HANOVER SCHOOL DISTRICT 28
WEATHER STATUS:
NORMAL
Own Your Education!
WEATHER STATUS:
NORMAL
NORMAL
NORMAL
The Communications Department provides communications, media relations, social media, crisis communication, and content creation. It is a goal to ensure families, staff, community members and the media receive accurate and timely information.
What does this department do?
Lori Hall-Underwood
Communications Director and Webmaster
[email protected]
Prairie Heights Elementary School PTA
We invite you to join PTA for your child because increasing our membership, by even one, makes it possible to provide important educational resources, speak up on important issues and create a stronger school community.
Hanover Jr/Sr High School PTSA
PTSAs provide youth members with the opportunity to make a difference by developing leadership skills, learning about the legislative process, increasing their self-esteem, and contributing to the school and community. In turn, adult PTSA members gain a new perspective for program development and youth leadership development and acquire a better understanding of the youth of today.
District Accountability Committee
The District Accountability Committee is a committee of the Board of Education. The DAC meets multiple times during the school year to meet its responsibilities as outlined by the Colorado Department of Education.
Hanover School District 28 faculty and staff make the world go round! We want to showcase our amazing staff for who they are and what they do by celebrating them. This is a great way to get to know a few of our educators and staff who support students and families each day!
Do you have someone you would like to spotlight?
Complete the form below to submit a staff spotlight nomination. This will be shared on our website and social media platforms.
We know that there are great things going on in our schools every day. Help us to celebrate the achievements of our students, teachers, and staff to parents and the Hanover community!
The kinds of school stories and events covered:
Depending on the story or event, we may provide coverage via social media, a written article, and/or photo coverage.
HANOVER SCHOOL DISTRICT 28
Communication Plan
2024-2025
Our mission is to foster a safe school environment that promotes positive relationships, inclusion through collaboration, diversity and acceptance, respect with responsibility, sensitivity, and honesty, while developing the academic and character skills to serve our students throughout their lives.
Hanover School District 28
Mark McPherson, Superintendent
Prairie Heights Elementary School
Chad Riggs, Principal
7930 Indian Village Heights
Fountain, CO 80817
(719) 382-1260
Hanover Jr/Sr High School
Mark Koopman, Principal
Joe Shehan, Assistant Principal
17050 S. Peyton Hwy
Colorado Springs, CO 80928
(719) 683-2247
Communications Department
A Division of the Superintendent
Lori Underwood, Communications Director
Why a Communications Plan?
A clear communications plan is vital to the success of Hanover School District 28. It is also critical to ensure that all the staff, students, parents, Board of Education, and community are informed.
Forms of Communication
Objectives
Goals
Communications Guidelines
Stakeholders
KEY MESSAGES
Emergency Communications
We want to ensure Hanover School District parents receive the emergency alerts important to them.
What if I didn’t receive the alerts?
Log into the ParentSquare App (https://www.parentsquare.com/signin).
Notification types include:
Under General Announcements, you can select when you want to receive notifications for posts. Select Off, Instant or Digest notifications.
What will my caller ID show when I get calls?
When you receive communication from Hanover, the number displayed will depend on the type of message. The two types of communication include:
How will you contact me?
If there is an emergency at your child’s school (Lockout, Secure, Evacuation, Shelter, Hold, etc.) we will send information to all contacts in our system via phone, text and email.
How will you notify me of weather delays/closures?
We will notify you of a weather delay or closure via text and email only unless there is an extenuating circumstance, such as a last-minute change in school status. Weather closure/delay information will also be shared on our website, Alma, social media, as well as with local media outlets.
Internal communications
Perhaps our most important audience: is our students, instructors, and non-teaching staff. They help us live up to the school mission.
Email groups for staff at each school, each department, and district for ease of communication between staff and administrators. Staff calendar displaying assessment schedule, building events, and more.
Media and community relations
Help celebrate the achievements of our students, teachers, and staff to parents and the Hanover community by sharing the great things going on in our school!
The kinds of school stories and events we cover: When determining news coverage, we seek out interesting or unique stories that would appeal to the broader Hanover community, such as:
Parent engagement:
Prairie Heights Elementary School PTA
We invite you to join PTA for your child because increasing our membership, by even one, makes it possible to provide important educational resources, speak up on important issues and create a stronger school community.
Hanover Jr/Sr High School PTSA
PTSAs provide youth members with the opportunity to make a difference by developing leadership skills, learning about the legislative process, increasing their self-esteem, and contributing to the school and community. In turn, adult PTSA members gain a new perspective for program development and youth leadership development and acquire a better understanding of the youth of today.
