Wyoming community colleges. Every Wyoming student who meets the merit requirements can earn a Hathaway Merit Scholarship.
Contact your school counselor for more information.
COMMUNICATION PLAN
September 2019
Abstract To engage more effectively with the community, this plan aligns the district’s
mission and goals with communication protocols and social media guidelines
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents .......................................................................................................................................... 1
INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................. 2
VISION, MISSION, AND GOALS ...................................................................................................................... 3
COMMUNICATION PRIORITIES AND CHANNELS ........................................................................................... 4
DISTRICT BRANDING SPECIFICATIONS .......................................................................................................... 6
SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDELINES .......................................................................................................................... 9
EMAIL COMMUNICATION PROTOCOLS ...................................................................................................... 10
SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................................... 13
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INTRODUCTION The Albany County School District #1 (ACSD1) Communication Plan is reflected in the Strategic
Plan adopted by the school board in November 2017. The Strategic Plan detailed three Pathways
or major goal areas:
Strong Community Relationships
Innovative Teaching and Learning
Optimal Operations
The Communication Plan comes directly from Pathway One—Strong Community Relationships.
The Communication Plan details the goals and strategies for communicating with ACSD1
stakeholders as well as articulating priorities and communication channels. In addition, the
Communication Plan details district branding specifications, social media guidelines, effective
email communication protocols, and the procedures for the parent ambassador program.
The Communication Plan is a natural next step for reflecting the values of the school district and
for improving school community relationships. The school board established four overarching
values that were included in the strategic plan:
Engagement: Student success is built upon a foundation of community engagement —
involvement, decision making, participation, and leadership
Collaboration: Education is a collaborative process requiring shared responsibility
among educators, parents, students, and the community
Equity: Decisions are driven by ensuring equitable opportunities for all learners
Transparency: Governance, communications, operations, and actions are transparent for
all stakeholders
These values show up in the work of ACSD1. Everything that the school district does reflects our
values and drives the vision and mission of the school district.
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VISION, MISSION, AND GOALS Our Vision
Entrusting and empowering everyone to excel.
Our Mission
Educate all students to achieve at their highest potential, to graduate, and to succeed in life.
Pathway (Goal) 1: Strong Community Relationships
Communicating, engaging, and connecting with our community
TRAIL 1
Ensure accessible, consistent communications for all parents, students, employees, and
community members
ACSD#1 WILL TAKE THE FOLLOWING STEPS:
• Ensure information is timely, predictable, and searchable
• Audit communications for uniform language and terminology
• Develop consistent and accessible website locations for information and stakeholder
engagement
• Seek input from all stakeholders on meaningful topics throughout the school year through
various communication channels
• Foster an active and vibrant professional learning community
ACSD#1 WILL MONITOR THE FOLLOWING MILESTONES TO ENSURE PROGRESS:
• Average response time
• Percentage of websites that meet communication audit standards
• Percentage of stakeholders who rate the district and school websites as excellent or good
• Number of stakeholder participants in survey opportunities, and specific feedback
campaigns
• Average school effectiveness scores
TRAIL 2
To expand opportunities for ACSD#1 to partner with the community
ACSD#1 WILL TAKE THE FOLLOWING STEPS:
• Identify, communicate, and use available community resources
• Develop strategies to foster family involvement and volunteerism
• Promote periodic communication and public recognitions of community partnerships
• Maintain preschool programs and expand access to early intervention opportunities for all
students
ACSD#1 WILL MONITOR THE FOLLOWING MILESTONES TO ENSURE PROGRESS:
• Number of community partnerships with schools and ACSD#1
• Percentage of stakeholders who feel schools encourage families to volunteer
• Number of communications that highlight community partnerships, awards, and
recognitions with ACSD#1
• Number of preschool program participants in the community and district
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COMMUNICATION PRIORITIES AND CHANNELS
ACSD#1 established two strategies or priorities for communicating with district stakeholders as
described in the previous section on Goals. Trail 1 & 2 are specific strategies and priorities for
district communication. Stakeholder audiences include:
Internal
Board of Trustees
Certified Staff
Classified Staff
Administrators
Vendors
External
Students City, County, and State Officials
Parents University and College Officials
Community Partners Business Leaders
Business Partners Elected Officials
Prospective employees Media
The following table (Table 1: Communication Channels) describes the communication channel
and the primary message communicated with each communication channel available to the school
district. In addition, the table depicts the frequency of communication as well as the effectiveness
of the communication method.
The strategic plan outlines specific communication priorities in Trail 1 and 2, which focus on
accurate and timely communication to all stakeholders, and developing partnerships with parents
and the community. The communication channels described in the Table 1 align with these
priorities.
