The Catholic School Leaders Podcast

[00:00:00] Welcome to Podcast, where we discuss leadership in Catholic education. I'm Jon Mahalio, your host in this podcast, as always, is dedicated to enhancing Catholic education and connecting Catholic school leaders all over the world. Well, at the time I'm recording this episode, it is nearing Christmas time.

It's a good mood for everybody. Everybody's coming off a Thanksgiving break. Looking forward to Christmas break ahead Everybody's in a great mood because there's probably lots of treats and cookies and extra snacks that are coming into the school Wonderful luncheons or Christmas parties or things like that are happening in your school community It's just a really really bright and energetic time for your school Whole school and especially especially for your faculty.

But today I'm gonna ask you to start thinking a little bit beyond that as a school leader. And I want you to start thinking about January just for a little [00:01:00] bit because everybody is preparing for Christmas and everybody is preparing for Christmas break, which is exactly what we should be doing. But we can't forget about what's coming in January and when we come back to school from this Christmas break So we're going to talk about that for a little bit today But before we get started, I want to begin this episode as we do all episodes with a prayer So let's pause for just a moment In the name of the father and the son and the holy spirit Heavenly Father, thank you for this opportunity to come together today as your children to talk about just the importance of our Catholic schools and Catholic education.

Please bless all of us, including myself, our listeners, and all those Catholic school leaders across the world. In their works that we may give your name, honor, praise, and glory. We pray our work today will bring your light, love, and mission to our listeners and to the world. We ask this through your Son, Jesus Christ, Amen.

If you're enjoying today's episode, please don't forget to like and subscribe and share this content [00:02:00] with other Catholic school leaders. All across the world and in your network. I can't thank you enough. So Christmas break is closing in now Let me just say this that you may be finding this episode in a later point in the year and you're saying well This really doesn't apply for me for Christmas break But maybe you're closing in on summer break, or maybe you're closing in on Easter break, or maybe you're, uh, a spring break, fall break, whatever.

We all have these times during our school year where there's a gap in, in the schooling, and kids go away for a little bit of a break, and teachers go away for a little bit of a break. Everybody has those circled on their calendar, and it just becomes such a fun, fun time. So this time, I'm, I'm gonna really focus on Christmas.

And if it's warm where you are right now, or if it's July and you're listening to this, you can think back to all those Christmas lights and the cold weather, uh, and just, uh, enjoying that time of year for sure. So as I mentioned, right now in our schools, there's a lot of Parties that are happening. There are kids and parents and [00:03:00] everybody's just preparing for fun events surrounding this time of year.

I know there's an annual Christmas party in a lot of schools or in their classrooms. Faculty may be coming together or students coming together for those ugly Christmas sweaters or whatever the tradition might be in your school that just is a lot of fun. Christmas concerts, singing carols, whatever the case might be.

Just a special, special time for all of our schools in general. And so, as I said, our teachers are spoiled this time of year. That's the way it should be. Lots and lots of spoiling of them with treats and gifts and all the festivities just to say thank you for all the hard work that they're doing.

Everybody is just having a great time, and as the leaders, we're responsible for making sure that this time of year is a special one for everybody, and we're keeping Christ at the center of everything that we do, His birth. But, we also want to be thinking about what happens in January, because everybody is preparing and getting to Christmas break, but as [00:04:00] leaders, we're kind of forced, To be thinking about that dreaded day when everyone returns to school whether it's January 2nd or 3rd or 5th Whatever day it might be that your school Returns and your break ends It's usually a day of doom and gloom because everybody is coming off of their break and tired and they're used to Sleeping in and staying up a little later Uh, whatever it might be, it's a long day for everybody.

And so now, I have no issue with the date of January 2nd, it's a very fine day. but, there's a substantial mental elephant in the room with this reality that Christmas break has ended, or if you're listening to this in the summer, that summer break has ended, and everybody's returning to work, they're returning to school.

