selected and voted on by SIT as it relates to district initiatives. school year to ❖ Establish a leadership team consisting of teachers and administrators who will also be determine successes members of the SIT. and areas to modify. ❖ Provide opportunities for staff to present ideas to the staff on work days and during staff meetings. 4

  OBJECTIVE #2 ACTIONS TIMELINE “Facility Pride” Conduct Safety Inspections August Our students, staff, ❖ Meet with the head custodian on day one of entering the school. Tour the interior and exterior October and parents deserve a clean and inviting of the building and develop a weekly/monthly cleaning and maintenance plan that will keep the facility. Our school school looking presentable. Follow this up by meeting with the custodial team to endorse the should operate as a plan, offer support, encourage, and set high expectations. “home away from home”. Empower and Motivate ❖ Challenge the students and staff to ensure that we are consistently succeeding by showcasing a “Wall of Pride” along the entrance walls and hallways of the school. ❖ Host a variety of contests for students, staff, and families to stay involved with the growing successes and have the chance to be showcased throughout the school - student work, attendance, personal successes, alumni success stories, etc. OBJECTIVE #3 ACTIONS TIMELINE “We Matter” Personalize Celebrations August (Ongoing) There is no doubt that ❖ Faculty meetings should begin with a “Moment of Excellence” to celebrate successes August (Ongoing) our students matter. Adults become better (engagements, marriages, new children, new teachers, birthdays, exciting lessons, student when reminded that work, perfect attendance, etc.) they matter too. Find ❖ Teacher Spotlight - Teachers may share something they are doing in their classrooms that is improved ways to impacting student learning. show staff, community ❖ Identify and define “family values” at our school. members, business owners, and parents Regularly and Consistently Promote Greatness that we appreciate ❖ Meet with students on the first day of school to bring excitement to the school year, set the their hard work and support. tone, and discuss the expectations. ❖ Host regular pep rallies to constantly remind students of the expectations and highlight positive moments. ❖ Administration will be visible throughout the building and at events. ❖ Practice good customer service skills. 5

  GOAL #3 Establish regular school and community interactions. It is important that we have a communication model that allows all our voices to be heard, while maintaining a clear focus on our goals. OBJECTIVE #1 ACTIONS TIMELINE “Regular Keep Everyone Information August (Ongoing) Communication” ❖ Distribute a monthly newsletter that shares pertinent information, success stories, and updates Everyone must stay abreast of what is that will keep everyone in the loop about the happenings at the school. The newsletter will be happening at the posted on the school website and distributed according to parent preference. school. Involvement ❖ Weekly parent connect calls will be made to disperse information and remind families about comes with key events taking place during the upcoming week. information. ❖ The text messaging system will be utilized for timely information that must be delivered immediately. OBJECTIVE #2 ACTIONS TIMELINE “Students Have A Establish Times to Speak with Students September (Ongoing) Voice” ❖ Schedule times to speak with groups of students informally. All students must feel ❖ Host monthly “Snack and Chat” sessions. comfortable discussing ❖ Provide students with the opportunity to host regular announcements alternating between the their needs and ideas. intercom and video. ❖ Post videos and pictures of school activities on the school website and social media outlets. OBJECTIVE #3 ACTIONS TIMELINE Go Beyond the School Doors August (Ongoing) ❖ Continue building relationships beyond the “Listening Tour” by visiting venues for meetings “Be a Member of the Community” and fundraising events. Giving support to the ❖ Patronize venues and let it be known that the school would like to support the community community will bring support to the school. using the venue for school events. ❖ Invite community members to school events. ❖ Ask and allow certain businesses the opportunity to donate or sponsor school events. 6

