School Administrator's Complete Letter Book

Contributors to the Second Edition xiii Contributors to the First Edition xvii How You Will Benefit from This Book xix How to Access the Online Materials xxiii 1. Back-to-School and Welcome 1 When school opens in the fall, there are a number of letters and memos for the administrator to write. This chapter deals with 21 of them. Write It Right! — Expect to Revise 22 2. Statements of Philosophy and Policy 23 These 20 entries, including a six-part collection of mission statements, cover a broad range of topics. Some are the individual views of administrators; others are district policy. Write It Right! — Refer to Prior Communications 45 3. The Curriculum 47 Curriculum is the substance of education, and good communications are especially important in this area. Here are 19 exemplary letters. Write It Right! — Choose the Right Word 66 4. School Facilities and Busing 67 This chapter contains 20 letters dealing with school facilities and their use, with an emphasis on the physical plant and on issues involving school buses. Write It Right! — Check Unfamiliar Forms of Address 86 5. Money Matters 87 Without money, schools would cease to exist. The writers of these 17 letters have a knack for explaining money matters in a way that makes sense and should help make friends. Write It Right! — Double-Check Spelling 104 6. Announcing Upcoming Events 105 School is an adventure, especially when special events are on the calendar. These 21 letters explain what the recipients need to know about what’s coming up. Write It Right! — Don’t Be Afraid to Repeat a Word 123 7. Recommendations 125 Pleasant in prospect but not so easy to write, these kinds of letters are a part of every administrator’s responsibility. Included here are 19 that have worked well. Write It Right! — Include an Anecdote 143 8. Get-well and Sympathy 145 Get-well letters are a challenge, but nothing is harder to write than a sympathy letter. Words seem trivial in the face of tragedy—yet they are needed. These 17 examples can help. Write It Right! — Be Tactful 157 9. Evaluation Forms, Memos, and Letters 159 The 19 letters, memos, and forms in this chapter have to do with the evaluation of personnel— always a topic of concern to both the teaching profession and the public. Write It Right! — Leave Nothing Out 183 10. Answering Criticism and Complaints 185 No one is immune to criticism, certainly no one in a position of educational leadership. Answering criticism persuasively, as these 18 letters do, is a skill worth mastering. Write It Right! — Keep It Brief 204 11. Discipline, Suspension, and Expulsion 205 The letters in this chapter are ones that no school administrator enjoys writing, but they sometimes become necessary. The 27 letters here run the gamut from quiet chiding to expulsion. Write It Right! — Pay Attention to Transitions 227 12. Congratulations 229 Happily, congratulatory letters are one of the largest categories in the school administrator’s letter-writing repertoire. No fewer than 18 samples convey the good news. Write It Right! — Explain Abbreviations 241 13. Showing Appreciation 243 People inside and outside the school and district office often work hard on behalf of the educational enterprise. They deserve praise. In these 22 letters, they receive it warmly. Write It Right! — Sidestep Grammatical Problems 258 14. Internet Communications 259 This chapter, new to the second edition, features a diverse collection of 25 Web pages that illustrate the kinds of information a school or district Web site can offer. Write It Right! — Aim for Short Paragraphs 285 15. Offers, Acceptances, and Approvals 287 Everyone likes to say yes, but the writing process for doing so can sometimes be tricky. The 19 letters in this chapter help show the way. Write It Right! — Don’t Overuse I 301 16. Reprimands and Complaints 303 The school administrator’s lot, like the police officer’s, is not always a happy one. Verbal wrist-slapping may be required, and these 20 letters do it effectively. Write It Right! — Emphasize the Word You 320 17. Rejections, Dismissals, and Cancellations 321 Most of the letters in this book illustrate the empathy and compassion one expects from professional educators. That is particularly true of these 14 letters. Write It Right! — “Needless to Say”?—Right! 333 18. Public Relations and the Media 335 Entire books have been written on public relations. The 18 letters in this chapter show a few ways in which school administrators can make a good impression on the public. Write It Right! — Insert a Quotation 351 19. End-of-School-Year Letters 353 The final days of school can provide a good opportunity to make a memorable impression. The 16 letters here indicate a few ways of doing so. Write It Right! — How Not to Say It 367 Forms of Address in Letters 369 Index 373