Communic ations plan Pub lishe d F e b . 11, 2016 Pr oc e ss and - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Pe mbina Hills Public Sc hools

Communic ations plan

Pub lishe d F e b . 11, 2016

Pr

• c e ss and time line s

Complete internal audit Interviewed 40+ key communicators, 5 focus groups, online survey: 104 people Sept./Oct. What we heard audit report published

• Nov. 30, 2015

Communications Task Force develops plan (4 meetings)

• Informed by the What we heard report
• Informed by what they hear from their communities and constituencies
• Informed by their own insights and perspectives

Present communications plan to the school board in February to inform budget decisions

• Feb. 16: Administrators
• Feb. 24: School board

As scheduled: Each school/building

T hank you to the task for ce!

Brett Cooper, Director, ADLC Steven Montgomery, Teacher, BCHS Prakash Raju, Assoc. Principal, BCHS Dale Bujold, Principal, Barrhead Elementary Claire Stitsen, Program Assistant, Busby School Tracy Dezaeyer, Parent, Dunstable Lorna Hiemstra, Principal, Dunstable Sharon Sloat, Teacher, Dunstable Don Hinks, Principal, Eleanor Hall School Charlene Assenheimer, Principal, Fort Assiniboine School Kim Sybesma, Assoc Principal, NPCS Jason Wiks, Assoc. Principal, PNCS Karen Gabel, Admin. Assistant, Colony Schools Angie Bachand, Assoc. Principal, R.F. Staples Secondary School Sheila Gardiner, Principal, Swan Hills School Sherry Lantz-Cooper, Admin. Assistant, Vista Virtual School Claire Vincent, Teacher, Westlock Elementary School Jennifer Teefy, Admin. Assistant, Facilities and Transportation Alex Mottus, Director, Information Technology Services Lorraine Allison, Accountant, Business and Communications Services, RO Veronica Lindquist, Coordinator, Employee Services, RO Annette Bokenfohr, Trustee Tracy Meunier, Secretary Treasurer, RO Pam Golden, Admin Assistant, Business and Communications Services, RO Elaine Latawiec, Assist. Coordinator, Business and Communications Services RO

Re sourc e de pe nde nc y: Who doe s PHPS ne e d onside ?

Resource dependency theory

No organization – including school boards – is self-reliant. Pembina Hills Public Schools relies

• n external entities beyond their

control for the resources they need. To survive and thrive, Pembina Hills Public Schools must establish and sustain effective relationships with those who control the resources.

Communic ations and public r e lations

• - the be dr
• c k of r

e lationships

Public relations The management function that establishes and maintains mutually beneficial relationships between the

• rganization and the publics upon whom the organization’s success or failure depends.

Effective Public Relations, Cutlip, Center and Broom Key words: Management, mutually beneficial, publics, success or failure depends Communications Systemic planned approach to conveying and sharing information between PHPS and a specific public/audience complete with a feedback loop. Key questions: Have we been heard /understood? Have we heard/understood? How do we know?

Why PHPS ne e ds to c ommunic ate

The task force said:

• To find out what the community wants
• r thinks about an issue
• We are using public $$ we are accountable to

the public for how we spend it

• Encourage public participation and involvement

in our work

• Promote a sense of pride within the division
• Always looking for resources / funding
• Build / re-establish relationships

which may be under strain

• People don’t know what they don’t know
• Education is in transition and changing;

we must explain this to citizens and parents

• School is not the same today

as when parents attended

• We are in competition – Home Education, Private

School, other distance education programs, Catholic Schools – we are not the only option

• Competing views of parents
• Competing for attention

Would the people of our communities stand up for us if the government cut our funding?

T ask for c e ide ntifie d 4 pr ior itie s

• Effective internal communication will promote schools learning from each other.

Simplifying is good.

• This will build understanding within the division.
• This will promote efficiency which will save time.

Improve internal communications

• Children are our business.
• Parents need to understand what is happening in our schools;

if they understand why we are changing a practice, they will be on board.

Improve communications with parents

• We need to build connections and community.
• These stories will remind us of our purpose; our great staff and help build morale.
• Good stories beget good stories. This creates a positive feeling within and about PHPS.
• The public doesn’t really have a reason to visit the Pembina Hills Public Schools website.

Let’s do something to reach out to them.

Tell the PHPS story

• We want to make our information accessible to the public.
• Recognize that people are very busy – making documents easier to read will accommodate

them.

Simplify communications

Priority: Ge t the g ood ne ws out a bout PHPS

What is the stor y we want to te ll?

• Divisio n/ sc ho o l prio ritie s: Wha t a re we do ing to ma ke a diffe re nc e fo r kids.

(Re fe r to E duc a tio n pla ns fo r g uida nc e )

• Ce le b ra te the divisio n’ s pe o ple a nd the ir c o ntrib utio ns

(Pe o ple we re ide ntifie d a s a c o re stre ng th in the c o mmunic a tio ns a udit) Who do we want to te ll our stor y to?

• Sta ff, pa re nts, me dia , de c isio n-ma ke rs, ta xpa ye rs.

How will we te ll our stor y?

• Annua l print pub lic a tio n hig hlig hting Pe mb ina Hills Pub lic Sc ho o ls
• Bi-mo nthly dig ita l pub lic a tio n c e le b ra ting Pe mb ina Hills Pub lic Sc ho o ls
• Re fo c us divisio n we b site to te ll the divisio n’ s sto rie s

Suc c e ss looks like E a c h sc ho o l sha re s 5 g o o d ne ws sto rie s e a c h ye a r.

Simplify c ommunic ations

How will we do this?

