5 Great Things You Can Do With Class Newsletters

Every school year, no matter what grade I was teaching, I created and sent home weekly class newsletters. I firmly believe that communication between school and home is essential when building a bond between the two. And while not every parent will read it, many appreciate being kept in the loop. Plus, you’ll have documentation when a parent claims they “had no idea about XYZ.”

If you’re wondering how to make class newsletters work for your upper elementary classroom, here are five practical ways to create, share, and use them effectively.

#1 Print & Send Home

The easiest way to ensure all families get your newsletters is by printing them out and sending them home in a weekly folder. Not all parents have reliable internet or email, so digital may not work for everyone. Printing a physical newsletter is always a good option for those who need a paper copy.

I always sent mine home on Fridays in a weekly folder, which became part of our classroom routine. Students knew to grab their folder before dismissal, and parents knew to check it over the weekend. This consistency helped make sure newsletters actually made it home instead of staying crumpled at the bottom of a backpack.

#2 Post on Your Class Website

Posting your newsletter as a PDF or image on your class website creates a permanent archive – perfect for those “I never knew about that!” moments. If you have a class blog, share each newsletter as a post. If not, create a simple “Newsletters” page with links to all your PDFs.

This approach has saved me more than once during parent-teacher conferences when I could pull up past newsletters to show what we’d covered. It’s also helpful for parents who lose the paper copy or need to reference information from a previous week.

Want to make parent communication even easier from day one? Download my free Back to School Forms to gather all the essential information you need right from the start. These ready-to-use templates will help you collect contact info, emergency details, and parent preferences – so you can focus on building relationships instead of chasing down paperwork.

#3 Share Class Photos

If you can take photos of your students and share them with parents, an easy way to do this without sending individual photos is to add them to your newsletter. Parents love to see what’s going on in the classroom, so this is a great way to add content to your class newsletters and get parents excited to read them.

Here’s a quick tip that made this manageable for me: Take candid shots during centers or group work throughout the week, then drop them into your newsletter template before sending it home. Parents get excited seeing their child engaged in learning, and it builds community. Even a few photos of students working on a science experiment or playing a math review game can make your newsletter feel more personal and engaging.

#4 Email to Parents

Email newsletters work beautifully for families who prefer digital communication. You can use the same template format each week, save it as a PDF, and attach it to your email. Paper newsletters may not always make it home with students who are prone to losing things, but as long as you know a parent can receive your emails and their email address is valid, they’ll get your communication.

Here’s a bonus tip: Most email platforms let you schedule messages, so you can prep your newsletter early in the week and set it to send Friday afternoon. This was a game-changer for me when I had early dismissal days or busy Friday schedules. I could finish my newsletter on Thursday evening and know it would go out automatically the next day.

#5 Have Students Help Create Them

Upper elementary students can easily help create class newsletters when using Google Slides! I’ve had students collaborate on special newsletters this way, such as after a holiday party, before a fun class event that we want to tell parents about, or after a field trip. When students are involved in creating the newsletter, parents are even more invested in reading it.

Try having small groups tackle different sections – one group writes about math, another covers science, and another shares upcoming events. Not only does this lighten your load, but it also gives students authentic writing practice and ownership over classroom communication. Plus, students absolutely love seeing their work sent home to families. It’s a win-win situation that turns newsletter creation from a teacher task into a student learning opportunity.

Making Class Newsletters Work for You

Whether you print them, email them, or have students help create them, class newsletters are one of the simplest ways to strengthen your home-school connection. Pick the method that works best for your families – or use a combination! Many teachers find that offering both print and digital options ensures everyone stays informed.

The key is finding a system that doesn’t eat up hours of your time. Using templates is an easy way to create newsletters, and it makes the whole process a lot faster. When you have a consistent format, you can fill it in quickly each week without starting from scratch.

Looking for more ways to streamline communication and save yourself time? Check out how to put together a substitute binder that keeps everyone informed even when you’re out.

Are You Ready To Get Started With Class Newsletters?

Class newsletters don’t have to be a bore or a pain for the teacher. I’ve created class newsletter templates that are editable and contain 170 themes to choose from! A PowerPoint and Google Slides file is included, so you can easily create newsletters parents look forward to receiving.