One key preparation for an upcoming school year is laying out the school event calendar. This process may take many different forms and requires a lot of forethought, communication, and sometimes revision.
You may be a “set it and forget it” teacher who sets things up once and leaves them alone, or perhaps you view the calendar as a living document. Here are some tips for the all-important school event calendar process.
1. Have a Goal in Mind
Parents expect many events. Some are rites of passage and need to be documented for posterity. Others help them stay informed about the goings-on of the classroom. All of them should have a goal in mind.
Break the school event calendar into goals. The traditions, such as holiday programs and graduation, set themselves. Then, events for parent engagement will be set up with the goal of parents becoming more integrated into the school community.
Finally, fill in events designed to boost student achievement that are geared for both students and parents, like study skills seminars or introductions for the test prep programs you employ.
2. Utilize Communication Preferences for Parents
People expect to be notified of events in many different ways. Once the calendar is set, you need to deploy an all-of-the-above approach that uses email, online calendar systems, the school website, Facebook, texting, and even a friendly note sent home in a student’s notebook. Every parent or guardian should be clearly notified of upcoming events.
3. Communicate with Staff to Avoid Double-booking
When setting up the calendar, the worst-case scenario is double-booking. Perhaps the teachers have a team outing scheduled for the same night as the Math Olympics. The food staff might have a training session in the afternoon when the cafeteria needs to be available for a student event.
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This happens every year. The solution is to communicate early and often. During calendar setup, representatives from as many organizations as possible, including the PTO, should be consulted. It might feel superfluous, but it’s a nice courtesy and sets a solid foundation for building the calendar.
4. Review and Simulate
You and your team should review the calendar day by day, looking for inconsistencies or events that could be improved or moved. It’s tedious, but the best way to optimize the schedule.
Does Math Night feel like it would be a success on a Tuesday after a basketball game, or should it be moved to the next Thursday? Consider whether it’s feasible for students and parents to attend all of these events and if there will be enough teacher coverage to staff them.
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