  FIRST 30 DAYS The first 30 days of entry will be dedicated to immediately establishing relationships. In this time, it is imperative that learning takes place about the school’s history, understanding traditions, digging into data, and gaining input for the direction stakeholders believe the school should be headed. The school grounds and building will be inspected so that urgent needs are tended to in a timely manner. Task:​ Engage Staff Invite staff to a voluntary “interview” to meet and understand needs; Meet & Greet Social Determine a set of interview questions to ask each individual to gain a clear idea of individual needs. Task​: Listening Tour- Identify values, beliefs and conceptions/misconceptions of the school. School Statements, Motto, Mascot, Reputation, News Releases Invite staff to meet and provide insight to the previous practices of the school. Task​: Review campus data. Begin with individual and student group academic data. Review student discipline referrals, suspensions, and campus discipline procedures. Review any current parent and/or teacher surveys. Discipline Policies and Student Conduct Handbook; Behavior Plans; PBIS Plan and Strategies; Historical Test Scores; Current Assessments; Parental Involvement Task:​ Introduce myself to the staff via video welcome message, letter to staff, and invitation to meet me in person. Share information about self (bio, contact information, educational philosophy, principal entry plan) 7

  Task:​ Interview the former principal to gain insight. Build a relationship with the outgoing principal and gain a clearer understanding of what has been happening throughout the building; Understand the traditions and keep the ideas that worked. Task:​ Get to know the office staff well. What are their duties/responsibilities? Schedule, Payroll, Attendance, Scheduling, Enrollment, etc… Treat the office staff to lunch catered at school. Task:​ Meet the cafeteria and custodial staff. Is the building clean? Develop schedule and expectations. What maintenance areas need to be addressed prior to opening? Treat the cafeteria and custodial staff to lunch catered at school. Task:​ Check staff needs and hire teachers who are passionate about children and have a growth mindset. Schedule interviews as soon as possible if vacancies exist. Create a committee and invite staff to help hire new staff. Plan sets of interview questions dependent upon position. Task​: Learn the curriculum provided by the district. How is this being implemented? Locate curriculum and instruction staff, meeting dates, resources, pacing guides, links, and expectations of the district. Remind staff of where to find resources and begin preparing curriculum files for each grade level. 8

  Task:​ Review school financial statements. Examine accounts and historical spending habits with the bookkeeper and set expectations. Review the budget. Develop a conservative plan for the school year to include short and long-term goals. Fundraising Ideas Task:​ Create opportunities for shared leadership, shared responsibility, and collaboration. Empower the staff. Begin empowering staff during informational meetings by asking for input; Create a calendar for collaborative planning in each grade level; Get information about each person’s strengths and weaknesses to determine/suggest teams Task:​ Identify the core values of the school. Present core values, vision, and mission during introduction; Get input from staff during informational meetings and draft core values as offered by staff Task:​ Review the campus improvement plan and update if needed. Identify whole school and subgroup performance targets; Ensure goals and strategies are aligned; Review previous goals; Analyze school improvement plan for gaps and identify goals to continue. Task:​ Make a strong first impression during the first 30 days. Plan a big event to kick off the first day of school and during Open House. Keep the vision of the school in mind at all times. Post introductory video on the school website; Plan Open House activities; Send out reminder phone calls through the automated system. 9

  Task:​ Spend time studying the district and campus handbooks. Family Guide; Federal Programs; Parent Involvement; School Board Policies; Transportation Task:​ Set goals to improve student learning. Have the staff help in identifying areas that are working best and areas that need attention. Determine goals based on staff information meetings and share compilation of ideas during back to school meetings; Work as a group to define, modify, and strengthen any goals, while creating notable strategies; Meet with instructional coaches. Task:​ Take pride in the school. Display positive messages. Motivational Quotes, Staff Shout-Outs, Positive Pride, School Values, Student Boards, etc. Task:​ Create a Home-Away-From-Home experience. Staff, students, and parents need to feel welcomed and part of the team. Parents, staff, and students may show up unannounced at any time, even during the summer. At any time, they must all feel welcomed and important to the team. Brief office staff on customer service and provide training as needed. Task:​ Review the campus improvement plan and update if needed. Identify whole school and subgroup performance targets; Ensure goals and strategies are aligned; Review previous goals; Analyze school improvement plan for gaps and identify goals to continue. 10

