How often should an ELA department send a parent newsletter?

Monthly works for most ELA departments. You can align each issue to the current reading or writing unit so the newsletter stays relevant to what students are doing in class right now. During high-stakes periods like state reading assessments, a second short send that month is worth it.

What should go in an ELA department newsletter?

Cover the current reading unit or text, the writing genre or project students are working on, and one concrete reading or writing habit parents can encourage at home. Upcoming deadlines for writing portfolios, book reports, or reading logs also belong here. Keep it focused on what parents can do, not just what teachers are doing.

How long should an ELA department newsletter be?

300 to 500 words is the right range. ELA departments often have a lot to say, but a newsletter that runs long will not be read fully. If you need to go deeper on a topic like a new reading curriculum or a summer reading requirement, write a focused newsletter on that topic alone.

What is the biggest mistake ELA departments make in parent newsletters?

Using literacy jargon without translation. Terms like 'text complexity,' 'close reading,' 'narrative arc,' and 'Lexile level' mean something specific to English teachers but little to most parents. Every term that has a plain-language alternative should use it.

What tool helps ELA departments send newsletters without a lot of extra setup?

Daystage lets you build a department newsletter template once and duplicate it each month with only the content updated. That means a consistent look and fast production time, which matters when department chairs are also full-time teachers.

ELA Department Newsletter Guide

Reading and writing are central to every subject, yet many parents have only a vague sense of what the ELA curriculum actually looks like in their child's grade. An ELA department newsletter gives families a clear, monthly window into the literacy work their students are doing, and it turns parents into active partners in building reading and writing habits at home.

This guide covers what to include, how to avoid the jargon trap, and how to build a newsletter parents actually read.

What parents want to know about ELA

Parents of elementary students want to know whether their child is reading at grade level and what they can do at home to help. Parents of middle and high school students want to know what texts their child is studying, what writing projects are coming up, and how they can support without taking over the work.

In both cases, parents are asking: is my child on track? A good ELA department newsletter does not need to answer that question for every student individually. It does need to communicate clearly what 'on track' looks like at each grade level and what supports are available for students who need them.

Four reliable sections for every issue

A fixed structure reduces production time and gives parents a consistent reading experience:

Reading this month: The text, genre, or unit students are working through. Include a one-sentence note on why this text was chosen and what skill or theme it connects to.
Writing this month: The genre or writing project in progress. Explain what the assignment requires and when it is due if there is a student-facing deadline.
At home this month: One specific habit or activity. 'Ask your child to tell you one thing that happened in the book they are reading this week' is more actionable than 'encourage reading at home.'
Department news: Book fair dates, summer reading program information, any curriculum changes, or an invitation to a literacy night.

Translating literacy curriculum for non-specialists

ELA is a jargon-heavy discipline. The problem is that most of the jargon describes things parents can easily understand with different words. Here are some common translations:

'Text complexity' becomes 'how challenging the reading is'
'Narrative arc' becomes 'the structure of a story from beginning to end'
'Close reading' becomes 'reading slowly and carefully with attention to specific details'
'Lexile level' becomes 'a score that indicates how difficult a text is to read'
'Argument writing' becomes 'writing that states a position and supports it with evidence'

You do not need to avoid curriculum terminology entirely. Using it occasionally with a brief translation builds parent vocabulary over time. The key is never leaving a term unexplained.

Connecting reading to home without creating homework pressure

The best at-home suggestions require no materials, no grading, and no adult expertise. Conversation starters about what a student is reading, trips to the library, or reading aloud together are all legitimate and powerful literacy activities. Frame suggestions as opportunities, not assignments. Parents who feel like they are adding to a child's homework load will disengage.

Handling the reading level question

Parents often want to know if their child is reading at grade level. A department newsletter is not the place to answer that for individual students, but it is the right place to explain what grade-level reading looks like and when individual conferences or progress reports will give families that information.

Including a sentence like 'If you have specific questions about your child's reading level, your teacher can speak with you at our October conference' redirects the individual question appropriately without dismissing it.

Building the department collaboration habit

Ask each teacher in the department to submit their section by a standing monthly deadline. Give them a two- or three-question form to fill in: what is the class reading, what are students writing, and what is one thing parents can do at home. The chair assembles the newsletter from those submissions. This approach keeps content accurate, distributes the workload, and takes less than 30 minutes for each teacher.

ELA Department Newsletter Guide: Communicating Reading and Writing to Families