As this school year comes to a close, we’ve pulled out an old article from our archives to review how to wrap up the school year when it comes to your school’s School Advisory Council (SAC).
This is a great time to think about how to wind down the year and prepare for the future. There are three time periods you can think about: the end of the school year, the summer, and the start of the next school year. We took the following tips from our archives to review how you can think about these three time periods of the year and feel as prepared as possible.

Wrapping Up the End of the School Year

Wrap Up Projects. One of the best ways to wrap up your school year is to wrap up any remaining projects. Delegate remaining tasks to different people. It’s likely best not to start any new projects and just focus on what needs to be completed for the year.

Reflect on the Year. Reflect on what happened in the past year. You can think, write, or share in your SAC about the following things:

• What went well?
• What were some successes, expected or unexpected that your SAC had?
• What could have been improved?
• What were some barriers or hindrances to success this past year?

Figure out SAC membership. Figure out who’s staying and who’s leaving from your SAC. Are there SAC leaders leaving? Consider having newly selected leaders meet to discuss the role responsibilities and prepare to pass the baton. Do you need to have a SAC Election? You can always reach out to the SAC Support Team for any technical assistance.

Celebrate! Celebrate all of the things you’ve accomplished! Find a way in your SAC to show off the things you have achieved together.

The Summer

Keep in touch. Try to send simple messages or emails saying “hi” or keeping in touch so that people don’t forget about the SAC in the summer months.

Remind everyone about the fall meeting. As the summer comes to a close, in the final message, remind people of the fall meeting date so people can save the date.

The Start of Next School Year

Have your first SAC meeting. Work with your principal to set a fall meeting date, and try to meet as early as possible. Spread the word about your first SAC meeting!

Review the end of last year. Review what happened last year in your SAC. This can be a good opportunity to read the last meeting’s notes or minutes to see where you left off at the end of the last year and begin to plan for new projects.

Set goals for the school year. Work together to establish goals for this school year. Some questions you can ask to jumpstart the conversation are:

• What are some things the SAC was discussing at the end of the previous school year that you may want to continue?
• What are some actionable items in the School Improvement Plan?
• What pieces of data can the SAC examine to provide feedback on this school year?

Remember, it’s never too late to start planning in advance and looking forward! You can find more SAC training materials at www.philasd.org/face/sac. For any additional assistance with your school’s SAC, please email sac@philasd.org or call 215-400-4180, Option #3. Let’s have a strong SAC end to the school year together!