Creating your first staff meeting as a new department head
The first day your teaching staff arrives for the new school year, they should receive their first staff memo that outlines routine plans for the first quarter. This could include individual responsibilities, for example writing evaluation items, meeting dates, etc. It should indicate the date, time and place of the first department / staff meeting. This should be as close to day one as possible.
Include a proposed agenda for the meeting. Send an invitation to your staff to present other items as well. Decide whether these agenda items should be included in this meeting or should be included in the agenda of the next department meeting. Make sure there is flexibility in the schedule. Strive to keep the meeting short and concise, diverting contentious issues to the next meeting.
Below is a suggested agenda with an explanation attached:
1. Welcome to all staff, especially new ones who may need to be introduced to all of your staff. Talk to them beforehand by advising them of the presentation and asking them to tell the staff a little about themselves. (This last part would be optional).
2. Introduce yourself. Give a brief history of your career so far. Talk about your professional interests and your interests outside of school. Explain that you are delighted to be at school and that you look forward to having a happy and fruitful time with them.
3. Open Door Policy: Tell your staff that “your office door is always open” to discuss whatever is necessary. Your only request is that if your office door is closed, it means you are in a delicate meeting situation. If the problem they have is urgent, they should call you.
4. Your plans and goals: Provide an overview of your initial plans and goals that emerged from discussions with the administration team and the last Head of Curriculum / Department. However, you do not have set plans to implement those goals until you have spoken, one-on-one, with all staff.
5. One-on-one meetings with staff: Explain briefly what you want to accomplish with these meetings. Give each staff member an agenda for these meetings with suggested times for each teacher to meet with you. Confirm schedules or make new arrangements.
6. Discuss the routine arrangements for the start of the period.
7. Next meeting, its date and place, plus a request for items on the agenda.
8. General business – urgent business only. Other items can be noted for the next meeting’s agenda.
Remember that the meeting is short. No teacher likes long meetings at any time, much less one to start the year. Therefore, keep the meeting agenda on track and do not allow contentious issues to arise.