Back-to-School Engagement Ideas!

Over the next month and a half, students around the country will be headed back to class. Parents are stocking up on school supplies and scoping out new activities for their kids. Teachers are preparing classroom spaces and lesson plans. District teams like yours are preparing to meet students, new and returning, and getting them started for an exciting, fulfilling, and successful school year. 

With the buzz over the new school year, is it any surprise that August is known as Back-to-School Month? This is a great opportunity to reconnect with your community—especially if the summer is a slow month for engagement for your district. Time to roll out that new communications strategy, make sure those parent emails are up to date, and revamp your digital presence! We know this time of year is logistics heavy as everyone gets set up for the new school year but that’s even more reason to add some fun into the mix. 

Sound off on social media by welcoming families, teachers, and staff back to school with a quick message about what to expect in the first couple of weeks. If your district uses Peachjar to communicate with your community, including that information in a post is helpful for those unfamiliar with the process or who might need a refresher (as always, we’re here to help!). Create a countdown to the first day of school. This would be graphics based or video clips from district team members. As a bonus, they could say what they’re excited for in the new school year. Social media is also a great place to celebrate new members of your district and make them feel welcome by introducing them to your community and sharing what they will do. This can help make your new team members feel welcome as well as introducing them to your district’s families. 

Do your schools host open houses for families before or after the start of the school year? This is a great time to start sending information for that if you haven’t already. Having parents feel connected and comfortable with their child’s teachers is important for making sure that students feel supported all around. August 20th is National Lemonade Day—this fun refreshment could be a great treat for your district’s open house or back to school celebration. 

August has a lot of fun, individual days where you can connect with your community as well! Celebrated on August 12th is International Youth Day. As a United Nations holiday, International Youth Day celebrates youths as change makers in their community. Get in on the fun with celebrating amazing youths in your community! Highlight projects students have worked on  and get feedback from your community on social media on amazing things your students have done that you might not know about yet. Action begets action so celebrating these students will encourage them and others to keep up the awesome work. 

Did you know that Left Handers Day is also in August? It’s celebrated yearly on August 13th. As a school professional, you know that accessibility for lefties is important! Take this opportunity to share some fun facts about being left-handed as well as what your school does to support students who are right-side dominant. 

August 16th brings us National Tell a Joke Day. This one is hard to pass up! Share your favorite (school-friendly) jokes on social media, letting your followers guess at the punchline before you deliver it. Encourage others to share their favorite jokes as well! As for us? We’re fans of a peachy pun. 

World Photography Day is August 19th. With students coming back to school, this is a great opportunity to engage families on social media by asking them to share a favorite photo from their summer break. Maybe they went on a trip, to a summer camp, or just had fun locally. No matter what, sharing an experience is important and fun for all while helping families connect. 

We've created some engagement templates to get you started! Fill out the form below to download them. 

New to Peachjar? Click here to schedule a demo and learn more about simplifying the flyer process for your district and engaging your community.