Communications Overview

The Elmbrook Schools seeks to communicate effectively in order to develop and deepen our relationships with our students, parents, staff and community. Specifically, we strive to:

Inform, listen to, and engage stakeholders in order to celebrate, support, and share the mission of the district
Establish consistent practices for the use of communication tools across the district
Continuously improve our key processes based on reflection, revision and feedback

Please read about how the district seeks to inform, listen to, and engage all of our stakeholders!

Inform

Weekly E-Mail Blast

The district’s primary tool for regular communication is the weekly e-mail blast distributed to families on Friday afternoon. The e-mail blast is sent to all family e-mail addresses and includes school and district news, school and district announcements, and key school and district calendar events.

Web Site Content

The public web site is used to communicate district/school news, announcements, calendar events, key contact information, marketing/comparative data, parent group and general school information for current and prospective parents. The district site also includes information about the Board of Education, policies, and department information for staff, parents, students, and the community.

SchoolMessenger

A messaging system used to call or e-mail individual, group or all school community members about timely and important information.

Phone calls Focus: Critical issues that impact the majority of recipients such as school closings, security threats, or a significant change in process that effects all families
Emails Focus: Critical issues, timely reminders of academic and school events, unexcused absences, and important, but not critical
- Target distribution list whenever possible by grade/bus route, etc
- Use sparingly for reminders of significant school events such as parent conferences, field trips, upcoming grade reports, major PTO events, etc.
Text Messages: To opt-in to for text messaging from SchoolMessenger - text "Yes" or "Y" to 67587

Flyers

In 2013-14, all flyer distribution will be electronic through the web site and weekly e-mail blast to all parents. Standard approval processes by the Principal or District still apply.

Facebook
Each school’s Facebook page will aggregate school news and announcements content. Families on Facebook are encouraged to like and follow their school to keep abreast of news and celebrations.

Twitter
The District and each school has a twitter account used to celebrate success and provide timely information or reminders.

LinkedIn
The District also has a Linkedin page to celebrate successes and engage alumni members. Additionally, each high school has a showcase page on the platform. The LAUNCH program also has a page to celebrate student projects, successes, and to continue to engage alumni of the program.

Alumni Network
Elmbrook's Alumni Network provides a way for alums to stay in touch with their classmates and school. All registered alums receive a quarterly e-newsletter with updates from their alma mater and around the District, with upcoming events (including reunions), and exclusive give-back opportunities.

Listen

Each school and the district listens to its student, staff, and family stakeholders through regular Principal and Superintendent chats, as well as an annual survey. More informally, stakeholders are encouraged to reach out to staff with concerns, celebrations, or questions. Many schools have established climate and culture goals to address opportunities for improvement identified through the listening process.

Engage

Several tactics are deployed to engage students, family members and the community in our schools and the district. They include:

Students are encouraged to engage beyond the classroom through school leadership roles (student council), co-curricular activities, school board presentations, and community service.
Principal chats are at least once a quarter at each school. This is an informal opportunity for parents to provide feedback on key issues or concerns. The Principal may also share timely updates with an interested parent population.
Parent-teacher conferences are held twice each year, are very well attended, and provide an opportunity to discuss student academic and behavior performance. In addition, most schools offer both a back-to-school “meet and greet” or open house, as well as a Parent Information Night that introduces families to the classroom teachers and communicates expectations at the start of the year.
Volunteer – each school offers a number of opportunities to volunteer at the classroom, school or district level. These can be formal (PTO, Booster Club, Fine Arts groups) or informal (event-driven).
Alumni Network - Elmbrook's Alumni Network serves as a way for our graduates to keep in touch with each other and engage with the District and their alma mater. In addition to various engagement opportunities, alums registered on the site receive a quarterly update newsletter from the Network filled with school and District news, upcoming events and reunions, and opportunities to engage and give-back to the school community.

District opportunities for engagement are organized under the Elmbrook Family University. Offering a variety of events to educate, inform, and equip families, the University includes the Parent Network and Leadership Council, Elmbrook Education Foundation, and Special Education Engagement Network and Gifted & Talented Parent Advisory Groups.