Communication!

Communication by Design

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  • Last updated May 6, 2025 at 7:54 AM
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What are some ideas you have for 'out of the box' communication strategies as an administrator you would like to try?

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Communication by Design

  

 “Service Shout-Outs” and Blessings Board

 Use a physical board (in school) and digital platform (newsletter or social) to highlight how students, classes, or families are living the call to serve — from volunteering to small acts of kindness.
Each shout-out includes a brief scripture or quote connecting their action to Christ’s teachings.

 “Holy Spirit Circles” — Community Dialogue Nights

Regular, small, theme-based gatherings (in-person or virtual) for parents, students, staff to share stories or concerns in a faith-based circle of trust and listening.
Example Themes: “Finding God in Transitions”or “Faith and Friendship in Middle School”

Builds authentic relationships, models Catholic empathy and communion, and gives everyone a voice.

“Pop-Up Principal” Events

Show up with donuts at morning drop-off, hot cocoa at dismissal, or even sidewalk chalk for spontaneous fun with kids. Casual visibility builds relationships. No agenda, just presence.


 Student-Led Mini Workshops

Once a quarter, students lead short “lunch-and-learn” sessions for parents or other students — e.g., a 7th grader teaches simple coding, or a 3rd grader shows how they made a diorama.

Principal's “Not-So-Serious” Newsletter
 A short, monthly communication featuring:

  • Silly quotes from students

  • Staff shout-outs

  • A “guess who?” baby photo

  • A kid’s joke of the month

  • 1 important reminder

  •  Keeps families reading and paying attention without overload.

Rotating Art Gallery in the Office

 Feature student art, writing, or projects on display in the front office or waiting area — refreshed weekly.:
 Promotes student pride, and keeps  areas lively and engaging.
mhollywood 6 months ago

Let's talk. Collaboration begins here.

Communication to build a better school and educational community.  This is my goal when I look at what can be done in an administrative roll.  This is about collaboration, and face to face relation building meetings. 

 I would like to establish different discussion/advisory groups within the school.  One would comprise a group of faculty and staff to meet and discussion predetermined topics.  This could be department heads, or a hand selected group of educators who are dedicated to the mission of the school.  This group would look at specific concerns, problems we are facing, new program development, different ways to solve issues.  A second group would be student based.  This group could help to bring forward specific issues which we may or may not be aware of.  It could include the student government or be a separate entity which would include a more diverse group from the student body.  The third group would be individuals from our larger community: alumni, business owners, educators from other schools who would discuss ways to help our students and teachers.

When we look at communicating we need to look at the whole picture for the goal we are trying to achieve.  These meetings would be about immersing those involved. I want to create an atmosphere of cooperation, respect, and personal interest.  This happens with food, stories, listening, considering, sharing and respecting one another's ideas and positions, relationship building, and authentic commitment.  It should build trust in the people, the mission and the institution.  The more this happens, the stronger and larger the school community becomes.  


tricia25 6 months ago

Things to try as an administrator

Here are some things I would like to try as an administrator in a school:
  • Get to know the faculty. Students can submit questions about the faculty and we would feature one member per week (or every other week). It would give students the opportunity to get to know things about teachers.
  • Faculty led PD. Have teachers identify the areas where they can lead a PD. They are the subject matter experts and we learn from each other.
  • Technology Thursday (once a month). We all find and try new things on-line. Let’s share and learn from each other.
ssive 7 months ago

Communication to Create Community

I wouldn't say these ideas are completely 'out of the box' or brand new ideas. I do, however, think they would help keep faculty and staff in the know and with easy access to information.
Currently, we rely on weekly emails that get longer and longer and have less people reading thoroughly through them. So, even though the information is in there, it is not necessarily being utilized efficiently. We also have monthly staff meetings the first Friday of every month. We have a small school with one teacher per every grade level with the exception of our prekindergarten program. Which means when we are having the staff meetings only about half of it will pertain to you or your grade level and since you can’t squeeze a whole month or more of information and to do list items in two hours, some things get pushed or overlooked. 
I also feel communication is more than just letting people know information. It helps to build a sense of community, trust and boost morale when needed. It helps coworkers connect with each other. You are more likely to give grace to a friend than you are to a stranger in a stressful situation, so those peer bonds are necessary. 
  • Digital Platform: You could use a variety of platforms but if you are worried about technological know-how, at this point we’ve all used Google Classroom so you could make one for employees only. Any platform where people can login to access things like the school calendar, the weekly update list, classroom rosters, time off forms, or even notes about upcoming events at the school would make it easier for employees because they’d know exactly where to go to find the information. There could be sections for HR, School Functions, Classroom Information etc. 


