Creating a newsletter can be an attractive way to communicate with parents. By creating short articles and regular items, you can diffuse what might at times be hard feelings or anger, have ongoing communication about events at school and build up a reserve of good will toward your special education program.

A pdf of my newsletter.

Tips for a Newsletter

• Don't take yourself to seriously. You'll note I picked a fun title that is a play on my name. When I taught years ago in Minnesota, when my second graders became third graders they figured that they had earned the right to call me "Webby." It was a sign of affection that they denied their peers in third grade who did NOT have me for second grade. Unfortunately, when the internet emerged as a major source of information, the name Webby was unavailable as a url. Ironically, Webster Learning was not (I own it.) Remember that having a sense of humor will help when you have something serious to say.

• Either do not identify your program or do not identify your children. If you are writing a newsletter to help students with autism and name it as autism, you want to avoid using any identifying information, even their first name. If you are writing a general newsletter without any reference to the specialty (multi-disability, autism, cognitively disabled, etc.) you might do student recognition awards, i.e. "John won the spelling bee." If there is any likelihood that someone other than parents who have access to their children's information might pick up your newsletter with identifying information, you have breached your student's confidentiality.
• Keep it Brief. Short is sweet.
• Share information, ideas and strategies that will help the parents and families support their children's success both at home and at school. How about an article about how routines support can support success at home as well as at school?

How to Publish a Newsletter

1. Find a Publishing Tool. I used Indesign from Creative Suite 5, a professional publishing suite created by Adobe. It's expensive, but worth it if you are a graphic artist (like my wife.) Microsoft Publisher will have many of the same tools, such as text wrap and the ability to move blocks of text.

1. You can physically cut and paste, too. Create your text in columns in Microsoft Word, and then create your headlines and ad photos by creating them in other programs, printing them and then using an Exacto knife and glue to put your newsletter together.
2. Create a template for your newsletter. That should include any regular features (like my calendar) that you want to include on your page. Having a template means you won't have to recreate your whole letter each time you do it. It also means that your readers (parents) will know where to find important information.
3. Create regular features that will support your program. I intend on having a calendar and an "At home with autism" feature that will suggest strategies that should be helpful at home as well as at school.
4. Create a Schedule. Mine will be monthly.
5. Leave enough time for your principal or supervisor to review your newsletter. My principal likes things that represent the school to be well written and spelled correctly (She hates colons.) It also helps them to know what a parent is speaking about if he/she calls with questions.
6. Print it on colored paper: make it special (Ah, those pesky colons!)