CATHOLIC SCHOOLS POSTERS
By now you should have received the second poster - "We Have The Best Teacher Ever To Walk The Earth." Hopefully these posters will be welcome additions to your school buildings. There is space to list Open House information in the lower left corner of the poster.

CUSTOMIZED SCHOOL ADS
Quite a few schools have requested customized Catholic Schools print advertisements. These ads are FREE and can be used in a variety of ways, including announcing registration information, thanking the parish community for its support of the school, and announcing the availability of personal tours. The ads also can be used as bulletin inserts or fliers. The possibilities are limitless.

These ads are created by our publications coordinator and incorporate your school-specific information. Samples of the ads and more information are available at http://www.archmil.org/resources/ShowResource.asp?ID=757.

You can contact me by fax (414-769-3388) or e-mail (hohlk@archmil.org) with your copy and ad dimensions. Please be sure to indicate which ad you would like customized. We will return a PDF to you within five business days.

REQUEST FOR CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK ACTIVITIES
Just a few days remain for you to submit your Catholic Schools Week activities. The deadline is Wednesday, January 15. We will distribute a media release to more than 100 media outlets throughout southeastern Wisconsin with details on Catholic Schools Week activities and celebrations. If you haven't submitted your information, please e-mail (wawrzoneks@archmil.org) or fax it (414-769-3388).

During Catholic Schools Week, a feature article will be posted on the front page of the archdiocesan web site - www.archmil.org. Visitors to the web site will have the ability to view a list of our Catholic Schools Week activities.

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK ADVERTISEMENTS
Our Catholic Schools advertising campaign begins the week of January 20. Check your local newspaper, radio stations and television stations for this year's ads. The radio commercials also will be available on the archdiocesan web site.

OPEN HOUSES
For many of you, Open House is right around the corner. Here are a few items to consider:
Have you sent a media release to your community newspaper announcing the Open House?
Have you assigned specific duties to staff members and volunteers?
Do you have good signage for visitors who move through your building? If you don't have enough people to staff every area, a detailed sign may be helpful.
Do you have a registration area for families as they arrive? Is there a tool (sign-in sheet) that will collect important data?
Do you have a follow-up process in place for prospective families who visit your Open House?
This could include a letter from the principal, from the school family that conducted the tour, or from a current student to a prospective student.

Remind prospective families that they can visit your school for a personal tour or a day of shadowing. The Open House may whet a family's appetite and a tour may reinforce their decision to send their child(ren) to your school.

LETTERS FROM ARCHBISHOP DOLAN
Within the next several weeks, we will be distributing three letters from Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan. One letter will be addressed to staff members. Another will be addressed to current school families. The third will be addressed to prospective families. Please help us distribute these letters. The letter to current families can be sent via your weekly communication piece (folder, newsletter). The letter to prospective families can be distributed in your Open House materials, registration materials, or in your follow-up communication.

POSTING YOUR SCHOOL'S INFORMATION ON WWW.ARCHMIL.ORG
Did you know that you can use the Extranet to post your school's news and events on www.archmil.org - the archdiocesan web site? This is a great vehicle to publicize activities in your school community. The re-designed web site now has distinct sections for parish and school news and events.

ARCHDIOCESAN SUPPLIES
We can provide your school four-color brochures that would be terrific supplements to the information you distribute to prospective families. We also have Catholic Schools notepads, exterior banners and posters available. All of these are FREE and available on a first come, first served basis. If you can put these supplies to good use, please contact Kathleen Hohl (hohlk@archmil.org).

SCHOOL RECRUITMENT WORKSHOPS
We have finalized details for our spring workshop series. "Building an Effective School Recruitment Program" will be offered on Thursday, March 6, from 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. "Strengthening Your School Recruitment Program" an advanced workshop for those who attended one of the introductory workshop, will be offered twice - on Tuesday, March 25, from 1-4:30 p.m. and on Thursday, March 27, from 9 a.m-12:30 p.m. All workshops will be offered at the Archbishop Cousins Catholic Center.

Watch your mail for registration information.

NEWSLETTER AVAILABLE ONLINE
If there are other members of your school community who you think would be interested in this newsletter, issues are available online at this address - http://www.archmil.org/aboutus/dept.asp?which=Resources2&ID;=31&rID;=59

FUN FACT
Numerous studies show that parents place their children in Catholic Schools for three reasons: the superior achievement of Catholic School students; for their secure and disciplined learning environment; and for a total education, which includes growth in religious awareness and an appreciation of morals and values. (Source: NCEA).

QUESTIONS?
If you have a question related to recruitment or marketing that you would like answered by the staff and volunteers who receive this newsletter, please submit it to Kathleen Hohl (hohlk@archmil.org). We will pose questions and provide feedback in future newsletters.

SHARING CENTER
If a specific marketing or recruitment idea has worked well in your school community, please let us know! In future newsletters we will be sharing ideas with the hope that more communities will be able to benefit from your success. Please submit your idea to Kathleen Hohl (hohlk@archmil.org).

hohlk@archmil.org
414-769-3494