• I

nc lude a sta te me nt o utlining sc ho o l/ divisio n’ s c o mmitme nt to c le a r c o mmunic a tio n o n pub lic a tio ns.

• I

nvite fe e db a c k fro m sc ho o l c o unc il/ c o unc il o f sc ho o l c o unc ils.

• Asse ss divisio n/ sc ho o l c o mmunic a tio ns a g a inst the F

le sc h re a da b ility sc a le . Aim fo r Gra de 8

• Write po lic ie s a nd a dministra tive pro c e dure s in pla in la ng ua g e . F
• r to pic s o f impo rta nc e to

pa re nts a nd stude nts, pro duc e info rma tio n b ulle tins in e ve ryda y la ng ua g e .

• Offe r sta ff – e spe c ia lly tho se writing ne wsle tte rs - wo rksho ps o n ho w to write c o nc ise ly.
• E

sta b lish a n e ma il sta nda rd. What suc c e ss looks like ?

• Po sitive re spo nse to q ue stio ns o n divisio n/ sc ho o l surve ys
• Administra to rs unde rsta nd wha t the y a re c o mmunic a ting .
• F

e we r c a lls to divisio n o ffic e o r sc ho o ls, with re q ue sts to e xpla in wha t ha s c o mmunic a te d

• F

e e db a c k fro m sc ho o l c o unc il.

Impr

• ve c ommunic ations with par

e nts

How will we do this?

• Co nsult with pa re nts b e fo re sc ho o l b o a rd ma ke s ma jo r d e c isio ns tha t a ffe c t the m.

L e ve ra g e e xisting re la tio nships with sc ho o l c o unc ils.

• Ask pa re nts (Co unc il o f Sc ho o l Co unc ils) wha t the y wo uld like to g e t info rma tio n a b o ut.
• Inc lud e a se c tio n in e a c h sc ho o l ne wsle tte r fo c use d o n d ivisio n ne ws.
• Cre a te a c he c klist fo r wha t sho uld b e inc lud e d o n sc ho o l we b site s.

Cle a n up d a te d info rma tio n o n d ivisio n/ sc ho o l we b site s.

• K

e e p pa re nts in mind a s we po pula te PHPS we b site . L e ss o f a mish/ ma sh o f inte rna l a nd e xte rna l info rma tio n.

• Pro d uc e a n a nnua l print pub lic a tio n hig hlig hting Pe mb ina Hills Pub lic Sc ho o ls (T

e lling the g o o d ne ws)

• Ask pa re nts o n a nnua l surve y if the y a re sa tisfie d with c o mmunic a tio ns fro m the d ivisio n.

What suc c e ss looks like ?

F e we r c o mpla ints, F e we r q ue stio ns, Mo re pa re nta l invo lve me nt Mo re po sitive c o mme nts unpro mpte d c o mme nts fro m the c o mmunity Pa re nts re spo nse to spe c ific q ue stio n o n d ivisio n surve y

Impr

• ve inte r

nal c ommunic ations

How will we do this?

• Re va mp the divisio n we b site / e xplo re c re a ting a n I

ntra ne t (Curre ntly we a re using a n e xte rna l ve hic le to c o nve y inte rna l info rma tio n (i.e . T SI )

• Bi-mo nthly dig ita l pub lic a tio n (F

ro m te lling the g o o d ne ws g ro up) T his pub lic a tio n will he lp PHPS sta ff kno w wha t is g o ing o n in o the r sc ho o ls a nd the divisio n.

• K

e y RO sta ff ma ke de lib e ra te e ffo rt to visit sta ff a nd stude nts whe n o n sc ho o l site visits

• Cre a te a ro le s a nd re spo nsib ilitie s do c ume nt to de sc rib e wha t e a c h pe rso n a t RO do e s.

What doe s suc c e ss look like ? We will g e t fe we r e ma ils Po sitive re spo nse to q ue stio n o n the divisio n surve y

Re sour c e s r e quir e d

Re sour c e s r e quir e d

• So me o ne to pull to g e the r the pub lic a tio ns (Annua l pub lic a tio n/ Bi-mo nthly d ig ita l pub lic a tio n)
• T

ra ining : we b site , e d iting a nd so c ia l me d ia

• Suppo rt fro m IT
• Sc ho o ls willing to sha re spa c e in the ir ne wsle tte rs fo r d ivisio n ne ws

Dr e aming for war d: Suppor ting sc hool c ommunic ations

T he task fo rc e was aske d to de ve lo p a divisio n c o mmunic atio ns plan

L

• o king fo rwa rd, the ta sk fo rc e re fle c te d o n ho w sc ho o ls mig ht b e ne fit fro m c o mmunic a tio ns suppo rt:
• Conduc t c ommunic ations audits for

sc hools

T

• info rm the de ve lo pme nt o f sc ho o l c o mmunic a tio ns pla ns
• Pr
• fe ssional de ve lopme nt fo c use d o n c o mmunic a tio ns skills

Co mmunic a tio ns 101, ne wsle tte r writing , me dia re la tio ns, c o mmunic a tio ns pla nning , so c ia l me dia

• Suppor

t de ve lopme nt of r

• bust and e ffe c tive sc hool we bsite s

Pe rha ps a pla n/ c he c klist fo r wha t sho uld b e fe a ture d o n we b site s

• Suppor

t sc hools’ wor k with sc hool c ounc ils.

E nc o ura g e mo re pa re nts to pa rtic ipa te in a nd e ng a g e with the wo rk o f sc ho o l c o unc ils.

• Pe r

haps sc hools c ould de ve lop a “who’s who” mo de lle d a fte r the RO do c ume nt.