Key 2018-19 dates for school calendars

Here are some special days you may want to  note on your 2018-19 school year calendar or take into consideration as you establish programs for next year. They are from Resources for Planning the School Calendar, published and distributed by the Educational Research Service and National School Public Relations Association, 15948 Derwood Road, Rockville, MD 20855. Order online at http://nspra.org/products or call (301) 519-0496. The price is $40 per copy plus $10 estimated shipping and handling.

2018
Date — Observance/holiday
September — Library Card Sign-Up Month
Sept. 3 — Labor Day
Sept. 8 — International Literacy Day
Sept. 9 — Grandparents’ Day
Sept. 9-11 — Rosh Hashanah*
Sept. 9-15 — National Arts in Education Week
Sept. 11 — Patriot Day
Sept. 15-16 — Mexican Independence Days
Sept. 15-Oct. 15 — Hispanic Heritage Month
Sept. 16 — Mayflower Day
Sept. 17 — Citizenship/Constitution Day
Sept. 17-23 — Constitution Week
Sept. 18-19 — Yom Kippur
Sept. 21 — International Day of Peace
Sept. 22 — First day of autumn
Sept. 28 — National Good Neighbor Day
October — Crime Prevention Month
October — Czech Heritage Month
October — Italian-American Heritage and Culture Month
October — National Bullying Prevention Month
October    National Principals Month
October — Polish-American Heritage Month
October — Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF Month
Oct. 1 — Child Health Day
Oct. 6 — German-American Day
Oct. 7-13 — Fire Prevention Week
Oct. 7-13 — National Educational Office Professionals Week
Oct. 7-13 — National Metric Week
Oct. 8 — Canadian Thanksgiving
Oct. 8 — Columbus Day
Oct. 10 — International Walk to School Day
Oct. 14-20 — National Character Counts Week
Oct. 15-19 — National School Lunch Week
Oct. 16 — World Food Day
Oct. 16-20 — National School Bus Safety Week
Oct. 23-31 — Red Ribbon Week (Drug-Free America)
Oct. 24 — United Nations Day
Oct. 27 — Make a Difference Day
Oct. 31 — Halloween
November — Native American Heritage Month
Nov. 4 — Standard time
Nov. 6 — Election Day
Nov. 11 — Veterans Day
Nov. 12-16 — American Education Week
Nov. 14 — Education Support Professionals Day
Nov. 15 — National Parental Involvement Day
Nov. 16 — Substitute Educators Day
Nov. 18-24 — National Family Week
Nov. 19 — Gettysburg Address anniversary
Nov. 22 — Thanksgiving Day
Dec. 1 — World AIDS Day
Dec. 2-10 — Hanukkah*
Dec. 7 — Pearl Harbor Day
Dec. 10 — Human Rights Day
Dec. 15 — Bill of Rights Day
Dec. 21 — First day of winter
Dec. 25  — Christmas
Dec. 26-Jan. — 1 Kwanzaa

