Welcome back to Beyond the Tour, where twice a month you’ll get clear, practical enrollment strategies you can put to work this week. Let's get started. |
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If You Do One Thing This Week: |
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1. 📆 Create an internal Summer Calendar. Create a simple summer calendar showing who’s in (and out) of the office and when. It’s the easiest way to plan meetings, connect with colleagues, and avoid the late-August scramble. You have information they need, and they have what you need. Don’t assume “We have all summer! I'm sure we will find time to meet.” Map it now, start early, and stay one step ahead of the summer shuffle. Try it. Let me know how it goes. |
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2. 📊 Be realistic. Use data. When it's time to set enrollment projections for next year, please be realistic. If you consistently are hitting an enrollment of X # of students, you are not going to magically hit X + 10% just becuase your Head or Board wants it to be so. Use data to inform a likely enrollment picture. I would start with: - Looking at average enrollment from the past 3 years as a starting point
- Getting a real sense of feeder school enrollment (and what percentage of those schools are you likely to enroll next year)
- Trends in the community
- Siblings likely to enroll
Admission professionals, Head of School, and Board should work together to have a shared understanding of what is realistic, based on that data. We establish realistic enrollment goals together. Then we make it happen. |
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3. 🫠 Get Ahead of Summer Melt Before the end of May: Admission + Marketing teams should coordinate on what you will share on social media and direct email marketing about the school when school is not in session. I recommend a week-by-week playbook of what messaging and images you will share. Map it out now, and you'll be able to push Play to make it happen during the summer. Summer break is right around the corner. You want to keep the momentum going, keeping families connected and excited about your school, even when school is not in session. My kids' summer camp shows up in my feed with beautiful pictures of kids all winter long. They also have a countdown clock to build excitement. It makes me think of summer, makes me happy, and probably makes me submit those forms. |
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website spotlight: belmont day school |
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Belmont Day School is a Pre-K through Grade 8 school located in Belmont, Massachusetts. Through an outdoor-integrated curriculum, students find their voice and grow into confident communicators and leaders. Their website reflects this ethos, balancing a sense of childhood wonder with clear, concise information. |
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If this newsletter resonates with you, here are three more ways I can help: - Follow me on LinkedIn or Instagram for bite-sized tips throughout the week (free).
- Work with me for 1:1 executive coaching or enrollment strategy consulting. Hit reply and I’ll send you a few questions to see if we’re a fit.
- Book me as a retreat facilitator or speaker. I am booking retreats now in Summer and Fall (and just booked my first workshops for Winter and Spring 2027). Please reply to this email or email me directly. I would love to plan something with you.
I’m a teacher at heart, and love helping people get better at what they do. Let's get started, |
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Do you have questions or want to see me address a specific topic or issue? My inbox is always open to requests and feedback. Check out previous issues of Beyond the Tour here. You'll also see my other quick-tips email, The At Work Tune Up. Subscribe to the Tune Up for tips on keeping your teams happy and healthy. You are receiving this email because you have signed up for my newsletter or we have worked together. If you would like to opt-out, no problem. If you received this email from a friend and want to subscribe, click here. |
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Saddlerock Rd
Silver Spring, Maryland 20902, United States |
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