Connected Schools Series

Every school leader has asked themselves: "Am I the only one dealing with this?"

Connected Schools exists because the most valuable insights don't come from consultants or conference keynotes—they come from conversations with peers who've walked in your shoes. Our monthly series brings together experienced school leaders, administrators, and safety experts for authentic discussions about the operational challenges that keep you up at night: building safety cultures, managing emergencies, implementing new policies, and creating systems that actually work.

We created this series after hearing from dozens of education leaders who were hungry for real talk from real schools. No product demos, no sales pitches—just practical wisdom from professionals who understand that every decision you make impacts the safety and success of your students.

Webinar Overview:

When a storm rolls in overnight, school leaders don’t have the luxury of time. Delay calls, closure decisions, and mid-day dismissals each come with their own pressures, and the communication that follows has to reach hundreds of families clearly and quickly.

In this Connected Schools conversation, independent school leaders share how their schools approach weather decisions, what their communication looks like under pressure, and what they’ve learned from real weather events along the way. Whether you’re refining an existing protocol or building a new one, you’ll leave with practical ideas to bring back to your own school before winter weather arrives.

We’ll cover:

• How schools structure the decision-making process for delays, closures, and early dismissals
• What effective parent communication looks like when timing is everything
• Lessons learned from real weather events and how schools prepare ahead of a forecast

This is a peer-to-peer conversation. Independent school leaders sharing what actually works, from people who’ve lived it.

Joining us:

• Alex Ladstatter, Director of Communications, The Country Day School
• Stacey Gonzalez, Director of Communications, NSU University School