Why Smore is the best place for your classroom newsletters

What do you use for your classroom newsletters? I used to stress about making mine as cute and original as possible, often having an entirely different theme each week/month. Now I have found that the convenience (and tech-savvy features) of a new website called Smore have overcome my desire for original design. Plus, the templates provided are really easy, the background designs provided and consistently updated are beautiful, and I can even add my own custom background should I feel so empowered. So without further ado, 5 reasons why Smore is amazing:

1. The interactive features are reason enough to convert. You can embed links, events, and even forms for parents to view and utilize right in the newsletter. Take this chance to offer volunteer opportunities through a google form, or have parents RSVP to a class party through an event. My link to my class webpage remains on the newsletter for parents to always have access to. I plan on putting other important links on my future newsletters, like the 1:1 iPad webpage for our school, which provides troubleshooting advice, login information and much more. 
2. You can view the newsletter statistics, like how many views and where it was viewed. You can even track how long people were viewing the newsletter for. So cool! 
3. It stores your "flyers" (that's what they call them) so you have one easy and safe spot to view your newsletter history.
4. SUPER easy to edit. I mean SUPER EASY. It forces me to forget about the cute fonts and clipart and focus on the content. 
5. Mobile friendly. That's right, there's a mobile format so that parents can view right from their phones. There's no opening attachments on the computer or having to use a web browser. When I send my "flyer" out to my automated mailing list that stays stored in Smore, parents can immediately pull it up right in their email without the hassle of loading or multiple steps of access.

Okay, so I love Smore, and you should, too. Start off for free with 5 complimentary flyers. If you like it, join! For educators, it's $59/year. I bit the bullet because I just loved it so! You can even earn badges based on how successful your flyers are with their viewing audience. Did I mention I love Smore? 

What do you use for your classroom newsletters?