One idea came from my student meetings. At my Freshman and Sophomore meetings I made students fill out an "exit ticket" where they wrote down questions they had regarding graduation, GPA, testing, college, etc. I now use those exit tickets to create a column in each newsletter titled: Student Questions and Answers. Each month I try to focus on a different category of questions. This month I focused on GPA questions.
In addition, I almost always include some sort of college prep time line. I often use www.collegemapper.com as a resource for this section. They always have unique ideas and suggestions as well as the usual, "keep your grade up; visit colleges." What resources do you use for keeping your students and parent informed? Leave your suggestions in the comments section.
Another section I have begun to include came to me after talking to a recent high school graduate. As a current college athlete, he stated that he wished someone had told him in high school to begin taping his games. I included that tip in last month's newsletter, but have started to include a section on what to do NOW if you have specific college goals. This month's section is on planning to go to Art School.
As always, I am looking for new and unique additions, so feel free to share your newsletters, ideas, and resources. Working together, we can help our students, and perhaps make that job a bit easier!
