[rth2008]

i have not been sending home a regular newsletter just notes/letters when something special is coming up. i need to start sending a newsletter though.

ideas??? what do i include in my newsletter? how long should it be? there isn't time to have it translated every week for my non-english speaking families so what do i do about that?

does anyone have a sample newsletter they would be willing to share?

please help!!!

[cutnglue]

I put in lots of stuff. Sometimes I have trouble reducing it to less than 1-2 pages. Lol. I always start out thinking I won't have enough to put into it but then I start brainstorming and writing and the next thing you know...I have too much.

Basically I sit down with my lesson plan book and write down all the major things we learned and the major activities we did. Then I start writing about each subject area, letting the information flow from my brainstorm list. I make sure I put in upcoming fieldtrips, plays, things that are due, etc. Even if I email that information or put it in their agenda books, things get overlooked so that is a second place I put it. In fact I believe you should put the information in several places to ensure families get it in some shape or form. Then if I have some cute stories or pictures (provided that your class is allowed to share pictures), I put those in too.

For example one week we were studying the book Stone Soup. I gave background on the story, explained our activities (how they reached across the curriculum into other subject areas) and gave a cute story about how a few of the students wouldn't eat the soup because they thought the beef in the soup was in fact the stone. They thought the huge stone we used had been broken down to size by the cooking process. I also shared the staffs' reaction to hearing that there really was a chunk of rock in the soup we made. They had the same reactions as the characters in the story.

This week I will be writing about how we are doing an author study on Eric Carle. I will explain some of the things they learned this week and some of the outcomes.

I also share with parents websites we use and what skills we learned from them.

Really, you'll be surprised at how much you can put into your newsletter. The important thing to do is to sit and brainstorm first and then start writing. I tend to do my newsletters every Thursday night because it is a creative process and I don't like doing it in a rush on Fridays. Lately though I have been just waiting until Friday after school and emailing it.

[skoolteechur]

Last year was the first time I tried doing a weekly newsletter. I bought the seasonal pack from TeachersClubhouse.com, and did a little monkeying with it until it suited my needs. I include weekly activities, up coming activities(picture day, field trips, class presentations, book orders due, etc...), student of the month, and a message from me. I try to write it Thurs night, so I can have my Spanish translation grammar checked on Friday, and send it home on Mondays.

I also post it every week outside my classroom door. Since some things remain the same, I just cut and paste from last year, and then I don't need to have as much info to re-create and have checked.

[kestchr3]

Do you subscribe to this magazine? Their online site for subscribers allows you to compose a very nice newslatter--as well as calendars, notes, lists, etc. I have used it for years. I also enjoy the magazine.

[Weezer]

I send home a weekly newsletter with a calendar of upcoming dates, skills for the week and grades from tests and quizzes. I also write 3=4 paragrapghs about things in our room......skills we are struggling with, social issues, ideas to help their child....stuff like that. I use Micorsoft Publisher. It is always only 1 page. I can email it to you , It won't let me attach it because it is too big. I don't know if I can shrink it or not. I'll try.

[grtlaks]

Like the PP, I use Mailbox's form every week for a newsletter. It's fast and easy. I include the basics of what we are learning, upcoming important days at school, book club info, upcoming field trips, what to work on at home, and any speacial news I need to share. It's one page and half the parents don't even read that!