Karen Mink, principal at O.C. Allen School in Aurora, Illinois, also advised planning ahead. Creating a year-long map of content to be included in newsletters can help a great deal when a principal is crunched for time and up against a deadline. "With a plan in place, you won't end up kicking yourself for forgetting something important," said Mink.
"A newsletter is a huge undertaking," added Brenda Hedden, principal at the Park City (Utah) Learning Center. "It is easy to let the newsletter fall by the wayside when we are buried in other duties. Planning ahead to know how articles will be collected, who will put together the newsletter, and the timelines, will be a big help."
"Be sure to share your newsletter with the district office personnel and Board members so they are kept up to date about the exciting things happening in your school," added Hedden.
Addie Gaines, principal at Kirbyville (Missouri) Elementary School, is another planner. "Thinking through the purpose of a newsletter is essential," she said. "Is it for the purpose of providing parenting info? Is it for PR? Is it to promote school activities? To increase parent involvement? Maybe it is for all of those purposes. Then gear your content toward your goals."
BE YOURSELF!
"If you publish a 'Message from the Principal' in your newsletter, simply view your message as an opportunity to teach a specific lesson to a large class of diverse learners with multiple comprehension levels. Keep your message concise. Keep it relevant. Keep it entertaining. Keep it informative. Keep it real."
--Dr. Layne Hunt
Monroe High School
Monroe, Michigan
Principal Ken Rogers agreed: "Figure out what your parents need to know about you and your approach to leadership and education." That, said Rogers, is at the heart of developing a successful newsletter.
"I try to be myself, and be natural -- to let my personality show through," added Rogers, who is the middle school principal at The Wellington School in Columbus, Ohio. "My parents know me well, as much from my articles as they do from conversations with me. My newsletter is an opportunity to share my thoughts, expectations, and core values. It can be used as a tool to reassure parents that the school and I know what we are doing."
If you're not a good writer, that's no excuse for not doing a newsletter, added Rogers. "Get those on your staff who are naturally good writers to help you with your style if it is a little stiff. Let your artistic and technology folks help too if those areas aren't your forte."
CREATE A SCHEDULE -- AND STICK TO IT
Publishing on a schedule is important to Marguerite McNeely, principal at Hayden R. Lawrence Middle School, a grade 4-5 school in Deville, Louisiana. "If you are going to commit to a weekly newsletter like I did, it is important to do it every week," McNeely said. "A newsletter is a wonderful means of communication with parents. I have gotten many positive comments this year at my newly assigned school."
Sending the school newsletter home regularly is important, Addie Gaines agreed. "Our school has a system of 'Friday Folders.' All school correspondence goes home in those folders. Parents know that the newsletter will be in there every week."
Gaines also recommended saving all newsletters in files by school year. That way, you can access back issues at any time. Back issues can be very helpful when you're planning ahead next year, when you're stuck for content this year, or if you worry that you're leaving out something. A review of the newsletters from the same month the year before might reveal just the omission that's nagging at you.
"My advice for a new principal starting a newsletter is to start small and work up to what works for you. If you start big, you're committed to keeping a feature. It's difficult to give up features once parents expect them."
-- Bridget Braney
Orchard Hill Elementary School
South Windsor, Connecticut
CHOOSING SOFTWARE ISN'T HARD
The software used to produce your newsletter can be another key element of its success, said Debi Veranth, principal at Bryant Elementary School in Tampa, Florida. "Be sure to coordinate your software," she advised. "If everybody is using the same software and submitting newsletter content in the same format, that will cut down the work for the person responsible for putting it all together."
And be sure to turn on your spell-checker, added Veranth.
Or, as principal Ken Rogers, put it in his written response to our "Principal Files" conversation: Have good prufreeders.
Addie Gaines echoed Veranth and Rogers. "Design a template so that you don't have to reinvent the wheel each time," she said. "And be sure to have someone that you trust proofread, proofread, proofread. Remember, that newsletter is your ambassador for the school, so you want it to be a good representative. It can be positive, powerful PR!"
Gaines also recommended using an easy-to-read font like Century Gothic, Arial, or Comic Sans. "I like Century Gothic and Comic Sans because those fonts form all of the letters 'correctly' -- just the way we teach our elementary pupils to write them. That aids readability, especially if you have parents who may not be advanced readers."
