General Info          Letter Collecting Guide           FAQs

• What if a pen pal doesn't know what to write about?

  Help them brainstorm a couple ideas. They can tell a story about when they were younger, tell about a class they really like, something fun they did, something about themselves, something related to the classroom theme, or ask questions of their pen pal (appropriate of course) or tell about siblings, pets, hobbies, etc.

• How do I collect the letters?

  Simple enough-just wander down to your hall's library after 8 PM on the Monday night letters are due and collect the letters from the box with your teacher's name on it. Then, as a Swing Team, go through the class list and make sure there are no missing letters. If there are, contact the students who have not turned in a letter and ask them to do so as soon as possible. When all of the letters are collected, put them in the awesome package you made and get the whole thing to your hall's Letter Head by THURSDAY EVENING!

• How do I make a package?

  Be creative! For some Swing Teams, elaborate packages were created, with each letter constituting one petal of a flower; for others, a package was a little wooden crate with "Special Delivery" and "Handle with Care" stenciled on the side. Just make sure the teacher's name is on the package. Contact your Letter Head if you are having trouble with ideas. Remember - the teachers will be keeping these!  You can also look at our package examples to get ideas!

• What's the format for the first letter?

  For the first letter, pen pals should head the letter "Dear Elementary school student". The letter should be one page long. Pen pals should tell a little about themselves, and ask lots of questions. The letters should close with your first name and last initial, room #, and hall. Also, be sure to write the teacher and school on the outside of the letter.

• What's the format for the second and subsequent letters?

  One page of 8 ½ x 11 notebook paper. Writing should be double-spaced and printed (no cursive), unless the little kid took the initiative and wrote in cursive first. The letters should be signed with a first name and last initial, along with room and house number. The letters should then be tri-folded, with the little kid's name, teacher, and school written on the outside. The pen pal should write his name and room number in the upper left-hand corner. Unfortunately, due to school policies, no real addresses, email addresses, or pictures can be exchanged. If a big kid wants to send a present to his/her little kid, he has to send enough so that the entire class has a gift in order to avoid any hurt feelings.

• If my class has a theme, do pen pals have to write about that theme?

  The theme can be incorporated into letters, but it is not necessary. Themes can often help pen pals who are struggling and need something structured to write about. Teachers would appreciate it if a few letters did have something related to their themes, but don't strain yourselves if you can't!

• Can I write on the back of the page?

  Please DO NOT WRITE ON THE BACK except to address the letter or decorate it.

• Can I include drawings and pictures with my letters? You can draw on the page and decorate the letter after it's tri-folded. However, do not send any pictures, because it would be unfair to the rest of the little kids.

• What if I am having trouble locating a pen pal who hasn't turned in a letter?

  Contact your Letter Head and keep trying to get in touch with your pen pal. Email, call, and/or stop by the room of this pen pal if you must. It is your responsibility to have that letter from them ASAP. In the event that your pen pal won't turn in a letter, you may have to write the letter for them this time.

• What if I don't get along with members of my Swing Team? Or what if a member is not doing their job?

  If a member is not doing their job, don't freak out! Try to work out the problem with the specific person. If the Swing Kid cannot perform his/her duties just as an isolated incident, distribute his/her duties amongst the other Swing Kids as necessary. If problems persist that you can't handle, talk to your Letter Head. If your Letter Head is the problem, you can contact smile@umich.edu. Since you are all volunteering to work towards a common goal, you should be able to work things out.

• What if I want to drop out?

  You have signed a contract committing yourself to this program for the year. If circumstances necessitate your leaving the program, you must contact your Letter Head immediately. Please remember, however, that you made a commitment to the program and these kids… they need your help!

• What if a pen pal of mine drops out or wants to drop?

  After the initial letter, you must try your hardest to encourage pen pals not to drop. You can not replace a dropped pen pal with someone you have found to take his or her space. Repeat, you CANNOT fill a dropped pen pal space. Immediately inform "smile" of the situation, and you'll be informed of what to do from there. In some cases, we will take a pen pal from the waiting list to replace the delinquent pen pal, but we do not want that situation to arise!

• What if I don't have access or money for materials for the letter packages?

  Most stores can get you an empty box if you just ask. If you need blank white paper, we can probably get that for you. Talk to your Swing partner and try to coordinate materials in advance. If you begin planning larger-scale gifts and projects, the hall councils may start appropriating funds as necessary.

• What if I lost the names and/or information of my Swing Team members or Pen Pals?

  Check out this information throughout this webpage or contact your Letter Head.

• What if I'm going to be away the week the letters are due?

  Make sure your Swing partner knows this. If they are ok with covering for you, that's fine; otherwise, you must arrange for someone to check to make sure that your pen pals have written their letters. Be sure to notify your Letter Head, so they aren't waiting around to pick up your package, completely clueless.

• What if my drop box isn't in the library?

  The letter drop box should never leave the library. If it's not there, contact your Swing partner to see if he/she has the box. If neither of you can find the box, contact your Letter Head.

• What if my Swing Team can't work out a time to meet to make the package?

  You and your partner should be able to find a good time to meet, considering the packages must be done BEFORE the Monday due date. That leaves you plenty of time. If this is not possible, one person may have to miss a meeting, but try to make sure you can both meet the next month.

• Who is on the programming board?

  Lots of fun people that love to smile. :)

• Will we ever go Swing dancing?

  We'd love to! Would you? Let us know when and where and we'll send the word out!

• What if I want to be more involved?

  We'd love your help! There are always things you can do, but you may need to be assertive. Email smile@umich.edu and tell us you'd like to be more involved. If you know in what way you want to be involved, please specify.

• What if I have a pen pal who wants to get more involved?

  Have him/her email smile@umich.edu with whatever ideas he/she has and we can go from there. All it takes is a little initiative!

• What should I do with my package after it's ready?

  You'll have to work with the Letter Head on how and when you'll be getting the package to him/her. Please make sure everything is together (both packages and letters!) before you make the exchange!

• What are my library hours?

  Visit our website at www.umich.edu/~smile and find the hours under Halls & Schools.

• What if I have a university pen pal who wishes to write to a specific little kid? For example, the pen pal wants to write to the same pen pal she had last year.

  This pen pal may be difficult to locate, considering this child may be located in a different classroom this year, which may or may not be involved in K-grams. It is up to the Letter Head to decide if this is a feasible option.

• I have a project idea. What do I do next?

  Contact your hall's Project Head. If the idea came from you, another Swing Kid, or a pen pal, that person is more than welcome to help the Project Head plan the project.

• How do I help my pen pals get to know each other better?

  You can organize letter-writing parties, Rock-n-Bowl nights, Diag lunches - anything you want! You have lots of ways to get ideas for this. One of the best is to talk to your pen pals and see what they would like to do. Another is to brainstorm with your Letter and Project Heads. Or, you can also stop by the K-grams office in the Union and chat with us about it.