CONNECT: 🌧️ April Showers Bring MarComs Powers 🌱

April Showers Bring MarComs Powers

As we embrace the refreshing rains of April, we also welcome the flurry of activity that comes with wrapping up the 2023-2024 school year on a high note. Just like the spring showers nourish the earth, your efforts in marketing and enrollment are essential in nurturing our charter school communities and ensuring their growth.

In this issue, we reflect back on this month’s CONNECT cohort activities and preview your upcoming events for May, that time of year where you are working hard to finish the year strong while actively planning for next year. This can include everything from freshening up your school website and fine-tuning keyword SEO strategies, to optimizing your marketing budget allocation, event planning, and refining scripts for email campaigns.

Start now and harness the power of April showers to drive enrollment and sow the seeds for a thriving new school year!

A Peek Ahead

Choice Enrollment of Students with Disabilities: Lunch and Learn
April 29 | 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM | Virtual
The second of two special Lunch & Learn events, this session addresses the equitability of the Choice process. Students with disabilities deserve the opportunity to participate in Choice just like their non-disabled peers and the 2022 state rule change was meant to protect students with disabilities from discrimination when they participate in the Choice enrollment process. Join to learn more about the Dos & Don'ts when enrolling Students with Disabilities through the Choice process. Register here.

Teacher Appreciation Week
May 6-10, 2024
National Teacher Appreciation week is the perfect time to share your gratitude for all that teachers do. Help educators know just how appreciated they are by sharing a message on social media, using hashtag #ThankATeacher. Check out more ideas here along with some additional promo tips in our resources section below.

National Charter Schools Week
May 12-17, 2024
From May 12-17, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools highlights the incredible impact of charter schools on students, families, and communities across the nation. Explore success stories, learn about innovative programs, and join the conversation on social media using #CharterSchoolsWeek. Together, let's celebrate the diversity, excellence, and opportunity that charter schools provide. Visit the link to discover more and join the celebration!

CONNECT Office Hours
May 9 | 12:00-1:00 PM | Virtual
With so many school communication systems in place — and often too few support staff to manage them — it's easy to be overwhelmed and under-organized. Join our guest speakers from the Salesforce Education Team and Elevation Solutions for a high-level overview of the role of CRM in K-12 education, including charter schools. This tool is transforming the way K-12 teams work. Learn how it can simplify enrollment, boost communication, and enhance collaboration. Register here.

This will be our last CONNECT meeting for the 2023/24 school year.

Save the Dates: 2024 Leadership Summit & 2025 Annual Conference.
Mark your calendars for October 11, when our highly anticipated Charter School Leadership Summit is back, bringing educators, administrators, and policymakers together for a day filled with empowerment and collaboration. Stay tuned as we unveil the venue next week, and don't miss out on this opportunity to gain valuable insights and connect with fellow leaders in the charter school community!

Next, get ready to embark on a transformative educational journey at the 2025 Colorado Charter Schools Annual Conference! Join us on February 27 and February 28 for an immersive experience at the Denver Marriott Tech Center, where innovation meets inspiration.

Looking Back

Engage, Learn, Connect with CDE
Apr. 4 | Daniel’s Fund Offices, Denver
On April 4, an in-person Charter Development Summit at the Daniel’s Fund Offices in Denver covered essential topics for new, replicating, and expanding charter schools, focusing on Community Engagement, Governance, Finance, and Inclusive School Culture. Reach out to School of Choice with any questions.

CONNECT Open Office Hours
Apr. 11 | 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM | Virtual
Thanks to those of you who jumped on the noon call with some great questions, insights and all around cohort collaboration. As a reminder, these office hours are reserved to provide cohort support, feedback, and advice. They provide a fun, informal opportunity to stay connected with your colleagues in the school marketing, enrollment and communications space.

NEW - Focused Workshop - Student Enrollment.png 2

Extended Workshop Series (Session 6)
2024 Life Cycle Planning for the 2024/25 School Year
April 17 | 12:00-3:00 PM | Hybrid
Designed for both school leaders and site-based owners of marketing, enrollment and/or community engagement, and free to CONNECT members, each session in this series helps attendees set a new vision and norm for school recruitment across teams, while gaining access to a wealth of practices, tools, and frameworks that can be adapted to any context. You can access a copy of the Workshop resources here.

News & Resources

Grace Period for Digital Accessibility Compliance Extension
In 2021, Colorado became the first state to require both state and local governments to meet web accessibility standards. Passed during the regular legislative session, HB21-1110 makes it a state civil rights violation for a government agency to exclude people with disabilities from receiving services or benefits because of lack of accessibility. The League sought legal input, and it was confirmed that Colorado charters are required to abide by this new law.

UPDATE: On April 15, 2024 the Colorado legislature introduced HB24-1454: Grace Period Noncompliance Digital Accessibility. If passed, the bill will provide a one-year extension to July 1, 2025 of immunity from liability for failure to comply with the digital accessibility standards for an agency that demonstrates good faith efforts toward compliance or toward resolution of any complaint of noncompliance. For more information on both of these bills, please see our full statement here.

Navigating Independent School Competition: A Deep Dive with Niche's Angela Brown
MoonshotOS
Discover strategies for independent schools to navigate competitive landscapes in MoonshotOS's case study featuring insights from Niche's Angela Brown. This detailed analysis explores evolving competition, the importance of differentiation, aligning values with branding, enhancing digital presence, and community engagement. Ideal for educational leaders seeking innovative approaches to stand out and thrive amidst diverse educational choices. Access the case study.

