Woodbridge School Communication and Marketing Strategy

Transcription

1 Woodbridge School Communication and Marketing Strategy The purpose of this document is to document and map our processes for communication, both internally and externally- with the community Rationale: Effective communication to parents and the wider community is essential for the long term success and continual development of Woodbridge School. Educational theory clearly tells us that a strong partnership between the teachers and parents helps produce better outcomes for our students. The research backs this up. A sustained program of communication within Woodbridge School, and to the wider community will build a sense of collegiality amongst staff as well as develop parent engagement in the school and support the teaching and learning of students. Key messages need to be passed out to our stakeholders. Effective communication requires repetition of messages across different media to reach different groups within the school community, and to reach potential future School Community members. Effective communication will ensure that all are aware of our successes, and the strength of our programs. As a consequence, we expect public perceptions to improve, and enrolments increase. ELEMENTS: School newsletter This is currently utilised well in the primary area to communicate current educational happenings. Use need to be expanded to include all areas of the school. Short mention can be made by staff around PD they complete as well as other activities in their classes. This task can also be completed by students as an assessment task. Teachers can be regularly featured to build community knowledge of our staff. Performance measure: Each staff member is to complete, or contribute to, one newsletter item per month. Billboard Office staff regularly change the sign at the front of the school and this seems to be utilised well. Newspapers Each week, the office staff can format appropriate newsletter articles and forward them to the local newspapers as well as to The Mercury. Performance measure: One article each week in each of the Huon Valley News and/or Kingborough Chronicle and one article per month in The Mercury. Online presence

2 The school needs an allocated person with the task of keeping the external web page up to date. There should be regular reference to the web page in the school newsletter. The web page can host en electronic copy of the newsletter and other school policy documents when they are reviewed and released. We will investigate the cost effectiveness of professional web-page maintenance. Furthermore, student videos and movies created in media classes can be included on the webpage, or possibly as a YouTube channel. Such content should be related to the school values program, and supported by related articles and information on the values in other communication channels such as the newsletter. Internally, staff can access the SharePoint for daily bulletin notes as well as the whiteboards in the staffroom. Calendar The calendar is a crucial record of school events, both internally and externally. We currently have a staff sharepoint calendar, and a whiteboard display calendar in the staffroom. For parents, we have a calendar on the public web-site, and calendar events are included on the newsletter. School Documents School documents such as staff and parent handbooks, SSE, student information must be consistent, accurate and up to date. These are not only important as functioning documents, but also as a marketing tool. Social media This is a future area to be developed. Content of a Facebook page or twitter feed would include excursion information, special events such as free dress days and fundraising activities, reminders for students to return permission forms or to bring things to school that may be needed, links to newspaper articles as well as web links to the newsletter and other documents or videos. [A possible performance measure here could be that each staff member provide one item of interest to the person who updates this] Each of the above communication methods needs to include information on major programs in the school such as the NAB project, marine grant including kayak and snorkel programs, Together project, Beacon, National Parks and our Wilds Cool program. Students can draft items to initially be placed in the school newsletter. This will form a part of their literacy component to participate in the programs, and can be included as part of their overall assessment in regular subjects. Provision of content can be facilitated by the media class with the additional support that has been provided this year. The key to making School communication work is to ensure the integration of all the above ideas. All available media is to communicate the same messages to parents at the same time.

3 Communications Strategies: tasks and responsibilities: Strategy Purpose Task (s) Person Calendar of events Accurate, Collect Information Principal consistent information Check info for Principal, snr staff provided in timely clashes and manner. problems Beginning t3 of previous year. Beginning of school year Enter dates onto sharepoint and public website. Office Clerk Week 1, term 1 and ongoing. Newsletter Celebrate Success Billboard sign Newspapers Online- website Convey news of current happening in the school, and help build community involvement. the team and individual successes within our school Community are recognised, cebrated and contribute to positive perceptions about the School. Event reminders, celebration of positive news. Build pride in school, market school to broader community. Key marketing tool Info source for Prepare list of events for year, to go home Compile articles, publish. Ensure contributions from both prim and secondary areas. events are covered with photos. Principal s bit successes are publicised- website, newsletter, staff bulletin, media if appropriate. content is topical, timely and constructive Prepare articles Provide ideas or draft articles Upload weekly newsletter Maintain calendar Office clerk, principal. Office Clerk AST-s AST and media students. Principal AST, and all staff, parents, community members. AST, Principal AST All staff Office clerk Office clerk, AST In 1 st two weeks of term 1. Each week Each week. Ongoing. Each week. As appropriate. weekly Weekly As appropriate Weekly As required

4 Strategy Purpose Task (s) Person parents Update with news, photos etc School Documentsparent handbook, staff handbook, SSE, policies etc SIP Exit policy/procedures Inform community on broader educational matters. Direct marketing to prospective families. Ensure consistent practice and an efficiently functioning organisation. Prioritise and plan actions for Sch Imp- assist devt of shared vision and purpose. our procedures are consistent with other schools, and that we solicit appropriate feedback to support continual improvements. To ensure that the school community is well informed on educational developments generally. In addition to measures above, such as the website, create opportunities to promote the school to prospective enrolments. Hence to increase enrolments. Staff handbook review Parent handbook review SSE policy review Publish- Website, paper etc. Exiting families receive exit survey promptly. Families seeking to enrol at an out of area school must first meet with Woodbridge Principal or delegate- this is common protocol across schools. Publicise developments in a timely manner via web and newsletter. Promote High School to our primary students, and to Bruny, Cygnet and Snug PS. Promote our Primary School to Seastars parentsvisits, materials, Office, AST, media classes fortnightly SSE- Easter Others by end T2 then Annually Climate team Priority Teams Draft- end 2011 Final- Easter 2012 Office clerk Exiting family, Principal, potential new school. Principal, AST Principal, AST AST Prim, Principal, School Assn As needed. As needed As needed. Each term as minimum. Each term

5 Strategy Purpose Task (s) Person etc. Newsletter, s etc. Develop Principal updated brochure. Sieze AST, opportunities Principal, Sch to promote Assn, all staff the School through the local community in particular By end term 1 Constant focus