Today, most school newspapers are created digitally.  Because of this, you will need to download and install some publishing software.  There are many different options available when looking for desktop publishing software.  Check out some of these examples of desktop publishing software to help get you started:  Adobe InDesign, Corel Draw, and QuarkXpress are all professional publishing software. Scribus is open-source desktop publishing software. You can make a newsletter using Microsoft Word or OpenOffice Some people find Google Docs to be a good solution, as it allows many people to collaborate on-line. Templates will allow you to quickly create the first edition of your newsletter.  A good template will also help you create new editions and give your newsletter a sense of cohesiveness.  You can either start with a pre-made template or create one of your own.  Most publishing software will include a number of templates for you to choose from. You can try searching on-line for free school newsletter templates. Templates allow you to easily add your own information or update old information. A good template will have spaces for both your articles and photos to go with them. You might want to make templates for specific months.  For example, you might have a template for February that has a heart theme because of Valentine's day. For text areas, it's a good idea to have predefined spaces for your title, headings, and the main body of text. Once you've built or found a template, you will want to customize it.  Customizing a template will let you add elements that you want to continue across all editions of your school newsletter.  Take a look at this list to discover some of the things you might want to add to your template:  Place the school name at the top of the front page. Add in a footer with page number, date, edition, or other information you might want to include. Putting your school logo somewhere on the front page can be a good idea. Include clip-art to give your newsletter an appealing and interesting look. You might want to have dedicated pages for certain content.  For example, you could put contact information for school staff on the last page of your newsletter. You'll likely want to decide the basic layout for articles and pages.  A simple two column layout can be a good way to start. After you've created and customized a newsletter template, you can begin to create content for it.  The content you create should strive to meet the goals of your newsletter and be appealing to your audience.  To help get you started, try reading over these examples of what a school newsletter might contain:  A calendar of the year and upcoming events. Current news. Upcoming activities or programs. Birthdays. Community news. Changes in school policy. It can be a good idea to add in fun things to your newsletter, such as puzzles or games.  However, the majority of your newsletter should be informative content.  If a piece doesn't seem to convey any information to the reader, you may want to consider rewriting it or removing it.  Always try to deliver the most information possible to your readers when publishing your school newsletter.  An opinion piece on the quality of cafeteria food might be nice.  However, it's probably a better idea to include a lunch schedule instead. Detailing the repair process of a restroom might be too much information.  It might be better to focus on things like how long the renovation took or how much it cost. Updates on school policies should always be included. You might want to highlight student achievements in your newsletter. It can be a good idea to have small articles that introduce new staff members. You don't have to create an entire school newsletter yourself.  Involving others can be a lot of fun for everyone.  With more people working on the newsletter, both the content and the quality can be improved.  Try asking students, staff or others to help create content or design the layout of your school newsletter.  Asking students to write articles can be a good way to let them express a student's viewpoint and get in some writing practice. Having staff write articles can result in more detailed or informative pieces.  For example, asking a math teacher to write about the new high-level math course would be a good idea. You might have students form a club around creating and publishing the newsletter. Asking for help with printing, publishing, or distributing might be necessary.  You can check with local school staff, send a request for volunteers, or check with local businesses.
Get some publishing software. Create or find a template. Customize your newsletter. Create content. Keep content informative. Involve others.