When Krista Wright, high school principal at Central Valley Christian School in Visalia, California, moved across the country for her job, she knew she’d need to up her communication game with her grown children who stayed back home in Michigan. She found an eCard subscription program that let her send her virtual cards daily to her daughters. They loved it and felt connected to her despite the miles.
Like a true principal, she immediately began to wonder if she could acknowledge students in her school with ecards. Turns out her ecard subscription let her send out as many ecards as she wanted to annually. She got out her list of student emails and developed a plan to deliver cards on a regular basis to every single one of them. Here are some of the reasons she sent cards, and a few ideas of our own to keep in your back pocket:
Acknowledge students’ hard work.
Wright says she knew the high school basketball team had worked hard to beat a highly ranked team. “Win or lose, those kids deserved to know their hard work and perseverance was seen. I opened the roster of teammates, copied and pasted the emails and got those cards to them.” One great benefit, she added, is that kids now have a reason for checking their emails.
Deliver birthday greetings.
Not everyone’s families make birthdays feel special. When you send a birthday ecard, it ensures that a student gets acknowledged for their value on the earth during their special day.
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Thank students for being kind.
Have you noticed older kids showing younger ones how to do things at school or signing up to assist in classrooms? Let them know how much spreading kindness matters.
Respond positively to feedback from students.
Sometimes children deliver feedback about an assembly or activity and never hear about it again. Sending a quick ecard can help them see you heard them and are giving their comments or concerns the thought it deserves.
Congratulate them.
Did you just find out one of your students made the local theater production or got a new job? Tell them you heard about it and are proud of them. Connecting school to the outside world help students become more well-balanced.
Welcome new students.
It can be lonely starting at a new school and it’s good to remind our new students that you are an adult who’s ready to answer questions and be consistently there during the day.
Inform students about an upcoming opportunity.
Sure you send out a newsletter with opportunities to join clubs or participate in school activities, but why not find a couple of students who tend to be outliers and invite them specifically. There are few things that bring pride like a personal invite.
Tell them they inspire you.
Imagine a high school student who works at her parent’s restaurant every evening and weekends and still gets good grades. Getting a supportive card from her principal would help the work take on a whole new meaning.
Kids are amazing, that’s why we love working with them, but they don’t always feel that way. Wright’s inspirational idea to acknowledge students with ecards speaks volumes about how much principals care about their students. We hope this inspires you to do what you can as well.
Here are some ecard services to check out.
Want to share new and innovative ways you connect to your students? Join our Principal Life Facebook Group.
Also, Print This Free Kindness Activity Guide for Your Classroom.