  Task:​ Make a strong first impression during the first 30 days. Plan a big event to kick off the first day of school and during Open House. Keep the vision of the school in mind at all times. Post introductory video on the school website; Plan Open House activities; Send out reminder phone calls through the automated system. Task:​ Spend time studying the district and campus handbooks. Family Guide; Federal Programs; Parent Involvement; School Board Policies; Transportation Task:​ Set goals to improve student learning. Have the staff help in identifying areas that are working best and areas that need attention. Determine goals based on staff information meetings and share compilation of ideas during back to school meetings; Work as a group to define, modify, and strengthen any goals, while creating notable strategies; Meet with instructional coaches. Task:​ Take pride in the school. Display positive messages. Motivational Quotes, Staff Shout-Outs, Positive Pride, School Values, Student Boards, etc. Task:​ Create a Home-Away-From-Home experience. Staff, students, and parents need to feel welcomed and part of the team. Parents, staff, and students may show up unannounced at any time, even during the summer. At any time, they must all feel welcomed and important to the team. Brief office staff on customer service and provide training as needed. 11

  Task​: Survey the staff. What are the strengths of the school? What do you like about the school? What are your hopes/wishes for this year? What do you want the school to be? What are the areas of opportunities for growth or improvement in our school? What successes have been celebrated in the past? Which do you want to continue to be celebrated? I am most proud of our school because...? In what areas would you like to see the school grow? In what areas would you like to grow? Committees to serve? Areas of strength? Task:​ School Safety: visitors on campus, arrival/dismissal procedures, before/during/after school duties of supervision,etc. Inspect security of the campus. How do students transition from class-to-class, through the building independently, between buildings, across the campus, to/from buses, the playground? Supervision of halls/common areas of the building? Create a duty schedule. Task:​ Dive into Data (State, District, Campus, Groups) What are the formative assessments? When are they given? Are they valid assessments? Analyze root causes in areas of need. Prepare pertinent information for back to school staff meeting to set goals. 12

  WITHIN 60 DAYS Within 60 days, the direction of the school should be evident and work to accomplish goals should be in motion. Teams are being established and roles are defined with clear expectations as everyone continues working to meet achievable bite-sized targets. Task:​ Create a meeting schedule for all grade levels, departments, and campus committees. Vertical/Department Collaboration, PLC, SIT, PBIS, Correlates Meeting days will be scheduled based on feedback from staff insight meetings so staff ideas are reflected; Monthly Staff Celebrations/Gatherings; Staff meetings will correlate with professional learning. Task​: Implement a strong morale boosting plan to kick off the year. Incorporate team building event during back to school staff meeting; Encourage monthly socials/gatherings; Celebrate and recognize accomplishments Task:​ Update the school website, indoor/outdoor signage, and calendars. Reflect the energy of the school. All updates may be determined during the first 30 days. It may take an additional 30 days to have proper personnel make those changes and properly use funds to update signage and areas around the building. Task:​ Get copies of the master schedule and calendars for all staff. Provide teacher binders for staff during back to school staff meeting that pertains pertinent school-wide information including emergency substitute plans to be housed in the classrooms. Maintain an updated shared calendar. 13

  Task:​ Create a Monday Motivational Memo to keep staff motivated and inspired. Motivational messages will be sent out to students, staff, and families on a regular basis; Staff Thank You notes; Student notes home; Personalized student motivational notes Task:​ Send out a weekly/daily email as needed to keep everyone “in the know.” Weekly reminders; Phone app for reminders and text messages to be downloaded during back to school staff meetings; Parents will be encouraged to download the app as well. Task​: Create a leadership team of teacher leaders. Identify main priorities for teams to accomplish; Develop norms, procedures, meeting schedule, and roles. Task​: Develop a shared vision with the staff. Post the vision and mission statement; Create a poster for every classroom; Place on a mural for the halls or entrance of building; Create a graphic of the belief and vision for the school Task:​ What are the non-negotiables for the year? Daily Greetings; Morning Meetings; Parent Contact; Team Participation; Lesson Planning; Professional Development; Present a possible solution with problems; Professionalism 14

