Hello teacher friends! Naomi from Read Like a Rock Star here! I hope your new school year has had a great start!
How do you keep your students' parents in the loop? I know that some educators use their blogs or classroom websites to update their parents. I tried that one year and just couldn't keep up with it. Kudos to those that do!
Something that I found easy to utilize all year long was a classroom newsletter.
Choosing to send home a weekly, biweekly, or monthly newsletter is up to you. Do what will be helpful, but do only what you can handle.
Because our school had a new reading skills focus that teachers had to implement each week, I chose to send home weekly newsletters so I could keep parents informed about the new reading skill we were focusing on.
It wasn't overwhelming to keep up with at all and my students' parents really appreciated it. It helped them target that skill at home as well, and we all know that teamwork makes the dream work!
The students' parents were more informed and involved with their student's classroom work and my expectations.
I always included the math/reading/writing/s.s./science skills we were working on. You could even include the homework assignments. Sometimes I would include strategies, games, or just any information I thought they might find helpful.
Class newsletters are a great way to remind parents about upcoming school events like picture day, birthdays, assemblies, and tests.
I think it's important to think about what you truly want the parents to know and read. Don't just fill your newsletter with fluff.
Here is an example of the newsletter that I used all year with my second grade class.
If it's useful to you, you're welcome to try it for free!