2019
Date — Observance/holiday
January — School Board Recognition Month
Jan. 1 — New Year’s Day
Jan. 1 — Emancipation Proclamation anniversary
Jan. 20 — World Religion Day
Jan. 21 — Martin Luther King Jr. Day
February — African-American History Month
February — National Children’s Dental Health Month
Feb. 1 —  National Freedom Day
Feb. 2 — Groundhog Day
Feb. 4-8 — National School Counseling Week
Feb. 12 — Abraham Lincoln’s birthday
Feb. 14 — Valentine’s Day
Feb. 16 — Chinese New Year
Feb. 16-23 — National FFA Week
Feb. 17 — National PTA Founders Day
Feb. 18 — Presidents’ Day
Feb. 22 — George Washington’s birthday
March — American Red Cross Month
March — Irish-American Heritage Month
March — Music in Our Schools Month
March — National Middle Level Education Month
March — National Nutrition Month
March — Social Work Month
March — Women’s History Month
March — Youth Art Month
March 1 — National Education Association’s Read Across America (Dr. Seuss’ birthday)
March 4-8 — National School Breakfast Week
March 5 — Mardi Gras
March 5-11 — National Foreign Language Week
March 6 —  Ash Wednesday
March 6-April 20 — Lent
March 8 — International Women’s Day
March 11 — Johnny Appleseed Day
March 10 — Daylight savings time
March 11-15 — Classified School Employees Week. Dates differ in some states. Usually scheduled for first or second week in March
March 17 — St. Patrick’s Day
March 17-23 — National Poison Prevention Week
March 20 — First day of spring
March 21 — Bahá’í New Year’s Day
March 21 — International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
March 21 — Absolutely Incredible Kid Day
April — National Poetry Month
April — National Autism Awareness Month
April — School Library Month
April 1 — April Fools’ Day
April 2 — International Children’s Book Day
April 7 — World Health Day
April 7-13 — National Library Week
April 7-13 — National Volunteer Week
April 15-19 — Public School Volunteer Week
April 16 — Patriot’s Day
April 19 — Good Friday
April 19-20 — Passover* (first days)
April 21 — Easter
April 21-27 — Administrative Professionals Week
April 21-27 — National Coin Week
April 21-27 — National Student Leadership Week
April 22 — Earth Day
April 24 — Administrative Professionals Day
April 25 — Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day
April 26 — National Arbor Day
April 26-27 — Passover (concluding days)
May — Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month
May — Better Hearing and Speech Month
May — Food Allergy Action Month
May — National Physical Fitness and Sports Month
May — Preservation Month
May 1 — Law Day
May 1-2 — Holocaust Remembrance Day*
May 1-7 — National Physical Education and Sports Week
May 3 — World Press Freedom Day
May 3 — School Lunch Hero Day
May 4 — Horace Mann’s birthday
May 5 — Cinco de Mayo
May 5-11 — Be Kind to Animals Week
May 5-12 — National Music Week
May 6 — First Day of Ramadan
May 6-10 — Teacher Appreciation Week
May 7 — National Teacher Day
May 8 — National Bike to School Day
May 8 — National School Nurse Day
May 8 — World Red Cross Day
May 12 — Mother’s Day
May 18 — Armed Forces Day
May 20 — Victoria Day (Canada)
May 20-26 — National Educational Bosses’ Week
May 27 — Memorial Day
May 31 — World No Tobacco Day
June and July — Fireworks Safety Month
June — Caribbean-American Heritage Month
June — Great Outdoors Month
June 5 — World Environment Day
June 9 — Race Unity Day
June 10-14 — National History Day Contest
June 14 — Flag Day
June 16 — International Day of the African Child
June 16 — Father’s Day
June 19 — Juneteenth
June 21 — First day of summer

*Begins at sunset on the preceding day
Please note: Some groups or states celebrate appreciation days or weeks on different dates, particularly those for classified school employees and teachers.

News from the front lines: How and why to communicate the bigger message

You often hear that front-line staff members are the most knowledgeable about the district, but their perspective — while important — is often limited to their classroom, grade level or school. This is exactly what makes it an area of potential growth.

Teachers and office managers have the unique opportunity to deal with the public every day. They’re the first to know that parents are complaining about the new testing procedures; the first to know that the construction crew for the new gym hit an archeological site; and the first to learn that the flu is going around.

But what good does all this new information do,  and how can we effectively use it? And more importantly, what opportunities are we missing to develop a stronger relationship between the administration and the community it serves?

Communicating the bigger message

Make front-line staff members part of the team. Because they face the public every day, they are in the best position to communicate the district’s larger message. This is important so that people working day to day on the school’s problems feel like they’re part
of a bigger plan. And when it comes time for a levy or bond, those front-line staff members and parents become outreach angels, because they feel included in the process.

“When you hear a first-grade teacher talking about how well — or not — the district is being managed, it isn’t the whole story,” communications consultant Marcia Latta said, “But it’s a good reminder to communicate with all staff.”

Misinformation spreads like a virus

With human nature being what it is, people looking for answers are eager to accept the answer they’re given, even if it’s wrong. When your front-line staff members don’t have the information they need, it’s easy to lose the thread of the conversation the communications staff is working so hard to have with the community.

Parent: Why are they putting up a new gym? What’s wrong with the old one?

Teacher: I think the district had some extra money, and it was allocated to our school.

Parent: If the school had extra money, why didn’t it put it into expanding the library? You know my kid couldn’t even get computer time when he had a research paper due?

