Principal Newsletter: Lunch With the Principal Program

Lunch with the principal sounds simple. It is one of the highest-impact things you can do with an hour of your week. The families who see their child recognized in the newsletter after one of these lunches remember it for years. The students at the table remember it longer.

How to announce the program clearly

Your newsletter should explain the program in plain terms: once a week or once a month, a small group of students joins the principal for lunch to talk, share ideas, and celebrate something they are doing well. Explain how students are selected so families know their child might be recognized and what they need to do or demonstrate to get there.

Selection criteria and equity

The most equitable approach combines multiple criteria over the year: PBIS recognition for some invitations, teacher nominations for others, random selection by grade level for others. This way the program reaches beyond the students who are already highly visible. Your newsletter should explain the rotation so families understand that many students will have a turn.

What happens at the lunch

Tell families what the lunch is like. Students eat together with the principal in a small group. The principal asks about what students enjoy at school, what they wish were different, and what they are most proud of. There is no agenda beyond connection. Families who understand the purpose of the program see it as meaningful rather than tokenistic.

Recognizing participants in the newsletter

After each round of lunches, include a brief note in the newsletter with a photo and the names of the students who participated. Permission from families is required before publishing names and photos of minors, but most families are proud to have their child recognized publicly.

What the principal learns at these lunches

You can include in your newsletter what themes you are hearing from students over lunch. Three students mentioned this month that they wish there were more reading choices in the library. This feedback loop, named publicly, shows families that the principal is listening and that student voice influences school decisions.

Scaling the program across a large school

In a school of 600 students, lunch with the principal once a week with three students at a time reaches every student once every two years. That is not enough. Consider expanding by involving assistant principals, counselors, and instructional coaches in similar programs. Your newsletter can acknowledge this scaling challenge and explain how the school ensures broad reach.