District Accountability Committee
The District Accountability Committee is a committee of the Board of Education. The DAC meets multiple times during the school year to meet its responsibilities as outlined by the Colorado Department of Education.
CHANNELS
District Website
The website serves as a self-service portal for all information for the school, including the District’s Master Schedule and the District interactive calendar. The interactive calendar shows all school district, school, and activity events.
The most recent district news can be found on the school district’s home page and is always archived on our Hornet’s Nest blog. Folks may find employment opportunities, finances of the District, and handbooks for students and employees.
Alma
The District uses Alma as its student information system. Each school has its own link for logging in (phe.getalma.com, jshs.getalma.com, hoa.getalma.com). The portal is a direct connection to the student database system. Parents can log in to the portal to view their child’s current gradebook, attendance, disciplinary actions, and positive actions. We will utilize Alma during an emergency to alert parents and guardians. Please log in and review your student’s progress weekly or more often.
ParentSquare
The ParentSquare app is an all-in-one, secure, two-way communication platform to disseminate information about the schools and District: reminders, announcements, and other necessary details. The app is free to download, and users can modify their preferred language and method of communication: whether it is text or email. Once a student is enrolled, their parent/guardian will receive an invite to join ParentSquare. Parents are asked to be sure their current email and phone numbers are up to date by informing the school.
ClassDojo
Prairie Heights Elementary School currently uses Class DoJo for multiple purposes. Teachers and staff use Class DoJo daily to communicate with parents. In addition, school-specific announcements and celebrations are posted regularly on Class DoJo. All parents should register with Class DoJo to receive these communications; however, this channel of communication will phase out as the District utilizes ParentSquare more.
Counseling and Networking
The Community Resource website contains a wealth of Hanover community information, including career and academic support, community connections, financial and resource assistance, food and nutrition, and physical/mental health resources.
Board of Education Meetings
The Board of Education meets monthly on the third Wednesday, starting at 6:30 pm. The official Board of Education calendar is found on the website. Parents and community members can sign up to speak at the start of each meeting by completing the online form or asking the Secretary to the Board before the meeting. All meetings are open to the public. Those interested can attend the meetings in person or watch live using the Zoom link, and documentation for meetings is located on the Board of Education page of the website.
District Accountability Committee (DAC)
The District Accountability Committee reports to the Board of Education. The committee is composed of members, which the Board approves. The committee includes staff members and parents. The District Accountability Committee meets on a near monthly basis to perform the responsibilities set aside by the Colorado Department of Education and approved state legislation. Parents, staff, and the community are allowed to observe these meetings in person and online via Zoom. The District Accountability Committee chair also The information can be viewed by attending the Board meeting or watching via Zoom.
Coffee with Coop
Coffee with Coop is a periodic meeting. The exact meeting dates are on the calendar. This is an opportunity to chat about the District with the Superintendent in an informal setting. Whether it is suggestions, ideas, or concerns, Mr. Cooper wants to hear from you! Students, parents, staff, and community members are encouraged to attend.
Blog: Hornets Nest
Hornets Nest is one of our school’s best opportunities to keep parents engaged and informed of District news. A forum to reinforce the school brand, strengthen ties with media, and depict our school leadership, as well as, a history of published posts. Posts automatically sync with the website homepage, shared on our Facebook page and other social media channels.
Social Media
Social media channels need to be a big part of our communications mix. Understanding which social media to use and when to use it requires understanding the limits and life cycle of the content posted to each of these channels.
The District utilizes a Facebook page and a Nextdoor group for sending updates and reminders.
Parent Teacher Association (PTA)/ Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA)
Both schools have a parent organization that meets monthly. The purpose of these groups is to communicate updates, respond to questions, support the school through parent-led activities, and support fundraising. Meetings dates are on the website and District interactive calendar.
Booster Club
Hanover Jr-Sr High School has a parent-run Booster Club. The purpose of the club is to support the athletics and activities at the school. The Booster Club holds fundraisers to include running concessions at athletic events. If you are interested in learning more or joining the Booster Club, you can email [email protected].
Parent-Teacher Conferences
Twice each school year, both schools hold conferences for parents and teachers. The purpose of the conferences is to provide an update on student academic, social, and emotional status. Parents are advised to attend their student’s conferences.
Report Cards
Each quarter, our schools send parents and guardians their student’s academic progress via report card. The report card shows progress for the student in meeting the standards and objectives for their assigned curriculum. Parents and students can always view current grades through the Alma portal.
Translation
Parent/Teacher Handbooks will be translated into Spanish.
