In just a few months, nearly everything about daily life has changed. Although we’ve just begun to settle into the norms of staying at home, we must prepare for next school year. Information is constantly changing so it may feel impossible to actually decide on anything. But, it’s crucial to plan now so you are ready once the fall semester starts. The key is to develop solutions intended to change. One solution is to create adaptable school planners that will adjust as the situation unfolds next school year.
Despite being a printed resource, your school planners can be designed to adapt. You can build flexible features into the design to meet the needs of our ever-changing environment. We have seen during school closures that a significant amount of students don’t have access to a computer or the internet and are currently feeling the effects of the digital divide. Digital solutions alone are simply not enough to reach all students equally. School planners are tactile and allow for quick access to important information. Re-imagining your school planners so that they can be flexible ensures your students have a safe and successful school year.
Read on for some creative ideas to design adaptable school planners for next year.
Loose Leaf
We can ship your planners as hole-punched bundles of pages instead of typical bound planners. Your students could then insert and store these pages inside a 3-ring binder. The benefit is that crucial policies that ensure the safety and healthy operation of your school can be switched quickly. Also, if school events or schedules change this information can be easily updated. Removing the outdated pages to add in the newest information is a simple solution to make your planner able to shift with the times next school year.
Clear Wallets
If you would prefer your planners to be bound, including clear wallets in your school planners is another way to make them adaptable. These wallets can hold printed information pages that can be quickly swapped out for the newest recommendations. This allows your students to have the information they need at any time.
Color Coding
As you plan for next year, you may opt to create a set of contingency plans that adjust to the situation as it unfolds. You can highlight these differing procedures and schedules via color coding. Color coding your policies based on each of your contingencies gives your students and parents all of the information they need at once while visually separating it into digestible sections. This way they will know what information applies to them at any given time but also helps them to understand how things may change as the school year progresses.
Freeform Layouts
Instead of selecting a layout for your monthly calendars and weekly planning pages, consider leaving these pages blank or adding grid lines so your students can choose how they want to structure their planners. This gives full customization to each of your students and they can decide how best to plan out their time to stay on top of their tasks. Your students can experiment with freeform layouts and optimize their planners to be uniquely suited to them, no matter the situation.
QR Codes
We can print QR codes inside your school planners which link to your school policies, health procedures, and calendars. Also, you could include a QR code that links directly to your school’s announcements to add another channel of communication between you and your students/parents. Transmit the most essential information directly to your school planners by utilizing QR codes. Plus, it will update instantaneously when you make changes online. Communication and awareness are key to ensuring next school year runs smoothly.
We are facing the unknown each day as next school year draws near. It’s difficult to make plans while the situation is so uncertain. Designing creative, flexible solutions to this new set of challenges will make all the difference when school starts. Giving your school the ability to pivot as needed is the best way to ensure a safe and successful school year for your students.