Planting Roots on New Turf: Building Systems, Culture, and Connection
Stepping into a new role often brings a unique mix of excitement, anticipation, and possibility. There’s the fresh start that invites new ideas, the hope of making a meaningful impact, and the desire to bring past experiences into a new context. But with all that energy, it’s easy to jump straight into doing—checking boxes, tackling to-dos—without first anchoring in relationships, values, or vision.
It’s easy to think we are leading with an innovative, playful and inquiring lens when, in fact, we find ourselves doing just the opposite.
This week, I’m thrilled to share a guest blog post from a colleague who navigated exactly that kind of transition. As a newly appointed IB PYP Coordinator, Nicole Cimo, she found herself not only stepping into a new role, but doing so alongside a brand-new leadership team, several new staff members, and a campus newly renovated and waiting for its new set of learners. Her reflections offer an honest and thoughtful look at what it means to slow down, re-center, and lead with intention from day one.
Her story is a powerful reminder of what’s possible when we lead with curiosity and embrace the disposition of being intentionally playful—approaching big challenges with openness, creativity, and a willingness to explore before deciding. Through thoughtful planning and a spirit of collaboration, she helped shape the foundation for a new chapter of learning and connection.
I’m sure you’ll find yourself inspired from Nicole’s ability to pause and take notice of the small details and find yourself taking action by jotting down your own contextual take aways. Let’s take a look at her experience now!
When I took on the role of IB PYP coordinator the summer of 2022, our campus was a new playing field. Within weeks (and even days) of students arriving, we hired a first year principal and assistant principal, 22 new staff members, and our half-a-century-old building received a face-lift (basically, the carpet was removed from the walls).
This fresh turf left a lot of room to re-envision. What did our school stand for? What reputation did we want to uphold or, rather, recreate? What systems needed fixing? How will we support new staff members - some new to the field, all new to IB?
I chose to see this as an opportunity to shape the environment we desired for our staff and students. A chance to define our values and establish a foundation together.
My opportunity was available through team meetings. At the beginning of the school year, I had a full day with each grade level team. Our campus prioritizes a substitute budget so teams of teachers get dedicated time to reflect and build upon their units of inquiry (i.e., concept-based curriculum).
How would we use this time? This was the question at hand. Truth be told, I was new to my role too. I had worked at this school for the past 6 years, both as a classroom teacher and as a talented and gifted specialist. I reflected back on my experiences of past planning sessions, our school history and culture, and the needs of our current staff to help me choose how our time would be most valuably spent.
So, what did it look like when it came time to be playful with priorities?
Let’s take a peek…
What you make time for reflects what you value. Play has a purpose.
Thank you Nicole for sharing your practice. If you’re curious what else Nicole is up to as a PYP Coordinator I encourage you to say hello and take a look at her blog!
