The Benefits of a Class Newsletter in Middle School

 

As teachers, we wear many hats. Teacher, mentor, listener, event planner, cheerleader, mediator, entertainer, motivational speaker...and on and on! We also have to be good communicators. We communicate with our students every day, of course, but we also need to be mindful of communicating with our students' families on a regular basis. When you have over 100 students, it seems like a daunting task. You may wish you could email each student's family individually every other week with a kind note about their progress, but there's just not enough time. That's where a class newsletter saves the day. 

Why Use a Classroom Newsletter?

A classroom newsletter serves two purposes: it saves time and it allows you to effectively and efficiently communicate with your students' families. Communication is key because we are all working as a community to support the students. 

What Does a Newsletter Look Like?

This is the beautiful part - it can look however you want. Are you a creative soul with time to craft a detailed one-page (or more, wow!) letter with multiple columns and pictures? Go for it! Short on time and want to write a paragraph or two in a mass email summarizing recent class activities or upcoming due dates? That works perfectly, too. I prefer to send mine digitally to all the families with access to an email and make a paper copy for those without easy access to the internet. The main goal is that you are communicating with families and keeping them updated on what's happening in the classroom. I love the responses I get from families after I send a newsletter or email and feel that it creates a stronger community between my classroom and students' homes.

How Often Should I Send a Newsletter?

Again - you decide! While I love to aim for once a week (Fridays being my favored day), sometimes its just a bit too much to handle. If once a week seems daunting, aim for twice a month. The important part is that you are opening the lines of communication between your classroom and your students' homes. It can make a huge difference in creating a positive classroom environment and managing student behaviors when your students know that the lines of communication are open between teachers and parents.

What Information Can Be Included?

Here are some ideas to get you started:

1. Upcoming due dates

2. Overview of recent class activities

3. Pictures of student work (and students working, with parent permission!)

4. Reminders about upcoming tests

5. Study strategies

6. School-wide events

7. Requests for classroom donations

8. Student Spotlight - choose a student (or a few to ensure everyone gets chosen throughout the year) to highlight in each newsletter or email blast

9. A list of optional supplemental resources students can use at home to further their learning about your class content

10. A link to a helpful blog post that parents may find interesting as they support their child's academic success from home

Your turn! What else should our teacher community include in our frequent communication with families? Leave a comment with your thoughts to help us all grow as educators in our efforts to effectively communicate with families. 

Happy Teaching!