How to write a weekly staff newsletter that at least 80% of teachers will read

Guide

I’m off in March, but I wanted to share this exclusive guide with full subscribers on how to write a staff newsletter. Note the bonus newsletter template linked at the bottom of this post.

If you know a literacy leader who would benefit from this guide and future learning opportunities, consider giving them a gift subscription.

Take care,

Matt

A weekly newsletter can be an effective way to keep your school informed and engaged around your literacy initiatives. 

The key word is “effective”. A newsletter written doesn’t mean people will read it. It’s the proverbial “if a tree falls in the woods and no one was around to hear it, did it make any sound?”

Here’s a less-than-ideal example: one of my earlier weekly staff newsletters.

It’s basically a long email in print format. Upcoming events are helpful and the mission and vision language reminds everyone about the big picture, but it’s not visually appealing or inspiring.

Here are the four ways I improved my weekly newsletter over the last dozen years, to the point where at least 80% of faculty and staff read at least part of what was shared.

#1 - Start with an image of what your organization is about and strives to become.

I go through my photos app on my smartphone and find an image I captured from the classroom. (If I cannot find one, that is a good indicator that I have not been in classrooms enough that week.)

After securing permission from the teacher and student(s) to post it, I add it to the top of the newsletter. My lens for selecting an image is through the effective teaching practices described in our instructional framework.