Accessibility
Hanover School District 28 is committed to ensuring that our website is accessible to all individuals, including those with disabilities. We strive to maintain compliance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Our accessibility statement can be found at this link.
PATHWAYS
Not all channels are meant for every kind of communication from school. While a text or voice message to a parent is helpful when there’s a one-hour weather delay, the score from Friday night’s football game is hardly news that needs to be pushed via notification.
MEASURES
Feedback Measures
If the feedback was positive and all of the criteria were met, then the communication method/process was a success. However, in some cases, the feedback may show that certain success criteria were not met, and an alternative communication method or message distribution may need to take place to correct any issues raised.
Measurements:
Success Criteria
Quality feedback measures to determine successful communication:
TAKEAWAYS
Assumptions
Risks
Additional Documents
The communication Plan does not end with the plan. It is important to outline the content our District publishes to create clarity. Additional documents are needed to execute a comprehensive communication plan.
| Systems-Level: All Topics Road Map | |||||||
Topic / Purpose | Targeted Audience | Message (content) | Method(s) or Channel(s) | Accountability: | Initial Delivery Date(s) | Frequency (e.g., weekly, monthly) | |
| (responsible to post) | (responsible to review) | ||||||
| District | |||||||
| Mission / Vision Statement | Students, Staff, Parents, Community, All Stakeholders | Exact Information | Website, Strategic Plan, SCAP | Commuications Director (update once approved by Board of Education) | Superintendent, Administration, Teachers, Staff, and Community Members | As needed | |
| List of Schools with addresses and phone numbers listed | Students, Parents, Employee Opportunities | Exact Information | Website, enrollment forms, ParentSquare | Commuications Director | Superintendent, Principals, HR | As needed | |
| Newsletter (as released) | Students, Parents, Community, All Stakeholders | Monthly messages from teachers and staff on the positive culture in our schools (teachers and staff can alterate months so that they aren’t overloaded) | Website, Social Media, ParentSquare, Direct Mail | Commuications Director | Superintendent and Communications Director | Periodic | |
| Weather Status | Students, Staff, and Parents | Normal, Two-hour delay, Closed, No out-of-district transportation | Website, Social Media, ParentSquare, News Channels | Commuications Director | Superintendent, Transportation Manager, and/or Principals | As needed | |
| District Emergency – immediate situation | Teachers and Staff | Emergency Situation | District Staff Email List, ParentSquare notification to ONLY staff | Commuications Director | Superintendent and Communications Director | Once information is available, but not before everyone is potentially safe | As needed |
| District Emergency – situation is ongoing and information is available to share | Parents and Community | Emergency Situation | ParentSquare notification system to Parents, Social Media (ONLY IF PARENTS HAVE BEEN ADVISED AND DOES NOT CAUSE HARM) | Commuications Director | Superintendent and Communications Director | Once information is available, but not before everyone is potentially safe | As needed |
| Important Updates | Students, Parents, Community, All Stakeholders | Normal Important Updates | Website, Letters sent home with students (if necessary), Social Media, ParentSquare, School Electronic Signs | Communications Director | Superintendent and Communications Director | As information is sent to the Communications Director via email | Continuous |
| No Photo List | Communications Director, Teachers, and Staff | List of students at all schools | Commuications Director | Administrative Assistants | A shared list created as students are registered and kept up to date when new students enroll throughout the school year | Continuous | |
| S-CAP Priorities | All stakeholders | Updated Priorities | Website | Commuications Director posts updates once information has been updated and communicated | Superintendent, Administration, Teachers, Staff, and Community Members | Update as needed | Annually |
| A page designated for each of the Districts Departments to include Staff, their contact information | Students, Parents, Community, All Stakeholders | Information | Website | Communications Director posts updates once information has been updated and communicated | Superintendent and Communications Director | Beginning of the school year | Continuous |
| Resources for Students, Parents, Staff, and the Community | Students, Parents, Community, All Stakeholders | Information | Website | Commuications Director posts updates once information has been updated and communicated | Superintendent and Communications Director | Beginning of the school year | Continuous |
| District Calendar | Students, Parents, Community, All Stakeholders | Events | Website | Commuications Director posts updates once information has been updated and communicated | Superintendent and Communications Director | Beginning of the school year | Continuous |
| Systems-Level: All Topics Road Map | |||||||
