The start of a new school year is a cocktail of excitement and nerves—the Sunday scaries on steroids. As teachers, we’re not just prepping lessons and colour-coding planners. We’re laying the emotional and relational foundation for the year ahead. The question isn’t just "What am I teaching?" but "Who am I teaching? And who do I want to be while I do it?"

Forget the cringey icebreakers and laundry list of don’ts. This year, let’s lead with intention, presence, and heart. Let’s build a classroom culture where students feel safe, connected, and ready to learn from Day 1.

Here are five teacher-tested strategies to help you start the year strong.

1. Breaking the Ice (But Remember, It’s More Than That)

We’ve all endured the awkward name-and-adjective game (Calm Claire… Compassionate Claire… cringe). It’s meant to be a get-to-know-you moment, but let’s be honest—some icebreakers require way too much social risk for Day 1.

Instead, focus on activities that leave students walking out the door feeling positive, included, and less anxious about coming back tomorrow. That’s the win. That’s the point.

Go for low-risk, high-engagement games that:

• Get students moving

• Spark discussions without spotlighting individuals

• Foster shared experience without forced vulnerability

One of my favourites is Speed Greetings

How to do it:

Set up two facing lines of students. One line stays put, the other rotates after each question. Each pair has 30–60 seconds to answer a fun, thoughtful question.

Try these:

• If you could be any animal for a day, what would you be and why?
• If you had $500 to spend today, what would you buy?
• What’s your perfect 3-course meal?
• What’s something kids know more about than adults?
• What do you think is the best thing about being your age right now?
• If you had to save 3 things in a fire, what would they be?

It’s quick, fun, and sneaky-social. Best of all? You can reuse the format for SEL moments, topic launches, or brain breaks throughout the term.

2. Create Expectations With Students, Not For Them

You don’t want students leaving on the first day feeling weighed down by a list of “don’ts.” While it might seem like a good idea to lay down the law and not budge, it can be a huge behaviour backfire. What you really need, especially for students who might struggle with behaviour, is buy-in. I will shout it from the rooftops all day, every day. BUY IN BUY IN BUY IN. Without buy-in, we have nothing.

So, how to gain buy-in whilst still setting expectations?

A lesson on expectations must have elements of:

• Connection: Students need to understand and connect to the concept of expectations. We make a lot of assumptions about students during the expectation process, mainly that they get what they are, why they exist, and where they exist!
• Collaboration: Students need to be a part of the expectation-setting process. They need to have a voice. They need to know that it is a part of being a positive and functioning community.
• Modelling: A sense that we are all in it together, rather than it being about an imbalance in power. As the teacher, the students still have expectations of us! This is really powerful to highlight and discuss.

And remember, while it’s important to communicate these expectations explicitly and clearly, THE most effective guidance comes from your everyday actions and language.

How you follow up on behaviour, address challenges, and model the values that you want to see from your class, such as respect and consideration, will have far more of an impact than a list of rules ever could.

 
Check out the expectations lesson

3. Seating Plans: Not Just for Order

It might seem like something pretty old school to some, but seating plans are bread and butter in my secondary classroom.

A set seat helps reduce anxiety, sets tone and structure, and gives students a sense of belonging. It also helps you learn names (and spot patterns) faster. And in classrooms where dysregulation can spike, reducing the uncertainty of "Where do I sit?" is a quiet gift to every student’s nervous system.

4. Get Ahead with Parents—Especially the Tough Conversations

Make a priority list of parents and carers that you know are going to be crucial to developing that trust and rapport. With well over 100 students, there is no way I will get around to every single one of them. So I write a list of students in my classes I know have struggled with their behaviours the year prior. I then go through the list of giving their parents and carers a call with the purpose of:

• Introducing myself
• Acknowledging the issues
• Requesting any information that might help me support their child
• Expressing excitement and optimism for the year ahead
• Making a follow-up plan for contact if necessary

This simple act breaks down the barriers with families who may have struggled to get on board with the school the year prior and sends a big message that “here, with me, there is a fresh start!”

You can find scripts for having these discussions with parents inside The Behaviour Club

[Free download]

13 WHOLE-CLASS GAMES TO USE AT A PINCH

Engaging and teen approved, these games are perfect to use as icebreakers, brain breaks, connection boosters, to channel the energy in the room, or to just fill that 5 minutes of dead air time that can be a big chaos-causer!

GRAB YOUR GAMES

5. Balance Warmth with Credibility

Being warm and approachable is important, but don’t forget to balance it with your credible teaching persona. This doesn’t mean “not smiling until the holidays” but rather finding a balance that ensures we are sending the right non-verbal messages, at the right times, to get the right ‘vibe’ of the room.

Every single moment we are communicating through our body language. One of the biggest mistakes teachers make is leaning more towards the approachable in moments that call for a credible persona. One where we practise stillness, we stand up straight, we pause, we pace ourselves. All of this communicates to our students that we are calmly leading the room and what we are doing at that moment is important.

You can learn more about the approachable vs credible teaching personas here on episode 9 of The Unteachables Podcast: The most common teaching mistakes we make with classroom management, and the very quick and easy fixes that can transform behaviour.

Final Thoughts: What’s the Real Goal This Week?

The goal for that first week back needs to be about creating a classroom culture where students are excited and enthusiastic to come back. One that sets the tone for a successful and positive school year ahead. Where they walk through the door after the first day, put their bags down, and feel that this year is going to be a good one!

You are going to do incredible things, teacher friend!

Feeling stuck (or just don't want to spend a whole week putting these things together)? I’ve got you!👇

Grab the Back to School Mega Bundle

You don’t have to spend your Sunday nights scrambling for icebreakers or reinventing activities that’ll flop halfway through period one. I’ve put everything you need into one mega download designed specifically for middle and high school teachers:

🎒 The Back to School Mega Bundle is your go-to survival kit for a smooth, connected, and confident start.

Here’s what’s inside:

📝 7 first-day/week getting-to-know-you activities, including:

• Two Truths and a Lie – Holiday Paragraphs

• Two Truths and a Lie – Interactive Group Planner

• A Letter to My Future Self

• A Letter to My Teacher

• All About Me creative worksheet

• Classroom Design Challenge

• Find a Mate Word Search

🎲 4 icebreaker card games that won’t make your teens roll their eyes:

• Blobs and Lines

• Speed Greetings

• Would You Rather

• Never Have I Ever

🚦 ‘Our Class, Our Way’ Expectations Lesson to lock in classroom culture:

• Editable, ready-to-teach PowerPoint

• Full teacher guide and detailed lesson plan

• 6 printable reflection tools

• Editable templates for different learner needs

It’s the entire foundation for a classroom culture that feels safe, structured, and seriously strong — right from day one.

Grab it now and start your year feeling ready, calm, and sorted → Get the Back to School Mega Bundle or get every resource included as a part of your Behaviour Club membership!

Community isn’t built in a day. But with the right tools, tone, and a little dorky vulnerability — you can absolutely start strong.

And hey, if you're halfway through the year? It’s never too late to reset the tone. Your classroom, your leadership, your energy — it all matters. You’ve got this.