The Best Paws and Pals Pen Pals
Pen Pal Club Guidelines
- Purpose:
- The goal is to foster friendships and cultural exchange between students around the world through letter writing.
- Monthly Letters:
- Each student is required to write one letter per month to their pen pal. Letters must be sent to the provided email by the last day of of each month and will be distributed no later than the 5th of the following month.
- Length and Content:
- Letters should be written and typed by the student and should be age appropriate in terms of length. Parents may help as needed of course, but this is a great time to practice typing skills, sentence structure, and grammar. We highly recommend using typing.com for free. You can sign up as a teacher and track your child’s progress.
- Topics to consider include hobbies, school life, favorite books, local traditions, family, and holidays. Encourage students to ask questions to get to know their pen pal better.
- Language:
- All letters must be written in English, unless both pen pals speak the same secondary language, which they can use if agreed upon.
- Positive Tone:
- Letters should be respectful, positive, and friendly. Negative comments, inappropriate content, or offensive language are not allowed and you may be removed from the program if this occurs.
- Email Address:
- Students must use the designated club email, [email protected], for submitting letters. All communication with pen pals will go through this email to ensure privacy and security.
- Important: In the Subject Line please include who you are sending your letter to: PenPal Name, Age, and ID number. This will help us quickly distribute your letter so there is no delay.
- Privacy:
- Personal information such as last names, home addresses, phone numbers, and school names should never be shared. Only first names and general locations (like country or state) are permitted.
- Pen Pal Matching:
- Students will be matched with pen pals based on age and interests where possible. Matches are final for the duration of the club year. Some students may have more than one pen pal if interested and the numbers work. Let us know if you want more than one.
- Feedback and Support:
- If a student does not receive a response from their pen pal by the 5th of the month, they should inform the club coordinator for follow-up. If you are no longer interested in participating please be kind and inform the club coordinator to be removed, [email protected].
- Creativity Encouraged:
- Students can include drawings, poems, or photos (with parent permission) with their letters to make the experience more engaging.
- End of the Year Celebration:
- At the end of the year, students will have the opportunity to reflect on their pen pal experiences and share highlights in a special club event.
This is free to all of our community members. All others can pay a small fee of $1 per month for the year. Click here to pay and email us at [email protected] to let us know you have enrolled. We will need your child’s first name, age, grade, gender, and general location.
