Include a Calendar of Events Keep Parents in Mind!  Offer information to keep them informed Don't post student names if you are duplicating your newsletter online Consider doing 2 versions of your newsletter (paper vs. online) Write Clear Headlines				School Newsletters are a key communications method at Anne Arundel County Public Schools and have been identified in recent surveys as the number one method by which parents receive information about their child's school.   Most schools at AACPS generate newsletters and do an excellent job of conveying information about what's happening at their school. The following helpful hints list has been compiled by studying newsletters around our system, requests from website users, and the Parent Communications Subcommittee. Please peruse this information if you have responsibility for composing your school's newsletter. Suggested content/ideas for newsletters: Academic (achievement)-oriented information Information about clubs, extra-curricular activities, and dates of upcoming events Presenting each semester as a new beginning-tips on how to get a fresh start Academic intervention information Financial Aid information Community sponsored events School history (interesting facts) School staff information  The AACPS TV cable schedule (an updated version is always available here) Remember Parents when you are composing your newsletter.  Offer information parents would be interested in, since this is often the key method for them to get information about upcoming school events and activities. When composing a newsletter, keep in mind the purpose and audience of your newsletter. Parents, students and faculty (and the public, if the newsletter is posted online) will be reading it. Make sure the topics and content of your newsletter fulfill it's intended purpose (to communicate wanted and. needed information) to your audience. Include a calendar of upcoming events.  This is often the most important item readers are looking for. Think about what you would tell your audience if you spoke with them face-to-face.  Tell the story visually and/or make the content easy to skim.  Make your newsletter easy to read!  Assist visually-oriented people and help improve the overall communication of your newsletter with the creative use of graphics. What does the audience need and want to know about what the school is doing? (Remember Parents!) What material will make the newsletter both informative and interesting?  What will make the reader most informed about the school, it's activities and recent accomplishments?   A newsletter is a great place to recognize others for a job well done (keep in mind not to put student's names in the web-version of your newsletter). Give kudos where they are deserved!   Strive to keep your information "tight" by representing information with bulleted lists, charts and graphs where appropriate. Write relevant, but (fairly) brief articles.  Remember, give clear, straightforward information. Use the active voice, avoid run-on sentences. Use vivid, active verbs and omit needless words. Write attention-getting headlines. The Associated Press lists nine great headline qualities. Your headlines should be: Informative          Direct        Brief        Active         Clear Objective       Accurate        Colorful        Simple From the Parent Involvement and Communication Charter at AACPS