Of course, that parent is going to tell another unhappy parent how the district is wasting its money. Ouch! How much better would it be if the teacher knew about the district’s successful bond effort to replace buildings that were unsafe?

Communication goes both ways

Having a general awareness of the district’s issues means that your front-line staff has the opportunity to nip misinformation in the bud.

Parent: My daughter is showing a real gift for math, but I see here the school’s classes only go up to geometry. What about the calculus she needs to get into the Massachusetts Institute of Technology? Do I need to switch her to another school?

Office administrator: The district is partnering with the community college system so we can expand our offerings. By 2020, she should have access to all of the community college’s courses, in addition to the school’s.

Parent: Oh, I guess that’s OK.

It also means that they can be an advocate for the school’s mission, connecting kids to programs that will help them succeed. Office administrator: When your daughter gets to middle school, you might want to take a look at  the summer college program it has. It’s a summer camp where you get to live on campus and experience college classes. The district also has several scholarships available.

Parent: Wow, she’d love that! I didn’t realize the district had so many programs available for gifted kids.

Your ‘front-liners’ can get the dirt

Perhaps most importantly, when your front-line staff members know the district’s mission, they can be your “boots on the ground” for gathering information. How is a new program likely to be received? What do people think about this year’s testing schedule, and what would they like to change? Do they feel their child’s needs are being met?

. Marie Riche, founder and principal consultant at Ideal Communications, observes that well-trained PR people are integral to this process as well. “They’re not just reporting out what we’re doing — they’re asking, ‘Where is the next piece?’ They are able to report back from community meetings and say, ‘This is where you played a difference in the lives of kids, and here is where we need your help next.’”

Districts pay lots of money to run surveys each year, but if your “boots on the ground” already have a decent understanding of how the community feels about an issue and your encouragement of two-way communication means that information filters up to the decision-makers, it allows the district to invest its dollars more wisely, focusing more on the specifics for the survey or waiting to spend money on a survey until it’s already made a big community outreach effort.

Your front-line staff can be your biggest asset or your greatest weakness depending on how effectively you are able to deliver your district’s messaging to your employees in the field.

Contributed by Megan J. Wilson, Los Angeles-based freelance writer and communications consultant

Make your meetings meaningful

Be honest. When that meeting invitation arrives in your inbox, the first thing that sometimes comes to mind is: “I wonder how I can get out of this one?”

People often dread meetings. That’s partly because meetings take up so much work time. There are informational meetings, planning meetings and meetings to discuss other meetings.

And, when you leave the meeting, invariably there is work that needs to be done, except you may not  have time to do it because you have another meeting to attend. It’s enough to instill a permanent fear of meetings into the strongest heart.

Luckily, meetings don’t have to elicit that reaction. The key is to plan them well and, most importantly, only call one when it’s absolutely necessary to get the job done.

In fact, meetings that are well-organized and well-planned tend to generate the opposite reaction. Participants enjoy a productive gathering where important work gets accomplished. They tend to walk away with a sense of enlightenment and accomplishment and feel the time was well spent. They feel good about having participated.

Following are some tips for making your meetings effective and meaningful:

