Back-to-School Prep List? Check Out the 'Meet' Series.

Busy? Here's the TL;DR

Back-to-School is the most anxious time of year for many!
Intentional school communications are a great way to ease fears
Use school newsletters to introduce key members of the team
The principal, the classroom teacher, the counselor, the librarian, and the building.

Want to get everyone communicating consistently?

Here's a wild statistic: 8 in 10 parents think Back-to-School is the most stressful time of year.

Between the school supplies, the first day outfit, the anxiety about class placement and a new teacher, finishing any summer assignments, getting kids to bed earlier and up earlier, packing lunches. It's a lot!

Stressed out mom at back-to-school season

We can't actually remove the stress from parents, but we can put school communications to work helping to ease their anxiety. The more information you share about the new year, the more at ease parents will feel.

To help, we put together a series of school newsletter templates to allay as many fears as possible.

1. Meet the Principal

A Meet the Principal newsletter introduces parents and caregivers to the building leader in a personal way. It's a great opportunity to share building updates, share some fun facts about the principal, lay out a philosophy of education. If attendance is top of mind, share bullet points about the importance of showing up, every day. If social-emotional well-being is top of mind, share resources and information about how the team will be supporting student wellness this year.

Psyched to get started? Duplicate the template👇🏽

2. Meet the Teacher

Right behind Meet the Principal, Meet the Teacher is a must for every classroom teacher. Sharing basics like the first day schedule, the lunch menu, pictures of the classroom, and the teacher's background goes a long way! Include a Google form to collect the hopes and fears parents have for their learners.

This is a fundamental piece of building strong parent relationships right from the get-go.

3. Meet the Counselor(s)

Taking the time to spell out counselling resources available to students BEFORE any trouble even has a chance to brew. It will be a boon to anxious parents. They'll have the key contacts they need stored right on their phones, by way of their digital newsletter. They can point their kids in the right direction should they need help, and follow up as needed.

This goes a long way towards building school-connectedness and shows a HIGH level of caring.

(Two more to go!)

4. Meet the Librarian

School libraries are special places. If your school is lucky enough to have one, make sure to broadcast it to families early and often. Getting an early introduction to the librarian, the library, some exciting new books, library hours, and expectations is an invitation to a year of great reading.

Here's a Meet the Librarian template with a fun comic book theme 👇🏽

And now, the final template in the 'Meet' series... 🥁

5. Meet the Building

Sometimes the things that make kids and their grownups the most nervous are the basics:

What do I do when I get off the bus?
How will I find my classroom?
Where are the bathrooms?

A Meet the Building school newsletter is a fun and visual way to ease nerves by giving families an inside peek at procedures. It's also the ideal place to introduce the important staff members who take care of the building!

This one is a win:win.