Backpack mail. Photocopies. Emails. Handwritten notes. Home visits. Phone calls. Text messages. Teacher websites. Apps like Seesaw and Remind. Handwritten notes pinned to shirts. And newsletters. Teachers reach out to parents in countless ways on countless occasions.
Some parents want to know A LOT about their children's education. They are interested in the curriculum and how to support their kids at home. Other parents are satisfied if their children come home happy and with some evidence of having done something in school. And, of course, there are parents who are too busy, overwhelmed, or just not that interested in schooling.
In my experience as a public school teacher, there has never been a way to guarantee parent engagement. However, that hasn't kept me from trying! I have used all of the above communication tools with my families. The one that I have used most conscientiously has been the weekly newsletter.
Over the years, I've experimented with many different newsletter formats. I'm sharing my favorite here. I've used it in one form or another for most of my 23 year career as a kindergarten teacher. The reason I like it is that it provides parents with just enough information on a daily basis. It tells them something about each day, offers a talking point for parent and child, mentions the homework, and reminds about the snack provider. Here is a sample:
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| I use #10 font in Comic Sans for my newsletter. |
I share an example of my newsletter with parents at the very first opportunity whether that's kindergarten orientation, back-to-school night, conferences, or when they join our classroom later in the year. I show them how to tuck it into the plastic sleeve in the back of the vinyl take-home folder we provide each child. Then, it remains there for handy reference throughout the week.
If you would like a copy of my newsletter template, it's yours for the clicking!
How do you share information with parents?
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