Date: January 29, 2026
To: All Administrators
From: Katie Ieremia, Supervisor, Academic Records and Professional Development
Dr. Tiffany Hall, Executive Director, Teaching and Learning
Subject: August 2026 schedule for teachers
Summary:
A strong start to the school year is built through shared learning and clear communication. The district opening days and professional development in August are designed to support this purpose at the district and sites.
The 2026 schedule for the first five days includes the following activities: a district opening session; 1.5 school days led by site administrators; 1 district professional development day focused on district instructional goals and priorities; and 2 teacher workdays, reserved for teachers’ classroom preparation and collaborative planning.
District professional learning is organized by level—elementary, middle, and high school—on different days to ensure the content is relevant to each setting. All administrators are welcome and encouraged to attend district days with their teachers for all or part of the day, as shared learning strengthens alignment, relationships, and collective understanding across our system.
| Tuesday August 11 | Wednesday August 12 | Thursday August 13 | Friday August 15 | Monday August 17 | |
| Elementary | School day | District opening | Teacher workday | District professional development | Teacher workday |
| School day after opening | |||||
| Middle | District opening | School day | District professional development | Teacher workday | Teacher workday |
| School day after opening | |||||
| High | District opening | District professional development | School day | Teacher workday | Teacher workday |
| School day after opening |
District Professional Development Day Focus
District professional learning will focus on strengthening instructional practices across all content areas in ways that directly support classroom teaching from the start of the school year.
Mathematics may have new K–12 standards for 2026–27; if so, the new mathematics standards will receive targeted attention. Our broader focus will remain on high-quality instructional practices that can be used across all disciplines.
Professional learning will center on instructional planning, scaffolding instruction to support English learners, and using proficiency scales to clarify learning targets and expectations, particularly in English/Language Arts.
Across grade levels and content areas, we will continue our work in academic discourse by supporting students in using speaking and writing to explain their thinking, engage with peers, and deepen their understanding. Teachers will collaborate to analyze student work, practice instructional strategies, and plan together to ensure aligned instruction as the year begins.
Administrators are encouraged to join their teams in the district professional development sessions whenever possible. Shared learning strengthens alignment and collective understanding.
Expectations for Implementation:
- Communication:
- Principals play a key role in communicating this information in their summer letter to their faculty, especially faculty hired after the end of the school year.
- An email from Kickup will be sent to each teacher with their registration and then a reminder email will be sent the day before each teacher’s “Opening Day” and “Day 2”.
- Collaboration:
- Email professional.development@slcschools.org if registration email from Kickup is incorrect or not received in school email by the second week of August.
- Evaluation:
- Participants will have an opportunity to provide feedback about their experience.
Keywords: Professional development, Kickup, August 2026
