Eat. Learn. Grow. offers CHESPRA members professional development opportunities throughout the year.
These one-hour webinars feature people and topics of interest to school public relations professionals and add to the value of a CHESPRA membership.
If there is a topic of interest to you -- or if you're interested in presenting -- please contact Betsy Overkamp-Smith, APR, at betsy@betsyospr.com.
Engaging Communities Through Listening and Action: A Superintendent's Journey
March 28, 2025, Noon
With superintendents retiring and changing jobs, discover how one experienced Superintendent, new to a Division, transformed community engagement into actionable strategies for student success. This session will explore the evolution of Community Listening Sessions into Student Success Talks, highlighting how these initiatives created open dialogue with families, gathered critical data and informed a responsive post-entry plan. Attendees will gain insight into replicable models for fostering meaningful connections between leadership, families and staff.
Joan Sahlgren, Director of Strategic Communications at Loudoun County Public Schools, will host a view of how to support a search, onboarding and community outreach to support building community trust for new leadership.
Register below to receive the Zoom link. We look forward to seeing you!
Engaging the Hardest to Reach Families: Tips for Leaders
February 28, 2025, Noon
We are thrilled to partner with long-time CHESPRA supporter and conference sponsor ParentSquare for February’s Eat. Learn. Grow. webinar series! This month, we’ll spend lunchtime exploring ways to ensure that you connect and engage with every family, even those that are hard to reach through regular channels.
During this session, Eileen Cox from Henrico County, VA & Chuck Paynter from ParentSquare will share valuable insights as we dive into:
Identifying families who aren’t being reached
Examining barriers to connection
Leveraging technology and key stakeholders
Deploying empathy to transform communications
As a thank-you for participating, your next lunch is on ParentSquare! ParentSquare will share virtual GrubHub gift cards with all attendees after the session!
Register below to receive the Zoom link. We look forward to seeing you!
Join us THIS Friday, January 31 at noon for an Eat. Learn. Grow. session on earning your APR!
CHESPRA APR Chair Christie Scott, APR will lead the conversation and will provide information about the accreditation process and the benefits of earning your APR! Current APRs are also encouraged to attend to share their experiences with participants.
Join your fellow CHESPRA members for an engaging hour of reflection, planning, and community support. This interactive session will help us celebrate our collective achievements in 2024 and shape our direction for 2025.
Agenda:
• 2024 in Review (15 minutes)
Share your proudest moments, biggest challenges, and key learnings from the past year in school PR and communications.
• Vision 2025 (20 minutes)
Help shape CHESPRA's future by contributing your ideas and priorities for the coming year. What professional development, resources, or networking opportunities would best support your work?
• Problem-Solving Workshop (20 minutes)
Bring your current communications challenges to this collaborative troubleshooting session. Get real-time feedback and solutions from experienced colleagues who understand your unique context.
• Open Q&A (5 minutes)
Address any questions about CHESPRA initiatives, membership benefits, or upcoming opportunities.
To make the most of our time together, please:
- Come prepared to participate actively in discussions
- Consider one success and one challenge from 2024 you'd like to share
- Think about what support would most benefit you in 2025
- Bring any specific situations you'd like input on from colleagues
Register below to receive the Zoom link. We look forward to connecting with you!
FYI: The above session description was written with the help of Claude AI...IYKYK!
Social Secrets Unlocked: Top 10 Tips, Tricks and Tools to Level-Up Your District Social Media
October 25, 2024, Noon
Delaina McCormack, Manager, Social Media, Fairfax County Public Schools
Join us for a dive into 10 top tips, tools, and insights that can make a real difference in managing school district social media. We'll explore hidden features, time-saving tricks, and practical tools that help enhance engagement and streamline your workflow. Whether you're looking to improve engagement, save time, or use lesser-known tools to their full potential, this session will leave you with actionable ideas you can put to work immediately.
