3 MUST-DOs for Principals to Start the School Year Strong

The first weeks of a new school year sets the tone for the months ahead. As a principal, this is your opportunity to establish culture, build relationships, and create a clear vision for success. Here are three MUST-DOs to ensure you and your school community start the year on the right foot.

1. Be Highly Visible and Accessible

Your presence matters. Greet students at arrival, walk the hallways, and visit classrooms EVERY DAY. This isn’t about monitoring, it’s about connection. When teachers, students, and parents see you actively engaged in the life of the school, they feel supported and valued.

2. Clearly Communicate Expectations and Priorities

The start of the year is the perfect time to set the tone for your school culture. Ensure staff, students, and families understand your vision and the key priorities for the year. Provide clarity around requirements, goals, and how success will be measured.

3. Build Relationships Before Diving Into Initiatives

Strong relationships are the foundation of school success. Invest time early on in building trust with your staff, students, and families. Attend events, listen to concerns, and celebrate small wins. People will be more open to feedback and new initiatives when they know you value them as individuals.

The first few weeks of school are not about perfection. They are about presence, clarity, and connection. Keep working to set a strong foundation for a successful year ahead.

Clutter Is Delayed Decision Making

As educators, we’re no strangers to clutter—on our desks, in our inboxes, on our shelves, and often, in our minds. Whether it’s a growing pile of papers, unread professional development books, or a digital desktop overflowing with files, clutter is not just a mess, it is a message.

At its core, clutter is delayed decision-making. Every piece of paper we keep “just in case,” every email we flag but never file, and every stack of outdated curriculum materials we hang onto.  These are all decisions we’ve postponed. While each item may seem small, the mental load they create is significant. Clutter quietly chips away at our focus, our creativity, and even our sense of control.

Why This Matters in Education

Educators make hundreds (maybe thousands!) of decisions a day. We manage learning environments, relationships, lesson plans, assessments, and more. When physical or mental clutter piles up, it limits our cognitive bandwidth and emotional energy. We start reacting instead of responding. We feel overwhelmed, distracted, or disorganized.  It is not because we’re incapable, but because the noise of unmade decisions drowns out our clarity.

Clearing the Path

Here are a few ways educators can turn “maybe later” into “decided now”:

• Start small. Pick one drawer, one email folder, or one category (like old handouts) and make decisions: Keep, toss, or take action.

• Use the “one-touch” rule. When you pick something up, be it a paper, email, or task, deal with it immediately if possible. Delayed decisions multiply.

• Ask yourself: What’s the purpose? If an item doesn’t serve your teaching practice, your students, or your peace of mind, it might be time to let it go.

• Set routines for resets. End your day or your week by clearing your desk or inbox. Five intentional minutes on can give you a fresh start to the next day.

Leading by Example

Just as we model lifelong learning and kindness, we can also model clarity and intentionality. A de-cluttered space says, “I value focus. I make room for what matters.” In a world of constant demands and rapid change, that’s a powerful message to send to ourselves, our colleagues, and our students.

So next time you see that pile or hesitate over a small task, pause and remember: clutter is just a decision waiting to be made. As educators, we are more than capable of making meaningful ones.