#SchoolPR Insights Blog

During the school year, the main focus is the students. Although they interact on a daily basis, there isn’t much time for staff members to really get to know each other. But during summer break, there are many opportunities to strengthen bonds among staff, whether through diversity training, community service projects or team-building activities.

Use the remaining summer weeks to bring the whole team closer together. Build camaraderie and an overall positive culture now, so staff members can have a strong, unified start to the school year.

Team-building activities

Schools operate more efficiently when colleagues work together as a team. Teamwork helps individual staff members succeed while ensuring the team, the student population and the school also succeed. Staff members are stronger together, and for that reason, it’s important to practice working as a team over the summer.

There are several types of team-building activities to explore. You could split colleagues into small groups and give them a puzzle to solve. Or, you could present a challenge they can only overcome through teamwork. The activity could be as simple as answering ice breaker questions, so everyone can get to know each other. The goal is to build trust and show that colleagues can rely on each other for support.

Diversity and inclusion training

In addition to developing teamwork, you can build a positive school culture by educating staff on topics that relate to diversity and inclusion. No matter their role, every staff member interacts with students, teachers, families and other colleagues with different backgrounds. Diversity and inclusion training allows your team to start the school year with a thorough understanding of how to model respect and acceptance.

This form of staff training covers many topics relevant to a school environment, such as equality regarding race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability and socio-economic status. Your team will likely complete training modules—whether independently or as a group—that address several of these topics.

Community service projects

Another great way to build a healthy, positive culture is through community service. Work as a team to decide which community service project interests everyone the most, whether that involves distributing meals, filling backpacks for low-income families or cleaning up a local park. Community service allows colleagues to bond while collaborating for a good cause.

Use summer to establish your culture

Your team has the power to choose the school’s culture. The important part is to establish a consistent, agreed-upon vision of what that culture looks like. Then, you can work together to bring it to life in the new school year.