Do you prioritize creating classroom newsletters in your classroom?
Once upon a time, I just wasn’t organized enough to even think about adding another item on my plate like a classroom newsletter. ?
Now, I always create my classroom newsletters on Tuesday’s after school. This routine is part of my planning system. I talk about it in my Instagram post. Click here to visit the post.
Read on to see classroom newsletter examples, 5 reasons why you should be creating newsletters for your classroom, and 5 rules to follow when writing your newsletters.
5 Reasons Why You Should Prioritize Creating Classroom Newsletters
✅ Creating class newsletters is a wonderful way to maintain consistency in communication with families.
✅ It is also a great way to maintain consistency in your planning! Knowing my families expect this holds me accountable.
✅ Families know what to expect & can potentially help their children at home. (If you follow tip # 4 – keep reading!)
✅ Creating a newsletter helps ensure you know exactly what you will be teaching for the next week.
✅ It helps you stay organized with keeping track of all the upcoming events.
5 Tips to Creating Classroom Newsletters Families Can’t Wait to Read
Make it Visually Appealing
First of all, there’s a lot to consider when creating a newsletter for your classroom. If you want your families to continually read your newsletters, there are a few things you need to remember.
Do you know how many papers some families have coming home? Not to mention what the stack looks like with multiple children! First, to get your newsletters noticed, I suggest making them visually appealing. Print them in color if possible. (If you don’t have Instant Ink, you need it.. like yesterday! Click here to sign up, and we both get a free month!)
Here are some do’s and don’ts:
Do: Print in color, use simple clipart that matches the season/events of the month, add white space so it’s not overwhelming, keep it organized, add some sections to make it easier to read, and vary font sizes.
Dont: Just send home paragraphs typed out, go crazy with the clipart, use the same size font, include too much information on one page.
Balance Consistency with Fresh Content
On one hand, you want your classroom newsletter to be easy to read and predictable, so parents don’t have to search for information. On the other hand, you want them to be fresh enough that parents will want to read them! Find a good balance between the two.
Do: Include sections of your newsletter that remain the same, but designate a space for a fresh story or photo from your class.
Don’t: Keep every single section the same each week.
Add Real Photos to Your Classroom Newsletters When Possible
Since you are designating a space on your classroom newsletter for fresh content, I suggest using this space to add an actual photo of a student or something you are doing in class. If you are not allowed to photograph students, snap a quick photo of a work sample to share.
Do: Include pictures of students or student work samples (if you are allowed.)
Don’t: Skip this step! It is important!
Make Sure Your Newsletters has Actionable Content
When creating your class newsletters, it is a wonderful practice to include vocabulary words, sight words, and topics of study. However, an even better practice is including a tip to alert families of how they can help! This could be a link (if you do digital newsletters) or a short game they can play if you are doing paper. You can also include items that need to be brought in or things that need to be done.
Do: Give the families something to do with the information you are sending.
Dont: Only list a bunch of information.
Keep it Short & Sweet
There are very few people out there who want to read pages of information each week. Ain’t nobody got time for that. Give the information you need to send and leave it at that. ?
Do: Be direct, short & sweet.
Don’t: Write a novel.
Classroom Newsletter Templates to Use All Year!
If any of this is overwhelming to you, I have you covered. I have created these Classroom Newsletter Templates you can download to use digitally or print to send home. Simply use the tips I listed here to add your own content to these classroom newsletter examples, and you are ready to go!
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