  • Faculty and Staff Brag Board/Just Letting You Know Station/Watercooler Chat Spot: I know we are supposed to be humble but sometimes we just can’t help but feel overwhelmed with joy when our own child or grandchild reaches a milestone or when we just read a great book and we really want to share it with others. Unfortunately, we don’t have a lot of adult social time built into our schedules like a regular office position might so we need to get creative. Yes, this could be done by posting on the digital platform or you could designate a spot in the faculty or copy room where people can pin up pictures, pop a book up for someone else to borrow or hang up some information about an upcoming event they hope to gather a group to go with.

  • Focused Staff Meetings: At least in our case, we all meet together once a month. It is fun to see everyone and chat but we don’t necessarily get to utilize our time efficiently. While, yes, you want to keep everyone included and be able to catch up I think there needs to be designated focus time for grade levels. In a two to two and half hour time frame I think it would be most efficient to have everyone convene as a group for all “whole group information” such as upcoming events that affect everyone. Then I think everyone should shift into smaller more focused groups where they could check in and plan more effectively. We do not have any peer planning time besides this and I think it is important to know what your surrounding teachers are working on. It helps to better develop your own lessons and expectations. Then, we could reconvene for the last twenty minutes or so just to update everyone on some things we plan on moving forward with or final thoughts. 

Creating a space with a strong sense of community is key to running a successful school or business. Making sure that everyone feels as though they are in the know and that their feedback back is seen as valuable is important to help strengthen this sense of community. Knowing how to facilitate steady and fluid communication is what helps create this productive and supportive community space. 
deaston85 7 months ago

Out of the box communication

Here are some “out of the box” communication strategies I’d love to try as a Catholic school administrator—creative approaches that go beyond emails and newsletters to build stronger, more human, and mission-driven connections:

1. “Two-Minute Tuesdays” Video Messages

  • What it is: A short weekly video from the principal (no more than 2 minutes) sent to staff, families, or students with highlights, affirmations, and a faith-based reflection or challenge for the week.
  • Why it works: It adds a personal touch and allows tone, warmth, and presence to come through—especially helpful for those who don’t have time to read long emails.

2. “Ask Me Anything” (AMA) Box

  • What it is: A physical or digital anonymous Q&A box where students, staff, and even parents can submit questions, ideas, or concerns.
  • How it’s used: The principal addresses a few each week during morning announcements, staff meetings, or via newsletter.
  • Why it works: Encourages honest dialogue and builds transparency.

3. “Pop-Up Principal” Desk

  • What it is: Once a week, the principal sets up a mobile desk in a different part of campus (e.g., front hallway, lunchroom, playground).
  • Goal: Be visible, approachable, and start casual conversations with students, staff, and parents during pickup or drop-off.
  • Why it works: Breaks down formality and fosters connection where people are.

4. “Faith & Donuts” Parent Huddle

  • What it is: A 20-minute, once-a-month morning drop-in with the principal for parents to grab coffee, pray together, and talk informally.
  • Twist: Each session has a small theme—like Catholic parenting, updates on curriculum, or student well-being.
  • Why it works: Encourages relationship-building and reinforces the school's Catholic identity in a low-pressure format.

5. “Student Spotlight Podcast”

  • What it is: A short podcast or audio segment hosted by students and the principal featuring interviews, school news, faith moments, and teacher shoutouts.
  • Why it works: Amplifies student voice and engages families in a creative, modern way.

6. “Behind the Scenes” Instagram Stories

  • What it is: Use the school’s social media to show day-in-the-life glimpses: morning prayer prep, teachers collaborating, or principal reading with PreK.
  • Why it works: Builds trust, community pride, and transparency while celebrating everyday holiness and joy in Catholic education.

