What to Put in Your High School Principal Newsletter in May

May is the most emotionally and logistically loaded month of the high school year. AP exams are running for three weeks, seniors are graduating, final exams are approaching for everyone else, and the entire school community is trying to close the year with something that feels meaningful. Your May newsletter is doing a lot of work.

This guide breaks down each section you need and how to handle the content that is specific to this time of year.

AP and IB Exam Schedule and Logistics

AP exams run through the first two weeks of May. Your newsletter should include the full exam calendar, where students report for each subject, what they need to bring, and how the school day schedule changes on testing days for students who are not being tested.

Include a reminder about the College Board's late testing and cancellation policies for families dealing with illness or emergencies. If your school has a testing coordinator, name them and include their contact. Families with juniors and seniors taking multiple exams appreciate having this information consolidated in one place.

Graduation Logistics

Graduation is the centerpiece of your May newsletter. Cover the ceremony date, time, and location. Explain the ticket distribution process and the total number of tickets each graduating family receives. Include parking and arrival time guidance, accessibility accommodations for families who need them, and what happens in the event of rain or other logistical changes.

If families can live-stream the ceremony, include that link or indicate when it will be shared. Many extended family members cannot attend in person, and a streaming option is something families will forward to grandparents and relatives before you even finish sending the newsletter.

Senior Week Events

Most high schools run a senior week schedule in the days leading up to graduation: baccalaureate service, senior breakfast, awards ceremonies, class trip, or senior signing day. List each event with its date, time, location, and whether families are invited or if it is a students-only event.

If there is a senior celebration or any event with specific conduct expectations, include those here. Senior week events are where the end-of-year energy is highest, and clear expectations prevent the situations that make a principal's last weeks of school harder than they need to be.

Graduation Rehearsal and Cap and Gown

Required rehearsal attendance is something many families do not fully understand until a student misses it. Be explicit about whether rehearsal attendance is mandatory to walk at the ceremony. Include the rehearsal date, time, and location, and any dress code requirements for the ceremony itself.

If cap and gown distribution has not already happened, include where and when students pick them up, and what to do if an order was missed or incorrect.

Final Exams for Underclassmen

While seniors are finishing their chapter, freshmen through juniors still have finals to take. Your newsletter should include the final exam schedule, any exam exemption policies based on attendance or grades, and what the last week of school looks like for non-senior students. Include information about study support, library access, and any extended tutoring hours in the final stretch.

A Note on Senior Sendoff

This is the appropriate place for a brief, genuine message to the graduating class and their families. You do not need much space here. A short paragraph that reflects on what the class has been through, what the school is proud of, and a genuine wish for what comes next is more effective than a longer tribute that reads like a form letter.

Specificity matters. If the senior class had a notable achievement, survived a particularly challenging stretch, or did something that genuinely moved the school community, name it. Generic congratulations are easy to skip. Real acknowledgment is not.

Summer Contact Information and Resources

Close the newsletter with practical information about summer: when the main office closes, who to contact for transcripts or records during summer months, how to reach the counseling office for college-related needs, and when families can expect fall communications to begin.

If your school has summer school, enrichment programs, or sports conditioning starting in June or July, include dates and registration links so families can plan before the school year officially ends.