Instagram Resources
January 2025
Upcoming Events
Jan. 20-26: Minnesota Paraprofessional Recognition Week
Tuesday, Jan. 21: National Hug Day
Saturday, Jan. 25: DaVinci Fest
Feb. 3-7: National School Counseling Week
Wednesday, Feb. 5: National Girls & Women in Sports Day
Saturday, Feb. 15: School Resource Officer Appreciation Day
Monday, Feb. 17: Random Acts of Kindness Day
Trending Items
Go, Kylie, Go. You're doing amazing sweetie: Hype up those students!
Bing, Bop, Bam: This audio is EVERYWHERE right now. Can be funny moves, showing different classrooms, different responsibilities of a staff member. Just make sure to clip before the final lyric!
In the clurb, we all fam: A great way to speak the lingo of students. This would be so fun between two staff members or a staff member and student.
We are not the same person: Use this audio for two positions that people might confuse, or even two staff members that look alike. Check out this one with different position descriptions or those look alikes.
Two person job: This was sent last month, but it's still making the rounds and is fun to show the positive relationships! Just use the same music and get a handful of clips of two people doing one-person activities: SROs and construction crews.
"Have fun at work!" "You too!" "Me too?" Similar to the one above, show photos of an unlikely pairing - most likely a staff member and a student. Even nutrition services could do this!
Allow me to reintroduce myself: Use this chair spin to introduce staff members/positions/fun facts. I could see this as a good recognition video - and there are many recognition days in the spring!
Hello, it's Weee: The most simple way to showcase a fun group or classroom. It could be a teacher and their students, a community ed class, or your SROs.
Making Instagram Reels is a bit more work than a standard photo post, but well worth it. Since our first Paraprofessional Recognition Week video posted yesterday, the district account has already gained 25 followers and over 10,000 views on Instagram!
Tips & Tricks
Showcase what's happening at school
Have a fun, hands-on project coming up in the classroom? Do you advise a student group that is doing great things? Notice a cute interaction in the hallways? These are all simple to share with a photo and short caption. Families aren't at school all day, show them what's happening!
Do you see a photo/graphic from the district you want to share?
The best way to capture without other icons is to press and hold on an Instagram Story (IGS), then screenshot. For iPhones, a screenshot can be taken by pressing the lock button and upper volume button at the same time.
When an IGS is paused by pressing and holding, all other icons come off of it. Similarly, tap once on a photo/graphic on Facebook to open the whole photo then long press and hold to save it to your phone. They can now be shared on your page just as you would share anything else.
Snow Day Announcements
With winter upon us, be prepared with some snow day photos in case of a cancellation or delay.
Remember: When it comes to Instagram, a photo/video is always better than a graphic! Check out this one at Afton-Lakeland - this is a fantastic snow day post featuring students!
For on the fly announcements, it might also be helpful to have a template for an Instagram Story graphic. This was used just last night to make our two hour delay graphic. Simply add this to the story, then use Instagram's text features to add necessary info on top. Let me know if you'd like a template of any sort!
Overall, if you're just starting out, aim to be posting twice a week. It keeps your content in your followers' feeds and builds consistency. Don't forget to look back at past newsletters for steps on how to schedule posts to make this an easier task.