Connecting Part 2...#SAVMP

What are some ways I connect with my school community?

When I think about connecting, I think about building relationships and communicating. These two things are reliant on the other in order to be effective. These are both two things that I've always tried to make a priority as a school leader.

A big part of building those relationships is done via my attempt through a consistent stream of communication. That being said, I need to do a better job of soliciting feedback re. my communication. Is it too much? Am I communicating the information that my parents, families, and other stakeholders are seeking?

The following list is a sampling of some of the platforms that I've used for communication:

• A school Facebook page, a school Twitter handle, and a school Instagram account. I try to share at least one thing, daily, on these platforms.
• A hashtag (#RocketsRock) to organize all of our Tweets and social media posts
• Digital signage that streams in our office for all of our guests to see
• I am going to attempt to utilize Storify (this week, yet) to share our social media posts with our families that don't utilize social media
• I create a newsletter via Smore and send it out to families, every-other week
• In the past I have used Remind to send families text messages
• Birthday Selfies with students on their birthdays - thanks Brad Gustafson!
• #GoodNewsCallOfTheDay - thanks Mark French!

And don't ever discount the positive effects of being present and being visible. Being around for arrival and dismissal are crucial. Getting into classrooms, routinely, is our job. Spending time connecting with students, informally, at lunch and recess allows us to create more authentic and personal relationships with the students that we serve.

These are things that kids go home talking about. And when kids go home talking positively about you that is proof that 1) you've made a connection with a student, which then proves that 2) you've given yourself the benefit of the doubt with parents due to the connection that you've made with their child(ren).

Relationships + Communication = Connections