6 Tips to Get the Marketing Budget You Need for Your School
Truth Tree
Without a strong marketing and admissions strategy, all budgets (including those all-important campus facilities line items) will dry up, and soon. Ready to pitch digital marketing to the purse-string holders? Look no further! We have 6 tips to help guide your internal discussions and hopefully, get you on the right track for digital marketing (and budgeting) bliss. Read more.

School Facebook Page Guidelines & Tips
School Webmasters
Having an immense competitive advantage and a high level of flexibility to modify and adjust makes Facebook a perfect place to build a supportive, online school community.
But running a school Facebook page is quite different from a personal Facebook page. Read more.

9 Content Mistakes Wrecking Your School Website
Cursive Content
When bad content choices muddy up your strong school storytelling efforts, you run the risk of getting lost in the quintillion-byte dump. That’s why it’s so important to constantly review your school website and fix any content mistakes being made. Read more.

The Crucial Role of Keywords in Your School’s Content Strategy
Design TLC | January 22, 2024
Schools know that an effective online presence is critical to attracting, informing and communicating with prospective families. A key component of an online marketing strategy involves understanding and implementing relevant keywords on the school’s website. Read more.

School Event Promotion Tips That Extend Your Reach
SchoolNow | February 1, 2024
Promoting a school event can be a lot of work, with so many moving pieces, stakeholders and ways to get the word out. There's an ever-changing set of promotion methods, and it seems like new social media outlets are emerging every day. As a result, your options and opportunities are endless. Read more.

OpenAI’s new generative tool Sora could revolutionize marketing and content creation
The Conversation | February 21, 2024
OpenAI’s new generative Sora tool has sparked lively technology discussions over the past week, generating both enthusiasm and concern among fans and critics. Read more.

What Should a School Sitemap Include and What Should be Removed
Design TLC | March 5, 2024
A school’s website serves as a vital gateway to information for prospective students, parents, faculty, and the community. An intelligently structured and easily navigable website is pivotal in conveying a school’s identity, offerings, and values effectively. Read more.

10 Ideas for Celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week on Social Media
SocialSchool4EDU | April 12, 2024
Explore creative ways to honor teachers during Teacher Appreciation Week with "10 Ideas for Celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week on Social Media" from #SocialSchool4EDU. This post provides fresh, engaging suggestions such as virtual applause parades, interactive posts, and using social media to highlight teacher stories and events. Read more.

Why the shift from ‘conversions’ to ‘key events’ in GA4 is a game-changer
MarTech | April 18, 2024
Learn how this GA4 change lets you maximize marketing opportunities to measure and report on what matters most to your business. Read more.

Shout Outs

‘Highest award of AVID schools’: Windsor Charter Academy named AVID National Demonstration School
Greeley Tribune | March 31, 2024
Windsor Charter Academy will now serve as one of five national demonstration schools in Colorado for an educational model that’s been shown to increase graduation rates and college enrollment. Read more [Paywall].

Colorado International Language Academy marks 10 years of operations
Colorado Springs Gazette | April 6, 2024
It doesn’t take long for Shaunna Kimble to get interrupted by one of the students at the Colorado International Language Academy. Throughout a tour of the charter school, the assistant principal is routinely stopped by students between classes for a hug and a quick word. Read more.

Fort Collins school's dual-language immersion program certified by French government
The Coloradoan | April 10, 2024
The French dual-language immersion program at Fort Collins' Axis International Academy received the Label of FrancEducation from the French government. Read more [Paywall].

Stargate Charter School Receives Gold Star Award from Safe2Tell
Congratulations to Stargate Charter School for earning the Gold Star Award from Safe2Tell, making it the first school in Colorado to achieve this recognition. Safe2Tell commends the school's dedication to promoting safety through education and outreach. The award was presented by Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, alongside representatives from Safe2Tell, the Adams 12 Board of Education, Thornton Police, Stargate Board, and community members. Read more.

Have any tips or resources you’d like to share? We’d love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected].

The Stories We Tell: Get to Know the Group

Stacy Tempas, Communications Manager, Stargate School

Meet Stacy Tempas, Communications Manager for Stargate School and a super mom to her kids, cheering them on from the stands (cheers to that!) on a regular basis. She’s a mom first so her days are filled with whatever her kiddos are doing. And kiddos include her dogs, which she’d shrink down to fit in her pocket so she could bring them with her wherever the day takes her.

In her down time (what little she likely has because, again, her superpower is being a super mom), she enjoys watching Hallmark movies - even if she knows the ending. (Don’t they all end the same? Asking for a friend). She’s never lived on the beach but has always wanted to so her favorite place to visit is, guess? The beach.

Stacy prefers her ice cream for dessert - plain and simple. But she’s no plain jane; she enjoys her condiments too - the oldest items in her fridge and staples that tend to reproduce quite frequently. Her favorite smell? The bakery. That comforting scent of freshly baked goods always brings her back to her happy place.

Her go-to toy as a kid was a Barbie. But she’s no Barbie girl now, more like a queen - preferring to enter a room every time to the sound of… nope. Not music from her celeb crush John Bon Jovi but to Abba’s Dancing Queen because who doesn’t dance when that song is on?!

Catch Stacy on the sands, in the stands, or in our CONNECT Community.

“If you’re not eliciting an emotional reaction, you’re not properly marketing yourself.” (3).png

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