Gmail for middle school social studies

I have been teaching in the high school setting for many years and will be teaching 7th grade next year. I plan on using gmail to inform parents about what is happening in my classroom. I will be able to push out good news notes, upcoming dates and ways to be supportive of their student in the classroom. I also liked the idea of using gmail as an exit ticket for my students. Has anyone used this and if so how do you manage so many messages coming in?