7. “Mission Mail”

  • What it is: A monthly handwritten note or postcard sent home to a random selection of families, students, or staff, highlighting something positive or thanking them for living the mission.
  • Why it works: Tangible, heartfelt communication stands out in a digital world and makes a deep emotional impact.
These “out of the box” strategies aren’t just for fun—they help foster a culture of joy, trust, and engagement, all while modeling the Gospel value of intentional encounter. That’s where true communication begins.
vschwamborn 7 months ago

Communication sets the tone.

An administrators communication strategies can set the tone for culture, trust and community engagement. Some “out of the box” strategies I would like to try are listed here: 

Collaborative vision board: having a physical bulletin board or a digital pinboard playing in the main entrance or a high traffic area where students, teachers and family members are invited to share pictures, written goals or successes. This living artifact provides two way communication between administrators and the students/staff members. 

Mystery Mailbox: Students can ask anonymous questions to the Principal and place the questions into a mystery mailbox. The Principal could look through the questions and answer one a week over the morning announcements. Students may get their questions answered while getting to know their Principal in a different light. 

Recess Retreat: Recess is a wonderful time for informal conversations and community building with students. To enhance communication, the Principal could designate an area on the play yard to engage in conversation with students or participate in games with the students. 

A Minute In The Life of A Principal: The Principal could record one minute of their school day and post it to the school's social media page. The minute could be spent interviewing a student about what they are currently learning, walking the halls and displaying student work or giving a shout out to a staff member. The minute could evolve throughout the school year based on the feedback from the videos posted.
mwelch 7 months ago

Communication in the School Setting

Schools need to have open and consistent communication to ensure parents feel connected to the school. Parents want to know their children are safe and in an environment where they are learning. If schools do not inform parents what is going on within the school setting they will try to fill the gap on their own. In today’s school administration needs to use social media and technology to fill the gap. We need to present information in a fun and engaging way so parents will stay active in the school system. They will want to know what the kids are doing. 
I would like to streamline our communication to make it easy for parents to be active within the school community. I will have a centralized communication system to keep messaging in one place. This way all messages whether academic, emergencies, events and all school wide messages are sent form one place.
Some great apps teachers can use are Bloomz, Class Dojo, or Parent Square. I would have my staff work together to have one app they like as a team. All of these apps also have a school wide space where administrators can also post pictures, events and school wide messages to both parents and teachers. This helps minimize each teacher using different apps and then parents have several apps they need to check for each child they may have. I also would have a staff or myself be in charge of our social media pages. We would have a Facebook and Instagram page where we can post events and pictures of things that are happening at our school. We can post our student successes and demonstrate how our children are learning. These sites can also be good for marketing all the great things we do at our school. 
I think it is also important to have online Collaboration and Productivity Tools in school. Once again having all teachers use the same platform when presenting and assigning work. I would have all teachers use Google Classroom features in their classroom. This way all students are knowledgeable on the forums they are using for learning inside the classroom, they do not need to modify their work apps depending on their teachers. Plus teachers are able to monitor and see what their students are working on. This helps keep them on task and safe. Teachers can make sure students are not on unsafe sites or pretending to work while exploring the web. 
cgicewicz 7 months ago

Some out of the box ideas regarding communications would be done best in committee.

In regards to "out of the box" communication strategies would be to leverage a team within the school (teaching and non teaching staff, as well as administrators) to come up with ways to share information without "spamming" the inbox.  Often times our school may over communicate due to a slow response.  This is only compounded by sending yet another email, in the hopes someone sees it and responds.  As "old fashioned" as it may seem, the best method to create better response and more inviting situations, is to arrange for more real facetime with colleagues.  This can be for a few minutes, or can take an entire period if necessary in order to make the colleague feel more comfortable and to understand the direction and advice/guidance you are trying to share.  

I believe as a society, we have become to dependent on the digital communication, and have lost at times the ability to be relational with our faculty/staff, parents and stakeholders.  We are blessed with teaching periods, guidance counseling periods, and afterschool activity time to teach by relationship with our students.  However, we take for granted and may lose sight of our colleagues and their needs.  This of course is not done intentionally, but it is the result of avoiding, or not scheduling appropriate face to face time. 
mryork_1987 7 months ago

Coffee with the Principal?

