Although I am not teaching, I will focus on a weekly newsletter. I think this is an important communication tool from teachers to parents and students. I will examine those I have received from elementary teachers. However, I'll discuss them in general terms.
I think the materials are visually appealing because they include various font styles and images. Each section includes a different font style for the topic. Also, relevant images have been added to the document that relate to the topic. For instance, the newsletter has a dragon to symbolize an upcoming play where the main character is a dragon. The information is organized through the use of borders to separate each topic.
However, I find lengthy text distracting. Although, it may be challenging to communicate all the information necessary on a one-page newsletter even for one week's worth of information. A lot of information may need to be included, but it has to be organized in a visually appealing manner, not to overwhelm the reader.
Personally, in my efforts to be creative, I have overdone it in the past when developing one page communication documents. I may have too many fonts or too many images causing confusion and distraction. It's important for me to remember to leave room for the information that needs to be communicated with words instead of pictures.
Lastly, a newsletter includes topics that repeat weekly, such as the syllabus. It also includes information that will be new and change each week. I think it will be helpful to distinguish between the two. One way to accomplish this may be to ensure the repeated topics remain in the same place on the document week after week. This allows the reader to form a habit of knowing where to look for this information routinely.
I think developing a newsletter is more challenging than what I first anticipated. It is difficult to create a communication piece that is visually appealing and concise, yet includes all the necessary information. This task certainly requires some technology know-how and creative talent.
The overall goal of my newsletter was to provide top line information. Therefore, I steered away from long sentences or a lot of text. I believe parents want an overview of what their children are learning. Also, the newsletter is a good tool for communicating important upcoming event dates. Lastly, it's a priority for me to communicate to the parents every week how and when I may be contacted.
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