Care-Mail: Holiday Edition

What to write about

• You can share about whatever is happening in your life.  Here are some suggestions:

  • About you: Share where you are from, your job, your family, etc.

  • How will you be celebrating over the holidays?

  • Share your favorite, books, movies, sports, etc. and explain why they're your favorite

  • Food: What are your favorite holiday foods?  Are you going to be cooking anything to celebrate?

  • Quotes: share a favorite one and explain why you like it

  • Names: what's the meaning behind your name or your children's names?

  • Pets: What was your first pet? What pets do you have now?  Include a picture of them or share about their silly antics.

  • What are three things you are grateful for today?

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• Recognize/acknowledge your student’s worry or feelings of loneliness during the holidays and maybe offer how you get rhu similar experiences

• What is most important here is that by reaching out to a student, you are letting her/him know that you care, and that you acknowledge her/his humanity and value.

 

What not to write about

• Note that your letters will be read by facility staff.  Be mindful of what you write. 

• Do not use offensive, foul, or sexual language

• Do not share your personal information (address, phone number, email, etc.)

 

Other Guidelines and thoughts to consider

• Please keep in mind the mixed literacy levels among students and try to write appropriately

• Please be aware of the reality of our students’ current situation (they are likely spending a lot of time indoors--perhaps in isolation)

• Please keep in mind that your students likely will not be able to write back

• It's very possible that students are held on the same unit at the facility and they may share their letters, so if you are wrting multiple letters, try to make at least one aspect of them unique/different (ex. tell one your favorite holiday tradition and the other your favorite holiday food). But don't overwhelm yourself with trying to write completely different things to each of them. Just one little difference could be enough!

 

Templates and Related

• Below, we have included some templates for you in case you feel like you need some guidance and help. You do not need to use these.

• We kindly ask that you submit your letters in PDF form as it is easiest for printing (though JPEG and word docs are also accepted).

  • We recommend the free app Genius Scan, which you can use to scan your handwritten cards and email to yourself as a PDF before submitting to us through the portal​

  • If taking a picture, you can use this website to remove the background and make the letter look better, though this is not required!

• Don’t be afraid to be creative -- write a poem, sketch out a picture, practice your calligraphy! 

• While handwritten letters are not required, they are strongly encouraged.

• Note that your notecards or letters will likely end up being printed out on 8”x11” white paper, in black and white.  Some might get printed in color, but we can’t control that. 

 

Thank you!!!