The Preschool Newsletter

When I taught preschool for my church it was mandatory to have a newsletter each month. The parents loved the idea of knowing what was coming up and reminiscing about what awesome theme we had already completed. What a treat to see your son/daughter praised in the newsletter. The announcement of their baby sister, the fact that they knew all their alphabet, or their birthday celebration. These were all topics to put in our class newsletter. Still, each month there would be audible moan and groans when it was time to collect the monthly newsletter.

The number one complaint the teachers would have each month was they didn't know what to put in the newsletter! Is that your complaint? Do you sit staring at a blank screen? A half completed sheet of paper?  I came up with a few basic ideas and even sample newsletters to get your creative mojo hummin'.

The Basics of your newsletter:
The basics of your newsletter should always include your name, class, date, and the school or center name. This makes it easy for you to find, and parents to keep.


What should I include in my newsletters?
Your newsletter can include almost anything you want to share with your parents. Use some of these questions to help you complete your newsletter.
Do you have your monthly activities pre-planned? Add your upcoming projects.
Is there something bugging you? Add a "note from the teacher" place your pet-peeve there.
Is there a holiday coming up?
Is there any birthdays this month?
Do you need a volunteer this month?
Would you like a special guest?
Is there an upcoming field trip?
Are you children working on a new skill?
Did you take a new Early Childhood Class? Share your thoughts and opinions.
Are you receiving a degree, credential, or grant you'd like to share?
Do you need new materials?
Any of these would make great material for your newsletter.

What Programs to use?
As you can see there are so many ways you can build an awesome newsletter in no time. When I worked on my PC, I used the Publisher to create newsletters. I've also saved my work as "Word" document and used pretty dollar store themed border for my newsletters. Now that I use a Mac, I use their "Pages" program to create newsletters. Some of my colleagues prefer to hand write their newsletters and just make copies. You can use whatever method that works best for you. Here are some sample newsletters.

This newsletter I created in 2008 using the Word Publisher Program. It highlighted St. Patrick's Day, what was coming soon, and some Easter Fun activities.

The newsletter below was created using my Mac in September. If you notice, I've featured some of the students and their parents on the left hand side. In the middle of the page I highlighted themes we would work on in the future. Then on the far right there's a thank you note, reminders, and a wish list.

Why do I need a newsletter anyway?

You certainly don't need a newsletter. But, creating one is an awesome way to communicate with your parents. It can also serve as a keepsake for parents who enjoy collecting their child's memories. One of my parents would send a copy to the grandparents who live out of state. And, it's a perfect way to remind you of the projects and activities that were successful. 

Other ways to utilize newsletters.
Create your newsletter and email them to parents to save paper.
If you home school have your children create the newsletter each month as a writing assignment.

Want even more?
Beth Newingham writes a blog for older students but her newsletters are awesome for any age group.
Debra Henk also shares her newsletters here.
I loved these printable newsletters from The Teachers Desk. 
Check out Kevin's free printable borders, they're perfect for newsletters.


Happy writing,