Send newsletters

Newsletters are your school’s official communications: term updates, event notices, policy reminders, and results announcements. They are published to the portal so recipients can always find them again, and can optionally also be delivered by email.

Step 1 — Write the newsletter

1. Open Notification Management → Create Newsletter.
2. Give it a clear, specific title. “Second term dates and reopening” is far more useful than “Important notice”.
3. Write the content, using headings and short paragraphs so it can be skimmed on a phone.
4. Put the most important information first — dates, actions required, and deadlines.
5. Attach any documents families need, such as a calendar or a form.
6. Save and read it back before going further.

Step 2 — Choose your audience

1. Select the roles that should receive it — for example parents, students, or staff.
2. Send to the narrowest appropriate audience. Newsletters that clearly do not apply to the reader train people to ignore them.
3. Review your selection before publishing.

Step 3 — Schedule and send

1. Publish immediately, or schedule it for a specific date and time.
2. Decide whether to also send by email in addition to publishing in the portal.
3. Confirm and publish.
4. Check that it appears as expected for a recipient role.

Scheduling is useful for writing several newsletters in a quiet week and releasing them across a busy term.

What recipients see

• The newsletter appears in the Newsletters area of the portal for the roles you selected.
• Where email delivery is enabled, it also arrives in their inbox.
• Attachments can be opened or downloaded.
• Past newsletters remain available, so a family who missed an email can still find the information.

Tips

• Keep to a rhythm — a predictable weekly or fortnightly newsletter is read far more than sporadic ones.
• One subject per newsletter where possible, so information is easy to find later.
• State the action clearly. If families must do something, say what and by when.
• Proofread before publishing. Corrections undermine confidence in official notices.
• Use the class feed for classroom-level notes and reserve newsletters for school-wide matters.

Common issues

Recipients say they did not receive it

Check whether email delivery was enabled — if it was portal-only, they need to sign in. Also confirm you selected the right roles.

I selected the wrong audience

Publish a corrected newsletter to the right audience rather than leaving families confused about which notice applies.

A scheduled newsletter did not appear

Check the scheduled date and time, and confirm it was scheduled rather than left as a draft.

An attachment will not open for families

Re-upload it in a common document format that most devices can open.

What’s next

For urgent or highly targeted messages, use SMS and email campaigns, which let you select recipients more precisely and preview the list before sending.