In order to make this year even BIGGER and BETTER than last, we are going to coincide our Wisconsin Public School Celebration, with a National celebration of our schools. This allows us not only to further amplify our message and grow together, but there are a ton of cool resources that ave been provided at the national level as well!

This week will take place February 24- 28.

How can YOU help make this week a booming success?

BEFORE the action Week

1. Mark your calendars for the WPEN General Partner Meeting on February 14th! We will collect everyone’s local plans so we can amplify during the week. We will also continue our much loved tradition of delivering Valentine’s to our legislators celebrating our public schools. THIS YEAR we will also drop off information on how your legislator can celebrate Public Schools Week too!
2. Take the Public School Pledge at PublicSchoolProud.org! Then share it on your social media.
3. Download the Public School Week social media toolkit, and share it with your group and start using the sample tweets and information right away! We want people to know the week is coming up.
4. Start thinking about community events that could show your appreciation for your schools! Examples include:
   • Welcome Walks: Welcome staff and students to school by lining the street/sidewalk with signs telling them why you love your local schools.
   • Valentines or Other Tokens of Appreciation: Send Valentine’s/notes/cookies to the educators and staff in your school. Don’t forget administrators and your district office! Make a party of it by holding card-making parties with parent groups, student orgs, and other local teams. KEEP IT SIMPLE. The message is: I LOVE MY PUBLIC SCHOOL because…
     • SPARC (Sun Prairie Action Resource Commission) has had success with drop in Valentine’s Making Parties that allow for community building while creating cool valentines!
     • PPS-MKE (Parents for Public Schools) has had booming success with a cookie making campaign for different public schools and the teachers and staff that work there. Here is the flyer they used a couple of years ago
   • Special Events: invite speakers or hold a party to honor local difference-makers in your schools
   • Media Message, this is a very important one. We need to amplify our love. There are many ways you can contribute to our media message: 
     • Write a letter to the editor or op-ed for your local paper sharing why you love your schools.
     • Contact your local paper and new stations to inform them of your events and invite them to come cover them!
     • Schedule interviews or call into local radio stations to express your public school pride.
   • School Board Resolution, this really shows that your district is also on board with your plans are! Here is a sample resolution.
     • Proclamation from Governor Evers Office 2020
     • Sun Prairie Resolution 2020
   • Invite an elected official to tour your school or the event you plan
   • Appreciation stations around town at non-school places where people can write “I Love My Public School Because”… + other ideas to bring the message out to the greater community, you could then deliver these messages the school board or other elected officials
   • Honk if you love public school brigade
   • Decorating hallways at schools or offices
   • Attending a school board meeting during that week to express your appreciation
   • Showcase student success
     • make a list of all the cool things students accomplish and share one every day
     • Student art gallery in a public place, like a public library!
   • Create a local hashtag and try to get it locally trending #WeLoveMiltonSchools
5. Whatever you decide to plan, no matter how big or small, register it with the National event so it be amplified!
   

DURING the action week:

1. Share the Public School Pledge at PublicSchoolProud.org. And then share it again! Make sure to use the hashtags #PublicSchoolProud #PSW2020 and #PublicSchoolsWeek.
2. Post a selfie or pictures from the event that you hosted or attended with reasons why you love your public school AND the hashtags #PublicSchoolProud #PSW2020 and #PublicSchoolsWeek.
3. SHARE photos, reports, posts and testimonials on all social media platforms. Tag your district/teachers/staff and send the love out. Tag us @WiscEdNetwork (Twitter) and @WisconsinNetwork (facebook) so we can amplify the love! Keep using those hashtags!

AFTER the action week:

Continue to shout your love for public schools from the roof tops. So often the message we hear about our schools is that they are “failing.” We can never do too much to combat this harmful and incorrect narrative. Celebrate your schools every day in small ways and big.