Four AI Templates to Write Parent Letters
As teachers, wouldn’t it be great if we had better communication with parents? If we could keep parents informed about what we’re doing, what their students are doing, and then find ways to collaborate and get home support for what we’re trying to accomplish in the classroom.
It’s really pretty simple. We have to communicate a lot with parents, but that’s a very time-consuming task. So, let’s look at four templates that we can use with AI to facilitate that process and get better communication with parents.
Template 1: Update on classroom activities
Let’s start with template number one. In this template right here (as soon as I find my cursor here), we have the need to tell the parents what we’re going to be doing in our classroom: Here’s what we’re doing. Here’s what we’re learning about. And here are some things that you can do to reinforce the learning.
So, here’s the template.
Prompt
Please write a professional yet friendly letter to parents of my 10th grade students.
Describe our current instructional unit and learning outcomes.
Include several ways parents can extend the learning.
Parents may contact me or visit the school to discuss their student.
Instructional content: Review the uploaded unit plan for information about the instructional content.
The first part is “Write a professional, yet friendly, letter to parents of my students’, and then you fill in what grade we’re talking about.
Then back to the template: describe our instructional unit and learning outcomes. Include ways that parents can extend the learning.
All of this is boilerplate. And here’s the part that you fill in. And this is going to make it very, very easy.
Review the uploaded unit plan for information about the instructional content.
See, you don’t actually have to put it all in there. Just send your lesson plans to AI. Really, the only thing you’ve got to do here is put in the grade level of the kids. So, let’s see how that can work here. Let’s turn over to our AI.
I’m going to drop all of that in there. And then I’m simply going to add my lesson plan or, in this case, my unit plan. So, I’ve got my unit plan. I don’t need to say anything about it. I don’t need to describe it. I just have to upload it, and the AI will take care of that part for me.
All right. Professional yet friendly letter to parents of my students, and then you put in your unit plan: learning outcomes, ways parents can extend the learning, and, of course, as always, they can contact me to discuss
And “Dear AI, please review the plan.” Let’s see if we get a nice letter.
Here we go. Template boilerplate stuff at the top. Hope it finds you well. I’m excited to share that our 10th grade class is engaged in… And look there, it’s the content that we’re studying, which the AI got directly from the uploaded lesson plan.
The point is, let’s make this informative yet really, really simple for us to do. By uploading the lesson plan, we don’t have to spend time describing we’re doing this and we’re doing that. Let the AI do it.
So, that is number one. Students will be able to do these things. Families can do these things. And always I welcome your continued collaboration. Thank you for supporting your child’s financial literacy and lifelong success. Fantastic. All right. So, that’s number one.
Template 2: Classroom expectations
Let’s take a look at number two here.
The second template is this classroom expectations. Something that we do beginning of the year, probably before they come back again for the next semester or after a long break, a little reminder.
So, the template is “Write a professional, concise letter.”
Prompt
Write a professional, concise letter to parents of my [5th] grade students to explain our classroom expectations. Suggest ways that they can reinforce the expectations.
Invite parents to contact me or visit the classroom to discuss their student and our classroom expectations.
The expectations are as follows:
1. Respect Others: Listen attentively, avoid interruptions, and use kind words.
2. Be Prepared: Bring necessary materials, complete assignments, and participate actively.
3. Engage in Learning: Ask questions, share ideas, and contribute to discussions.
4. Communicate Honestly: Speak truthfully and ask for help when needed.
5. Take Responsibility: Own your learning, behavior, and choices.
6. Use Positive Language: Promote a respectful and inclusive classroom culture.
7. Stay Safe: Maintain a respectful and secure environment for all.
8. Embrace Mistakes: View challenges as learning opportunities.
You’re going to put in the grade level here. explain the expectations, suggest ways that they can reinforce them at home, which would be fantastic. Invite them to just contact me.
Okay, so all of that here, that’s the template. And then all that we need to do or all that you need to do is simply put in the actual expectations.
So all of the first part is template. Let’s see if we get a nice letter to the parents.
Let me pull up a new chat here, and let’s give it a go.
The nice thing about using templates is you just customize the part that you need, and the rest of the prompt is already in place. You don’t have to create it every single time.
Welcome to the new year. Excited to partner with you. Principles help us respect engaging. All right. Then we’ve got our classroom expectations and some things that you can do at home. Regular conversations about child’s experiences at school also go a long way. That would be fantastic if every single parent would do that. So, let’s write a letter and ask them to do that. warmly invite you to contact me any questions or concerns and so on.
So there is a very nice letter home about classroom expectations. That’s number two.
A couple things to note though. I did say professional and concise. Many AI tools are a bit too over the top, a bit too gushy. So professional and concise. Make sure that it remains fairly objective and yet is still contributing to a positive relationship with parents. All right.
Template 3: Student behavior meeting request
Number three coming up now.
Sometimes we have to send letters home to inform parents that their students are not doing very well. They’re having some challenges. So the template is “Send a letter home” and what you would add into this is what are the areas of concern. So, what is it for the student?
Back to template. As a result the student is… and then list a couple of items that you think are undesired outcomes from those behaviors.
The rest of this is boilerplate. Concerned about the behaviors. Work together with parents to determine why they’re happening. Develop classroom and home strategies to get the student back on track. Ask for a meeting.
Prompt
I need to send a letter home to a parent whose student is
- frequently tardy
- missing assignments
- doesn’t use pro-social behavior when interacting with others.
As a result, the student is
- missing learning opportunities and
- struggling to achieve in my classroom.
I am concerned about these behaviors. I want to work together with the parents to determine why these behaviors are happening and to develop classroom and home-based strategies to get the student back on track.
Ask for a meeting or phone call.
Keep this letter concise, professional, friendly. Emphasize goal of helping the student through collaboration.
The student’s name is Bob.
Concise, professional, and friendly. Emphasize the goal of helping the student through the challenge by collaborating with the parents.
And I put in a student’s name is (I just use Bob here because that’s going to be incorporated in the letter). So, let’s get a letter home to Bob’s parents to get a little help in improving his performance.
As a result, the student is… Okay, it’s all there. Reaching out to share some concerns, his recent classroom behaviors that are affecting his academic success. We’ve got our concerned in there. The undesired outcome missing… My goal is to support Bob, help him get back on track. I’d like to work with you. So, can we meet?
Thank you for your partnership. Let’s work forward together to help Bob succeed.
So, by using the template and just filling in the details about the student, we get a very nice letter ready to go home.
Template 4: Invitation to school events
And let’s take a look at the last one now.
Sometimes we got things going on at school. We want parents to be there, right? So the template is: I need a letter to parents invite them, too.
Prompt
I need a letter to parents to invite them to our upcoming event:
- event: Band performance
- date: January 2
- time: 7 p.m.
- place: school auditorium
Describe the value to students of having parents attend.
Parents can contact
- who: the school office
for additional details.
Make this letter friendly and enthusiastic, but not too gushy.
And then I’m just simply going to list the details event, date, time, place. You would modify those as needed.
Back to the template. Describe the value to students of having their parents there and who can they contact for more information. So you would fill in that part for additional details. Make it friendly and enthusiastic but not too gushy. So, let’s see if we get a nice letter.
In a new chat and “Go”. And there it is. Very nice.
Hope you’ll join us. Great.
Conclusion
So, there you go. Four templates to facilitate and make simple the process of writing to parents.
I hope you found it useful. Take care.