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J.L. LONG MIDDLE SCHOOL PTA facebook.com

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Neighbors also use social media to stay connected to their children’s schools.

J.L. Long Middle School PTA president Stacey Stabenow says she never was interested in Facebook, and she stayed away from social media until recently.

“Ms. Petters, the principal, asked me if I had Facebook,” Stabenow says. “She told me, ‘You might want to think about getting that.’ ”

Now Stabenow uses Facebook frequently, if reluctantly, to communicate with other Long parents. Several years ago, students were sent home with regular communiqués from teachers and principals, but that is less common now,

Stacey Stabenow

J.L. Long Middle School

PTA

Foursquare

Foursquare (n) A location-based mobile check-in service. The mobile app uses the GPS on your phone to help you check in at coffee shops, restaurants, bars, libraries, parks, events and other locations. Your Foursquare friends can view the places you’re hanging out, and some businesses offer specials to customers who show on their phone that they’ve checked in on Foursquare. You also can earn points and virtual badges for different check-in adventures

Stabenow says.

“Finding out what’s going on at the school is challenging,” she says. “We keep the website updated, but Facebook is a great way to get the information out.”

Parents can access the page to find how they can help with staff appreciation day, get details on an upcoming Woodrow Wilson High School open house and learn the score of the boys’ basketball game.

Stabenow also uses social media to show off the school’s accomplishments the math and science team racked up awards at a recent competition, for example. Those aren’t things your child is likely to tell you, Stabenow says.

Long isn’t the only school using social media. Most elementary schools in our neighborhood, including Lakewood and Stonewall Jackson, as well as the Lakewood Early Childhood PTA, use Facebook to keep in touch.

Social media also has become an essential marketing tool for many local businesses.

Glossary

Check in (v),check-in (n) The act of telling a location-based mobile service like Foursquare, Yelp or Facebook where you are, usually with that service’s smartphone app. Check-ins let your friends and followers see where you are and where you like to hang out. Used in a sentence: “Hang on, I’m going to check in on Facebook before we order drinks.“ “Hey, cool; I earned the Great Outdoors badge with that last Foursquare check-in at the park.”

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