What should a ELA teacher include in a parent newsletter?

A pre-conference ELA newsletter should tell parents what you will cover in the meeting, what work samples you will share, what questions they might want to prepare, what reading and writing data you will discuss, and how parents can contribute their observations from home to make the meeting more useful.

How often should a ELA teacher send a newsletter?

Send a pre-conference newsletter one week before conferences begin. ELA conferences are often the most loaded because they involve reading level discussions that parents take personally. Giving parents time to prepare reduces defensiveness and increases the chance of a productive conversation.

How do I explain ELA curriculum to parents who weren't good at it?

In conference prep, you do not need to explain curriculum. You need to explain what the conference conversation will involve. 'I will share your child's reading level, recent writing samples, and what I have observed about their learning style and needs. You will get to share what you observe at home.' That is enough preparation for most parents.

What is the biggest mistake ELA teachers make in newsletters?

Sending a conference newsletter that is just a logistics reminder with no content preparation. ELA conferences go deeper than most subject conferences, and parents who arrive without any context for the conversation often spend most of the meeting in a passive listening mode rather than as active participants.

What is the easiest tool for ELA teachers to send newsletters?

Daystage is used by subject teachers across grade levels to keep parents informed. You set up your class once, write your newsletter, and send. Parents receive it inline in Gmail and Outlook without clicking any links. Most teachers spend 15-20 minutes on their Daystage newsletter each month.

ELA Teacher Parent Conference Newsletter

ELA conferences involve reading levels, writing rubrics, and literacy assessments that parents often encounter for the first time in that short meeting. A parent who hears for the first time that their child is reading two years below grade level has thirty seconds to process that before you move on to writing. A pre-conference newsletter gives families time to process before the meeting starts.

What parents actually want to know before an ELA conference

ELA conferences often go one of two ways: a five-minute "everything is great" update, or a difficult conversation about reading levels, writing gaps, or literacy struggles. Parents want to know which type of meeting they are coming to. If it is the second type, they want time to prepare emotionally and practically.

Your pre-conference newsletter does not need to preview the hard conversations in detail. But it should signal that you will be sharing specific data, specific work, and specific feedback. Parents who are expecting specificity arrive differently than parents who expect a general chat.

What to include every month

Conference prep newsletters are event-specific. Embed a conference section in your monthly newsletter the week conferences are scheduled. What will you cover? What should parents bring or think about? How should they prepare their child?

ELA conference prep content for newsletters

What the conference will cover. "In our conference I will share your child's current reading level, a writing sample with feedback, what they are doing well, one focused area for growth, and specific strategies for home support."
What parents will see. "I will have a portfolio of your child's writing from this quarter and their most recent reading assessment results. Feel free to ask me to explain any part of those documents."
Questions parents might want to prepare. "Some useful questions to bring: What is my child reading independently? Are they engaged in class discussions? What is the best thing I can do at home to support their writing? Is there a gap I should know about?"
What you want to know from parents. "What do you observe when your child reads at home? Does reading feel effortful or natural? Do they talk about the books they are reading? What kind of writing do they do outside of school?" Parents who arrive ready to share this are far more useful partners in the meeting.
How to talk to your child about the conference. "Ask your child what they are most proud of in reading or writing this year. Ask if there is anything they want you to bring up. Their answers often tell you what matters most to them."
Logistics. Time, location, how to reschedule, and whether siblings should come.

How to help parents who are sensitive about reading level conversations

Reading level is one of the most loaded numbers in a parent conference. A parent whose child is reading below grade level often takes that personally: as a reflection of their parenting, their home, or their own reading habits. Your pre-conference newsletter can lower that defensiveness by framing reading levels correctly before the meeting.

"Reading level is a snapshot of where your child is right now, not a prediction of where they will be. I share it because it helps us target support effectively. It is not a judgment of your child or your family."

When to reach out beyond the newsletter

If a conference will involve difficult information about a significant reading gap, a referral for evaluation, or concerns about a student's writing that go beyond typical development, call or email that family before the conference newsletter goes out. The newsletter is not the right medium for sensitive individual news.

Daystage makes conference prep newsletters easy to send at the right time. Write it on Sunday, schedule it to arrive Monday morning, and by the time parents come in on Wednesday, they have had two days to think about what they want to discuss. That two-day window changes the quality of every conference you have.

Prepared parents make better conference partners. A newsletter that prepares them is worth every minute it takes to write.

ELA Teacher Parent Conference Newsletter: How to Prepare Families