How to cut through the clutter and set the tone for a confident school year.

Author — Suzanne Pelizzari. Veracross Head of Marketing – Asia Pacific

Back-to-school season is equal parts excitement and information overload. For school marketers, it’s also the moment when communication habits — both good and bad — become instantly visible to families. A thoughtful, coordinated approach doesn’t just reduce inbox chaos; it builds confidence, strengthens community, and shapes the experiences families carry throughout the year.

One of the strongest starting points is a comprehensive communications audit. Map every channel your school uses (apps, email, text, social media, websites, portals) and identify the people or departments behind each message. This audit creates clarity, exposes duplication, and can even strengthen the case for additional staffing or technology. Tools like Digistorm Funnel, Digistorm Apps, and Digistorm Websites can streamline this process by centralising forms, notifications, and content into cleaner, more intuitive experiences for families.

Once your landscape is mapped, a master communications calendar becomes indispensable. Even a simple spreadsheet can become a command centre, helping teams schedule strategically, avoid overlap, and maintain consistency in voice and timing.

When it’s time to plan content, think in terms of two buckets. The first includes essential operational communications. Think transportation updates, health forms, schedules and reminders. These should be short, clear and easy to skim. The second bucket is where your school’s personality shines. Story-driven content like student features, classroom snapshots and mission-focused articles reinforce values and build emotional connection during a time when families are eager to feel part of the community.

Even the strongest content matters little if families feel overwhelmed by scattered messages. Many schools are moving away from fragmented email and text updates in favour of a single, centralised communication hub. By streamlining announcements, reminders, forms and updates through your school app, you give parents one reliable place to check, dramatically reducing confusion and improving consistency. Your app becomes the daily go-to, while your website remains the evergreen home for key information and your social media channels offer space for storytelling, culture- building and community engagement.

Ultimately, back-to-school communication is about more than distributing information. It’s about making families feel welcomed, supported, and confident … long before the first bell rings.

More practical tips on back-to-school communications were shared in a recent podcast episode with Aubrey Bursch, Founder and CEO of Easy School Marketing, and Ashley Santana, Veracross Content Marketing Manager. You can watch it here.

3 Key Takeaways for School Marketers

1. Audit before you act.
Identify every channel, owner, and audience to eliminate clutter and strengthen alignment.

2. Balance logistics with storytelling.
Pair essential updates with mission-driven stories that build culture and connection.

3. Match the channel to the message.
Use apps, websites, portals, and social media intentionally to reduce fatigue and boost clarity.