It is so important that teacher wellbeing doesn't become tokenistic- wittled down to a special day or week. It should be ongoing and holistic, so that it becomes embedded into the very fabric of a school and its culture.
In addition to ongoing prioritising of teacher wellbeing, Staff Well-Being Weeks can also be a really fun addition to your school calendar!
Staff Well-Being Week
One of the highlights of my time so far as an Assistant Principal has been working with our school leadership team to establish a Staff Well-being Week- a week spent thanking staff for all their hard work. This occurs every term in Week 5- half way through the term.
What does Staff Well-Being Week look like?
- All meetings are cancelled
- Staff dress up day
- A fun bonding game or activity e.g. Assassins, aerobics, Masterchef or kindness challenges just to name a few
- School executive cook breakfast for all staff
- Little treats throughout the week e.g. a chocolate with a pun message
- We end with a staff social event on the Friday afternoon.
It’s a chance for our staff to stop, rest, feel appreciated, come together, have some laughs, and let off some much-needed steam.
Staff Well-being Week has become such an incredibly important part of our school. If you are in any form of school leadership, or even if you’re not, I highly recommend implementing some sort of staff well-being initiative at your own school.
Believe me, it’s a winner! I know, I probably had you at ‘no meetings’.