1. Preparing for a Successful School Year

2. What makes for a great school year? • Immediate tasks • Time after the kids have arrived • Long-term initiatives

3. Immediate- Kids • Process for proving residency • Process for registering/enrolling students • Process for collecting fines • Pre-notification is very helpful • Articulated and enforced schedule/teacher change policy • Meet with student leadership groups prior to all kids arriving

4. Immediate- Faculty • Have you organized teacher time prior to the arrival of kids? • Are you prepared to deliver required training on harassment, non-discrimination, discipline, and student records • Have you written a letter to faculty explaining before-student time? • If you have assistant principals, have you delegated relevant responsibilities to them? • Have you prepared an induction program for new teachers?

5. New Teacher Induction Think-Pair-Share What components should be present within a new teacher induction program?

6. New Teacher Induction • Connecting the new teacher to an effective mentor/buddy • Providing curriculum guide(s) and relevant resources • Providing access to classroom • Introduction to key staff • Laying out your vision of teaching and learning

7. New Teacher Induction • Describing effective classroom management • Explaining current school improvement initiatives • Introduction to technology • Description of daily routine, practical information • Tour of key places within building

8. Immediate-Faculty (Con’t) 6. Are all key sponsors and coaches in place? 7. Are you prepared to share data from the previous school year? 8. Are you prepared to create a shared vision of the key points of emphasis for the year? 9. Put in place the beginnings of a 5 year plan.

9. Annual Report 2011-12

10. Six Data Questions Which piece of data makes you most proud? Explain. Which piece of data is most troubling? Why? Which data are you most capable of impacting? Why? Which data are you least capable of impacting? Why? What data would you most like to know more about? What data would you like to see highlighted and explained which is typically not?

11. Lee’s Summit High SchoolDemographicsStudent Enrollment by Ethnicity

12. Lee’s Summit High SchoolDemographics Free and Reduced Lunches 2007-08 to 2011-12

13. Attendance Rate Versus Comparable Schools

14. Freshmen Credits

15. Lee’s Summit High SchoolCollege Readiness

16. Immediate- Remaining Items • Is the facility clean and operational to your standard? • Have you set and published an accurate calendar? • Is information on your school web-site up to date? • Have you cross-referenced your master schedule against a room utilization schedule? • Have you estimated expenditures in key accounts? • Have you shared budget procedures with key managers? • Are bells ready to go?

17. After Kids Have Arrived • Have you planned for moving faculty/staff through performance-based evaluation? • Delegated evaluations (if possible)? • Professional Development options • Have you made class visits to set expectations with kids? • Including training re: harassment, non-discrimination, grievance process

18. After Kids Have Arrived Think-Pair-Share When visiting with students via classroom visits, what items should be included on the agenda?

19. After Kids Have Arrived 3. Have you met with your senior/8th grade/5th or 6th grade class as a group? 4. Have you written to parents regarding Back-to-School Night? 5. Have your safety plans been assessed, revised, and communicated? 6. Design a method to systemically recognize staff

20. Long Term • If possible, avoid drastic changes in year one. • Begin building a school portfolio. • You must block out time for visionary planning. • You must identify what is needed at your school for it to improve. • You need to move beyond a one year school improvement plan to a five year plan. • Create and emphasize an instructional cycle. • Sink your teeth into at least one proven school improvement initiative. Improve, one initiative at a time. • Build a varied communication plan. • Devise a systemic method to record thoughts/ideas

21. As you enter… • Take two pieces of scrap paper. On #1, respond to three questions: • What has you most concerned regarding starting your new position? • What immediate issues are you facing at school? • Long term, in what area does your school need the most improvement?

22. On Scrap Paper #2… • Write out any specific questions you would like addressed within this session.

23. Contact Information • John.faulkenberry@leesummit.k12.mo.us • http://lshs.leesummit.k12.mo.us