The reality is, is, uh, Everyone is just, oh man, you might have some people excited to get back or whatever the case might be, but I think that a lot of people are really really wishing that that break was just a little bit longer. People are setting their alarm clocks for the [00:05:00] first time in a few weeks.

They're picking out what they're gonna wear. They're getting their uniforms ready. Teachers are preparing those lessons. Most likely, after, uh, returning from this time, either report cards are just about ready to be due. Maybe they were due right before the break, depending on what your schedule looks like.

So, everybody's waking up earlier, and everybody's kind of getting back into that group of things. But how can you, as a leader, help everybody get back into the swing of things in January? Because, it's an important time of year, and, and, let's just all be honest, that January Return to school to that long Easter break if that's what your schedule looks like is a long one now Maybe we have a few three day weekends here and there and that's great But winter sports are in full swing and it's getting darker earlier and tuition announcements are coming in January and just everything is, is, flying around.

So how can we make sure that we're keeping this January time of year ready to support [00:06:00] our students, ready to support our faculty when this day comes? And, and so let's be thinking about January now. So I'm going to give you just a couple of tips that I have. to help make your January a great one for your school community.

So number one, maintain normal. So I know that sounds kind of crazy to say, Hey, uh, business as usual. It's kind of like the, the character saying, Everything, everybody remain calm. Everything's fine. All is well. Everything's fine. Uh, but hear me out on this one. People are going to watch you and they're going to take their lead from you.

And if you are dragging coming back into the building and you are saying, Oh, I wish that I was still at home and I wish I was still sitting on the couch or drinking coffee, reading the paper, whatever it is. you're giving everybody permission to be sad. And so if you're happy and excited to see everyone, get back into your everyday routines, begin preparing for what's coming next, most of your faculty is going to follow that lead and they are going to kind of feed off of your energy.

So number one, maintain [00:07:00] normal. Now I'm going to take a break from our list just for a quick moment to just have a quick conversation with you about elementary advancement solutions. If you are listening to this and you are a Catholic school leader, you are looking to boost your enrollment.

Maybe your advancement efforts, your fundraising efforts are not hitting the marks that you want them to. or maybe you just want a stronger foundation at your school, Elementary Advancement Solutions is here to help. They have over two decades of experience in leadership, advancement, and enrollment strategies, a proven track record of success, and they specialize in helping schools, specifically Catholic schools, grow their enrollment so that it is sustainable for the future.

Whether it's creating an advancement plan, Increasing your retention, securing funding for major projects, whatever it is, we got you covered on that one. So I want you to visit elementaryadvancement. com to learn more about how we can partner with you. to achieve all the goals that your school has. [00:08:00] Now, I want to get back to our episode. Number two, be visible, but even be more visible than normal. So, I always say as a school leader, you need to be visible. It's one of the most important things you can do is to be seen, and this time of the year, being visible is even more important than usual, because it shows that you're engaged, It doesn't give anyone the impression that you're just doing nothing, but I don't know, making Amazon returns in your office or whatever the case might be.

I know nobody out there would do that, but I'm just saying, when people don't see you, they're wondering what it is that you're doing this time of year. So, be visible, be out, asking kids how their break was, and hearing about all their wonderful, wonderful things that they did over the Christmas break. And, Being present in your school, being visible this time of year is even more important than normal. Next one, be understanding. Coming back from Christmas, it might be difficult for some of your team members. Maybe this is the first Christmas that they're spending without a loved one. Or maybe they traveled to see family that they're not going to be seeing again for a couple of months.

Or [00:09:00] it's possible someone had a significant change in their life over the break. Maybe they added a new puppy to their family or an engagement took place. There's a lot of exciting things happening over the break, but be understanding and supportive of your team now more than ever. And we don't want to overlook celebrating with those who may just be excited about something that happened over the break or asking them about how things are going.

It's an exciting time of year, but just be understanding of where people are coming back from. Some are going to be on highs, some are going to be on lows. Be understanding of them and just be the leader that they need you to be. The next one I always say is to check on your team. When you make your rounds throughout the school, check on them.

