trying to keep smiling: quick trick--teacher notes

In my desperate attempt to re-organize our lives during the first two weeks of school, I created a few things that I've really leaned on lately.

With Maddy and Owen's recent bouts with coughs, bad bellies, runny noses, coughs, and (we're pretty sure) the swine flu, I've had to communicate more frequently with both of their teachers. Goodness knows that the mornings I have five seconds to scribble a quick note, paper and writing utensils are nowhere to be found.

Today's Quick Trick has made my correspondences with their teachers a little more easy.

• Teacher Notes: I made one set of these Small Teacher Notes with Maddy's name on the 'Re:' line and another set with Owen's name on the line. The notes are tiny--two to a page--so that not to much paper is wasted.
  

I left the 'To:' and the 'Date:' line blank so that I could fill it out on the fly. I included only a few blank lines for a hand-written note, and then I have a line for my signature. My name, email address, home phone and cell phone are included on my template so that a teacher--or administrator--can quickly get back to me if necessary.

I printed out four copies for each Maddy and Owen, paper clipped them to small envelopes, and I put them in a safe spot, easy to find and unable to be lost. (Hopefully.)

I also made a Large Teacher Note and printed a few in case I needed more room for a message.

I modified the templates to share; they have none of our personal information included. Here are the Small Teacher Notes and the Large Teacher Notes to download if you'd like.

I remember the days when I was teaching and was so busy I couldn't sit down anywhere--let alone at my computer--until the end of the day. If I have a last-minute something to convey to Maddy or Owen's teacher, maybe--just maybe--they'd find a second to read an old-fashioned note before they find time to sort through all of their emails.

Who knows? I'm learning as I go. . .