  • Make sure the meeting is absolutely needed. Too often we schedule meetings almost for the sake of having a meeting. If there’s nothing pressing on the agenda, cancel it or conduct the business by phone or email. It’s irritating to spend more time traveling to the meeting than attending it.
  • Set a timeline for each meeting, and stick to it. If the meeting is scheduled to start at 10 a.m., don’t visit and eat snacks until 10:15 a.m. or 10:20 a.m. Respect people’s time by starting on schedule and ending at the scheduled time, even if you haven’t covered every agenda item. If there’s more to cover, set another date to reconvene.
  • Schedule a reasonable length of time for meetings. No matter how important the work is, it’s hard for people to focus for more than a couple of hours. Try to limit meetings to about two to three hours. Also, pay attention to the time of day. It may be difficult to get everyone’s undistracted attention for an 8 a.m. meeting, because they are probably settling in to their day, checking email and doing other tasks. A better start time usually is 9 a.m. or 10 a.m.
  • Distribute the agenda ahead of time. The agenda is your road map for organizing your meeting and keeping it on schedule. It helps ensure you cover all of the topics that need to be covered and not get sidelined by conversation that may not be relevant to your goals for the meeting. By sending it out in advance, participants have a chance to think about the topics and be better prepared with information to join in the conversation.
  • Make sure essential people attend. It can be extremely frustrating to arrive at a meeting and then find that some of the key players who are essential to accomplishing the meeting’s goals aren’t there. It’s important for the meeting organizer to check in with key players in advance to make sure they are able to attend or at the least send someone in their place who can serve as their proxy.
  • Set ground rules to eliminate distractions. It’s sometimes helpful to agree on ground rules as a way to eliminate distractions and keep everyone focused on the important work at hand. Examples are showing up on time and coming prepared; listening with an open mind; and silencing your cellphone and only checking messages during breaks.
  • Assign a facilitator. A strong facilitator will keep the meeting moving in a productive fashion and ensure the meeting’s goals are accomplished. If discussion drifts to topics that aren’t relevant to the agenda, the facilitator will guide it back on track. Some groups like to rotate facilitators so different members have a chance to lead.
  • Assign a recorder. Every meeting needs a recorder to take notes and record decisions and the action items still left to do. Good notes make it easy to know what topics you have covered and those that still need your attention.
  • Distribute meeting notes. Be sure to send copies of the meeting notes to all participants so everyone can see what was discussed and what decisions were made. The notes should list who has been assigned an action item so those people know what’s expected and when. The notes should be sent to any participants who were unable to attend the meeting so they are aware of the discussion and any decisions.

Instead of instilling fear in your heart, meetings can inspire a sense of accomplishment and creativity. The key is taking time to plan for their success.

Contributed by Connie Potter, communications consultant

Rules for managing your PR staff to create effective communications

Many management concepts are universal: Lead by example or never criticize an employee in public. The list goes on. But when it comes to managing communications professionals, there are a few unique rules for the educational leader to consider.

Rule No. 1: Always keep your communicator in the loop.

This is the most important. The communicator is only as useful as the information he or she has. If completely aware of what your executive team is working on, he or she can help you plan ahead and communicate effectively. If a communicator is out of the loop, the best he or she can do is help with damage control — an ineffective and frustrating position for everyone.

Managing change is a big part of school district management, and it usually is unpopular with a large part of your workforce. The communicator can help pave the way by getting messages out about the need for the proposed changes and creating feedback channels for employees to express their hopes and fears.

Being in the loop obviously requires the superintendent to open important meetings to the communications professional. And in turn, it requires the communicator to earn the trust that is necessary to be in those meetings.

There is no room for gossip or sharing confidential issues, including personnel matters. The professional communicator must be clearly informed of the expectation of privacy and remain above reproach in maintaining it.

Any breach of confidentiality will start a rapid downward spiral of distrust and ineffectiveness. If the communications person cannot be trusted with private information, he or she will not be able to effectively plan for some of the most difficult situations the
superintendent will ever face. If the boss cannot trust the communications pro, he or she needs to get another one.

Rule No. 2: Ask your communications pro for advice and consider it.

Sometimes superintendents hire the best communicators they can recruit and then fail to get the anticipated value out of them, because they try to tell them what to do all the time without ever listening to the communicator.

Some superintendents misinterpret the communicator sharing expertise as insubordination or ego. And while it is possible for a communications person to step over the line to the point of disrespect, most often this is not the case.

Communicators are used to dealing with pushy news media and unhappy patrons, and they always have the leadership team and the superintendent’s reputations foremost in their thoughts. So, if the communications person seems pushy with his or her boss, they may not be pushy so much as protective.

Certainly, there will be times when the superintendent says, “I need you to do this,” or “I need you to do that.” But that should be the exception rather than the rule. Most of the time, the superintendent should tell the communicator what he or she is
trying to accomplish and then listen to what ideas the communications pro suggests.

The communicator is paid to produce, but he or she also is paid to think about complex issues and help find solutions. Communicators do this with the set of professional skills and experience for which they were hired. It is up to the superintendent to tap into that expertise rather than stifle it with directives.

The very best communications professionals will be open with the boss when they think something is heading in the wrong direction. But they also know when the time has come to say, “yes, sir” or “yes, ma’am,” and move forward in the direction their leader sets out.

And, they will work for the best possible outcome. They will never pout or sabotage as a result of not  getting their way. And, if they are proven right, their only priority will be to help improve the situation, rather than prove they were right and the boss was wrong.

