As the head administrator in the school building, the principal is responsible for the learning and wellness of all teachers, staff, and students. And like the people they oversee, back to school season for the school principal is exciting, full of potential, and deeply stressful.
Our experts at School Specialty constantly review our products to ensure they help your staff and students meet their goals. How do we know they’re experts? Because they were teachers!
We know we can’t solve every obstacle principals face, but that will never stop us from trying! Here are five areas where we want to help, and some curated items to supplement your efforts to provide a safe and successful learning environment.
Academic Achievement
It’s no surprise that the top of every educator’s wish for their students is academic achievement. Successful student outcomes require forward-thinking educators and principals who support them.
This often requires understanding that achievement may look different for each student. While some products may have a specific focus, the reality is that the most efficient tools will be just as useful for both the margins and the masses. Here are a few expert favorites to aid that effort.
Staff and Student Wellness
The physical and emotional wellness of educators and students is consistently shown to support student connectedness and success. For this reason, it’s often an area of emphasis for administrators.
From ensuring proper nutrition to promoting active learning to helping students manage stress and anxiety, we’re dedicated to providing the tools your schools need to support the wellness of all students and staff.
Maximize Budgets
School budgets are always a hot topic, and anyone involved in education likely has a strong opinion. But we consider it our responsibility to offer solutions that allow your school to achieve more with less. That’s why we rigorously test the durability of our brand products. We’re dedicated to ensuring you get name-brand quality supplies at affordable prices.
We’ve offered tips in the past on how to work within a budget to grow a classroom library, upgrade and update classroom storage, and take advantage of savings with classroom packs. Here are some more product ideas to help teachers get the most out of every dollar.
School Culture
Setting the tone of your school’s culture starts at the top. The principal can profoundly affect the confidence of students and staff and the prevention of bullying behavior.
These products are designed to encourage students to make positive decisions in how they treat themselves and each other. Build a culture that makes your school a welcoming place where kids want to come and learn.
Bullying prevention will help provide a safer school environment, but just as important as teaching students what not to do is encouraging them to lift each other up. Show all students they’re part of a school culture that values them with tools and manipulatives for a welcoming and inclusive classroom.
Student Engagement
Creating engaging learning environments can be done in several ways, depending on the needs of your students. Once you’ve identified what will best engage students and stimulate interest in their own learning, you then need to provide teachers with the tools they need to bring that vision to life.
The key is to provide students with choices so that they can find ways to make their education more meaningful. Perhaps they want to start a robotics program or strengthen a music program. It could even be as simple as providing sensory spaces that allow students to self-manage or taking a class outdoors to engage in active science learning.
If you’re looking for a more significant update for an engaging classroom experience, an interactive sensory corner would be a hit with students of all ages. These multisensory environments give students a calming experience, allowing them to relax and regain a sense of control.
The many ways schools evolve in teaching create a constant need for new tools to support new objectives. We may not have all the answers, but we hear your questions and won’t stop until we find solutions for every school and classroom.
Visit the School Specialty website for more information and ideas to reduce back to school stress so you can enjoy the unlimited potential of a new school year.