Finally, Gaines suggested purposely keeping the readability level of your newsletter down about 5th-grade level. "That way, you will reach most of your parents," she said, adding, "Use 'educanese' sparingly, and define words you use in 'regular English' if you are trying to explain a concept to parents. I have had some parents tell me that they like my newsletter better than those they had received at other schools because it isn't written with words they don't understand."
Dr. Layne Hunt, principal at Monroe (Michigan) High School, agreed that it is essential that "your newsletter's message speaks to the reader rather than at the reader."
"Far too often educators forget that they have the responsibility to communicate effectively to their audience," said Hunt. "Parents are already aware that we have been to college and we are educated. It doesn't impress them if they need a dictionary and thesaurus to understand what we have written. Quite frankly, writing in that way is insulting, condescending, and disrespectful."
THE WEB EXTENDS YOUR NEWSLETTER'S REACH
"To start a newsletter, solicit your parent-teacher association or a volunteer to assist you. The time factor in creating a newsletter can be overwhelming. To have a dedicated volunteer like we have is a great asset."
-- Larry Davis
Doctors Inlet Elementary School
Middleburg, Florida
If you print your newsletter, print it on colored paper, suggested principal Andrew Torris. "Always print your newsletter on the same color paper. That way, parents will spot it in a backpack," he said.
Torris sends home one copy of his school's newsletter with the youngest child in each family. "We have found that to be the most effective way to get the message home," said Torris, whose school, Yanbu Interational School in Saudi Arabia, is a K-12 school. "Those middle school and high school kids seem to 'forget' about handing almost anything to mom and dad. Distributing the newsletter to one sibling saves us about $400 dollars a year on paper."
Torris has also begun to publish his school's newsletter on the Web and send it via email. "I've established an email list and I convert each newsletter issue to PDF format and email it to families and community leaders in full living color," he said. "In many cases, the newsletter lands in parents' work email boxes. I know that many of those get printed and posted on work bulletin boards.
"My newsletters go to parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles all over the world. People move away and still want the newsletter, so now they can get it online. I get emails from past students and parents all the time as a result of the newsletter being online."
Phil Shaman, principal at Neepawa Collegiate Institute, a grade 7-12 school in Neepawa, Manitoba (Canada), also recommended posting newsletters online. "Make the newsletter as appealing as possible, then post it online and invite community members and alumni to sign up to receive it electronically."
Brian Hazletine posts online too. "Make your best articles permanently available on your Web site, and post your newsletter as often as it comes out," he said.
Are you not publishing a newsletter because of the costs of printing it or mailing it? Emailing and posting your newsletter online can be a great way to save money, added principal Les Potter.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Did you see the other article we posted today? Don't miss
Is Your Parent Newsletter the Best It Can Be?
Education World's "Principal Files" principals agree that parent newsletters should be an essential part of every school leader's communication plan. They offer encouragement, ideas, and advice for those who want to start a newsletter or improve their current one.
Thank you to the 17 "Principal Files" principals who contributed to today's articles. Click to see a complete list of today's contributors. Then click to learn how you can join the "Principal Files" team or to view a complete archive of Principal Files articles.
