Greetings SGI Families,
Communication can be challenging for organizations. Especially in a school district, where varied constituents exist who all want and need different information depending on their circumstance. We often ask ourselves, are we under-communicating or over-communicating? Are we using communication methods people prefer: text, email, phone call, social media post, etc.? In her book Radical Candor, Kim Scott wrote, “Messages get measured at the listener’s ear, not at the speaker’s mouth.” So, while we may intend to communicate with the best of intentions, the message doesn’t always resonate.
As part of our strategic planning process, we are focusing on family and community connections as a major pillar of our work, and communication plays a significant role in strengthening that connection. We are working to share information and ask for feedback from families and the community about various aspects of our operations. We have posted a few different surveys this year to attempt to solicit feedback from those we communicate with: the Parent Workshop Survey and the November 1 Staff Day Survey.
I wanted to write this short message to explicitly discuss how I have been communicating with our parents and community using various mediums and also be open to feedback if there is something our organization can be doing better when it comes to communication.
We send out the Community Bulletin/Yearly Calendar. These are sent to all District residents and highlight important learning happening in our buildings. We have organized the bulletin according to “Pillar Topics” to offer both written explanations and visual illustrations of our progress in each component of our strategic plan. Our calendar is shared with the community so that everyone is aware of the events we have going on throughout the year and the days that schools are closed for holidays and breaks.
We reserve phone calls via our broadcast system for the most important and time-sensitive information. If school is closed due to weather or other factors, after-school activities are canceled, or if we have to evacuate a building, this information would be shared through a phone call AND the other methods that follow.
In addition to receiving a text message in the event of a situation mentioned above, text messages are used for general communication. Sharing a link in a text message is useful for sending a brief message that links back to something more substantive on our website, where more information can be shared.
We reserve email as a means of communication for more targeted messages. For example, information about the 8th-grade trip may be shared through email because it only impacts the families of 8th-grade students. That said, a text message may also accompany the email message alerting families to “check their email for more information.”
We use social media to post information about upcoming events, job postings for the District, and other news, such as the success of a club or sports team. We post similar messages across various platforms, including Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram. This information is designated for a broad audience and recipients can re-share posts to further spread the word.
Sometimes, the best solution is the Home-School Communicator. At the elementary level, the tried and true “Home-School Communicator” is a great way to let families know of upcoming school-wide events, announcements for particular classrooms and grade levels, and updates on how your child is performing in school.
We are also exploring opportunities to bring the community together throughout the school year around topics of interest. When we surveyed parents in December, several themes emerged - one of which was teen safety, which then led to the planning of our recent panel regarding cannabis use and the adolescent brain. That learning opportunity took place on March 19th. We hope to offer other similar workshops on subject matter that is of interest to our parents and community in the future.
Sometimes, it helps to tell people exactly why we do what we do and explain the subsequent rationale. Please know that all communication is intentional and thoughtful, but we also recognize there is always room for improvement. I appreciate you taking the time to review this information, and I encourage you to fill out the accompanying survey and reach out if you have any thoughts or suggestions.
James Bialasik
Superintendent of Schools