Why your School needs a well-organised Social Events Calendar (and how to make one)

Start your next school year feeling organised and in control with the perfect school event calendar.

It may feel like an insurmountable task to create an event calendar… for the entire year… that caters to every individual involved in your school community, especially when you have so many other day-to-day jobs that take priority.???

But well-planned school events have been shown time and again to be extremely powerful in building relationships with prospective students and families, boosting enrolments, and keeping your existing community engaged. Something this important should not be left to chance and last-minute preparations.??

As with all events, it is about the people. So always keep your stakeholders in mind and be sure to plan a range of events that will include something for everyone. This includes prospective students and families, current students of all years, their families, staff, alumni, and teachers.??

By bringing the entire school community together with the right events at the right times, you can show off your school’s unique selling points, raise enrolment figures, and create a strong sense of unity throughout your entire school community.??

With a little pre-planning, it doesn’t need to be too painful to plan a full event calendar a year ahead. As Benjamin Franklin pointed out, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”

So let’s jump in.??

SETTING AN ANNUAL SCHOOL EVENTS BUDGET

Although this is not the fun part, it’s important to be realistic about what can be achieved and to what degree. So before we start throwing in parent mixers and fundraising events, we need to know what the rough annual budget will be, and which funds are already allocated. If you don’t have these figures to hand, look at previous years’ events budgets and work forward to arrive at your figures. This way you will know how many events you can add, if some might need to be cut, and what types of events are realistic. If you aren’t sure, we are on hand to help with this!?

ADD IN (AND THEN QUESTION) YOUR EXISTING SCHOOL EVENTS

First add in all your non-negotiable school events—the ones that absolutely must take place. These might include your school Open Days, Sports Days, Year level camps, etc. (And feel free to question them—that’s why we’re here after all!) If you aren’t sure?why you hold an event, it may be time to take another look. And if the event wasn’t a success last year, please don’t just do the same event again and hope for a different outcome. This is a chance to learn and adjust!?

Once all your essential school events are in the diary, it’s time to look at new opportunities.??

CREATING FRESH NEW EVENTS TO FILL OUT YOUR SCHOOL CALENDAR YEAR

If 12 months of events seems daunting, try breaking it down into the four school calendar terms and going from there.??

For example, Term 1 is about the new school year and welcoming the new families and all students. It is so important to make everyone feel a part of the community, so don’t wait to long to host something. We love creating a Summer Social evening to make the most of the warm weather and bring everyone together to start the year off right. Schedule another mixer later in the year for busy parents to reconnect after a few months.??

All your socials, formals and deb ball can be in Terms 1 to 3. Just remember to leave ample time for event planning and prep (like dance lessons!) for the larger events.??

Term 4 is always busy with Year 12 Valedictories, Year 6 Graduations, and Year 12 End-of-Year Fun Day (a must-have on the calendar for Term 4)! Make sure to work around any exams.?

Your fundraising events can occur any time of year; just be sure that the money will be raised in time for any projects that are relying on it.???

For Alumni events, we recommend factoring in one per term - 1st year, 5th year, 10th year and 20th year works well.??

Last, it is also important to consider special occasions such as Mother's Day and Father's Day celebrations, Grandparent's Day, Christmas Carols, Student Assemblies to recognise achievements, and any days that are particularly significant for your school.??

It is a lot of work to pull a school calendar together, but once you have it, you will feel much more organised and ready to start planning—with none of the last-minute stress of working out when to host a last-minute forgotten event!??

We love creating school social events calendars and would love to build something unique and perfect for your school. If you would like any support, Eventful Journeys are ready to help.