คาเรน Mink ครูใหญ่โรงเรียนอัลเลน O.C. ในออโรรา รัฐอิลลินอยส์ ควรวางแผนล่วงหน้า สร้างแผนที่ปีที่ยาวนานของเนื้อหาที่จะรวมในจดหมายข่าวสามารถได้ดีที่สุดเมื่อ crunched ครูใหญ่เวลา และขึ้น กับการกำหนดเวลา "ด้วยแผนใน คุณจะท้ายเตะตัวเองสำหรับการลืมสิ่งสำคัญ กล่าวว่า Mink"จดหมายข่าวเป็นกิจการขนาดใหญ่ เพิ่ม Brenda Hedden หลักที่ศูนย์การเรียนรู้สวนเมือง (ยูทาห์) "ได้ง่ายเพื่อให้สารตก โดย wayside เมื่อเราจะฝังอยู่ในหน้าที่อื่น วางแผนล่วงหน้ารู้ว่าบทความจะถูกรวบรวม ที่จะทำจดหมายข่าว และเส้นเวลา เข้าด้วยกัน จะได้ช่วยใหญ่""จะต้องใช้จดหมายข่าวของคุณร่วมกับบุคลากรสำนักงานเขตและคณะกรรมการเพื่อพวกเขาจะยังคงอยู่เสมอเกี่ยวกับสิ่งน่าตื่นเต้นที่เกิดขึ้นในโรงเรียนของคุณ เพิ่ม HeddenAddie Gaines ครูใหญ่โรงเรียนประถมศึกษา Kirbyville (มิสซูรี) วางแผนอื่นได้ "คิดถึงวัตถุประสงค์ของจดหมายข่าวเป็นสิ่งจำเป็น เธอกล่าว "มีไว้เพื่อให้ข้อมูลไปไหม เป็นการ PR เป็นการส่งเสริมกิจกรรมโรงเรียน เพื่อเพิ่มการมีส่วนร่วมหลัก บางทีได้ของวัตถุประสงค์เหล่านั้น แล้ว เกียร์เนื้อหาของคุณไปสู่เป้าหมาย"ได้ด้วยตัวคุณเอง"ถ้าคุณประกาศ 'ข้อความจากครูใหญ่" ในจดหมายข่าวของคุณ เพียงแค่ดูข้อความของคุณเป็นโอกาสที่จะสอนบทเรียนบางชั้นเรียนขนาดใหญ่ของผู้เรียนที่หลากหลายมีหลายระดับความเข้าใจ ข้อความของคุณให้กระชับ เก็บเกี่ยว ให้มันสนุกสนาน เก็บข้อมูล ให้มันจริง" -ดร.กรุณาล่า มอนโรมัธยม มอนโร มิชิแกนหลักเคนโรเจอร์ตกลง: "คิดออกสิ่งที่พ่อแม่ต้องรู้เกี่ยวกับคุณและวิธีการของคุณเป็นผู้นำการศึกษา" ที่ กล่าวว่า โรเจอร์ส เป็นหัวใจของการพัฒนาข่าวสารประสบความสำเร็จ"พยายามเป็นตัวเอง และธรรมชาติ - ให้บุคลิกที่แสดงผ่าน เพิ่มโรเจอร์ส ที่โรงเรียนหลักโรงเรียนเดอะเวลลิงตันในโคลัมบัส โอไฮโอ "พ่อรู้ว่าฉันดี มากจากบทความของฉันทำจากสนทนากับฉัน จดหมายข่าวของฉันได้มีโอกาสแบ่งปันความคิดของฉัน ความคาดหวัง และค่านิยมหลัก สามารถใช้เป็นเครื่องมือเพื่อเวบผู้ปกครองที่โรงเรียนและฉันรู้ว่าสิ่งที่เราทำ"ถ้าคุณไม่ได้เป็นนักเขียนที่ดี ที่จะไม่แก้ตัวไม่ได้ทำจดหมายข่าว เพิ่มโรเจอร์ส "ได้ที่พนักงานของคุณที่เขียนดีธรรมชาติเพื่อช่วยคุณในสไตล์ของคุณถ้าแข็งเล็กน้อย ให้ของศิลปะ และเทคโนโลยีคนใช้ถ้าท่านไม่ถึง "สร้างกำหนดการ - และติดมันประกาศตามกำหนดเวลาจะต้อง Marguerite McNeely หลักที่ Hayden R. ลอว์เรนซ์มัธยม โรงเรียนชั้นประถมศึกษาปีที่ 4-5 ใน Deville หลุยเซียน่า "ถ้าคุณกำลังส่งจดหมายข่าวรายสัปดาห์เช่นฉันไม่ได้ จำเป็นต้องทำทุกสัปดาห์ McNeely กล่าว "จดหมายข่าวเป็นวิธีการยอดเยี่ยมของการสื่อสารกับผู้ปกครอง ฉันมีอากาศเห็นบวกในปีนี้ที่โรงเรียนของฉันใหม่กำหนด"Sending the school newsletter home regularly is important, Addie Gaines agreed. "Our school has a system of 'Friday Folders.' All school correspondence goes home in those folders. Parents know that the newsletter will be in there every week."Gaines also recommended saving all newsletters in files by school year. That way, you can access back issues at any time. Back issues can be very helpful when you're planning ahead next year, when you're stuck for content this year, or if you worry that you're leaving out something. A review of the newsletters from the same month the year before might reveal just the omission that's nagging at you."My advice for a new principal starting a newsletter is to start small and work up to what works for you. If you start big, you're committed to keeping a feature. It's difficult to give up features once parents expect them."-- Bridget BraneyOrchard Hill Elementary SchoolSouth Windsor, Connecticut CHOOSING SOFTWARE ISN'T HARDThe software used to produce your newsletter can be another key element of its success, said Debi Veranth, principal at Bryant Elementary School in Tampa, Florida. "Be sure to coordinate your software," she advised. "If everybody is using the same software and submitting newsletter content in the same format, that will cut down the work for the person responsible for putting it all together."And be sure to turn on your spell-checker, added Veranth.Or, as principal Ken Rogers, put it in his written response to our "Principal Files" conversation: Have good prufreeders.Addie Gaines echoed Veranth and Rogers. "Design a template so that you don't have to reinvent the wheel each time," she said. "And be sure to have someone that you trust proofread, proofread, proofread. Remember, that newsletter is your ambassador for the school, so you want it to be a good representative. It can be positive, powerful PR!"Gaines also recommended using an easy-to-read font like Century Gothic, Arial, or Comic Sans. "I like Century Gothic and