Emails and digital letters are often sent…yet never opened.

Spam, subscriptions, corporate letters, and emails are often used to send many kinds of messages.

With the amount of spam mail sent out, people are hesitant to read it. With the Lancer Letters sent out weekly to school emails, only important and critical information is shared.

As a student myself, I find that I hardly ever bother to check my email. When I do, it’s usually to reach out to a teacher or admin of a problem I have, and usually never to check for updates relating to the school.

Obviously, not everyone does this though.

Angelika Fonua (12) often checks her emails and finds it to be a useful tool. “Being able to see my grades in the weekly email allows me to finish the homework I need, and it reminds me to do my schoolwork during the weekend when I’m at home,” Fonua said.

“The school makes a reasonable effort to communicate to parents with a broad stroke. These messages allow me to know what is going on with my kids and their schooling,” a Granger parent said.

Another student who checks email often is Valeni Fonua (12). She finds the event updates useful. “They keep me informed of events and updates that aren’t only school related, but also community-related,” she said. “They also help me know what’s going on—in and around our school,” she said.  

Emails could be more effective if the school added an interactive aspect for students. For example, they could include polls or surveys to help maximize student interaction.

Not only would this be helpful for students, but it would also allow the administration to get valuable information and insight into what Lancers think.

This small feature would not only encourage students to check their emails but also help GHS grow as a school. Another feature Granger could add to their emails is personalization. There’s an example of this with the “Weekly Grade Check” emails that students receive as personalized email with their classes and grades.

Granger could add to this idea that students and parents can be given the option to receive an email made just for them by going over any feedback or help that the student needs personally.

In these emails, there is a lot of information that assumes parents know or understand what the context is and its importance.

If each Lancer Letter could include contact information or a resource for each item of business, it would be helpful for the parents.

These weekly email announcements could also use more information—and not just the many different pictures and photos of the events.

These small updates would help leave a mark and a sense of responsibility for students to check their emails. Perhaps then, more students will answer, “Yes,” when asked if they check their email.