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name: parent-communication
description: "Draft clear, warm, professional messages to parents or guardians — progress notes, concerns, positive news, behaviour issues, or meeting requests. Use when asked to email a parent, write home about a student, raise a concern with a guardian, or share an update. Produces a ready-to-send message that is specific, partnership-oriented, and constructive — never accusatory — with the tone matched to the situation."

Parent Communication Skill

Messages home set the tone for the whole relationship. The best ones are specific, lead with care for the child, frame issues as a shared problem to solve, and always include a next step. This skill writes them.

Working from a brief

Given the situation, write the full message anyway using a placeholder-free template (e.g. "Alex" / "your child" rather than "[student name]" only where the teacher must personalise — keep those to an obvious minimum and mark them clearly). Match the tone to the purpose.

Required Inputs

Ask for (if not already provided):

• Purpose (positive news, progress update, academic concern, behaviour issue, meeting request)
• Student (name/year) and the specifics (what happened, with examples)
• Channel & tone (email, app message, note home; formal or warm)
• Desired outcome (awareness, a meeting, support at home)

Output Format

A ready-to-send message:

• Subject line (clear, non-alarming even for concerns)
• Opening — a genuine, specific positive about the child first (especially before a concern)
• The message — what's happening, with one concrete example; for concerns, factual and non-judgmental
• Partnership framing — "here's how we can support [child] together"
• Clear next step — a meeting offer with options, a specific ask, or simply "no action needed, just sharing good news"
• Warm close

For a sensitive issue, also give:

• What to avoid saying — the phrasings that sound accusatory or label the child.

Quality Checks

• Leads with care for the child, not the problem
• Specific (a real example), not vague labels ("disruptive", "lazy")
• Frames issues as a shared problem, not blame
• Ends with a clear, easy next step
• Tone matches the purpose; subject line won't alarm unnecessarily

Anti-Patterns

• Labelling the child instead of describing the behaviour
• Jargon or edu-speak parents won't parse
• A concern with no path forward or offer of support
• Over-long; burying the point under throat-clearing