Rule No. 3: Don’t punish the messenger

Your communications person is supposed to feel safe sharing news with you. That means the good news and the bad. It is easy to be happy with the messenger when the news is good. But the superintendent also  must be open to hearing bad news so he or she can work together with the communications professional to turn the narrative into something more positive.

It is possible for the communications person to  get so busy putting out fires and dealing with negative situations that he or she forgets to keep up the flow of positive stories. It is fair for the superintendent to point this out when he or she perceives an imbalance in the narrative. But the issue is timing.

When your communications person is in the middle of dealing with the fourth negative story in a row, that is not the time to express your displeasure about all of the recent bad press. Think about broaching the subject when the storms have subsided, and the PR person has the bandwidth to make some positive news.

The superintendent is an important source of positive news for the communications person. The superintendent is in a position to learn about all sorts of pride points, because people in schools tend to mention things they are proud of to the boss.

The principal who forgets to tell the communications department about something great in his or her school may very well think to tell the district leadership when they visit his or her school. Rather than complain about a lack of good news, the top district leaders can do a great deal of good by passing these positive story ideas forward.

Rule No. 4: Support them when they need information or feedback from busy people

Refer to Rule No. 1. A communicator can best  serve the district when they are well-informed. And, that means they have all the information they need when they need it, not just a vague idea of what is going on.

The tough part is communicators will depend on others in the district to provide them with the detail they need. Everyone in a school district is busy. So, the superintendent should support his or her communications person in getting information from very busy people on timelines that work.

Most often the communications person is not setting an arbitrary deadline. The timelines are dictated by the superintendent’s needs or sometimes the news media, neither of which are under the communications person’s control. The executive leadership can provide a great boost in communicator effectiveness simply by letting everyone know that the project is a priority for them, not just the communications pro.

Communications professionals are a special type of employee. They need all of the same supports as any other worker. But they also require a few special supports from the boss. If you follow the four rules above, you  will develop a working relationship built on trust, resulting in timely, effective, proactive communications.

Contributed by Jay Remy, communications consultant

Rumor control: Preventing and responding to misinformation, gossip and rumors

In our social-media-driven, 24-hour-news-cycle world, rumors can spread with the click of a button. Getting ahead of and responding to rumors can feel like a Sisyphean task, but there are some concrete things you can do to help minimize and mitigate the spread of rumors.

Start out strong

There is no way to prevent all rumors. However, there are a number of things you can do to reduce the spread of rumors in your district. Having a strong, comprehensive communications plan helps by ensuring you quickly get accurate information out to your target audiences.

Rumors thrive in the absence of regular, clear and honest communication. Setting up strong, recurring communications can fill that void and provide factual information to counter rumors.

Providing opportunities for authentic two-way communications also is critical. It will help establish trust and provide you with early indications of what misinformation may be circling so it can be quickly addressed.

Following are steps you can take to help prevent rumors:

  • Make your messages clear, concise, coordinated and consistent. Avoid jargon or overly complex or lengthy messages that could lead to confusion.
  • Make sure communications are aligned and consistent. Misunderstandings are almost inevitable if you send out communications that don’t align with messages coming from different departments or schools. If there is a change in message, make sure to address that clearly and indicate why it is occurring.
  • Be timely and relevant. Prioritize getting information out quickly and on schedule. Delays in communication often lead to speculation and rumors. If you have promised a communication at a specific time, provide one, even if you are just sharing more information will be coming soon.
  • Be honest and transparent. Honesty is always the best policy. Providing simple, clear messages that rely on the facts will help to combat misinformation.
  • Practice proactive communications. Address rumors or misinformation quickly and definitively. This is particularly important in crises where rumors can get out of hand fast.
  • Think about your messenger. To be effective, your message must be seen as credible. Select a messenger or communications channel that your target audience will view as trustworthy.

How rumors spread

People have always had to deal with rumors, gossip and misinformation. Whether through misunderstanding or the intentional bending of the truth, inaccurate information spreads quickly by word of mouth, traditional media sources — and now, most critically — through social media and the internet.

Social media makes it easier than ever before to stir up things with inaccurate news. And, the challenge is the inaccurate information often is much more interesting and eye-catching than the truth.

