Principal Newsletter: Picture Day Announcement and Logistics
Picture day is the single logistics event that generates the most parent emails per year at most elementary schools. What should my child wear. My child was absent, what now. How do I order retakes. A complete newsletter one week before prevents 80 percent of those individual questions.
The one-week-out newsletter
Your picture day newsletter should answer all of the following: the date, the approximate time for each grade or class, what students should wear if there are any dress code considerations, how to order photos, whether a prepayment envelope needs to come to school, and when retake day is.
That last item, retake day, should be in the original picture day newsletter. Families who know retake day exists from the start are less stressed about the original picture.
What to do if a student is absent
Tell families explicitly in the newsletter that absent students will have the opportunity to get their photo taken on retake day. Include that date. A family who hears from their child that they missed picture day and does not know what comes next calls the office. A family who already knows about retake day does not.
Photo ordering logistics
Whether your school uses a paper envelope system or an online ordering platform, explain the process clearly in the newsletter. If there is a deadline to order before picture day for a package price and a different process for ordering afterward, explain both. Families who do not understand the ordering system often do not order at all.
Class photos vs. individual portraits
Tell families whether class photos are included, whether they are separate, or whether only individual portraits are taken. This distinction generates more questions than almost any other picture day topic.
Day-of reminder
A brief morning reminder the day of picture day. Today is picture day for grades K through 2. Students in grades 3 through 5 have photos tomorrow. Reminder: online ordering is available through Friday. This short reminder, sent at 7 am, prevents the situation where a family forgets and sends their child in clothes they would not have chosen.
Retake day newsletter
Two weeks before retake day, a brief newsletter: retake day is on this date for students who were absent on picture day or whose families wish to take a new photo. Here is how to sign up or notify the school. Brief, complete, forward-looking.
Get one newsletter idea every week.
Free. For teachers. No spam.
Frequently asked questions
When should a principal send the picture day newsletter?
One week before picture day for the announcement, and a same-day reminder the morning of. Two weeks is too far in advance for families to remember clothing choices. One week is enough to plan.
What should a principal include in the picture day newsletter?
The date, whether individual photos are taken, class photos, or both. What students should wear if there is a dress code consideration. How to order photos. What happens if a student is absent. When retake day is. Every logistical question answered in one newsletter.
How do you communicate retake day information?
Announce retake day in the same newsletter as picture day. Students who were absent on picture day or whose families are unhappy with the result should know immediately when the retake opportunity is and how to sign up. A separate newsletter for retakes announced two weeks before they happen is standard.
How are school photos used and should a principal communicate this to families?
Many families are not aware how school photos are used: in the yearbook, on student ID cards, in emergency contact systems, and potentially in school publications. A brief note in your newsletter explaining typical uses gives families the information they need to make decisions about ordering or sharing photos.
How can Daystage help principals communicate event logistics like picture day?
Daystage makes it easy to send a structured logistics newsletter the week before picture day with all details in one organized format. Principals who send complete logistics newsletters see fewer individual office calls because families already have the answers they need.
Adi Ackerman
Author
Adi Ackerman is a former classroom teacher and curriculum writer with 8 years in K-8 schools. She writes about school communication, parent engagement, and what actually works in real classrooms.
More for Principals
Ready to send your first newsletter?
3 newsletters free. No credit card. First one ready in under 5 minutes.
Get started free