Comic Sans because those fonts form all of the letters 'correctly' -- just the way we teach our elementary pupils to write them. That aids readability, especially if you have parents who may not be advanced readers."Finally, Gaines suggested purposely keeping the readability level of your newsletter down about 5th-grade level. "That way, you will reach most of your parents," she said, adding, "Use 'educanese' sparingly, and define words you use in 'regular English' if you are trying to explain a concept to parents. I have had some parents tell me that they like my newsletter better than those they had received at other schools because it isn't written with words they don't understand."Dr. Layne Hunt, principal at Monroe (Michigan) High School, agreed that it is essential that "your newsletter's message speaks to the reader rather than at the reader.""Far too often educators forget that they have the responsibility to communicate effectively to their audience," said Hunt. "Parents are already aware that we have been to college and we are educated. It doesn't impress them if they need a dictionary and thesaurus to understand what we have written. Quite frankly, writing in that way is insulting, condescending, and disrespectful."
THE WEB EXTENDS YOUR NEWSLETTER'S REACH
"To start a newsletter, solicit your parent-teacher association or a volunteer to assist you. The time factor in creating a newsletter can be overwhelming. To have a dedicated volunteer like we have is a great asset."
-- Larry Davis
Doctors Inlet Elementary School
Middleburg, Florida
If you print your newsletter, print it on colored paper, suggested principal Andrew Torris. "Always print your newsletter on the same color paper. That way, parents will spot it in a backpack," he said.
Torris sends home one copy of his school's newsletter with the youngest child in each family. "We have found that to be the most effective way to get the message home," said Torris, whose school, Yanbu Interational School in Saudi Arabia, is a K-12 school. "Those middle school and high school kids seem to 'forget' about handing almost anything to mom and dad. Distributing the newsletter to one sibling saves us about $400 dollars a year on paper."
Torris has also begun to publish his school's newsletter on the Web and send it via email. "I've established an email list and I convert each newsletter issue to PDF format and email it to families and community leaders in full living color," he said. "In many cases, the newsletter lands in parents' work email boxes. I know that many of those get printed and posted on work bulletin boards.
"My newsletters go to parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles all over the world. People move away and still want the newsletter, so now they can get it online. I get emails from past students and parents all the time as a result of the newsletter being online."
Phil Shaman, principal at Neepawa Collegiate Institute, a grade 7-12 school in Neepawa, Manitoba (Canada), also recommended posting newsletters online. "Make the newsletter as appealing as possible, then post it online and invite community members and alumni to sign up to receive it electronically."
Brian Hazletine posts online too. "Make your best articles permanently available on your Web site, and post your newsletter as often as it comes out," he said.
Are you not publishing a newsletter because of the costs of printing it or mailing it? Emailing and posting your newsletter online can be a great way to save money, added principal Les Potter.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Did you see the other article we posted today? Don't miss
Is Your Parent Newsletter the Best It Can Be?
Education World's "Principal Files" principals agree that parent newsletters should be an essential part of every school leader's communication plan. They offer encouragement, ideas, and advice for those who want to start a newsletter or improve their current one.
Thank you to the 17 "Principal Files" principals who contributed to today's articles. Click to see a complete list of today's contributors. Then click to learn how you can join the "Principal Files" team or to view a complete archive of Principal Files articles.
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