Without prayer and prayerful reflection, all the plans in the world will lack a solid basis.
Take some dedicated time to pray for your faculty and staff, as well as for your parents and students. Pray that they may have a rejuvenating summer and come back with a stronger commitment to faith, community and academic and personal growth. Take time to pray for yourself and ask the help of Jesus, our Master Teacher. Ask His help in planning for the next academic year. Without prayer and prayerful reflection, all the plans in the world will lack a solid basis. Keep prayer paramount at all times. While it is true that our lives are prayers, it is important to take dedicated time to pray.
Since faculty and staff have already departed for the summer, consider sending out a brief questionnaire or request for feedback concerning the just-completed academic year. (Try not to delay too long, but send as soon as reasonably possible so that people may still have ideas from the end of the year fresh in their minds.) You may wish to include the following:
What was/were the biggest legal issue(s) we have faced this past year? Why did you choose these issues? What do you think we learned from them? How can we incorporate the lessons learned into sound pedagogy and/or policy changes or “tweaking” to strengthen our policies, procedures and documents? Would you be willing to serve on a committee to write the draft of a revised parent/student or faculty handbook? [If you believe that this task is too monumental to be undertaken at this time, ask for volunteers to serve on a committee with two tasks: determining/recommending changes, deletions and/or additions should be in our handbooks or made addenda to existing handbooks and planning for new editions of the 2025-2026 handbooks].
What do you consider your biggest legal concern(s) as a teacher, staff member, administrator? Why is/are this/these your biggest concern(s)? How can the administration help in addressing the concern(s) for you individually and for all faculty and staff? In your opinion, how can we best address these concerns? Faculty and other staff members can often pinpoint specific concerns that are not on the “radar screen” of administrators. Is there any way we can involve parents and students in addressing these concerns? Can we develop a plan or committees with a small and focused agenda?
What new federal, state and/or local laws do we need to consider and incorporate into our governing documents? This is a good time to look back through communications from the diocese, local public school districts and state boards of education. It may also be a good time to remind faculty and staff of recent changes in laws as well as future statutory and other legal issues.
Be sure that your handbooks and other documents contain accurate statements of existing federal, state and local laws. If possible, and not too cumbersome, include the laws in your handbook or at least include the changes in laws in a communication to faculty and staff. If the (arch)diocese has disseminated policy statements concerning legal issues, include those (or appropriate abbreviated versions) in your handbooks for employee reference and use.
What crises or near crises did we experience or might we have experienced that could have been helped by new or clearer policies? Please be as specific as possible (without naming individual students, parents or staff members.) What suggestions do you have for addressing potentially dangerous and other crisis situations?
Are our present student handbooks and documents as up-todate as we would like? If they are not, could you share a list of items we may want to review, change, update or delete? Specific suggestions for wording are appreciated. If possible, please include a brief statement of rationale.
Do our staff and teachers know exactly what is expected of them? Is the faculty/staff handbook appropriately specific, accurately stating school rules for students, faculty and staff? Are there handbook changes or edits that need to be made?
Ask your staff: If you were the principal (or president) what changes would you make to our existing handbooks? Why do you recommend these changes? Suggestions for wording are welcome.
Think back over the year. Document situations and possible situations for which you believe as an administrator that you and/or your teachers and staff were not or would not be adequately prepared. These include administrator, faculty, staff, student and parent issues and concerns. How can we be proactive in addressing these items?
Will the changes and updates we are suggesting for our handbooks improve faculty, staff, administration and parent and student understanding of rules and our overall school climate? Do we believe these changes will make us a better, safer school?
Brainstorm changes to your faculty/staff/volunteer handbooks and add them to your review/change/update list.
Ask your faculty and staff if there are situations that they believe need attention.
Ask your faculty and staff to begin offering prayers for the new school year and the new community you will build together.
