Returning to School Demands More than Just a Check-List

During this time of year, just several weeks prior to the commencement of school,  I receive numerous calls, emails and texts from colleagues and friends who serve in day school and yeshiva leadership positions regarding their beginning-of-year challenges, dilemmas, and concerns.

Some of the issues they face are unique, complex and somewhat complicated; others, are expected and obvious. Nevertheless, they all require a level of validation, advise, guidance, and professional direction.

With the new academic year quickly approaching, many day school and yeshiva heads of school, principals and senior educational administrators began preparing  for the 2025-26 school year immediately after the completion of last school year and into the summer.

Although this preparation may appear to be routine, each year, they represent a wide array of new and exciting challenges and opportunities.

From a senior executive leadership perspective, reality dictates that there is no such thing as standard or routine. In fact, each year brings new opportunities as well as new and unanticipated challenges.

Yes, there are always the run-of-the-mill administrative duties and responsibilities that must be in place prior to the new school year. These include teacher and staff assignments, class scheduling, student placement, procurement of texts and curricular material, and a host of other school related and classroom administrative duties. But, as we know, always a variety of challenges which are critically essential, unanticipated and unique.

As I reflect upon these critically important inquiries and conversations, it dawned on me how potentially beneficial or valuable it would be to actually share these issues, inquiries and conversations with senior professionals via an article or a blog post.

As they say, one person’s challenge, may be another person’s insight or good fortune.

This is especially the case in education when leading our schools and where the sharing and brainstorming of best educational practices are imperative.

So, in the spirit of sharing, the following is presented.

Every year, our senior day school and yeshiva leaders are tasked with the exciting and daunting responsibility for inspiring and leading their schools, teachers, students, parents and community as they return to school from vacation.

As we know, the principal or head of school plays a vital role in setting the tone for the new academic year.

The following are several tasks and responsibilities they must all undertake at the beginning of the year.

• welcoming teachers, students and parents (orientation) which requires organizing events, assemblies, orientation sessions, highlighting and outlining expectations and key initiatives for the year;
•  scheduling and coordinating teacher and staff meetings in order to review and discuss school policies, curriculum updates, staff roles and responsibilities;
• reviewing and distribution of handbooks and  policy manuals outlining school rules, policies and expectations;
• visiting classrooms in order to meet and greet teachers, review and observer lessons and familiarize ones-self with incoming students – new and veteran;
• responding to important parent communications including parent inquiries, expectations and involvement regarding  scheduling, student special needs and curricular expectations;
• ensuring  the creation of concise security protocols, emergency procedures and crisis management processes;
• reviewing of academic and curriculum plans, set academic goals and review/discuss academic progress and expectations;
• designing and promotion of extracurricular activities and special experiential holiday celebrations
• setting the school’s tone in order to create, develop and foster a school culture commensurate with the mission, vision and philosophy of the school. This includes standards of behavior respect, derech eretz midot, and empathy.

These administrative leadership roles, responsibilities and functions are only a small slice of those required by heads of school, principals and educational coordinators.

More often than not, these responsibilities are implemented together with the school’s executive management team. In fact, it is this team that helps the head of school and principal help implement and  realize their day to day planing responsibilities and obligations.

OTHER  ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Several other critically important leadership tasks and responsibilities include budgeting, and financial resource development and marketing.

These three areas of concern and focus are essential in order to ensure that the school posses the resources necessary to carry out and fulfill its mission. Planning and implementation in the absence of potential resources is just not possible.

Finally, it is essential that the head of school and/or principal have a  governing Board that is engaged, motivated and inspired. This therefore requires that the senior  professional leadership of the school ensure the identification and engagement of lay leaders who are willing and able to devote their precious  time, leadership and energy to the school.

TODAY’S ATYPICAL CHALLENGES

This year, our Jewish day schools and yeshivot will be facing an additional leadership challenge unlike any other in history. These challenges relate to the current crisis in Israel including the welfare of the hostages being held captive in Gaza, the seismic explosion of global antisemitism and Jew-hatred and an existential war  with Israel’s enemies on several fronts.

So one may ask, how are these geopolitical challenges and crises relevant to the role and responsibility of our heads of school and principals? The response  to this question my friends is plain and simple…..

When students and faculty return to their respective Jewish day schools and yeshivot in several weeks, many over the summer months (while they were on vacation, in camp, traveling or at home) may have in all likelihood been exposed to a variety of harsh and daunting realities relating to Israel.

These realities, (if one visited Israel), included the traumatic experience of missile launches on Israeli cities, cancellation of return flights from Israel, news reports regarding acts of global antisemitism and the harsh treatment of our precious brothers and sisters being held hostage in the dark hell holes of Gaza. This also includes the events which preceded the Twelve-Day War with Iran and post war realities.

For those who spent their summer months at home, chances are that none of them where protected or immune to the horrific news coming out of Israel, Europe or their own local communities.

These realities affecting our Jewish communities can not be wept under the rug. They in fact effect every student and family in one fashion or another. But, the question remains….given these realities, how will the leadership of our day schools and yeshivot  prepare these students for this coming school year.

Preparation for the new school year should therefore include the engagement of  student counselors and school psychologists who are trained in responding to trauma, special assemblies and programs which are devoted to the crisis, as well as school-wide chesed programs in support of achienu living in Israel.

Our schools must also be prepared to offer our students, faculty and parents with a series of well designed seminars, lectures, diveri torah and classes devoted to combating antisemitism, the building of Jewish identity ahavat yisrael and achdut, resilience and other topics which prepare our students and faculty for the harsh realities that we have or are currently experiencing in the world and in our communities.

How our educational leaders prepare our schools for these challenges will surely test their leadership and resolve.

This is especially critical in light of the recent Israeli Security Cabinet’s  decision to intensify its involvement in Gaza.

All indications therefore strongly suggest that the next several months will be challenging and difficult at best. Will our schools be prepared? Will world Jewry be prepared?  Time will tell.

Preparing our students and their families for the coming school year takes more than following a checklist. It requires sensitivity, insight, due-diligence and a sense of urgency and proactive leadership.

It is our hope and prayer that our schools will be blessed with outstanding  leadership needed to educate and inspire our current and future generations.

But, as we know, although all is b’yad and b’etzpah (the hand and finger) of HaShem, we must also do our part.