Category Archives: Outreach

Newsletters That Really Deliver, Part 2

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Written by Laurie Gauger-Hested

In “Newsletters That Really Deliver, Part 1,” we discussed the importance of producing high-quality newsletters. As your public face, your newsletter should send two fundamental messages to parents: that you’re professionals who are giving their children an excellent education, and that you’re strong Christians who love Jesus and their children.

Part 1 listed three important directives for achieving this goal: (1) write with a smile on your face; (2) write humbly, which translates to “be brief”; and (3) write for the eye as well as the ear, which means using an easy-to-read format.

Part 2 has three equally important directives. Please read on. Continue reading →

Newsletters That Really Deliver, Part 1

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Written by Laurie Gauger-Hested

Your newsletter is your public face. In fact, for prospective families and for families who don’t have much contact with teachers—because of work schedules or a strained relationship or simple shyness—it may be your only face.

That’s why the quality matters. In both content and format, your newsletter should send two fundamental messages to parents: that you’re professionals who are giving their children an excellent education, and that you’re strong Christians who love Jesus and their children.

How do you send those two messages? Here are a few tips. Continue reading →

Being a Lutheran Teacher Is Awesome!

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Written by Dr. John Meyer

Every teacher is special. Through them, children and young people develop full and productive lives. But Lutheran teachers are more, and being one is an awesome privilege and a tremendous responsibility.

An Awesome Privilege
Lutheran teachers are called. That’s not just a fancy way of saying hired. A call comes from God through a group of believers in Christ (Acts 1) to people whom he has appointed and gifted for ministry (Ephesians 4:11-13). Their contract is with God, and so the call is divine (Gerlach, 1977; Mueller, 1988). Since Lutheran teachers do not seek their positions by putting out résumés (Romans 10:15; Hebrews 5:4), they are confident that God himself has appointed them to serve where they are (Fehlauer, 1968; Gerlach, n.d.; Mueller, 1988). Continue reading →

Most Important Things Parents Look for in a School

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Written by Elizabeth Johnson

Parents have more choices in the type of pasta sauce on their child’s spaghetti than they do in where their child receives their education. For decades, the public school system told families where they would attend school. In many places, voucher programs are giving some of that power back to parents. With the choice comes a responsibility to find out who can best serve them, along with a responsibility for administrators to know what parents want. While a school’s location and demographic can vary the order of preference, parents are most actively seeking private schools that offer . . .

1) A high quality of education

2) A safe learning environment

3) An exceptional school culture Continue reading →

Make the Most of Your Short-Term Mission Trip

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Written by Rev. John Boeder

“I needed this trip. Gotta go to Greek first hour and the wind hurts my face. Then you go to New York and see all those people who want to hear about Jesus. This trip charges the batteries.” [1]

Academic life on a college campus can be a grind. Ministry can seem so far away. A short-term mission (STM) like the one mentioned by the student above can provide a necessary motivational boost. Based on student reflections, this STM did more than charge the participants’ batteries. Planning for ministry helped students see the need for flexibility and team work. Going door to door opened student eyes to the desperate need for the gospel. Doing ministry helped students see what gifts they had, the gifts others had, and how those gifts mixed to produce a successful mission project. Continue reading →

Recruit by Strategically Connecting Parents

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Written by Steve Haag

Lutheran schools are a great way to share the gospel with the next generation, but that’s hard to do when a congregation’s school is the “best-kept secret in town.” One way Lutheran schools can reach more children and families is by utilizing some simple branding principles. Continue reading →

The Principal’s Critical Role with New School Families

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Written by Allen M. Labitzky

Each year, I struggle to incorporate new families into our school. Despite newsletters and event calendars, many remain on the fringe. New parents say it is intimidating to break into our community where everyone seemingly knows everyone else. The truth is, there are 10-15 new families coming in each year. Some never get plugged in; they remain virtual outsiders even years later. What can be done? There are numerous suggestions out there, but my research has led me to three key ideas for school principals. Continue reading →

The Importance of Early Childhood Learning Centers

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Written by David Gartner

“All 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds need to stay at home with their moms!” This is a statement that was made by a stay-at-home mom in the first meeting we had at St. John-Redwood Falls MN when in 2009 we began the preliminary discussions of starting an all-day/every-day preschool program.

“I can’t believe how our school has grown through the preschool. I still believe it’s good for children to stay at home with their moms, but that doesn’t work for every family.” This statement was made by the same stay-at-home mom as above. Why the change? Continue reading →

The Impact of Early Childhood on LES Enrollment

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Written by Philip M. Gustafson

Enrollment in Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) schools is declining. Since enrollment peaked in 1990 with almost 32,000 students, enrollment has declined to 24,170 students in 2013-2014 (WELS Commission on Lutheran Schools, 2014). Since our WELS school system is so vital to us as a synod, that is cause for alarm, right? After all, with lower enrollment comes fewer students hearing God’s Word and fewer future synod leaders. Continue reading →

Prospect Management for Schools — Part Four: Social Media

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Written by Martin Spriggs

In part three of this series on prospect management, we examined the different ways data could be stored and then accessed to manage prospect interactions and communications. Now in the final article of our series, we will deal with perhaps the most effective prospect identification and nurture tool schools have ever had available to them: social networks. Continue reading →