Newsletter Upload Guide

This guide explains how to upload newsletters so they appear on the correct classroom pages.

Quick Steps

1. Save your newsletter file in the correct classroom folder under /assets/newsletters/
2. Edit the classroom file in /_classrooms/ to add the newsletter entry
3. Commit and push your changes

Supported File Types

Newsletters can be uploaded in any of these formats:

• PDF (.pdf) - Best for multi-page newsletters
• PNG (.png) - Good for single-page image newsletters
• JPG/JPEG (.jpg, .jpeg) - Good for single-page image newsletters

Step 1: Save the Newsletter File

Each classroom has its own folder. Save your file in the correct location:

Naming Convention

Use this format: YYYY-MM-newsletter.ext

Examples:

• 2025-01-newsletter.pdf (January 2025, PDF)
• 2025-02-newsletter.png (February 2025, PNG)
• 2025-03-newsletter.jpg (March 2025, JPG)

Full path examples:

• /assets/newsletters/kindergarten/2025-01-newsletter.pdf
• /assets/newsletters/grade-3-4/2025-02-newsletter.png
• /assets/newsletters/grade-7-8/2025-01-newsletter.jpg

Step 2: Edit the Classroom File

Open the corresponding classroom file in /_classrooms/:

Add the Newsletter Entry

Find the newsletters: section in the file’s front matter (the part between the --- lines at the top).

IMPORTANT: Add new newsletters at the TOP of the list. The first newsletter is automatically displayed as the “Current Newsletter” with a thumbnail preview.

newsletters:
  - month: "February 2025"                                      # Required
    title: "Winter Fun & Learning"                              # Optional
    file: /assets/newsletters/kindergarten/2025-02-newsletter.pdf  # Required
    type: pdf                                                   # Required: pdf, png, or jpg
    description: "This month we're learning about..."           # Optional
  - month: "January 2025"
    title: "Welcome Back"
    file: /assets/newsletters/kindergarten/2025-01-newsletter.png
    type: png

Field Reference

Step 3: Commit and Push

After saving your changes:

git add assets/newsletters/kindergarten/2025-02-newsletter.pdf
git add _classrooms/kindergarten.md
git commit -m "Add February 2025 newsletter for Kindergarten"
git push

Complete Example

1. Save the file

Save 2025-02-newsletter.png to /assets/newsletters/grade-3-4/

2. Edit _classrooms/grade-3-4.md

Before:

newsletters:
  - month: "January 2025"
    title: "New Year New Learning"
    file: /assets/newsletters/grade-3-4/2025-01-newsletter.pdf
    type: pdf

After (add new entry at TOP):

newsletters:
  - month: "February 2025"
    title: "Black History Month"
    file: /assets/newsletters/grade-3-4/2025-02-newsletter.png
    type: png
    description: "Celebrating Black History Month and learning about influential figures."
  - month: "January 2025"
    title: "New Year New Learning"
    file: /assets/newsletters/grade-3-4/2025-01-newsletter.pdf
    type: pdf

How It Works

• Current Newsletter: The first (top) entry in the list is shown prominently with:
  • A thumbnail preview (for images) or document icon (for PDFs)
  • Download and View buttons

• Previous Newsletters: All other entries appear in a collapsible “Previous Newsletters” dropdown with download links

• Automatic Ordering: Simply add new newsletters at the top of the list. When you add February’s newsletter above January’s, February automatically becomes the “Current” one.

Troubleshooting

Newsletter not showing up?

• Check that the file path matches exactly (case-sensitive)
• Verify the file is in the correct classroom folder
• Make sure the type field matches the file extension

Image not displaying as thumbnail?

• Ensure type is set to png or jpg (not pdf)
• Check that the file path is correct

Getting YAML errors?

• Use quotes around text with special characters: title: "What's New"
• Use consistent 2-space indentation
• Don’t use tabs, only spaces

Tips

• Keep file sizes small - Compress images and PDFs before uploading
  • Images: Aim for under 500KB
  • PDFs: Aim for under 2MB
• Be consistent - Use the same naming convention for all newsletters
• Archive wisely - Keep 6-12 months of newsletters; remove older ones to save space
• Preview locally - Run bundle exec jekyll serve to test before pushing