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Table 1: Communication Channels
Method & Message Intended Audience Frequency Evaluation
Effectiveness
District Website to provide overview information about the district and up to date calendar information
Typically first time users and internal stakeholders
As needed Page View (Analytics)
“Feedback Surveys” to provide avenue for stakeholder input
Website Users As needed Analytics and response
rate
Social Media Platforms to communicate relevant school related information
All community stakeholders (targeted)
Daily/Weekly Messaging As needed including
emergency notification
Likes, comments, follows (tracking tools)
Email to provide brief, succinct information
All internal and targeted external stakeholders
As needed Click through rates
(24 hour response time)
BoardDocs to communicate policy updates and development
All stakeholders Monthly Page View (Analytics)
Committee Meeting Minutes to report on discussion and recommendations
Internal stakeholders primarily
Weekly Page View (Analytics)
School Messenger to communicate emergency situations
All stakeholders As needed Completion Percentage
Reports, Presentations to convey progress on goals, mission, and vision
All stakeholders Monthly Board Meetings Verbal and/or written
feedback
Newsletters (school and district messages—e.g. Monday Message) to communicate events and celebrations
Students, Parents, Internal stakeholders
Weekly/Monthly Verbal and/or written
feedback
Power School to communicate student academic performance and attendance
Parents, Students Weekly Analytics
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DISTRICT BRANDING SPECIFICATIONS1
A key element of improving district communications is standardizing branding across all
forms of external communication. This includes printed materials: posters, brochures, and flyers,
as well as online formats, such as social media posts, reports posted on the website, electronic
banners, etc.
Consistent branding makes communications more likely to be read, reinforces perceptions of
professionalism, and bolsters districts’ reliability and gains community trust. Below is a list of key
steps the district communications team takes to ensure all district communications are effectively
reaching intended audiences.
Communicate at most one topic, project, initiative, or event per poster, brochure, or
post. Maintaining a narrowly scoped focus minimizes clutter and improves readability. It also
speeds time to print material creation by standardizing the information that should be
included on each page.
Bullet out important information to provide context
Basic information about initiative, project, or event
Important dates to note
Contact information
Adopt clear, effective visual style for all communications.
Standardize logos, fonts, and colors across all district communications. Use
consistent fonts and a limited color scheme across documents.
Use bolding, underlining, and italics selectively (and sparingly) to call out the most
important information.
Balance graphics and text with white space. Incorporating white space into a
document creates more “hooks” for the reader’s eye and reduces the effort required
to digest the information. Increasing line spacing and margins (of both text and
graphics) allows for more white space in a document.
Caption pictures clearly with content and location (if applicable).
All graphs should be accompanied by a brief description of key takeaways. This
will enable readers to quickly scan and extract the important information.
o Use bright colors and big numbers (within the district guidelines) to call out important
data points.
o Make graphs as accessible as possible by including titles, axis labels, and legends;
color-coding the graph is helpful, but keep colors to a limited number to avoid
overwhelming the reader.
Use short, simple sentences and concise language.
Target the writing style for laypeople by excluding jargon and unfamiliar terms.
The goal is to make your communication as easy to read and understand as possible.
Check your content carefully for grammatical errors.
Use online tools to test and improve readability, such as the Gunning-Fog Index or
the Flesch-Kincaid Readability Score.
1 Creating an Effective District Communications Plan (Key Elements, Section 3, Page 20) (EAB, 2018).
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PROPER LOGO USAGE
The School Board approved the official ACSD#1 Logo in 2017 and the logo is the most visible
asset of the school district. Maintaining consistent logo usage is critical to communicating a
distinct, professional brand. The following guidelines will ensure consistent usage of the ACSD#1
logo.
Letterhead Format
The official letterhead is the ACSD#1 Logo in the top left hand header with ½ margins surrounding
the logo. The logo includes the mountain graphic, the capital letters of the district followed by a
raised #1, and the tag line “ALBANY COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT” in smaller font directly
below the capital letters. See example below. The ACSD#1 logo shall be ¾ inch high and 2
inches wide. The right margin of the header can include the name and address of the sender of the
correspondence in Garamond 9 Font, and the top of the name block will be at the same ½ border
from the top edge of the paper. The letterhead header will also include a line that is .75 pt, Blue
[Dark Blue (25%) (#799ed6)], that runs from the left margin to the right margin.
