Boost engagement right from the start

Welcome to the first CONNECT newsletter of the 2024-2025 school year! 

For those of you who are new to us, our cohort is made up of Colorado charter school staff members like you who are responsible for communications, marketing and enrollment initiatives. 

Whether you wear one hat (ha!) or ten, you can look forward to a full schedule of conversations this year, starting on Sept. 12 when we polish the foundation of all good communications - writing!

In addition to virtual lunch-and-learns like those, we’ll also convene in-person twice this school year. Join us from 12-5 PM on Fri., Oct. 12 for lunch, two guest speakers, happy hour and more, including the Leadership Summit keynote address. This event is free to you as a CONNECT member. 

We hope you’ll join us both then and throughout the year to connect with peers and gain relevant insight.

Below you’ll find additional events of value coming your way + valuable resources and insight to support effective communication and spur engagement with families, fostering engagement success this fall and beyond!

Fall Highlights

Lunch & Learn: Writing for Clarity & Precision
Sept.  12   |   12:00-1:00 PM   |   Virtual
Let’s set the stage for the year by tackling a topic that touches all of us in some way or another — writing! A current PLT Strategies Group Advisor and former Chief of Public Affairs at the Massachusetts Charter Public School Association, Victoria Criado will walk us through a skill-building presentation focused on increasing the effectiveness of your various written communications, including op-eds, press releases, media statements, social media, website copy and fact sheets. Whether you already consider yourself a skilled writer or are still developing the skills, you’ll take away key points to polish your foundation. Just add to your calendar and grab the Zoom link here.  

In-Person Workshop at the 2024 Leadership Summit
Oct. 11   |   12:00-5:00 PM   |   Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center

The upcoming Leadership Summit will host educators, administrators and policymakers together for a day of inspiration and collaboration about catalysts and the roles of agents of change. 

We are taking advantage of this beautiful space to host a half-day, in-person CONNECT workshop onsite during the Summit. Join us for lunch at noon, followed by two special speaker sessions, the conference keynote at 3:15 PM, and happy hour at 4:00 PM. 

We’d love to see you there! FREE to CONNECT members. Learn more and register now.

PS: Got a few minutes? Help us with a five-question enrollment poll in preparation for one of two sessions at this workshop. 

Regional Gatherings 
Sept. 26: Aurora   |   Oct. 24: Glenwood Springs   |   Nov. 21: Pueblo |   Jan. 14: Lakewood   |   April 10: Parker   |   April 16: Loveland
This school year, our regional gatherings are spread across several months, allowing our team at the League to best keep our pulse on what’s happening in your community and around the state. Join League staff and your charter school peers at one of these informal networking happy hours! Specific venues will be posted shortly. Please register early. The League will provide food and beverages.

Resources & Insight

Key dates, events and celebrations for 2024-25
A free, all-encompassing list of events for the 2024-25 school year that includes nationally recognized months, staff appreciation weeks and more. 

Build the ultimate content calendar for your school
Content is essential to a successful school strategy, and a content calendar is a great way to get organized.

Parent communication preferences are shifting faster than ever
It might seem like a daunting task to try to determine some universal rules about parent communication preferences.

7 ways to promote positive communication with families
Teachers and administrators can use positive messages to strengthen the link between families and the school.

From day one: Nine effective onboarding strategies to retain new families
Your new family onboarding process doesn’t stop at the beginning of the school year. 

7 tips for creating an effective school newsletter
How much effort does it take to put out your school newsletter?

Unique school newsletter ideas for enhancing K-12 school engagement
Today, newsletters’ role has expanded beyond the dissemination of information. They have become a platform for storytelling, celebrating achievements, and promoting a positive school culture.

Shout Outs

MEDIA OPP — Promote Your Favorite Staff for Teacher Tuesday
A CDE weekly social media campaign, Teacher Tuesday, highlights one teacher weekly across their social media networks, including photo, accomplishments, teaching tenure and their source of joy for teaching. They need our help to fill the pipeline with standout charter school educators! Please fill out this submission form to add a co-worker or pass it on to a friend.

Denver superintendent spends first day of school visiting bilingual programs and more
On the first day of school Monday, Denver Superintendent Alex Marrero sat on a wiggly stool no higher than his knee at a table with three young students. 

Kwiyagat Community Academy adds fourth grade, emphasizes Ute language
The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe’s Kwiyagat Community Academy has added fourth grade to its roster of class offerings, with the goal of offering kindergarten through 12th grade in the future.

Have any tips or resources you’d like to share? We’d love to hear from you!

The Stories We Tell: Get to Know the Group

Kelly Gomes: Executive Director and Shared Services Partner at Wildflower Montessori Public Schools

Meet Kelly Gomes, Executive Director, Shared Services Partner for Wildflower Montessori Public Schools, and a true Renaissance woman in the field of education. With an M.Ed in Urban Education from CUNY Graduate Center, Kelly has worn many hats, from founding teacher to school principal. Her tenure as a principal in Denver was marked by her commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as her innovative approach to discipline, which significantly reduced suspension rates and boosted academic performance. A “Teach for America” alumna, Kelly began her journey teaching high school English in Dallas/Fort Worth and has since left her mark from Harlem to Denver.

When she’s not transforming education, Kelly’s hobbies are as eclectic as her career. Rising to the occasion, she bakes sourdough bread (a skill that developed during the pandemic much like the rest of us, but hers comes with a random Reddit doorstep delivery twist), enjoys early nights in, and dreams of pocket-sized giraffes (OK, this last one might be a stretch.) She’s tried deep-fried grasshoppers, but her all-time favorite meal is a classic combo of pizza, salad, and Diet Coke—slightly Italian, just like her celeb crush, Leonardo DiCaprio.

While her favorite places to visit are usually anywhere near large bodies of water with family and friends, Kelly goes to great lengths to avoid the Bermuda Triangle — almost as much as she does marathons! (She has no plans to run one ever, and that’s a promise.) But she has always wanted to visit all seven continents and 50 states (she’s lived in six already), as well as go back to the late 1960s/early 1970s using her dream superpower of time travel.

A soon-to-be expert in jungle attire, she’s also not one to shy away from (tactfully) rocking animal print in her wardrobe and home decor. So sign up for her MasterClass. And if you see someone dressed as Miss Frizzle on cosplay day at work, that’s Kelly too, bringing a touch of magic to everything she does.

Catch Kelly in our CONNECT Community or on LinkedIn.

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