Communication

5 Tips for Reaching All Families

Dr. Kara Stern
2 min read
Three images of parents with their kids checking Smore newsletters.

We asked Smore Users for their biggest pain point when it comes to reaching all families.

πŸ† In first place, 75% of respondents said it’s getting home adults to read their updates.

πŸ₯ˆπŸ₯ˆπŸ₯ˆ And the 3-way tie for 2nd place goes to:

  • Knowing what to include in updates
  • Providing translatable info for updates
  • The time it takes to create updates
GIF of dog asking for help

We mined our content for just the right resources. Ready?

  1. πŸ† This blog post has a key hack for getting home adults to open your updates.
  2. πŸ₯ˆ This blog post has ideas from teachers about what to include in your update.
  3. πŸ₯ˆ Accompany each embedded flyer with a sentence or two about what’s in it — that way, families will get the translated info even if the image itself isn’t translated.
  4. πŸ₯ˆ: Duplicate, duplicate, duplicate. Here’s a blog post with 2 key time-saving tips.

One final tip…

The key to successful school communications is understanding that the overarching goal is to build relationships between the folks at school and the folks at home. Devise a regular feature in your update that everyone looks forward to – maybe something incentive-based or maybe something personal (your dog’s meme of the month?) Students and their grownups need to know that someone at school cares. If that shines through, your engagement rates will soar.

Get started with this template and good luck! πŸ™Œ

Screen shot of April Weekly Update Template

Subscribe to Smore Blog

Get the latest posts delivered right to your inbox

Dr. Kara Stern

Dr. Kara Stern began her career as an ELA teacher, then shifted into administration as a middle school principal. Dr. Stern is a fervent advocate for equitable communication and family engagement. She spent five years as Executive Director at Math for America, where she designed the professional learning community that exists to this day. An unexpected move to Tel Aviv launched her into the world of EdTech where she became the Director of Education Content for Smore and then the Head of Education Solutions at SchoolStatus. Outside of work, she indulges her love for reading, devouring two novels weekly, with a particular fondness for heists and spy stories.

Keep Reading

Jan 8, 2024

Banish winter blues with these 10 fun and helpful templates for all of your February needs. From holidays to snow days and everything in between.

Aug 27, 2023

Welcoming faculty back from summer requires a certain sleight of hand: you have to acknowledge that vacation is ending while inspiring your team with the hope and promise of the new school year. Principals as motivational speakers!

Jan 11, 2024

Classroom newsletters are a key piece of ensuring students meet with success this year. It's about building trust! Get started with these tips.