School’s Out: Effective Summer Communications to Engage Staff and Families Year-Round

Summer break shouldn’t mean a break in school-family connections. In fact, maintaining communication during these months is crucial for reducing chronic absenteeism, boosting enrollment, and ensuring a smooth transition back to school in the fall.

In our on-demand webinar, Summer Communications: How to Engage Staff and Families Year-Round, education and communication experts Dr. Kara Stern (Director of Education at SchoolStatus) and Nydia Natividad (Director of Media & Communications at Pecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD) shared valuable insights on maintaining meaningful connections with families and staff during summer months.

Why Summer Communications Matter

The summer slide isn’t just about academics—it can also affect the strong relationships you’ve built with families throughout the school year. With one in three students chronically absent post-pandemic, maintaining engagement during summer months has never been more important.

“What I know now that I didn’t know as a principal is that we want to keep our community positively connected to the district, excited about our programs, and feeling valued even when they’re away from us,” notes Dr. Stern.

Effective summer communications lead to:

• Better learning outcomes when students return
• Building mutual trust between schools and families
• Higher family commitment and involvement
• Smoother back-to-school transitions for everyone

Tackling Chronic Absenteeism Through Summer Engagement

Despite slight improvements in the 2023-2024 school year, chronic absenteeism remains at crisis levels with approximately one-third of students missing enough school to be classified as chronically absent. This dramatically impacts graduation rates and successful life outcomes.

Nydia Natividad shares how her district approaches this challenge: “This year we are rolling out SchoolStatus Attend that will handle automatic mailers to battle absenteeism. Not only are they handling sending letters to our chronically absent families, but they’re also going to send letters to our families with excellent attendance to give them a pat on the back!”

Effective approaches to support attendance include:

1. Giving superintendents the microphone: Lead district-wide campaigns with consistent messaging and incentives
2. Focusing on school communities: Position schools as places of fun and community rather than mandatory destinations
3. Supporting teachers and building classroom buzz: When classes are announced, encourage early communications to establish classroom community

Keeping Families Connected All Summer

Summertime provides a perfect opportunity to maintain engagement while planning for the upcoming school year. Nydia uses several newsletter strategies to keep her community connected:

• “In the Community” Newsletter: Showcases local events, opportunities, and activities for students during summer
• “This Week in PBTISD” Newsletter: A weekly communication during the school year that details every event happening in the district

“I like to say summertime is the best time in Pecos,” says Nydia. “As a small community, it’s really great to see the things our kids do outside the walls of our schools.”

Preventing Staff Attrition with Summer Engagement

Replacing teachers is not only difficult for school leadership—it’s a serious detriment to student learning. Maintaining connections with staff throughout summer helps reduce attrition rates and keeps everyone feeling valued.

Strategies for engaging staff during summer months include:

• Human Capital Update Newsletters: Share important updates, celebrate staff achievements, and build excitement for the coming year
• Early access to back-to-school templates: Provide resources for classroom setup, welcome letters, and other materials
• Regular communication touchpoints: Maintain connection without overwhelming staff during their break

Back-to-School Communications That Work

When back-to-school season arrives, 57% of parents report it’s their most stressful time of year—even more stressful than the holidays. This creates a critical opportunity for schools to provide clear, helpful information that reduces anxiety and builds excitement.

Effective back-to-school communications include:

• “Meet the Principal” newsletters that introduce school leadership and explain back-to-school flow
• Introduction to counselors and school professionals to help families access resources
• Personal introduction emails from teachers to build trust before the first day
• “Welcome back” messages for returning students

Communication Best Practices

To ensure your communications are actually read and valued:

• Make information easy to find at a glance: Use bullets, formatting, and visuals
• Send messages at appropriate times: Avoid late Friday afternoons or other low-engagement periods
• Ensure messages are in the recipient’s preferred language
• Provide easy ways to follow up if action is needed
• Segment messaging so the right communications go to the right people
• Keep families’ unique needs and priorities in mind

Get Started Today

Summer communications shouldn’t be an afterthought—they’re a strategic opportunity to strengthen your school community year-round. By maintaining consistent, valuable touchpoints with both families and staff during the summer months, you’ll see improved attendance, stronger enrollment, and a much smoother back-to-school season.

Want to learn more about effective summer communications strategies?

Watch the full webinar on-demand

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