--- title: End the Year with Joy and a Free Resource! description: Discover strategies and download a free resource to appreciate faculty, encourage self-reflection, foster community, and have fun as an administration team. image: https://blog.foliocollaborative.org/hubfs/Stock%20images/Large%20Stock%20Images/1280-2%20adult%20male%20teachers%20laughing%20in%20school%20office.jpg --- [![Folio Site Logo 250 x 100 px](https://blog.foliocollaborative.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Folio%20Site%20Logo%20250%20x%20100%20px.png?width=175&height=70&name=Folio%20Site%20Logo%20250%20x%20100%20px.png "Folio Site Logo 250 x 100 px")](https://foliocollaborative.org/) [![Folio Collaborative company logo](https://blog.foliocollaborative.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Logos/Folio_ColoronTrans_Full%20lockup%20horz.png?width=1801&height=1500&name=Folio_ColoronTrans_Full%20lockup%20horz.png "Folio Collaborative company logo")](https://foliocollaborative.org/) This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. - [Speak with an expert](https://meetings.hubspot.com/alaena1/consultation-call) - Solutions - [Our Approach](https://foliocollaborative.org/our-approach) - [Platform](https://foliocollaborative.org/solutions) - [Professional Learning](https://foliocollaborative.org/professional-learning) - [Research](https://foliocollaborative.org/the-state-of-faculty-growth-in-independent-schools) - [Events](https://45568612.hs-sites.com/folio-events) - [Resources](https://blog.foliocollaborative.org) - [Newsletter](https://info.foliocollaborative.org/the-folio-quarterly-professional-growth-delivered) - [Members](https://foliocollaborative.org/member-schools) - About - [Board of Directors](https://foliocollaborative.org/board-of-directors) - [Advisory Board](https://foliocollaborative.org/advisory-board) - [Team](https://foliocollaborative.org/team) - [Company](https://foliocollaborative.org/about-2) - [Careers](https://foliocollaborative.org/about-2#careers) - [Contact Us](https://foliocollaborative.org/contact) # End the Year with Joy and a Free Resource! by [The Folio Team](https://blog.foliocollaborative.org/author/admin)   |   May 11, 2022   ## Are you setting your school community up for success *next* year? ### End of Year Self-Reflection By designating time to reflect, school leaders can set the stage for more meaningful goal-setting in the fall, determine what did and did not work over the past year, and create opportunities for celebration. Help your team recognize the positive – insights, growth, improvements to keep for next year. Start with our [free End of Year Reflection Resource](https://foliocollaborative.org/wp-content/uploads/End-of-Year-Reflection-Packet-Spring-2021.pdf?mc_cid=242c409eaf&mc_eid=df150bfb35), then schedule time to share out in pairs or small groups. Finish by celebrating the work done over the past year. Use the information gathered to create action plans and evaluate school initiatives as a leadership team. Follow up with faculty and share your own reflections. ### Spotlights As an admin team, go through your faculty and staff members’ list and assign an Administrator each individual to [Spotlight](https://foliocollab.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360063634973-Shining-a-Spotlight) during the last week of school. Share specific and personal appreciation for the work that person did over the school year. Highlight times they brought joy to school and made positive impacts on the community. ### Make Yourself Available Create blocks in your calendar for faculty to book a time to come for an end-of-year chat. Ask them about their year – high points and low points – and what they are looking forward to in the next school year. Allow faculty and staff space to say what is on their mind. This is how you will learn more about your team members in order to make genuine connections. ### Community Feed Use prompts in the [Community Feed](https://foliocollab.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360058959393-Create-a-Community-Post) to encourage connection amongst faculty and staff before summer break begins. Don’t forget to add your own responses to get momentum going. Here are some examples of prompts: 1. 1. What books are you excited to read this summer? 2. What’s your favorite summer playlist? OR What’s your song of the summer? (You can then create a staff playlist and share it on Spotify, Apple Music, or however you make your playlists.) 3. Do you have any summer plans you are excited about? 4. Did your class have an end-of-year project that you’d like to share? This could be an art show, classroom slideshow, class book, etc. 5. What’s your fondest memory from the past year? ### Take time to laugh! Isn’t laughing the best? [And it’s important](https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/insights/make-em-laugh-how-humor-can-be-secret-weapon-your-communication)! Work together as an administration team to have some fun and create space to laugh at your end-of-year meetings. A favorite end of year tradition at one of our team's former schools was staff sharing a list of phrases heard in the main office throughout the year (with identifying information removed).  Whatever you do, have fun and laugh! #### About the author The Folio Team [Follow me on my website](https://foliocollaborative.org/) [Follow me on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/foliocollaborative/) Folio is your partner in facilitating professional growth strategies that last. Our customizable framework empowers school leaders to help their teachers thrive and our platform sustains the process. Originally spun out of McDonogh School and proudly built in Baltimore, Maryland, Folio is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit used by independent schools nationwide. Topics:   [teacher retention](https://blog.foliocollaborative.org/tag/teacher-retention) ,   [learning community & culture](https://blog.foliocollaborative.org/tag/learning-community-culture) ### Related posts [Starting Strong with Strategic Professional Growth Setup](https://blog.foliocollaborative.org/starting-strong-with-strategic-professional-growth-setup) [Folio Collaborative: Helping Schools Deliver On Their Value Proposition](https://blog.foliocollaborative.org/folio-collaborative-helping-schools-deliver-on-their-value-proposition) [Leverage myFolio Reports to Deepen Practice and Institutional Impact](https://blog.foliocollaborative.org/leverage-myfolio-reports-to-deepen-practice-and-institutional-impact) [The Lifeline to Why I Love Teaching: How Grace Church School Transformed End-of-Year Conversations](https://blog.foliocollaborative.org/the-lifeline-to-why-i-love-teaching-how-grace-church-school-transformed-end-of-year-conversations) [A Unified System for a Unified Mission: Support and Feedback for Faculty and Staff](https://blog.foliocollaborative.org/a-unified-system-for-a-unified-mission-support-and-feedback-for-faculty-and-staff) [Five Appreciation Fridays: A Leadership Discipline for Catching People Doing Something Right](https://blog.foliocollaborative.org/five-appreciation-fridays-a-leadership-discipline-for-catching-people-doing-something-right) [Making Accreditation Your Blueprint for School Health](https://blog.foliocollaborative.org/making-accreditation-your-blueprint-for-school-health) [6 Ways to Elevate Feedback and Well-being with myFolio's Mindful Minute](https://blog.foliocollaborative.org/6-ways-to-elevate-feedback-and-well-being-with-myfolios-mindful-minute) [The Power of Holistic Teacher Observation and Feedback](https://blog.foliocollaborative.org/the-power-of-holistic-teacher-observation-and-feedback) ©  2026 COPYRIGHT Folio Collaborative. All rights reserved. ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "The Folio Team", "url" : "https://blog.foliocollaborative.org/author/admin" }, "dateModified" : "2024-07-24T22:23:48.339Z", "datePublished" : "2022-05-11T00:57:47.000Z", "headline" : "End the Year with Joy and a Free Resource!", "image" : [ "https://blog.foliocollaborative.org/hubfs/Stock%20images/Large%20Stock%20Images/1280-2%20adult%20male%20teachers%20laughing%20in%20school%20office.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.foliocollaborative.org/uncategorized/5-ways-to-end-the-year-with-joy", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://blog.foliocollaborative.org/hubfs/Logos/Folio_ColoronTrans_Full%20lockup%20horz.png" }, "name" : "Folio Collaborative" } } ```