Planning to Visit Your Legislator? A Few Dos and Don'ts

With Catholic Schools Week upon us, many of us are planning to take part in the rally at the Capitol in support of the Arizona Tuition Tax Credit and have visits lined up with our legislators. If it's your first time, here's a quick list of Dos and Don'ts as you prepare for your meeting (courtesy of the USCCB):

DO

• make sure you have an appointment. Arrive on time, or, better yet, a little early.
• identify clearly the subject matter or subjects in which you are interested.
• state why you're concerned about the issue. Your own personal experience is excellent evidence.
• restrict yourself to one or at most two topics.
• put your thoughts into your own words. This is especially important if you're responding to something you've read.
• try to establish a relationship with your own legislators. You have more influence as an actual constituent.
• communicate while legislation is in committee and subcommittees, as well as when it's on the floor.

DON'T

• be starstruck. While it's important to show respect for our sustem of government and for the office itself, remember: these people are your neighbors.
• ever, ever threaten. Don't even hint "I'll never vote for you unless you do what I want." Present the best arguments in your favor and ask for consideration. A legislator understands electoral consequences.
• pretend to wield vast political influence. Communicate with your legislator as a constituent, not as a self-appointed spokesperson for your school, neighborhood, community, or profession.
• use incediary rhetoric, innuendos, or cliches. Jargon just makes your communication sound mass produced even when it isn't.
• become a pen pal or perpetual infomercial. It's easy to ignore the constant background noise.

Getting Ready for Your Open House

It's almost Catholic Schools Week, when your school might be preparing for its annual Open House. Here's a quick checklist of things you can do to get your campus and your community ready.

• Take a look at your campus with the eyes of a visitor.  If you were coming on campus for the first time, what would your first impression be? Make sure everything's clean, clutter is picked up, and things are generally presentable for company. If the recent freeze killed the plants on campus, plant some more. Everyone should get involved in the clean-up efforts--students, staff, teachers, parents.
• Prepare your welcome packet. Information about your school should be compiled and put together in a nice packet and every family who visits your campus should leave with one. Some materials to include:
• Your school's mission statement
• Letter/photo from the pastor and principal
• Step-by-step application process
• An application (if available)
• A school snapshot (stats like test scores, enrollment, tuition and fees, etc.)
• Information on programs available--academic, extracurricular, etc.
• Clear statements of parent/student expectations
• Train your student ambassadors. Make sure you have the best and brightest lined up and make sure they're prepared! Ask them questions you know they'll be getting, like "Why do you like going to school here?" and gauge their answers. Prepare a cheat sheet to make sure they have the correct information, like where graduates go to high school and what textbooks are used in the classroom. Emphasize that if they don't know an answer, there are plenty of teachers and staff available who do know, so they shouldn't wing it. Remember, not all students should be ambassadors--it's okay to tell someone no and find them another job that day. And remember: Students should be in their uniforms and wearing name tags.
• Mobilize your Parent-Teacher Organization! Get those cookie bakers and greeters out there to put out light refreshments, make small talk, and provide information. Nothing sells a product better than a satisfied customer. Arm them with fact sheets, too, so they can answer questions knowledgeably.
• Have an organized check-in system in place. You want to know who stops by, so make sure someone's at the entrance to welcome visitors. Have a sign-in sheet asking for basic information--name, address, email--so you can follow-up and thank them for coming. Provide them with name tags.
• If possible, offer a small take-away with your school's name and logo on it. Pencils, folders, bookmarks, prayer cards--anything that they can take with them to remind them of your school is a bonus. Make sure your school's address, phone, and website is on there if possible.
• Enjoy the day! This of this as an opportunity to show off while making new friends all at the very same time. Open Houses are a way to reinforce to your community what a great place your school is, so enjoy the attention and have fun!