Topic / Purpose | Targeted Audience | Message (content) | Method(s) or Channel(s) | Accountability: | Initial Delivery Date(s) | Frequency (e.g., weekly, monthly) | |
| (responsible to post) | (responsible to review) | ||||||
| Prairie Heights Elementary School | |||||||
| Attendance | Students, Parents | Tardy and/or absenteeism | Email, ParentSquare, Alma, Phone Call, and/or letter home to student | Teachers | Administrators and Administrative Assistant | First of the 2022-23 school year | Daily |
| Discipline | Students, Parents, Teachers who have the student enrolled in their classes | Occurance, Consequence | Email, ParentSquare, Alma, Phone Call, and/or letter home to student | Teachers | Administrators | First of the 2022-23 school year | Each Occurance |
| Grades | Students, Parents | Email, ParentSquare, Alma, Phone Call, and/or letter home to student | Teachers | Administrators | First of the 2022-23 school year | Continuous | |
| Class Events | Students, Parents | Information on the event | ParentSquare, Alma (social media and website if appropriate) | Teachers (are responsible for sending information to webmaster) and Communication Director | Teachers and Communication Director | First of the 2022-23 school year and/or once approved | Continuous |
| School-Wide Events | Students, Parents | Information on the event | Website, ParentSquare, Alma, Social Media | Teachers/Administrators send information to webmaster | Communications Director can promote once the webmaster has been notified of such events | First of the 2022-23 school year and/or once approved | Continuous |
| Staff pictures and their Contact Information | Students, Parents | Update photos, email addresses, and bios | Website and Alma | Communications Director, the HR department is responsible for sending updates on staff changes | Principal, Administrative Assistant, and HR | First of the 2022-23 school year | Continuous |
| PTA | Students, Parents, Community | Agenda, location, and zoom link | Website, Social Media, ParentSquare, and JSHS PTSA | Communications Director | PTA Committee | Continuous | |
| Calendar | Students, Parents | Event Information | Website, Social Media, ParentSquare, Alma | Secretary | PHE Admin Asst and Communications Director | On or before July 1st each year | Continuous |
| Assessment Calendar | Students, Parents | Dates, times, assessment | Website, Alma, and ParentSquare | Communications Director | PHE Principal | Beginning of each school year | Annually |
| Menus | Students, Parents | Monthly menus | Website | Communications Director | Food Services Director and Communications Director | August | Monthly |
| Celebrations and ShoutOut Recognition | Students, Parents, Community | Congratulations | Website and Social Media | Communications Director | Principal, Assistant Principal, and Communications Director | First of the 2022-23 school year | Continuous |
| Bike Awards | Students, Parents, Community | Congratulations | Website | Communications Director | Principal, Assistant Principal, and Communications Director | First of the 2022-23 school year | Continuous |
| Golden Apple | Students, Parents, Community | Congratulations | Website | Communications Director | Principal, Assistant Principal, and Communications Director | First of the 2022-23 school year | Continuous |
| Student Council | Students, Parents, Community | Information regarding meetings and events | Calendar, ParentSquare, Alma | Teacher in charge of Student Council | Principal, Assistant Principal, and Communications Director | First of the 2022-23 school year | Continuous |
| Systems-Level: All Topics Road Map | |||||||
Topic / Purpose | Targeted Audience | Message (content) | Method(s) or Channel(s) | Accountability: | Initial Delivery Date(s) | Frequency (e.g., weekly, monthly) | |
| (responsible to post) | (responsible to review) | ||||||
| Hanover Jr/Sr High School & Hanover Online Academy | |||||||
| Attendance | Students, Parents | Tardy and/or absenteeism | Email, ParentSquare, Alma, Phone Call, and/or letter home to student | Teachers | Administrators and Administrative Assistants | First of the 2022-23 school year | Daily |
| Discipline | Students, Parents | Occurance and consequence | Email, ParentSquare, Alma, Phone Call, and/or letter home to student | Teachers | Administrators | First of the 2022-23 school year | Each Occurance |
| Grades | Students, Parents | Email, ParentSquare, Alma, Phone Call, and/or letter home to student | Teachers | Administrators | First of the 2022-23 school year | Continuous | |
| Class Events | Students, Parents | Information on the event | ParentSquare, Alma | Teachers (are responsible for sending information to webmaster) and Communication Director | Teachers and Communication Director | First of the 2022-23 school year and/or once approved | Continuous |
| School-Wide Events | Students, Parents | Information on the event | Website, ParentSquare, Alma, Social Media | Teachers / Administrators send information to webmaster | Communications Director can promote once the webmaster has been notified of such events | First of the 2022-23 school year and/or once approved | Continuous |
| Calendar | Students, Parents | Event Information | Website, Social Media, ParentSquare, Alma | Administrative Assistant, Principal, and Assistant Principals | Communications Director | On or before July 1st each year | Continuous |
