Student Welcome Letter

A student welcome letter is a great way to greet and introduce yourself to your new students and their parents. Its purpose is to welcome students and give parents an insight into what you expect as well as what students need to do throughout the school year. This is the first contact between the teacher and home, so include all essential elements to give a great first impression and set the tone for the rest of the school year.

Elements of a Welcome Letter

A student welcome letter should include the following:

• Personal information
• Contact information
• A description of your classroom behavior plan
• A brief description of your classroom environment
• Homework policy
• A classroom supply list
• A brief statement of your teaching philosophy

Sample Welcome Letter

Below is an example of a welcome letter for a first-grade classroom. It contains all of the elements listed above.

September 2019

Dear Parents and Students:

My name is Samantha Smith, and I'd like to welcome your children, and you, to my first-grade class. Your children have all just completed a busy and productive year of kindergarten, and I'd like to assure you that their education will continue as we work to meet their individual and collective learning goals.

First, a little about myself: I have been a first-grade teacher for 25 years, including the last 10 here at Spencer V. Williams Elementary School. I believe in student-centered approach to learning. That is, I feel it's important that I get to know every student individually and develop individual education goals for each that tie into our classroom learning. I also believe that it's important that we—your child, you the parent, and I—work together as a team to help your children succeed.

This year, we will be focusing on district and state first-grade learning standards, which include:

• Math: Problem-solving, operations, and number sense
• Reading: Basic sight-word recognition, first-grade reading, phonemic awareness with more complicated sounds like blends and digraphs
• Writing: Formal work on handwriting skills in addition to creative writing tasks
• Visual Arts: Identification of lines, colors, shapes, forms, and textures as elements 
• Other Areas: Including basic science concepts, social studies, and social skills

These are, of course, only some of the academic areas we will explore and learn this year as a class. I will inform you soon of our back-to-school night date and details, as well as dates for parent-teacher conferences. But please don't limit your contact to those. I am happy to talk or meet with parents any afternoon after school or early mornings.

I have attached a copy of my classroom behavior plan, homework policy (I assign homework every weeknight except for Fridays), and classroom supply list. Please retain those for your records.

Also, please feel free to call or email me with any questions, thoughts, and even concerns.

Sincerely,

Samantha Smith

First-Grade Teacher

Spencer V. William Elementary

(555) 555-5555

smith@svwilliams.net

Importance of the Letter

The letter will be slightly different depending on the grade level. For middle school or high school, for example, or even for upper elementary school years, you'll need to emphasize different curriculum requirements. But the letter's structure can be similar regardless of the grade you are teaching because it sends a clear and open invitation to parents to work with you and their child as a team.

Sending out this kind of letter to parents at the start of the school will make your job as a teacher much easier and open up a dialogue with parents, an important step in helping each child succeed in your class.