If you haven't gotten to know them that well, it's likely an opportunity to pick someone up who's struggling or as someone who's just absolutely loving life. It all comes down to just knowing your team and knowing what they are all about and how they're doing. Uh, and just check on them, be there for them, and check on them [00:10:00] frequently, and I guess that goes in with being visible more now than ever.

Now, before we get to the rest of our list, I just want to take a quick pause here and we're going to jump right back into the conversation. I want to tell you, that I believe there are six keys that every Catholic school needs to have to be successful. And these six keys are a game changer. And, and I have put together a guide for you that is going to give your team some great guiding questions to evaluate where your school is at in these six areas.

I'm going to give it to you absolutely free. If you're looking for practical insights to take your school to the next level, you are not going to want to miss this free resource. You can get it at elementaryadvancement. com forward slash keys. That's K E Y S. Your copy today for free. You're going to love it.

You're going to enjoy it. It's going to be so helpful to your school and help you move forward. Let's get back to our episode now. The next one I can say to you is communicate, and then communicate just a little bit more, and then communicate even [00:11:00] more. Because there's always, always, always an important thing in terms of communication coming back from Christmas break. The communication in your school is going to be absolutely critical.

A lot of significant information is likely going to be going out to families and the teachers. Questions that people are going to be asking is, is your tuition coming out? What's it going to be? Be sure to explain when your tuition comes out what it is the reason for any increases with as much detail as you can.

Is there, bad weather expected? Well, remind parents now of what you're supposed to be doing and how you're going to notify them of delays and cancellations. Just any kind of information that you can provide to them. Remind our parents where and how and what is going on and where they can find information so that they're not out there writing an ending to a chapter in the book.

Uh, that you don't know about. Okay? Communicate with them. Communicate clearly. Communicate thoroughly. You cannot over communicate things. You cannot over communicate things to your parents, and they are [00:12:00] going to appreciate that. Your parents, your faculty, everybody will. Keep the faith present is another great one.

The birth of Christ is always a special and exciting time of year in the church, and just like that, it's come and gone. The ending of Christmas break doesn't mean that Christ has to leave your school. Okay, let's keep the light of Christ burning in our school for everybody to see is a Catholic school We are Catholic schools, not private schools So we don't just have to wait for Christmas to come around to celebrate our faith Okay So keeping the faith present in our schools at all times It's gonna be so critical and coming back in January is no different now I'm also going to be the first to remind you that Lent is coming up soon, so be on the lookout for when that date is going to be starting so you can prepare your faculty and your students for Lent as well.

The next one I would recommend to you is use the time that you schedule with your faculty to build your culture. You'll likely have some upcoming faculty meetings on your calendar, and if not, I would say [00:13:00] today, before you do anything else, please, please, please get those faculty meetings on the calendar so that the people will know when they're going to be meeting with you.

Because I can assure you that at Christmas time, people like surprises, but they don't like surprises of faculty meetings two days before they're going to happen. So use this time when your faculty is going to be together. How are you using this time to build your culture and improve your culture at your school?

coming back in January, that's going to be so crucial. And finally, last but certainly not least, just take care of yourself. Because everyone likely has heard that expression where you got to put your oxygen mask on first and as I always say There's two reasons for this one is you can't help others if you're not helping yourself first.

That's the obvious one However, the other one that we always say is is that if you're not helping yourself you become an obstacle for others to succeed So take the time to take care of yourself this break As well as, when it comes to an end, be there for your family, be there for your [00:14:00] teachers, be there for your students, be there for yourself.

This is an exciting time of year, but we always need to make sure that we are taking care of ourselves so that we can be there for others to serve them. If you are listening to this at the Christmas break or approaching Christmas, I wish you a very, very Merry Christmas. I pray for you and your school and your families and your students that you're going to have a safe and blessed Christmas and wish you nothing but the best and a very happy 2025 ahead.

If you're enjoying the Catholic School Leaders podcast, please be sure to like and subscribe, and don't forget to share these podcasts with other Catholic school leaders in your network.