The footer of the letterhead will contain the Hathaway Logo and statement in Times New Roman
8 Font. The logo and font will not exceed ¾ of an inch and be centered ½ inch from the bottom
of the paper. See example below:
The State of Wyoming provides Hathaway Merit and Need Scholarships for Wyoming students attending the University of Wyoming and
Wyoming community colleges. Every Wyoming student who meets the merit requirements can earn a Hathaway Merit Scholarship. Contact your school counselor for more information.
Dr. Jubal C. Yennie Superintendent of Schools
1948 Grand Avenue, Laramie, WY 82070 (307) 721-4400 / Fax (307) 721-4408
www.acsd1.org
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Memorandum Format
The ACSD#1 logo can be used in the memorandum format following the same specifications as
the letterhead. The address is omitted and the word “MEMORANDUM” is set below the
horizontal line at 3.5 inches in Bold, Italics, Andalus Font 22 in a Blue Accent 1 Darker 25%
color (#799ed6). The memorandum format uses Calibri 12 or 14 Font and follows a standard
memorandum convention: (To: From: Date: Subject:)
Memorandum: To:
From:
Date:
Subject:
IMPROPER LOGO USAGE
The ACSD#1 logo will not be manipulated in any way. The logo size will not be elongated or
stretched or be larger than ¾ inch by 2 inches on a letterhead or a report. See examples:
Not to be stretched: No larger than ¾ by 2 inches
Improper usage Improper usage
The logo will always be placed in the upper left hard margin of any report or communication
from the school district. The logo will not be centered either in the header or in the middle of a
page.
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SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDELINES2
While the majority of the district’s communication will happen through the approved channels, it
is important for districts to understand that their teachers, students, and staff members will also
post independently and will often be seen as representing the district even when posting from their
personal accounts. The following “Basic Rules” provide initial guidance for ACSD#1 staff and
students in accordance with Policy 3013, Responsible Use Policy
Basic Guidelines for Social Media Interaction
ACSD1 discourages employees from
o responding to any political comments
o engaging with negative comments related to a school or the district
o directing messages to any individual students or families
o using social media as a vehicle or a tool for judgment or social commentary
The district’s social media presence is by nature targeted at students, parents, teachers, and the
general public. Therefore, access to the official accounts are thoughtfully allocated and
permissions granted to the level of responsibility. The table below provides guidance on how the
type of message affects who will craft and post a communication on social media.
Table 2: Posting Social Media Communications
TOPIC Person Responsible for Posting
Student Safety Superintendent’s Office/Communications Team
District Highlights and Initiatives Superintendent’s Office/Communications Team
School/Classroom Event Notices School Principal’s Office/Teachers
Important Logistical Changes Superintendent’s Office/Communications Team
Handling Online Posts and Comments
Most comments can be handled by the school building liaison or the district communications team,
but some may have to be dealt with depending on the comment and on the channel used. Email
and comments received via the Feedback Survey on the district website require a response within
24 hours. Administrators and communication liaisons will reply to comments through the channel
they were received; however, in sensitive situations, an email might be merited.
If responding to a true emergency, activate emergency plans and use the pre-determined
communication channels to respond.
2 Creating an Effective District Communications Plan (Key Elements, Section 2, Page 18) (EAB, 2018).
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EMAIL COMMUNICATION PROTOCOLS3
District leaders use email to communicate a wide variety of information to stakeholders: teachers,
principals, students, parents, etc.
Staff can use the table across the following two pages (Table 3) to identify the purpose of various
emails, as well as how often such emails should be sent. The table also provides considerations of
what content to include and how to stylistically design the email to make the most important
information stand out.
Table 3: Email Purposes
Internal Emails (Including Daily
Announcements)
Major Project Initiation
Announcements
Major Updates on Projects, Initiatives, or
Performances
PURPOSE
Provide brief, succinct
information to individuals
impacted by content of
Inform district
community about
upcoming major
initiatives or projects (i.e.,
investments, transitions to
1:1, changes of schedule,
etc.)
Notify community of
progress on initiatives:
updates on progress,
results, growing scope of
involvement, etc.
FREQUENCY Daily/Weekly
As needed
Monthly to annual,
depending on project
BRANDING AND SYTLE
Keep it simple; use
consistent fonts and a
limited color scheme.
These may omit logos and
other cumbersome
graphical elements.
Use appropriate branding,
according to district
standards.
Balance graphics and text
with white space to
reduce effort required to
digest information.
Add bullet points to call
out critical information.
