Working With Your SchoolsWorking With Your Schools

What Do Our What Do Our School Look Like…School Look Like…

• 2357 Public School Buildings• 521 Private School Buildings

• 1,035,765 Public School Students• 85,000 Private School Students

• Home School Students– 20,000 Students

• Homeless Students Educated– 22,000 Students

Schools Are Truly PartSchools Are Truly PartOf Our CommunityOf Our Community

• We do more than teach…

• Schools feed 162,000 breakfast each day

• Schools feed 500,000 lunches each day

Schools Face Multiple Emergencies

Schools Prepare For…Schools Prepare For…

Fire Bomb Threat or Explosion Hazardous Materials Release Hostile Intruder Severe Weather Earthquake Suicide

• Family Loss• Bullying• Host of other events

Getting Your Message Into Getting Your Message Into SchoolsSchools

• Seems impossible at times• Administrators and teachers time is at a

premium• Competition for administrators and

teaches attention is intense• Answering machines, voice mail, spam

filters, etc. have created a barrier to entry

School Chain of CommandSchool Chain of Command

• Superintendent• District Office Personnel• PIO• Multiple Local School Principals• Assistant Principals• Dean of Students• Classroom Teachers

Work From the Top DownWork From the Top Down

• First stop always…• The School Superintendent• This may be nothing more than an

informational or courtesy visit or stop, but it is vitally important.

• Never, never, blind side the Superintendent

• Step two…• Listen to his or her guidance• Go where you are referred

– Could be the Asst. Superintendent– Could be the PIO– Maybe someone else

• Step Three…• Always, always, contact the building

principal before sending any information to the local school

• Follow his or her guidance• You may get the green light to go directly

to the classroom or you may be sent to someone else in the building

• Step four…• Make certain the information you are

about to present has some relevance for the age group you are going to present to

• Seldom will the same materials appeal to elementary, junior and senior high school students

• Give the classroom teacher a good reason to post your materials in their classroom.

• Take a look at classroom walls…it’s a scary sight !!

• You are competing for space and the ability to visually stimulate the students

Materials to ConsiderMaterials to Consider

• Try to think outside the box• We always think, posters, bookmarks, etc.• Be original and innovative it will get you

into the classroom• Make your offering “stand out” among the

others

• Language diversity is a plus• More and more of our children are

learning, but not yet fluent, in English• Know the languages represented in the

schools you target

More is not Always BetterMore is not Always Better

• Finally, think through what you want to do • Think about the audience• Limit the amount of materials you send to

schools• You are more likely to get one piece in the

classroom as opposed to several

• After you have sent the materials to the school check with the principal about how well they were received

• If possible check with a classroom teacher at each level for an evaluation of the materials

• This will help you in the future

For More InformationFor More Information

• Barbara Thurman– OSPI– 360-725-6044– 253-861-1640– bthurman20@comcast.net