Many communities have "Coffee with a Cop" where residents can bring concerns and ideas to the local police force while in a relaxed and unintimidating environment.  I think this could work with administrators as well.  I know where I teach, we have PTP (Parent Teacher Partnership) meetings, but those always have an agenda. 
If I were to do something like this, it would be more informal.  Just come chat, throw ideas around, or simply, just have a cup of cocoa or coffee with your principal.  Maybe once or twice a month...either in school or in town, if local businesses would be willing to grant us space.  Could be in the morning or after school...maybe extending it to "After School Snacks with Miss Mitchell".  Or even making it a club for students...perhaps a Walk and Talk!  Kids may feel more comfortable talking and getting their feelings out, outside of school. Students and parents would be welcome to all.
katie-mitchell 7 months ago

Creative Connections, Meaningful Moments

Here are two creative and engaging communication strategies I would love to try as an administrator. The first is setting up QR code feedback corners throughout the school in places like the faculty room, main office, and copy machine area. Each QR code would link to a quick, rotating prompt such as “What’s one small win this week?” or “What’s something you need help with?” This would give staff an easy, low-pressure way to share their thoughts in real time and allow me to gather meaningful feedback, celebrate successes, and identify areas where support is needed. Another idea is introducing a mystery messenger game to build a positive culture and encourage communication among staff. Each week, one person is secretly assigned to deliver a kind note, treat, or small surprise to a fellow team member. At the end of the week, both the messenger and the recipient are revealed during morning announcements or in a staff email. It’s a fun and uplifting way to strengthen relationships and create a more connected school community.
brimsacco 7 months ago

Communication by Design

* Communication at my school is strong, and I'm not sure what I would consider that is "Out of the Box" but the list below contains items I feel are important (although not new for the most part). 

* Communication with parents from the administration and teachers will be prompt, clear, and factual. This applies to any daily concerns as well as in cases of emergencies (email, phone calls, the "Classroom" platform, Iris (communication system).

* In difficult situations respond to parents with empathy. Listen to them. Hear them. I find this goes a long way in resolving issues. I always remember what a former principal said, "Remember, you are talking about someone's child, and there but for the grace of God..."

* A stronger social media presence is essential, and it would be helpful to have one person designated to coordinate social media posts and the like.

* This is certainly not new, but we don't currently have anything in place...
    For example, "Friday mornings with...(the principal)."
Come chat, enjoy coffee and treats, and share concerns and/or news, ask questions etc.
This is usually done regularly on an informal basis but having a designated time might help to make everyone feel like they have a voice.

* Finally, video announcements from our students might be fun and can be coordinated with our technology teacher.
   



jackfre 7 months ago

Effective communication is the number one way administrators can make people feel heard, understood, and part of a team.

Communication is key
An administrator sets the tone for effective communication within a school. Starting with an open and available attitude so others feel comfortable coming to you with any issues or questions is paramount to the success of an administrator. Having an ‘open door’ policy where staff, parents and students know that you are available and interested in what they have to say is very helpful. Even when busy with a task, stating that you are interested in hearing their thoughts is the first step to effective communication. Additionally, following up at another time shows that you are interested in learning about additional thoughts and ideas. 
To have effective communication within a school community, I would be interested in instituting a weekly newsletter to keep everyone updated on the goings on of the school. It might be prudent to have different staff members take on the task on a rotating basis so that the newsletter is written in various voices. Teachers can use the newsletter as an opportunity to share what is going on in their classrooms. Parish information could also be included. Having the information shared schoolwide keeps everyone informed and on the same page. An idea to help with communication within the school is for staff to submit questions that may be discussed at faculty meetings. This can be done randomly and anonymously. Not only would it help many feel comfortable with speaking up on an issue, it would also give the administrator time to reflect, gain facts, and gather thoughts to discuss without being put on the spot. Often it is easier to share a question in writing, rather than ask in person. 
An open door policy is one in which the community knows they are always welcome to speak with the administrator. It is possible to set aside time during the day when an administrator can be focused and give the person the attention they need. There could be times set aside for parents, teachers, and students. Also, a mailbox can be set aside for questions and comments to be addressed.
mrs-k-cameron 7 months ago