Completing the School
Year End of Term Procedures Successfully
Arlyne LeSchack
Somewhere around the beginning of May you will receive an end
of term calendar from your school principal. One of the first
things you will have complete is a “Preference Sheet,”
indicating what grades would be your first, second and third choice
to teach. Submit this form back to the principal, making a copy
for yourself. If you want an out of classroom position, those
should be posted later. It’s a good idea to indicate somewhere
on the preference sheet that you will be applying for an out of
classroom position. You have the right to know your position ten
days before the end of the school year.
There’s lots of work to be done in the meantime. First
of all, remember that you still have to teach and maintain discipline
in your room. You shouldn’t really do any clerical work
while you are with students. If you make any mistakes on a student
record card or in your roll book- do not erase- correct with red
ink and initial the correction. There are two half days at the
end of the year set aside for clerical work.
All students should have a Cumulative Record Card. Start working
on them now; you can make many of the entries already. When you
complete the marks on the record card, be sure they match the
marks you are putting on the report card. Attendance in your roll
book is taken to the last day, but on the record card you can
presume full attendance for the rest of the year on the second
half day. Technically speaking, on the first half day teachers
on a particular grade should get together to decide on the classes
of the next grade. After those decisions are made, the record
cards should be completed and delivered to next year’s teacher
on the second half day. I say technically speaking because it
very often doesn’t work that way for any number of reasons.
When you complete the column for the days absent and present
and times late, indicate promoted or held over, go up to the next
column and enter the starting date for students for the coming
fall. You place that starting date on all the material in the
student’s folder. You will also be expected to complete
a column on the health card. Unless there is something outstanding,
most teachers indicate NSN- no symptoms noted. You will be expected
to weigh and measure the students, but not to give eye and ear
tests.
The last page of the “End Term Calendar” will be
a checklist. As you hand in things and get your records checked,
various people will sign your checklist indicating that you have
completed all the end term procedures. You’ll be expected
to hand in a reorganization sheet showing which new classes your
students have been assigned to, collect lost book money, have
your report cards checked, hand in your curriculum guides, have
your roll book checked, get your new class list, and return any
audio visual materials and textbooks. Usually the last thing you
have to hand in are your room keys. You will present the checklist
when you get your five summer checks or stubs. Some principals
may act as though you won’t get paid if you don’t
do all these things, but obviously that is not true. Have a wonderful
summer! |