How to Produce an Electronic School Newsletter

An electronic school newsletter is an effective communication tool.

Electronic newsletters are an ideal way for a school to communicate with parents on a regular basis. Schools can use an e-newsletter to remind parents about meetings, include features on school policy and even use it as a marketing tool. An e-newsletter is simpler and cheaper to produce and distribute than a print newsletter. Electronic communications also gives an air of professionalism about the school. With strong stories and relevant information, parents will look forward to the arrival of the e-newsletter in their in-box.

Instructions

1. Plan your school e-newsletter, preferably with the entire staff and principal. Determine the aims of the newsletter, in terms of whether the school wants to use it as a marketing or communication tool. Other issues include the timing of the newsletter (weekly, termly), the size of the newsletter and its name and format.

2. Appoint an editor who has responsibility for content and distribution. Discuss what sort of content to include. If you are targeting parents, they will want information about upcoming events and activities, curriculum information and the school's history. Encourage teachers, school officials and students to contribute to the newsletter.

3. Write the e-newsletter in a news digest format initially within the body of the email for simplicity. Short digest-style stories with headlines and white space between the news is ideal. Proofread the newsletter to ensure there are not any mistakes as parents will expect a professional job from teachers and it does not reflect well on the school if there are spelling or grammatical mistakes.

4. Use HTML formatting for the e-newsletter if you are confident or send the email as a PDF attachment. A teacher of IT or staff member in the IT department could help with this or even a student or parent. If the school has a website, post the newsletter on that and start an e-newsletter archive.

5. Persuade parents to sign up to the e-newsletter or inform them that they can find the e-newsletter on the school's website. If the newsletter is interesting and relevant parents will discuss it among themselves and the school will receive more and more requests for sign-ups.

Tips & Warnings

• Be realistic about the scope and size of the e-newsletter. Schools are busy places and it will take a lot of time to produce a four-page newsletter with photos. Start small and build up.

• Give your newsletter a name that reflects the school's identity.

• The e-newsletter editor might have to write the entire newsletter himself if other staff members do not submit any stories or news items.

References

• STC Usability: Creating a Usable Electronic Newsletter In House
• Anne Arundel County Public Schools: Writing Effective School Newsletters
• Creating School Newsletters: Newsletter Production
• Creating School Newsletters: Introduction
• Next Top Newsletter: E-Newsletters: The Difference Between PDF and HTML