As you look ahead to January, it is worth pausing to consider the message–and the challenge–you want to bring as educators return from winter break.
This is not just any pause in the year. Winter break is a culturally embedded moment when people refuel, reconnect with family and community, and deliberately disconnect from work. Many of your colleagues will come back both grateful for the time away and wary of being rushed immediately back onto the treadmill. That makes the first days of January a powerful leadership moment: a chance to honor the human need for rest and renewal, while also inviting people back into a shared sense of purpose.
When we asked several Connecticut superintendents how they think about this moment; a few themes came through clearly.
First, start with humanity and gratitude: offer explicit permission to rest, then welcome people back with a simple, authentic message—“I’m glad you are here, and our students need the best of us”—often paired with small but meaningful rituals like a shared breakfast, handwritten notes, or wellness supports.
Second, reconnect people to purpose: use the first leadership meetings to re-ground everyone in the “why” of the work—your Portrait of a Graduate, your core values, your vision for “trajectory-changing schools” where every student belongs.
Third, pair encouragement with focus and feedback: narrow the agenda to a few priorities, share what you have learned from data and listening since September, and make visible the ways you are adjusting course in response.
Finally, remember that people grow through relationships: Mid-year conferences, open leadership meetings, and structured time to recognize and learn from one another’s successes all send the same message: you are not alone in this work; we are in it with you.
So, as you plan for January, you might ask yourself: What do you most want to reaffirm as school resumes–about your values, your commitments to young people, and the kind of community you are building together? What have you learned since September that should refine your priorities, goals, or ways of working? How might you use the first staff meeting, the first classroom visits, the first school newsletters of the new year to underscore what matters most, offer a clear focus for the months ahead, and invite honest feedback about what is and is not working?
Now is the time to plan that message with intention, so that when the doors open after winter break, your words and actions help your community feel seen, grounded, and ready to move forward together.
