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How you start the school year matters. The first days and weeks set the tone for everything that follows — and no one knows that better than Cathy Sork, 2024 51¸£ÀûÉç Elementary Principal of the Year and principal at Dorothy Fox Elementary in Camas. In her recent article for NAESP’s Communicator, Cathy shares nine creative, practical ways principals can help students feel like essential members of their school community from the moment they walk through the doors.

You are the architect of your building’s culture, its systems, and its commitment to learning. That’s not small work—that’s transformational. So here’s your invitation: Before the first bell rings, take some time to reflect. What do you want to be true about your school by October? What will you design now to make that vision a reality? Let’s start strong. The blueprint is in your hands.