E-Connect is a bi-monthly publication for SPPS staff that includes information about current events in Saint Paul Public Schools including district initiatives, student and staff success stories and important employee information. Content is limited to school district related information that is considered to be of interest to a majority of employees.

Stories should have district-wide appeal although stories about individual schools, programs and people are encouraged when linked to larger issues/initiatives such as:

•         The achievement gap
•         The Strategic Plan
•         Calls to action
•         Improving student learning
•         Literacy
•         Many others

E-mail stories to Jerry.Skelly@spps.org (3-4 paragraphs max) for consideration. Stories should be submitted at least three days before the publication date. Contact Jerry Skelly at (651) 632-6014 for publication dates.

Stories are published in E-Connect based on:

• News value to district employees
• Relevance to school or district issues
• Urgency and timeliness
• Available space

E-Connect is published by the Office of Community Relations (OCR), and the department reserves the right to edit or deny publication of any material submitted for publication in the newsletter.

E-Connect has limited space, so content must be school-related. The OCR publishes the newsletter as one of its many functions, and time to develop the publication is limited, so submission deadlines will be enforced.

Examples of acceptable submissions

• Department information regarding new policies or procedures.
• News from district partners such as the Saint Paul Public Schools Foundation.
  
• District or school-based special events, such as carnivals, crafts fairs, art shows. Advance notice of these activities will be published on a limited basis depending on available space.
• Congratulations items: Department certifications, accomplishments; individual accomplishments such as district, state or national, education-related awards or achievements. E-Connect is not the medium for student achievements. We are in the process of developing a Web site for student recognition.
• New appointments to executive level, administrative positions.

Examples of non-publishable submissions 

• Student awards and recognition items except when linked to larger district intiatives.
• Regularly occurring school fundraisers, such as coupon book sales (the volume of such events & projects makes it impossible to publish them all).
• Individuals looking for housing, jobs, specific items.
• Personal items for sale.
• “March of Dimes 5-K Run/Walk” and similar news items from non-profit, for-profit or government organizations that do not directly affect schools. (Even if the information is “for a good cause,” the volume of such type events and fund raisers makes publishing this information prohibitive).