Apollo PTA Newsletter

Assumption is using Our School Pages website is being used

Overview:

  • Create the Newsletter in Microsoft Word, using a previous newsletter as a template.
  • Save the Newsletter in both Word and PDF (imbedded in the email for alternate viewing) and save to PTA site
  • Email the Newsletter as both content and PDF attachment through the website using a prior Newsletter as a template

Create the Newsletter

  • Access the Last Newsletter:
  • Go to Apollo PTA Home Screen.
  • Click on Admin in the upper right hand corner
  • Log on as Admin using your PTA given email address and Password.
  • Go to Content, Document Library, Rocket eBulletins – WORD and click on the magnifying glass for the last newsletter. Here is a link.

  • Update the Newsletter:
  • Update the Calendar removing old events and add new items, always link to the Full Calendar
  • Add new blurbs submitted by PTA chair persons through PTA board email, edit as necessary.
  • Hint: it’s easiest to have a cache of icons on the desktop from which you are creating the hard copy of the newsletter. You will have to save any new icons/pictures in the Document folder in order to use them for the email version of the newsletter.
  • If the blurb contains a document, save it in one of the Document folders and create a link.
  • Remove old activities

Save new Images andHard Copies of the Newsletter:

  • Save the hard copy of the Newsletter as a Word Document and also as PDF on your desktop.
  • Access the Document Library, Content, Document Library, Rocket eBulletins – WORD and click Upload to this folder.
  • Repeat with the PDF version, saving it to the Rocket eBulletins folder.

Save any new Images you used in the Newsletter in the Image Library, also under the Content tab. Notes: No spaces are allowed for the image file name – Use underscore mark “_” if needed.

Make good use of the sub folders in the Image Library. For instance, images you don’t think you will use again, put in the “Temporary” folder so as not to clutter up the main folders.

Email the Newsletter:

  • Access the Last Newsletter email. Use last email as the template for the new email. The benefit to this is that all information including pictures and hyperlinks will keep their formatting. Note:Sent emails delete each year so the first one for the school year will have to be from scratch.
  • Go to Reports/Sent Emails,
  • Click on the magnifying glass in the right most column to open in a new window
  • Highlight the content through to the Facebook link and use Ctrl+C to copy

  • Start new Newsletter
  • Click on Reports, Users and then click the box next to the word “Select” – this will send to all Users.
  • Paste the old newsletter contents in the open window.
  • While working in the new email, clicking on View/Fullscreen may be helpful to see how the end result will look (rather than scrolling through the small active window).
  • Format Newsletter
  • Click on each link, both email and document to make sure they are linked correctly.
  • Links: Highlight the link, right click and go to the [Chain] icon: . If it’s the first time the link has been used, the link will need to be activated.
  • Make sure the Target is updated to: New Window.
  • Email address URL should have “mailto:” in front of the email address.
  • Customize the “Text to Display” box so the link is more intuitive, especially for lengthy Urls
  • Pictures: Click on the picture icon: Select the picture or click on “add to document library if it is not already there. You may have to adjust the size of the graphic, either by removing the check mark from the Constrain Properties or simply clicking on a corner of the graphic and re-sizing it manually.

  • Update Sender information – do this last to prevent accidentally sending the newsletter out before it’s finished. It will not send automatically if there isn’t a subject.

1)Change From email address to:

2)Change Date in the body of the email to the current Newsletter date

3)Copy/paste (CTRLC/CTRLV) header to the subject line: Apollo PTA Newsletter – [Date] – click HERE to view in browser

4)Link the PDF version of the Newsletter – See Format Newsletter, below

  • Click Send!

Note:Make sure the message says it sent to at least several hundred recipients. There have been glitches in the past where it only sent to the email addresses on the first page. Or it is possible that only the first email address was selected, not “all”. When in doubt, go back to the Sent Emails under Reports to see who it was sent to.