Creating a Mail Merge

Simple Solutions

Have you wanted to send personalized letters to parents or

compile standard data that is used over and over throughout
the year? Well, this resource will aid you on developing the
tools you need to decrease time spent on administrative
duties and get back to what you love TEACHING.

TeKara Ray
7/20/2010
 Creating a Mail Merge
Teachers are working hard creating meaningful learning experiences that will allow students to become
productive learners who use a multiple resources. Often teachers don’t have enough time between
teaching, preparing lesson plans, attending meeting, completing grade books and report cards, and
being a liaison between the family and the school. A mail merge is tool that can be created in the
beginning of the year to provide teacher with the ability to create labels, personalized letters,
newsletters, student narratives to compliment the report card, and many more. This simple tool will let
parents know you are concerned with their child’s education and want to keep them abreast of all
situations in the classroom.

Setting up a mail merge seems difficult, but the steps are simple. Once an excel sheet is completed with
information such as parent information, address, child’s name, reading level, birthday, and much more.
The data can be merged into a form letter created by you at anytime during the school year. When
parents notice that a teacher is taking the time to personalize letters they may feel more comfortable
when interacting with the teacher during conferences and sensitive situations.

I use mail merge each school year. This resource can be used over and over as a reference whenever
needed. Mail merge significantly reduces the time it takes me to complete administrative duties
assigned by the principal which gives me more time to develop my students into great readers, writers,
sociologists, mathematicians, and scientists.

By TeKara Ray ED 623

 Creating a Mail Merge

1. Use the mouse to click start on your desktop

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2. Click Microsoft Office Excel to open a new document

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New Excel document

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3. Name the sheet by clicking Sheet 1 (it will highlight) then type your title
4. Type headings for your data as shown in row 1
5. Click Save at the top of the page (floppy disk icon)

By TeKara Ray ED 623

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6. Click the arrow to choose a place to save your document

7. Click the place to save your document (normally “my documents” is choosen)

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 Creating a Mail Merge

8. Click the arrow next to the “save as type” space to choose the format the file will be saved
9. Type the name of your document in the “file name” space

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Figure 1

10. Click on the line in between each column (the row with the letter) to increase the width of the
columns

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 Creating a Mail Merge

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11. Type information as shown in row 2

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Click on 12
“All
Borders”

12. Highlight the data typed (all fields)

13. Click on the boxed icon to create a border around your data for aesthetics

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 Creating a Mail Merge

Data will then have borders

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14. Highlight the row with column headings (usually row 1)

15. Click on the boxed icon to create a border around your data
16. Click “Thick Box Border”

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 Creating a Mail Merge

If you decide to print the data will look nice and have defined borders that identify information

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17. To insert a column highlight the column where you want the new column to be placed in front

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Place the mouse over the highlighted column then right click

18. When the selection box appears click “Insert”, a new column will insert

New column now labeled “C”

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19. Insert desired information (child’s name is inserted here)

Save your work!!

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20. Click “Start” then click “Microsoft Office Word”

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A blank document will open

Type the letter you would like to send to families. You insert address as listed above, it will be easier
when merging your excel sheet

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 Creating a Mail Merge

Save your document as you saved the excel sheet

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21. Click the “Mailings” tab at the top of the document

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22. Click “Start Mail Merge” and click “Letters”

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23. Click “Select Recipients” the click “Use Existing List”

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24. Select data source (the excel sheet created with family addresses)

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25. Select the sheet titled (first one on the list)

26. Click “OK”

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 Creating a Mail Merge

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27. Click “Edit Recipient List”

View dialogue box to make sure all address are selected. You can deselect those that will not receive the
letter

Click “OK”

By TeKara Ray ED 623

 Creating a Mail Merge

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28. Highlight “FN” in the address section

29. Click “Insert Merge Field” then click “First_Name”
a. Type a space after “First_Name”

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30. Highlight “LN” in the address section

31. Click “Insert Merge Field” then click “Last_Name”

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32. Highlight “Address” in the address section

33. Click “Insert Merge Field” then click “Address”

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34. Highlight “City” in the address section

35. Click “Insert Merge Field” then click “City”

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36. Highlight “State” in the address section

37. Click “Insert Merge Field” then click “State”

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38. Highlight “Zip” in the address section

39. Click “Insert Merge Field” then click “Zip_Code”

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40. Highlight “Parents” in the greeting section

41. Click “Insert Merge Field” then click “First_Name”
a. Type a space after “First_Name” in the greeting section (leave cursor in place)

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42. Click “Insert Merge Field” then click “Last_Name”

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43. Highlight “name” in the body of the letter

44. Click “Insert Merge Field” then click “Child’s_ Name”

Repeat steps above

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 Creating a Mail Merge

Document complete with a merged fields

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45. Click “Preview Results” (the first person on your list will be shown”

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 Creating a Mail Merge

Example of completed merged document

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46. Click on “Finish & Merge” then click “Edit Individual Recipients”

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47. Make sure “All” is selected then click “OK”

1st page of merged document (merged documents will appear in a new window )

Review (the number of pages should coincide with how many are supposed to receive the letter) and
save

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 Creating a Mail Merge

2nd page of merged document

3rd page of merged document

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Save document as previously shown

Open up a new document

Click “Start Mail Merge” then click “Labels”

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48. Choose the Label vendor (AveryUSLetter)

49. Choose the Product number (5160)
50. Click “OK”

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51. Select data source (Choose the excel file with family addresses)
52. Click “Open”

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53. Choose the sheet titled (usually the first one)

54. Click “OK”

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55. The city is missing in the address we must correct it

56. Click “Match Fields..”

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57. Click the drop down arrow to the right of “City” then select “City”
58. Click “OK”

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59. Click “OK”

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 Creating a Mail Merge

A label document will appear with as shown above

Place cursor at the end of the field “AddressBlock”

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60. Click “rules’ then click “Next Record”

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61. Address block with instructions to go to the next record (all subsequent labels will appear this
way)

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62. Highlight “NextRecord”

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63. Click Address Block

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AddressBlock will appear in front of “NextRecord” on the 2nd label

Repeat previous steps for the third label (copying and pasting will also work)

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65. Click “Preview Results”

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66. Click “Finish & Merge” then click “Edit Individual Recipients”

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67. Make sure “All” is selected and then click “OK”

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Complete merged labels

Save the document for later use.

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 Creating a Mail Merge
Additional Resources

Microsoft Corporation. (2010). Mail merge I: Use mail merge for mass mailings.

Located at

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word-help/quick-reference-card-
RZ010277841.aspx?client=1&Ver=12&NS=WINWORD&lc=en%2DUS&respos=0&CTT=1&queryid=286f8d
c2a27b41e2ae73c36214c20112&section=27&mode=print

By TeKara Ray ED 623