The goal of this newsletter is to share practical ideas that can be implemented within your respective school communities and to share information about the archdiocesan collaborative Catholic Schools marketing campaign. Hopefully the ideas and recommendations shared in this newsletter will help you attract families to your school community and enhance your school community.

CUSTOMIZED PRINT ADS AVAILABLE! The Archdiocese is offering customized print ads again this year. For instructions on how to have an ad customized for your school community, visit this link. And these items can be used in a wide variety of ways. Some schools use them as flyers in community businesses; other schools have used them to thank their parish community for its support; yet others have created posters for display throughout the school and parish. The ideas are unlimited!

ARCHDIOCESE-MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY "READING IS YOUR TICKET!" PROGRAM The Archdiocese of Milwaukee and Marquette University collaborated to create the "Reading is your Ticket!" program. Each elementary school received 20 vouchers good for two free tickets to the Dec. 29 men's basketball game against Sacred Heart. These vouchers will be distributed to students who have exhibited outstanding reading achievement.

2004 CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK NCEA has announced that "A Faith-Filled Future" will be the theme for 2004 Catholic Schools Week. Catholic Schools Week will be celebrated from January 25-31 throughout the nation. More information about the NCEA program is accessible at http://www.catholicschoolsweek.org/

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK LETTERS We will distribute letters from Archbishop Dolan that should be shared with current school families and prospective school families again this year. From the feedback we received this past winter, these letters provided a nice complement to materials about your respective schools. Archbishop Dolan's letters will be distributed in early January.

OPEN HOUSES For those of you who host open houses in conjunction with Catholic Schools Week, here are some items to consider as you begin your planning:

• Has a committee been organized/recruited that will oversee Open House?
• Have general Open House duties been determined? These could include greeters, tour guides, hospitality.
• Have you started to plan publicity for the Open House?
• Are key pastoral staff members and parish leaders aware of the Open House date and time? This includes your maintenance staff to ensure that your building is in tip-top shape for the big event!
• Have you compiled a list of families with children between the ages of 2-5 from your parish baptismal records? These families should receive an invitation to your Open House.
• Have you created/revised the script for Open House tour guides? (One idea is to have each teacher compile 5-6 unique activities that occur in their room each academic year. This involves the staff in the preparation for Open House).
• Have you created or updated the information materials that will be distributed to prospective families at Open House?
• Has someone started to identify adults and students who would be willing to serve as tour guides and would be good salespeople for your school?
• Will you provide each prospective family that visits your school a promotional item, such as a key chain with your school name on it? If so, have you ordered the item?

Open House season will come quickly, especially with Christmas vacation! Early planning and preparation are two important keys to a successful Open House.

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).

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.

Have a wonderful Christmas!

Kathleen Hohl