Waukee Schools Use Social Media to Stay Connected

Let's face it, most everything you need to do these days you can do online.

You can shop for groceries, make appointments, talk to friends and family, heck, some of us can even work from home all entirely online. So wouldn't it make perfect sense if you could keep up-to-date on your Waukee student using your computer or smartphone, too?

That's exactly what officials in the thought and the reason why they've entered the digital age in order to communicate with parents. 

According to a recent article on Forbes.com, public school leaders should be using social media to not only communicate, but also as an avenue for branding and public relations. 

Nicole Lawrence, communications coordinator for the Waukee school district, says the district is branching out in the ways it's utilizing things like social media to keep in touch.

"As a district we encourage families to use the district's Facebook page, follow us on Twitter or watch the Waukee Community School District's YouTube page," she said. "Of course, we also encourage people to take advantage of the website and blogs."

The district's website - www.waukee.k12.ia.us - was revamped just last year and is a one-stop shop for parents to get information on all the schools, activities, teachers, meetings and everything beyond that pertains to Waukee. Parents will also find links to RevTrak and Powerschool on the district's web page.

Something new this year is a feature called Waukee Backpack. In it, parents will find information that otherwise used to go home in flier form and was often lost in a student's backpack. Lawrence said a revamp of the district calendar is also in the works and should be ready in the next few weeks.

Teachers Reaching Out

One way teachers are getting in on the act is through district-sponsored blogs. As of last year, every teacher was issued their own blog as a means for keeping parents informed about what was going on in the classroom.

Russ Goerend, a sixth-grade language arts teacher at Waukee Middle School, fully utilizes his blog, as well as Facebook and Twitter to keep in touch with parents of his students.

"I know a lot of first time middle school parents don’t always get what goes on here," he said. "I think the blog makes them feel at home with what we do and they get to see what happens in classroom."