Observations

Dear Campus School Families,

Last week I wrote about our recent marketing study. This week I will highlight some of our marketing challenges and opportunities.  First, Crane studied not just our market but our methods and atmosphere, and in their weeks on campus they found much to celebrate about our school. They were impressed by the dedication of our teachers, the warmth of our community, and the poise and happiness of our students. Naturally, Crane also made some suggestions for strengthening our position, starting with the importance of stabilizing school leadership, which the college recently addressed. They also note that we need to make a much stronger first impression on prospective parents. Our web site is woefully inadequate and needs a complete overhaul. Crane will work with us on this and we will launch a new web site in late summer. The team from Crane also noted that our facilities need attention, both in addressing deferred maintenance and freshening the look of the school. I am working with college personnel to address these issues.

Crane also highlights that at the heart of our strategic plan is a thoughtful examination of our curriculum and programs - and that this work is critical to providing an outstanding program for our students and attracting new families to our school. We completely agree, as does the college, and it is one reason why we will be recruiting a senior administrator to act as our new Director of Curriculum Design and Innovation. This curricular work will also create programs and experiences that further connect the rich learning resources of the college to our elementary school program. No other school in the region can boast of these connections and resources and it is our goal to use them wisely and communicate them effectively.

Finally, Crane notes the importance of the Campus School creating more structures and opportunities to support fundraising, especially as we get closer to our 100th anniversary.

So what’s next – how will our new marketing efforts be manifested? I will write more about this next week.

Warmly,

Chris