Spring has arrived, and with an up-and-coming high school graduate in your household, that means the countdown to graduation is on. College searches, essays and applications are done and acceptance letters are starting to trickle into your mailbox. Big decisions are looming and plans for your senior’s future are starting to unfold. Having graduated one senior so far, I know that there are some things you can do to help keep track of the flurry of activity that will soon bombard your calendar. Milestone events, even the happy ones, can be stressors. The more proactive you are now can help you manage the rollercoaster of emotions to come.
So, here are a few thoughts to get you started.
♦ Get Organized. Whether you like the pen and paper version or prefer technology in the palm of your hand, the important thing is to consistently use whatever organizational tool works for you and keeps you on top of your schedule.
Check your school’s website. More than likely, a list of senior/graduation related activities is already posted. It may seem beyond obvious to mark these events out on your calendar, however, between senior parent dinner, awards night, sports banquets, senior breakfast, graduation, and all of the due dates and RSVPs that go along with some events, there is a lot going on in addition to your usual family activities. Give yourself some piece of mind that you are not going to be the parent who forgot to submit a baby picture for the senior slide show.
♦ Senior Portraits. These are often scheduled in the summer months prior to senior year in order to meet yearbook submission deadlines ( which can vary greatly between schools), however, spring senior sessions are quite popular nonetheless. If you missed or chose to forego submitting a professional senior portrait for the school yearbook, now is a great time to have them taken so that you can include wallet sized prints with your student’s announcements or utilize high resolution files from your photographer to make unique photo cards of your own. A quick internet search will prove you have countless options to choose from in terms of design and price. This is also the perfect time to order pre-printed address labels (a huge time saver) and plenty of thank you notes.
♦ Graduation Invites/Graduation Announcements. Whether you are designing your own cards or your senior recently brought home the official school invites/announcements you ordered, make your list of recipients and start working on them now. Something so simple can turn into an absolute chore if left to the last minute. Tag team with your senior and make a mini assembly line. Splitting the tasks between a couple of people makes quick work out of addressing the envelopes, affixing the return address labels and stamps and inserting the name cards and wallet prints. Don’t seal them up quite yet, though. If you are planning a grad party, you’ll want to slip those details in as well prior to mailing.
Invitations should be sent out at least 4-6 weeks prior to the event, earlier if you have out of town family and friends who will need to make travel and accomodation arrangements. This also helps you out if you are planning to have a grad party and need those RSVPs back for a head count.
Graduation announcements, on the other hand, can be mailed up to two weeks after the event.
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♦ Caps and gowns will be arriving soon. Make sure your senior tries them on immediately so if there is a problem with sizing, you’ll have time to address it. Can you imagine finding that out on graduation day?! Iron and hang it so it is ready to go.
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♦ Graduation. Depending on your senior’s school, seating can be an issue, depending on the venue. Some schools allow families to save “X” number of seats at the event while others are first come first serve for seating or require tickets for admission. Remember that your family and friends are excited to celebrate this special occasion with you, so if you have to work within certain constraints, it’s best to be upfront and clearly communicate that information.
♦ Graduation parties. This could be an entirely separate blog post, but here’s a few things to mull over.
- When to have it? It makes sense to have it the same day as graduation, especially if you have out-of-town visitors who traveled just for the occasion. Keep in mind you will undoubtedly receive invites to other grad parties as well. Coordinating with friends and staggering party times, organizing one large celebration with other grads or even postponing and throwing a “bon voyage” party prior to your grad leaving for college are possibilities as well.
- Venue. Some factors that go into making this decision will depend on your personal preference, budget, number of guests you expect and availability of restaurants, halls, hotels, country clubs, etc in your area.
- Have a designated area/container for cards and gifts
- An internet search will lead you down the rabbit hole for all kinds of party ideas, themes, decorations, and gift ideas, but this is another great opportunity to spend some quality time with your senior and come up with a plan that works for your family.
- Put someone you trust in charge of your camera. Be specific about what you and your senior would like captured during the day. Is it important to have a picture of your senior with each guest or groups of people, do you want candid shots, images of the amazing dessert table and decor or pictures of special items you put out on display?
My hope is that this has given you some direction and inspiration to get organized and start planning with you senior now so that your family can enjoy all the festivities this upcoming “graduation season” has to offer. Congratulations to you and your senior!
