Meaningful 1:1s
A simple way to connect, listen, and grow with your team.
15 min
Together We Thrive: Team-Building for New & Veteran Staff
Find activities that build trust, connection, and belonging all year long.
Michele Harvat
Pair new teachers with veteran staff for a year of built-in connection, then choose from eight team-building activities to use at meetings and PD days throughout the year.
Why try it
Give new staff a familiar face and a built-in support system from day one. Pairing new and veteran staff strengthens relationships and belonging, opens up informal mentorship and communication, and helps staff feel connected to the team throughout the year.
What's included
Browse the printables included with this resource.
Instructions
1
Pair new and veteran staff
Before the school year starts, match each new teacher with a veteran staff member.
2
Schedule sessions for the year
Add mentor and mentee meeting times to your PD days and staff meeting calendar for the entire school year.
3
Pick an activity and connect
Choose one of the activities below for each session and give pairs about 15 minutes to complete it together.
Activity variations
Adapt to fit your school's vibe, budget, and setting.
Partner interviews
Line staff up from most to least years in education, then pair off around the middle of the line so newer and veteran staff match up. Use the included questions to guide the interview, then have each person introduce their partner to the group using a few of their responses.
This or that walk
Read fun or school-related "this or that" prompts, like early bird or night owl, and have staff move to opposite sides of the room to show their choice. Use the included prompt list to get started.
Shared experience map
Post chart paper where staff add sticky notes marking milestones like where they were born, their first job, where they went to high school, or a favorite teaching memory, then look for common ground. Use the included question list to guide what staff post.
"Ask me about" name tags
Have staff add a line to their name tag, like "ask me about coaching volleyball," to spark conversation. All you need is name tags and markers.
Collaborative art mural
Give each staff member a blank puzzle piece or canvas square to write their name on and decorate with something meaningful to them, then assemble the pieces into one shared display for everyone to see their part in the bigger picture.
School survival tips wall
Invite veteran staff to anonymously post one practical tip for new staff, like the best copier to use or how to submit a tech request, on a shared board in the staff lounge.
Appreciation circle
Have veteran staff each write one thing they appreciate about a new colleague, like their energy or a great question they asked at PD, on a card.
Design the dream classroom
Mix new and veteran staff into teams to sketch a dream classroom setup on poster paper or digitally, then present their ideas and talk through their teaching philosophies.
Go deeper
Additional tips for running this resource.
Leader Tip #1
Pair thougthfully
Match staff who teach a similar grade or subject when possible so conversations come naturally.
Leader Tip #2
Rotate through the list
Try a different activity from the list below each time you meet so sessions stay fresh across the year.
Leader Tip #3
Leave room for flexibility
Let pairs schedule their own time together if that works better for their schedules than a set meeting.
Built by Educators, for School Leaders
This resource was created in collaboration with passionate educators and school leaders who believe in the power of intentional connection.
Michele Harvat
Spanish Dual Language Teacher
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