Letter of Introduction to Teacher - Template Letter
April 9, 2006
Dear Teacher:
We are writing to you regarding our daughter,__________. ____ has had an incredible summer and has come a long way since moving in with us in December 2002. Before joining our family, ______ spent many years in foster care after being removed from her birth family. Our adoption of ______ will be completed soon, and we anxiously await the final paperwork from the courts. When the paperwork arrives, ______ new legal name will be ____________.
As you may know from her file, _______ suffers from a mental illness known in the DSMIV as Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) and also from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. These disorders stem from the abuse and neglect she endured while living with her birth family and multiple, abrupt moves while spending 4 years in foster care. Since she has been living with us, we have been seeing an attachment therapist, ____, L.C.S.W., to help ____ with her disorders and to help her adjust to living in a family. According to her therapist, ______ has progressed very quickly in a short period of time. However, while her behavior has dramatically improved at home, due to the nature of RAD, when _________ becomes stressed, her old behavior surfaces. Since meeting new people is a major stressor for ______, we anticipate she will act out during the first few weeks of school until she feels safe.
______’s RAD manifests itself in several predictable behaviors. She acts like she sees poorly. She squints and rubs her eyes vigorously until they become red and bloodshot. She acts like she has poor motor control by walking strangely, splaying her fingers, waving her arms uncontrollably, lolling her head, and sticking her tongue out of her mouth. She also lisps and giggles inappropriately. Finally, she acts like she is unable to complete age appropriate schoolwork, such as reading. Essentially, ______ takes on all the characteristics of a low MIMD student. _____ has practiced this routine for years, with great success and rewards, so she is extremely believable. However, _______ hasn't exhibited any of these behaviors at home for the past four months, so we know this behavior can be stopped. Provided the teacher, aide, or person in charge catches the behavior and tells ______ “nice try, but I don’t believe it,” you will see the behavior disappear after several days.
At this point in _____’s development, she is able to follow one step commands with 100% accuracy and compliance. However, she is not yet responsible to bring parent/teacher communication back and forth to school. Our home email address is ______@___. Please feel free to communicate with us via email about any concerns you may have, any school business of which we should be aware, or to verify any information that ____ gives you that seems questionable. We check our email several times a day and will respond as soon as possible. We will also be happy to come by the school at any time to pick up written correspondence ( graded papers, school newsletters, etc.) or any time you deem necessary.
We truly are excited about the new school year and seeing _____ come into her full potential. We will continue to be actively involved in _____ education at ______ Elementary and look forward to working with you.
If you ever have any questions regarding ____'s disorders, therapy, or dealing with her RAD, please contact her therapist, ________, at ___-____ or us at either (home) ___-____ or ( work) 555-0000 or ( work) 555-0000.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
