December Principal's Update
By John Burkholder
December, the last month of the calendar year. It is both a time to reflect back on the year that was, and a time to look forward to the coming year, making plans and perhaps throwing in a New Year’s resolution or two for good measure. It is an end and a beginning. Not so in the professional lives of teachers. December moves teachers closer to the midpoint of the school year on a journey that traverses a calendar whose last month is spelled J-u-n-e. By the month of December teachers have developed a deep understanding of the learning styles and needs of each and every one of their students, and the finely tuned hum of classroom instruction can be heard throughout our school. Teachers rest a little easier in December knowing that an extended winter break awaits them and their students, and that all will return well rested for late winter and early spring when the strongest academic gains tend to occur.
In contrast to the professional calendar of teachers is the work cycle of the principal, which more closely follows the traditional 12 month calendar beginning in January and ending in December. By December programmatic practices are in place, schedules and routines are familiar to all, and all budgetary accounts have either been spent or are encumbered. Thus, in December as principal I will make any needed final adjustments to the plan for the 2022-2023 school year, and when we return in January my sights will be squarely on the 2023-2024 school year.
January begins with the rolling up of current student numbers at each grade level to the next while at the same time gathering estimates of the number of 6th grade students who are expected to enter through our doors come September. These are all important numbers because when I receive next year's staffing allocations in February, I will need to have done my homework in order to know if staffing levels seem to match future enrollment totals. When I receive our staffing allocations it sets in motion a process of shifting staff members internally and the development and follow through of the steps to hiring for any open positions for the coming school year. February too marks the beginning of student class placement with a review of our overall process followed soon after in March with the first official steps in creating student schedules. In spring we also begin to develop a new School Improvement Plan that will guide the work at Hamilton Middle in the 2023-2024 school year, a document that will not be completed officially until September.
None of the above is meant to communicate that as principal I am not present in the day to day work of our school for the remainder of the current school year. We still have many professional develop sessions to plan and carry out across the remainder of the year in support of current SIP year goals. In addition, assisting teachers and staff members and meeting with parents will always be important parts of my day across the entire school year. And lastly, supporting students and being present in classrooms and other locations in our school are still and always will be a part of my day that connect me with the joy of my work.
I hope you have a great December and a wonderful Winter Break, planning ahead for the New Year!
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