This can cause inaccurate information to travel much faster and more broadly than the subsequent correction. It also can take some time for the correct information to be released, giving rumors a significant head start.

Rumors can spread at any time, but they are particularly likely in times of crisis when heightened public emotions combine with limited facts to produce a fertile ground for rumors. Having a rumor control plan in place before the crisis hits can help you respond quickly and more effectively.

Key steps to rumor control

Following are three primary steps in rumor control:

  • Determine what rumors are circulating. Figure out ways to keep your ear to the ground and hear what’s being discussed at both the water cooler and online. Establishing key communicator networks that can pass on concerns or rumors can be very helpful. Reviewing social media posts for common themes also can be of value. Establish strong systems of two-way communication to ensure you are hearing about things before they get out of hand.
  • Determine if the rumor is true or false. Not all rumors are inaccurate. Some are true or at least have elements of truth in them. Quickly figuring out if the rumor is fully false, fully true or a mix can help you prepare a response.
  • Correct inaccurate rumors and replace them with reliable information. Getting accurate information out quickly can help reduce the spread of rumors. Even if the rumor ends up being true or partially true, sharing a complete picture can help calm things down.

What’s driving the rumor?

As you draft your response, see if you can determine the emotion or concern that is driving the spread of the rumor. Are people feeling scared, powerless, confused or angry? Is there a way that you can respond to that foundational need or concern through your response to address not only this specific topic but the underlying issue as well?

Following are a few ideas to address common types of concerns:

  • Confusion or a lack of understanding: Use stories or analogies to make the confusing more familiar. Connect the new information to something known and relatable. Use simple, clear language and short sentences.
  • Sense of unfairness: Acknowledge and address any inequities. Discuss available options, trade-offs or the reasons a specific decision was made. Admit to mistakes and commit to fixing them.
  • Lack of control: Identify what people can do to be an active participant in the issue or topic. Provide choices when possible. Tell people where they can learn more or share feedback.
  • Lack of trust: Acknowledge there are multiple points of view. Identify trusted partners working with you. Share how you will be held accountable.

Your response

There always is a balance between getting your response out quickly to stem the rapid spread of misinformation and taking the time to get your message just right. Having a system in place can be very helpful.

Ideally, you will be able to respond quickly and with a strong, accurate message. Establish sample language templates that can be adapted quickly to the topic at hand. Identify the drafting, review and release process and what needs to happen to speed up that process in a crisis situation. Set a time frame for responding to rumors. Make sure you have a point person responsible for handling rumor control and quickly preparing a response.

Just as not all rumors are the same, not all responses will look alike either. Keep the level of response appropriate to the issue at hand. If the rumor is confined to a small audience, you don’t need to do a big public announcement. Simply address it with the involved audience. If the rumor is all over social media, make sure you don’t just put out a press release and call it good. When possible, try and have a trusted source serve as your messenger. This may mean having local schools or classroom teachers address the issue rather than just having it come from the central office.

For larger rumors or issues at the crisis stage, you may need to create a crisis communication plan. This plan should lay out the risks and various strategies  you are employing to mitigate these risks and limit the spread of misinformation. These strategies may include releasing accurate information via social media and other online sources, sharing information directly via in-person conversations or town-hall style gatherings or getting accurate information into the mainstream and print media. Since rumors often are linked to concerns or fear of some sort, the more you can recognize these concerns and help people feel heard the better.

Indicate a genuine sharing of concern. Practice active listening, show compassion and share accurate information to counter the inaccurate elements. Admitting mistakes or when there is information you don’t know can also go a long way in helping to establish trust.

Being proactive

Establishing a strong two-way communications system that allows for the open and honest sharing of information is probably the most effective way to prepare for rumor control. Rather than hiding from rumors, seek them out.

Establish ways to learn the gossip early on, so you can prepare a response when needed. Some organizations have established rumor control webpages, where they solicit rumors from stakeholders and provide responses. You could even create a fun and lighthearted “Myth Busters” section in your school or district newsletter or website that addresses rumors or misinformation.

Most rumors will eventually fade away on their own, and it’s not wise to make too big a deal about them. However, an ounce of prevention and a quick, clear correction can go a long way in controlling gossip, misinformation and rumors.

Additional resources

Contributed by Crystal Greene, communications consultant

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