STEM Competition Newsletter for Families: What to Tell Parents
STEM competitions are among the most demanding and most rewarding experiences in a school STEM program. They require months of preparation, significant family commitment, and excellent logistics communication. A well-run competition newsletter program makes the difference between families who feel like partners and families who feel like they are chasing information.
Start of season: the orientation newsletter
Send this newsletter when the competitive season begins, typically in September or October. It should answer the questions first-year competition families have:
- What competition (or competitions) is the team entering?
- What does participation involve for students?
- How long is the preparation season?
- What will competition days look like?
- What will families need to do throughout the season?
Describe the competition in plain language. "Science Olympiad is a team competition with twenty-three events covering a range of science and engineering topics. Each student on the team prepares for two or three events. The team competes at a regional invitational in January and the official regional tournament in February." That description orients families who are new to the program.
Pre-competition logistics newsletter
Send this two to three weeks before each competition. This is the newsletter families use to plan their schedule and decide whether they are attending.
- Date, location, and address. Full event name, date, full address, and any parking guidance.
- Schedule. When students should arrive, when events begin, when awards are, when students are dismissed. Be as specific as the information you have.
- What to bring. What students need (materials for specific events, food, water, competition attire). What families attending should bring (comfortable chairs, snacks for a long day).
- What families will see. A brief description of what competition day looks like for a first-time attendee.
- How to support the team. Where families can cheer, how to stay out of restricted areas, whether there are volunteer opportunities.
Post-competition newsletter
Send this within two days of the competition. Include results, two or three specific moments from the day, and what comes next in the season. Post-competition newsletters have the highest open rates of anything you send. Write them while the memory is fresh.
Acknowledge the work students put in regardless of where the team placed. "The team placed fourth overall, which puts us in a strong position for the regional tournament. More importantly, every student performed better than they did at the invitational in January. That trajectory is what matters."
Writing about results honestly
If the team had a difficult competition, say so directly without dwelling. "We did not place as well as we hoped today. Students are already thinking about what adjustments to make before the next tournament. That reflection is the most valuable part of competing." Families who receive honest communication trust you. Families who only hear positives stop trusting the newsletter when something goes wrong.
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Frequently asked questions
When should STEM competition newsletters go out?
Send an introductory newsletter at the start of the season explaining the competition format and preparation timeline. Send a logistics newsletter two to three weeks before each event with specific dates, locations, and schedules. Send a results newsletter within two days of each competition. That three-part structure covers the whole season.
What should a STEM competition newsletter include?
The name and format of the competition, what students are preparing and for how long, the event date and location, what the schedule looks like for families attending, how families can support the team without disrupting preparation, and what success looks like beyond just placing. Most STEM competitions offer learning value regardless of where a team finishes.
How do I explain an unfamiliar competition like Science Olympiad or Mathcounts to families?
Describe it the way you would explain it to a neighbor who has never heard of it. 'Science Olympiad is a team competition where students prepare for a range of science and engineering events, from building balsa wood bridges to identifying fossils to performing chemistry experiments. Teams compete at regional, state, and national levels.' Concrete and specific beats a link to the organization's website.
What do STEM competition families most often feel unprepared for?
The length of competition days and the emotional arc of competing. STEM competitions often run from early morning to late afternoon, with long waits between events. Families who know this in advance pack accordingly and arrive with the right expectations. Families who are surprised by the format often have a frustrating experience.
Does Daystage work for a STEM coach managing multiple competitions across a season?
Yes. Daystage makes it easy to maintain a list of competition families and send targeted newsletters at each stage of the season. If you have both a middle school and a high school team, you can maintain separate lists and send different communications to each without duplicating effort.
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.
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