How to Make a Student Newsletter

Newsletters can be created both by and for students.

Newsletters are an efficient way to inform your students of what is going on both in your class and in the school. You can also distribute the newsletter to parents to keep them up-to-date about their child's performance. Students are integral in creating a newsletter because they are the target audience. Therefore, newsletters should focus primarily on student interests. Students can also help in writing the newsletter. Determine whether you want to create a newsletter for or by students and follow the steps below.

Things You'll Need

• Word processing or desktop publishing software
• Digital camera

Instructions

Newsletters for Students

1. Determine the content of your newsletter. Since you are creating a newsletter to distribute to your students, the information should be relevant to the classes that you teach or activities in which you are involved. For example, if you teach English, you co-coordinate a creative writing club and you direct the school play, you should include this information in your newsletter.

2. Gather information on student interests. The activities your students are involved in are just as important as your own, so don't neglect to include them. If you have a student who won a football game or students who qualified for a certain scholarship, include this in your newsletter as well.

3. Vary your content. Include one or two feature articles, a student activities section and an academic calendar for all major upcoming events. Also include pictures, graphics or charts when applicable to make your newsletter more visually appealing.

4. Type your newsletter on a word processing or desktop publishing program. Save a digital copy to email to students or upload to the school's or the class's website. Print out enough copies to hand out to students who enter your classroom.

Newsletters by Students

1. Gather a writing staff. Unless the newsletter is required for a class assignment, all student writers should be volunteers.

2. Assign jobs to your students. Students may need to take on more than one responsibility depending on the number of students who are involved in the newsletter, their various areas of interest or expertise and the amount of content you wish to publish. Hold meetings at the beginning of each newsletter phase to have the students determine the content they wish to include. Your content should vary and can include teacher or student interviews, student submitted work, an advice column, entertainment reviews or tips on dealing with schoolwork.

3. Set deadlines. The newsletter should publish on a relatively regular basis, such as every month or marking period. Deadlines should give students ample time to complete their assigned jobs, but should also leave enough time to edit the newsletter in time for publication. Work with students along the way to make sure they will meet the deadline on time. Students should submit a digital copy of their work.

4. Edit the student submissions. Unless a student specifically requests to be editor, you may want to edit the newsletter yourself as to avoid favoritism or competition among students. Copy the information from students' digital files onto a single word processing or desktop publishing file. Organize the information as you see fit. Upload a digital copy to the school website and make plenty of copies for all the students in your classes.

References

• Utah Education Network: Create a Student Newspaper
• Project Cornerstone: Student Action Plan Ideas