| Staff pictures and their Contact Information | Students, Parents | Update photos, email addresses, and bios | Website and Alma | Communications Director, the HR department is responsible for sending updates on staff changes | Principal, Administrative Assistant, and HR | First of the 2022-23 school year | Continuous |
| Activities and Athletics Calendar | Students, Parents, Community, All Stakeholders | Event information (location, time, person to contact for questions, price) | Athletic Director / Communications Director | Communications Director | ASAP | Continuous | |
| Jr/Sr High PTSA | Students, Parents, Community | Agenda, location, and zoom link | Website, Social Media, ParentSquare, and PHE PTA | Individual in charge of PTSA sends information to webmaster | PTSA Committee | Monthly | |
| Counselor’s Newsletter | Students, Parents, and Staff | Information | Website, Counselor’s Site, ParentSquare | Counselor and Communications Director | Counselor and Communications Director | First of the 2022-23 school year | Periodic |
| Athletics | Students, Parents, Community, All Stakeholders | Practice Schedules, Coaches and their contact information, Game Schedules | Website, Calendar, Social Media, Parent Square | Athletic Director / Communications Director | Communications Director | ASAP | Continuous |
| Menus | Students, Parents | Monthly menus | Website | Communications Director | Food Services Director and Communications Director | August | Monthly |
| HIVY League | Students, Parents, Community | Group Information | Website and Parent Square | Individual in charge of HIVY sends to webmaster | Communications Director | First of the 2022-23 school year | Continuous |
| Student Council | Students, Parents, Community | Group Information | Website and Parent Square | Individual in charge of Student Council sends information to webmaster | Communications Director | First of the 2022-23 school year | Continuous |
| National Honors Society | Students, Parents, Community, All Stakeholders | Practice Schedules, Coaches and their contact information, Game Schedules | Website, Calendar, Social Media, Parent Square | Principal, Athletic Director and Communications Director sends information to webmaster | Communications Director | First of the 2022-23 school year | Continuous |
| Systems-Level: All Topics Road Map | |||||||
Topic / Purpose | Targeted Audience | Message (content) | Method(s) or Channel(s) | Accountability: | Initial Delivery Date(s) | Frequency (e.g., weekly, monthly) | |
| (responsible to post) | (responsible to review) | ||||||
| BOARD OF EDUCATION | |||||||
| Policies and Reviews | Students, Parents, Community, All Stakeholders | Policies will be located in the Google Drive and divided by subject. | Website and Google Public Drive | Board Secretary and Board Assistant communicates with Communication Director to have webmaster post the information | Board Secretary and the Board Assistant | As reviews, revisions, adoptions, and/or rescinding policies occur | |
| Archived Meeting Information | Students, Parents, Community, All Stakeholders | Meetings formatted in folders in the Google Drive separated for each fiscal year. Previous meetings will have their individual folder located inside that fiscal year with Agenda and Packet. | Website and Google Public Drive | Communication Director once Board Assistant has communicated information | Board Assistant | Monthly | |
District Accountability Students, Parents, Community, All Stakeholders | Committee and their Contact Information | Website | Communication Director once Board Assistant has communicated information | Board Assistant | Continuous | ||
| Bylaws | Website | Communication Director once Board Assistant has communicated information | Board Assistant | As needed | |||
| Meeting Links | Website, Social Media, ParentSquare, School Electronic Signs | Communication Director once Board Assistant has communicated information | Board Assistant | ASAP | Monthly | ||
| Agenda | Website | Communication Director once Board Assistant has communicated information | Committee Chair/Vice-Chair (Author) | ASAP | Monthly | ||
| Minutes | Website | Communication Director once Board Assistant has communicated information | Secretary (author) | ASAP | Monthly | ||
| FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY | |||||||
| Financial Transparency: this will be displayed on every page of the website to include, | Students, Parents, Community, All Stakeholders | Information | Website and Public Google Drive | Communication Director once Board Assistant has communicated information | Superintendent | After each Board meeting | Monthly |
| Payables and Credit Card Statements | Students, Parents, Community, All Stakeholders | Payables | Website and Public Google Drive | Communication Director once Board Assistant has communicated information | Accounts Payable | After each Board meeting | Monthly |
| MILLs, Bond, and any required financial information to be displayed in accordance with CDE and CRS | Students, Parents, Community, All Stakeholders | Information | Website and Public Google Drive | Communication Director once Board Assistant has communicated information | Business Manager | After each Board meeting | Monthly |
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