The first-week letter to families

The first-week letter is one page that every family in your class reads before school starts. It tells them what their child will do in the classroom during week one and lists exactly what you need from them.

Send it about a week before the first day, so families have time to arrange childcare and buy what you've asked for.

What goes in the letter

Keep it to one page, with these sections in this order:

1. A greeting and who you are. Your name, the names of the other adults in the room, and the name of the classroom.
2. What the first week looks like. Two or three short paragraphs about the days.
3. What we need from you. A short list of actions, each with a date.
4. What to bring. A checklist.
5. How to reach us. One contact method and when you'll answer.

Leave out the school's philosophy, the full year calendar and the handbook. Link to them or attach them separately.

Give the letter a subject line or title that names the class and the week, such as "Sunflower Room: your child's first week." Families with more than one child at the school need to tell the letters apart at a glance.

Describing week one

Write the day in plain words, from the child's point of view, and skip Montessori terms unless you explain them in the same sentence.

Sample wording you can adapt:

During the first week, your child will learn where things live in our classroom: where to hang a coat, where to wash hands and where to find the bathroom. They'll watch the other children working and receive short lessons from a guide, which is what we call the adults in the room. Many of the first lessons are practical life work, such as pouring water, carrying a chair or rolling up a rug. These help your child learn to move carefully and care for the room.

New children start with short days that grow longer across the first two weeks. Your child's schedule is on the attached sheet. Returning children come for a full day from Monday.

Your child may come home tired, and may not have much to tell you. Questions like "Who did you sit with at snack?" often get more of an answer than "What did you do today?"

Adjust the details to your room. If you have a toddler class, describe the slower pace and the role of the parent during the first visit.

Listing what you need from families

Write each request as an action with a deadline. Families should be able to read this section alone and know what to do.

Example:

• Return the health and emergency forms by Friday, August 28. Use the forms attached to this letter.
• Tell us who will pick up your child. Send us their names by Friday, August 28. We'll release your child only to people on this list.
• Practice the morning routine at home. Let your child take off their own shoes and coat each day this week.
• Arrive and leave on time during phase-in. Your child's pickup time is on the schedule.
• Say a short goodbye at the door. A guide will meet your child there.

Five requests is a good limit. If you have more, move the less urgent ones to a second letter in week two.

For the bring list, use a checklist families can tick:

• A full change of clothes in a labeled bag.
• Indoor shoes that your child can put on alone.
• A water bottle with your child's name on it.
• A photo of your family for the classroom wall.

Name the details that matter, such as "velcro or slip-on shoes" or "a lunch box your child can open."

Before you send it

Run through this list:

• Does the letter fit on one page at a normal font size?
• Does every request have a date?
• Are the dates correct for this year's calendar?
• Have you used each child's correct name if you personalize it?
• Does the phase-in sheet match the letter?
• Has a second adult read it for clarity?
• Is it translated for any family who reads in another language?

Send the letter the way your school usually reaches families, and keep a printed copy at the classroom door for the first week. Families who missed it will ask at drop-off, and you can hand it to them there.