As per our discussion in class, I decided that I could use an e-mail newsletter to connect with parents. In addition to giving them some information about what’s happening at school, I hope they would then want to connect with the class blog I am creating.

So, today I went looking for Newsletter templates online. I found lots and decided on this one and I modified it to my needs:

I took the standard template and made it my own template, more or less ready for my use. I  have made some adjustments to the text, size and number of text boxes, image sizes, etc.

My Search for the Right Template:

First, when I was searching for templates, I took into consideration my audience: my students’ parents. Since I’m offering them a service I want them to actually use (read my newsletter/blog), I ended up thinking of it in terms of a business: “Treat [my] customers right and they’ll always come back”.

So what do they want? (I think) My parents want a quick snapshot of what’s happening at school. In particular, they want to see photos of their child. They might also like some related text but they will have to go to my blog for more information. I think this newsletter should be more visual than textual. I chose this newsletter because it has cheery colours, lots of white space, an appealing font and overall balance of writing and pictures. And, I clearly advertised my class blog on top!! In terms of using technology, parents can access the newsletter by opening an attachment on their email (which I suspect most of them can do.) If I know a student doesn’t have internet access I can give them a hard copy.

Second, I wanted the template to be manageable for me. As this newsletter is intended to remind parents to visit the blog, I wanted it to be short…a hint of what else they may see. Also, If it’s simple enough, I will send out newsletters more often.

Even though the newsletter is one-directional communication, I hope, it will create a greater sense of connectedness with parents. I think that in addition to improving communication with updates/info, it could also improve our rapport. In particular, parents who are unable to visit the school and see what we’re doing or have questions regarding our learning may be able to get some of what they’re missing this way. Hopefully the newsletter and blog will be informative, entertaining and help create an appreciation for the work we are doing at school.

Why reach out to parents? Why now?

It seems to me that parents are becoming more and more removed from our school community. There are the few that make it in to chat, volunteer and participate in our events but most of them are not able/willing to do so. Since I started teaching I have seen relationships with parents become more and more limited. We are not connecting the way we used to…and it’s not because I’m becoming a worse teacher!! Last year’s strike didn’t help either. Unfortunately, the respect and gratitude I used to feel are dwindling. The parent-teacher relationship seems to be shifting and it’s happening in other schools too.

I’ve asked myself how to improve this distance parents are feeling/creating. I know having more information about what happens at school is important to them. So seeing (even through newsletter or blog) what we are doing at school is a step in the right direction.

We know student success is connected to parent involvement. We know parents are important partners so why not provide communication “services” that make them feel more connected? (Like keeping a customer happy…)

Big question: If the public image of teachers and community support are deteriorating, what can we do about it?