Ensuring your school calendar meets the needs of everyone can sometimes feel impossible. Families have kids at different schools, staff have different childcare needs, and people celebrate and observe various holidays. With so many different people having different interests, it can seem that every decision is a domino to another one. Creating a calendar that addresses most objectives (not even all!) can make solving a Rubik’s cube look easy.
Cate Reed, seasoned administrator, current Senior Vice President of Teach For America, and Possip Reporter, offers a step-by-step guide to creating and managing the school calendar.
However, there are ways to make it easier and to help families understand both the complexity and the things you need to consider. As this article emphasizes, a great calendar can be a key enabler of a great school.
Step 1: Start With Your School Calendar Goals
Before all else, consider the educational goals and objectives of the school. For example, if your school puts a large emphasis on your yearly testing, ensure you provide enough classroom time prior to that so kids are fully prepared.
Step 2: Use Regulations as the Boundaries of Your “Sandbox”
Next, we know that some things are out of your control like the number or days or hours that your state requires. You have to consider the number of inclement weather days you have to build in. Even the local teachers’ contract might dictate any number of factors. Use those parameters as your starting place, so that you don’t end up having to adjust on the back end.
