I love sending home weekly newsletters to parents. It keeps them involved and in the know about what is going on in the classroom and is an easy resource for them to refer back to. Parents love to know what their kids are learning and when you ask a kindergartener (or any other grade student for that matter) “what did you do today?” most would say “I don’t know”, “nothing” or “free play”. Of course parents know that you’re doing a lot more than their kids are telling them and a classroom newsletter is the perfect place to share all they are learning in your room.
What to Include in Your Weekly Classroom Newsletter
When I first started sending out weekly classroom newsletters, I was overwhelmed with what to include. There is so much that goes on in the classroom and at school that it was tricky for me to figure out what the best system was. I came up with a classroom newsletter template that allowed me to communicate with parents while not adding just another thing on my ever growing to-do list.
Weekly Classroom Activities
I like to pick three subjects to highlight each week in our classroom newsletter. Most often, I’ll share something we’re doing in language arts and math and switch around the third subject to share depending on what we have going on. I find that parents are most curious about what their child is doing in language arts and math and find these subjects most important, which is why I always share these. Then, if we have an exciting science experiment or social studies activity, I’ll include this as the third subject in the classroom newsletter.
The way you share what’s going on is totally up to your preference. You can put it in paragraph form (this is what I do), bullet points, number it, whatever you find works best for you!
Class News
This section of the classroom newsletter template, I include any dates that may be coming up that are classroom specific.
Things that might go in this section:
- Field Trips
- Themed Activities (example: 100th Day of School)
- Special Subject Activities such as a special science project coming up or the ABC countdown at the end of the year
School News
In this section of the classroom newsletter template, I include school news that parents should be aware of.
Things that might go in this section:
- Fundraisers
- Social Events
- Book Fair
- Holidays
- Themed Dress Days
Classroom Volunteer Opportunities
Another section I include in my classroom newsletter is any classroom volunteer opportunities we may have coming up. I was lucky enough to work at a school with many parents who wanted to volunteer for the classroom. Whenever we had a new opportunity, I like to mention it in the classroom newsletter as well as create a sign up on our classroom page (we use SchoolSpeak).
This gives parents a few ways to read about any opportunities to volunteer in your classroom and sign up.
Classroom Newsletter Template
It’s important to have a system in place and a classroom newsletter template so you’re communicating with parents but also not completely overwhelming yourself. I’ve found that this system works for me as it’s the same format week after week. The only thing that changes is the information! Also, I send this newsletter out only digitally. However, you could print it and send home if you use a folder system.
Whatever classroom newsletter template you decide to use, make it work for you!
