Introduction

Facebook is fast becoming a favourable communication platform in the islands due to its accessibility, user experience, and popularity. For guidelines about using Facebook Pages in Church Schools, please view this article.

Although Facebook Pages are a great way to communicate with your school community, there is a downside to using a public Facebook page - there is limited ability to control who is engaging with the page. Sometimes, schools may wish to have "private" pages where only specific people are allowed to view content and make comments. This is where Facebook Groups come in.

Facebook Groups can be set up as public or private online spaces. Facebook Groups are better than Facebook Pages for building community and connection between the school and its parents and students because two-way communication between group members is encouraged. Schools would typically use a Facebook Page to share general information and news about their school, and Facebook Groups to communicate directly with specific school audiences.

Please use the guidelines outlined in this series of articles to get started with Facebook Groups, or to refine your Facebook strategy if you are already using the service.

Using Facebook Groups to Enhance Communication Efforts

Generally speaking, we encourage all Pacific Church Schools (PCS) to set up their own Facebook Page to communicate with the school community and the general public. We also encourage PCS Schools to set up their own "private" Facebook Groups to communicate directly with students and parents.

Keep in mind that Facebook groups are designed primarily for two-way communication between all participants - in this sense, it is easier to build relationships between teachers, students, and parents because group members have more opportunities to share content and ask questions in groups when compared to a normal public page.

Anyone with a Facebook account has the ability to create a Facebook Group. For schools that choose to use Facebook Groups, we suggest that each "official" school group is linked directly with the "official" school Facebook page. In other words, any school opting to use Facebook as a communication tool should link all of its "official" Facebook Groups directly back to its main Facebook page.

Using Different Group Types

Schools may have many different uses for private Facebook groups to communicate with their school community. The most common types of Facebook Groups for schools and educators are as follows:

Year Level Groups: This is the most common form of Facebook group used by schools (e.g. "Year 2 Students" or "Class 2B"). With these types of groups, school teachers can communicate directly with the students and parents belonging to a specific class or year level. This comes in handy for sharing class-specific announcements, calendar events, learning resources etc.

Extra-Curricular Groups: Schools may choose to set up groups for sports events, sports teams, clubs, and other school-related activities.

Q&A and Feedback Groups: Schools may also opt to set up groups for the purpose of collecting feedback or allowing the community to ask questions in an open forum.

PLC Groups: Schools may opt to create groups centred around different professional learning communities.

Schools of course have the option to create other types of groups, and only the most common types of groups are outlined in this article. Generally speaking, we expect that most schools would opt to set up a school Facebook page with multiple groups "attached" to the page for individual year levels at their school. The Facebook setup for a High School might look something like this:

1x School Facebook Page:

Church College Pesega PCS

6x School Facebook Groups:

CCP Year 10

CCP Year 11

CCP Year 12

CCP Year 13

CCP Parent Forum

CCP Alumni

NOTE: We recommend that schools be careful about the number of groups they create as the management of each group will take time and effort.

Staying Safe & Organised

Be sure to have a plan for each Facebook Group that you create and understand how many groups your school office and faculty can sustain. It will be important to properly assign staff or faculty to manage each of the Facebook groups, much in the way that your school Facebook page needs to be managed and moderated.

For each group ensure that a tech-savvy Admin is assigned and where necessary, one or more Editors and Moderators to assist with group and content management.

Schools can also publish group rules to help keep online interactions safe and professional. Be sure to put rules in place before you launch your groups.

Staying Engaged With Your Audience

Like anything worthwhile, schools will need to make an effort to help their groups grow and become a space for community building and connection. Schools may need to build a strong culture around new groups before parents, students, and teachers feel safe to engage and participate in online conversations. A few tips for new groups include:

Give Encouragement: Be sure to frequently encourage group members to respond to questions, chime in on posts, and share questions or thoughtful messages.

Be Consistent and Timely: Post regularly and engage with group members when they take time to contribute to the group. Also, be sure to respond to questions and comments in a timely manner.

Celebrate Successes: School groups don't need to just be about your school. Spotlight the work, successes, and efforts of students, teachers, and parents alike.

Use Images and Video: Visual media will always create more engagement. Be sure to use images, flyers, and other media to help create interest and make content easy to consume.

Ask for Opinions & Feedback: Ask group members what they need to help their students succeed. Ask for their feedback. Encourage them to ask questions. Gather insights and opinions from group members. Help people to feel that they are heard and that their opinions matter.