Keep it simple;
selectively use bolding,
underlining, and italics to
call out titles or the most
important information
CONTENT TO INCLUDE
Important points that
people need to know to
understand the reason for
the communication
District point of view or
stance on the issue, if
necessary
Important details, such as:
Project name
Contact information
Important
dates/milestones
Estimated impact on
students
Link to media stories or
research showing need for
project
Brief description of
milestones achieved and
progress to date
Who, what, when, where,
why, for how long, and
who to contact with
questions or concerns
Expected future timeline
3 Creating an Effective District Communications Plan (Key Elements, Section 4, Page 29) (EAB, 2018).
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Table 3: Email Purposes (Continued)
Safety and Security Updates, Drills, and
Alarms Email Newsletter
District Staff and Teacher Celebrations
PURPOSE
Notify district community
of a drill, event, or an
ongoing/ active situation.
Share routine, non-urgent
information internally and
with district community.
Display ways that staff
and teachers are providing
value to the community,
particularly beyond their
usual roles
FREQUENCY
As needed. This may vary
from pre-planned weekly
emails about drills to
hourly updates about
active situations
Weekly, monthly, or
bimonthly
Weekly or monthly
BRANDING AND SYTLE
Use appropriate branding,
but keep focus on
message.
Bullet accordingly as
needed to keep critical
information easily
accessible.
Be especially careful with
word choice to avoid
misunderstanding.
Use branded fonts and
colors, as well as ample
white space.
Use a consistent template
across time to ensure
familiarity with format
and ease of
understanding.
Balance graphics and text
with white space.
Ensure high-quality
pictures where possible.
CONTENT TO INCLUDE
Description of situation or
of expected impact
Who, what, when, where,
why, for how long, and
who to contact with
questions or concerns
What the district and
other authorities (if
applicable) are doing to
mitigate the disruption to
impacted parties
Student achievements
Teacher/staff
achievements and
recognition
Important upcoming dates
Minor updates
How staff and teachers
have positively impacted
both students and the
community
Any positive/value stories
or compliments from
local organizations,
businesses, or individuals
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While emails are a familiar form of communication, leveraging them for the mass distribution of
information requires effort. The following table (Table 4) provides five essential rules for crafting
effective emails.4
Table 4: Five Essential Rules for Emails RULE IMPLEMENTATION GUIDANCE EXAMPLES
Know the intention or purpose of the email before sending
Is the purpose of the email to share information or request action? The main points should be clearly articulated upfront.
Sharing information requires language such as “Attached is a link to the Board Decision for your reference,” “We are pleased to announce,”or “Updates to a previous report.” Requesting action from recipients requires language such as “Please respond with your comments” or “Create this document and disseminate it to teachers.”
Highlight follow-up actions expected from recipient(s)
What actions (if any) should happen as a result of this email? Make the expected action clear to the addressees by calling out who is responsible for which part of the action.
For example, “[Name 1], please send [document] to [Name 2].”
Provide only as much context as necessary
Think through the background information required for recipient(s) to understand the email and take appropriate action. To ensure recipients grasp the email’s key takeaway(s), leave out extraneous detail.
Key content to include:
Impact on students, teachers, community
Basic reasoning for decision Content to avoid:
Long stories and details about how a decision came to be, unless absolutely relevant
Personal views
Include relevant supporting graphics
Text-heavy emails can be hard for recipients to digest and may not get read. Use a quotation, statistic, image, or photo to break up the text and make the message being communicated more compelling and accessible. Data supports requests or stories more
effectively than anecdotes, and graphs are a powerful way to communicate changes.
When possible, use: data to show (potential) impact of
initiatives (e.g., “research has shown that engaging students in social-emotional learning improves their outcomes by 11%”)
pictures to celebrate achievements quotes from district staff to make
emails more interesting to read
Avoid jargon unless it is certain that the recipient(s) understands it
Clearly define any terms that the recipient(s) might not be familiar with, including acronyms. Note that even names of systems or regulations can count as jargon. Be particularly mindful of jargon when sending external emails.
Parents may not know what Title I vs. Title II funds means or what “ESSA” or the Perkins Act stand for
4 Creating an Effective District Communications Plan (Key Elements, Section 4, Pages 28, 29) (EAB, 2018).
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SUMMARY
The Communication Plan comes directly from Pathway One—Strong Community Relationships
of the school district Strategic Plan adopted in 2017. The Communication Plan details the goals
and strategies for communicating with ACSD1 stakeholders as well as articulating priorities and
communication channels. In addition, the Communication Plan describes the district branding
specifications, social media guidelines, and effective email communication protocols.
The Communication Plan is part practical application and another part aspirational. The
Communication Plan provides an overview for all stakeholders about district communication
methods, purposes and channels. The communication plan also describes practical tips and
strategies for district and building level communication teams to communicate effectively with
both internal and external stakeholders.
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