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Great culture doesn’t start in August: A Summer Challenge for School Leaders!

June 18, 2026 by Amber Leave a Comment

Summer of Connection challenge poster for school leaders focused on building school culture and staff relationships during summer breakI love a checklist. A calendar. A way to SEE, obnoxiously, what my goals and plans are…
It also helps others see what I’m thinking and help hold me accountable, 😉
What if you had a calendar like this that helped prepare YOU for the next school year/quarter?
Ideas to add?
  • Read one leadership book (need a suggestion?)
  • Call a staff member just to check in
  • Send 5 appreciation texts
  • Visit a community partner
  • Meet with a student leader
  • Handwrite 3 thank-you notes
  • Listen to an education podcast
  • Take one day completely off work
  • Have lunch with another principal/leader
  •  Identify one thing to stop doing next year

Not thinking “you” centric? Do you have a goal in your campus/district improvement plans that focus on community and stakeholder partnerships?

You could partner with local businesses and share out in your campus/business socials! This is a great way to create momentum and have documentation that can be added to your plan.

Staff get stamps/checkmarks for sharing pics:

  • Visiting the library
  • Attending a city event
  • Supporting local restaurants
  • Visiting a museum
  • Shopping locally
  • Attending a school sporting event
  • Walking through a market/vendor fair

You could solicit gift cards or lil’gifties from those community relationships to give out in August from those who particpated.

Love “Leading with Appreciation”? What if you and your team of leaders spent the summer thinking of relationships through that lens…on purpose?

Every square is an intentional act of encouragement…these obviously shouldyou, your team, and ideas that reflect KNOWING your team…

  • Text a former student/family, just to check in
  • Thank a custodian/operations leader
  • Write a note to a teammate
  • Send your superintendent an encouraging note
  • Leave a positive online review for a local business
  • Deliver a Sonic drink to someone
  • Mail a card to a retired educator
  • Encourage a first-year teacher
  • Pray for a coworker
  • Recognize someone publicly
  • Surprise someone with their favorite snack

Looking to build STAFF capacity/connection??

Create a virtual poster that your teams can connect to and check off while they are out and about!

  • Have coffee with a coworker
  • Attend a community event
  • Visit a local small business
  • Read a professional article and share a takeaway
  • Send a handwritten note
  • Meet a new staff member for lunch
  • Volunteer in the community
  • Attend a ball game
  • Take a picture wearing school spirit gear
  • Recommend a book to a colleague
  • Invite someone to join you for breakfast
  • Celebrate a teammate’s accomplishment
  • Take a selfie with teammates spotted in the wild

Culture doesn’t stop in the summer, it just allows you to be MORE intentional with your time and priorities…

At the heart of  how we want leadership to be seen is helping people feel seen, valued, and connected. Small moments of connection often create the strongest foundations for culture…building a strong culture doesn’t start when teachers return to campus. It starts in the small moments of connection, appreciation, and community that happen long before the first day of school.

If you’re looking for ideas to strengthen your school culture, improve staff morale, or create a more connected campus community, I’d love to connect.

Schedule a conversation: https://calendly.com/amberteamann/20min

I’d love to hear what’s working in your district and share a few ideas that might help.

Hope you’re reading this poolside!
Summer sunN &

 

Filed Under: #leadwithappreciation Tagged With: back to school, community engagement, educational leadership, lead with appreciation, Leadership Development, principal leadership, school culture, school leadership, staff appreciation, summer challenge, teacher morale, team building

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