  Task:​ Create a back-to-school checklist for the staff. Lesson Planning; Substitute Plans; Emergency Exit and Procedure Signs Posted; Materials/Supply Check-Out; Classroom Rules and Routines; Classroom Communication Plan; Inspect Cumulative Folders Task:​ Identify the staff development needs. Create a plan with teachers to address their needs. Following staff informational meetings, begin developing professional development draft with priorities in mind; School-wide PDP targets; Begin assigning action steps in the next 30 days. Analyze staff data in regards to behavior data and office referrals to determine levels of support; Licensure and Highly Qualified Staff; NCEES; EVAAS Task:​ Personnel records- review and take notes. Obtain contact information for all staff for emergency situations during back to school staff meeting. Task:​ Create an assessment calendar, professional development calendar, school events calendar, classroom observation calendar, and organize the first PD sessions for back to school. How often are assessments given and is it often enough for teachers to get information on how students are progressing? Set particular days of the week/month for types of meetings according to staff informational meetings. Task:​ Host a Breakfast for Pre-K and Kindergarten parents. The breakfast can be hosted on a day as chosen by the Pre-K and Kindergarten teachers as convenient for parents to allow parents and students to become comfortable with the school/classroom/teachers. 15

  Task:​ Plan for enrollment day. Carefully place students in classes by balancing academics and identified/documented issues. Identify behavior incidents; review report card grades; review teacher EVAAS data and assessment results for strengths; Invite a set of teachers to gain feedback for student placements and make changes as deemed necessary Task:​ Know the layout of the building and emergency procedures. Build a master schedule for drills. Ensure each classroom has a flipchart of emergency procedures and exits; Plan a tentative schedule for all drills to take place throughout the year.​ Task:​ Create a welcoming environment. Start with the entrance and main office. Get to know the office and custodial staff prior to making changes with the decor; Incorporate colorful designs; Set out inviting aromas; Hang welcoming signage 16

  90 DAYS Within 90 days, all staff should feel comfortable and already impacting students with warm environments conducive to learning. Steady professional development must occur and intentional learning must take place daily. Task​: Instill a culture of learning rather than a culture of just teaching. All students can learn given a positive learning environment. Provide professional development for creating a positive learning environment. Model positivity. Be visible in the classrooms and in common areas of the school. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) training Task:​ Recognize students and staff for their dedication. Monthly staff scheduled celebrations; Assemblies and announcements for student successes; Honor Roll, Attendance, and Behavior Awards Task:​ Review attendance at the end of each week. Contact teachers and parents of students with excessive absences. Schedule regular meetings with the school counselor and social worker to develop necessary plans for students with excessive absences; Quickly begin monitoring students with excessive absences in previous years. Task:​ Provide student-specific supports and interventions to students in need. Determine the systems that will be used to monitor student performance; Analyze strengths, weaknesses, and barriers; Plan enrichment and remediation schedules 17

  Task​: Meet with families and community members. Invite them to a Meet and Greet. Share ideas on activities for the school year and welcome their input. Work with local businesses, churches, etc... Coffee with the Principal, Contact the PTA President; Create a system for parents to provide feedback - accessible box in the hall, online submission system; School Newspaper; Prepare a poll/survey to determine needs of parents and community members; Offer multiple meet & greet sessions to allow maximum participation. Task:​ Host a meeting specifically for students. Pizza with the Principal, Popsicles with the Principal, Lunch with the Principal, etc.; What do you like about the school? What do you dislike? What are the rules of the school? What is the homework policy? If you could change one thing about the school, what would it be? What would you keep the same? Task​: Create social media accounts for the campus or gain access to current accounts. Invite families to download the Remind App for messages; Parent Connect; Offer a raffle for all families to enter upon downloading the app for communication during the first week of school (get parents to interact with the app by sending a message to be entered into the drawing). Task​: Be knowledgeable of all required state/district trainings- CPR certifications, Bullying, etc... Identify staff members with certifications and keep record of all trained individuals; Schedule necessary training for staff members needing updates/renewal of certifications. Task:​ Create a schedule for faculty meetings. Do not cancel. This sets a tone for future meetings. Always provide refreshments of some sort. Always begin with celebrations and recognitions; Staff members spotlight one another; Teacher of the Month; Staff Member of the Month 18

  19