As this column reaches most of our readers, our school year will be over for the students. With the weather finally turning nice, the idea of being done with school in mid-June will certainly sit well with our students and staff. Such an early release puts even more of a time crunch on teachers as they wrap up the myriad activities that must be finished before they can depart for the summer. For most of our direct services staff (teachers, paraprofessionals, bus drivers, cafeteria workers) the end of school marks a distinct change in pace and activities. For the remaining staff, however, the end of school marks an increase in activities. Before long I’ll find the hallways full of furniture as the custodial staff do deep cleaning, redo floors, and complete maintenance work. Our technical staff will be busy updating servers, networks, telephone systems, our computers and the many other items that are part and parcel of a modern school complex. Our financial and business office staff will be working diligently to complete the current fiscal year’s books while setting up and beginning a new fiscal year. Secretaries, coming off the frenzied last few weeks of dealing with student activities, will be catching up on all of the other end of school and reporting requirements. Administrators will also be completing all of the required reporting requirements before taking time to reflect on and implement changes they’d like to make before the students return in late August.
Far from being a quiet time for all, summer break is really just a change in activities and routine for everyone. Teachers often use this time to continue their education, gain work experience and a different set of skills outside of education, and generally improve their ability to positively interact with students upon their return to school. Students participate in many different activities over the summer–enjoy some leisure time, work, participate in various family activities, travel and engage in different sports. I’d also suggest to parents and family members that we ensure that students also continue to use their academic skills by reading, being engaged in discussions of the world around them (current events, nature/science, math skills), using and sharpening their writing skills (correspondence, personal journal, etc.), learn and use appropriate computer skills, and are generally challenged to expand their application of knowledge and skills to the world around us. By getting our students to apply academic experiences to the ‘real’ world we can help them maintain their skills, make education more ‘relevant’, and display the necessity of making learning a life-long process rather than one having a finite ‘end’.
In support of the high school guidance department’s push for college and career readiness, those families with Juniors, Seniors and even Sophomores can use the summer as a time to start planning ahead for college and looking at career options. Reviewing college materials on-line, determining entrance requirements, recalling and documenting achievements and visiting colleges and workplaces, talking with people in areas of career interests are all great activities to do when there is a little less pressure from time spent completing homework and participating in school activities.
Over the next several weeks, the administrators and I will be reviewing this past year and begin incorporating ideas from the 2025 planning process, the MARS report, and our own surveys into revised and updated school and district improvement plans. We will be sharing some of our thoughts and ideas with you through this column as the summer progresses. As we enjoy the change in the season and the wonders of living in the hilltowns, let us remember that we are a community that can be proud of what we’ve accomplished while still looking to improve different aspects of our lives. I wish all of our staff, students, families, and the citizens of our communities a safe, enjoyable, and productive summer.
