I just finished reading tstyles article called Parent Newsletters by Kids. Kudos for such an excellent idea!
In previous years, I found that a lot of my 11 year old son's school computer time is spent (or should that read wasted) playing games that I wouldn't exactly call "educational" (according to his feedback anyway). Whether this is the choice made by the teacher or simply because they lack ideas on what to get the kids to do, I know not.
This project would be a great way to not only have the kids use their computer time efficiently, but also help work on their writing/editing skills and organization/planning skills (brainstorming throughout the week is great!). If the kids are working as a team, they'll even touch on their problem solving skills as they communicate (or debate) on what should be included within the newsletter.
Another idea would be to have the children or teacher take photos throughout the week to include in the newsletter. They could then learn basic photo editing, how to upload and insert pictures into documents and even touch on simple composition techniques.
I'll definitely be recommending this idea to my son's teacher.
Thanks!
Rhonda