Email Etiquette & Guidelines
Email is an important form of communication so it is important that you follow some guidelines when you send a teacher an email or Canvas message.
Many times an email will be the first impression someone has of you -- make it a good one!
Remember to:
1) Create an email address that is professional. At BKHS you will be provided with a school email address @bishopkennyhs.org. You should make sure that you use this school address for all school communications. You should never use your personal email address to communicate with your teachers.
2) When it comes time to write your email, make sure that you use the subject line to convey your topic clearly -- the subject line should never be blank! Make sure that you include a subject, and verify that your subject is concise -- try to write no more than a few words. Often times you can get by with just one word for the subject.
3) Use a greeting, otherwise known as a salutation. Email is not like texting; it should be more formal, and therefore you should include all of the features that you would have in a mailed letter written on paper. So, in the first line of your email, address the recipient respectfully with a salutation like "dear," "hello," or "good morning." After the salutation, write the name of the person to whom you are sending the message. [See the sample below.]
4) Be friendly, concise, and express your ideas carefully and thoughtfully in the body of the email. The body is the main "meat" of the email, the sentences (or paragraph) that you want to send. You should never send an email that lacks a body, even if you have included an attachment. See #5. You also want to make sure that your email is not too long. Generally speaking, an email to a teacher should probably not be more than a few sentences. If you have more to say, it might be better to sit down with the teacher in person so you can have a conversation. Last, be cautious of sending an email when you are upset -- give yourself a while to cool down and then send the email (if necessary).
5) If you have attached a file to the email, you should always explain the attachment in the body of the email, and you should make sure that the attached file has a title that relates to its contents. You should not send an attachment to someone with a title like "Note 15." In the professional world, employees are specifically instructed to never open attachments that they are unsure about. If you send someone a file with a vague title, they probably will not open it, because it could be a computer virus. When it comes to high school, you are helping your teachers when you give your files specific names, and you are keeping your own work as organized as possible.
6) After you have written your message in the body of the email, you should sign off with a phrase like "sincerely" or "best wishes" and include your contact information.
Example Academic Email:
Subject: King Arthur Paper
Dear Mrs. Doner,
I was wondering if we could discuss my King Arthur paper. I want to make sure that I write a better paper next time.
Sincerely,
Hector Rivera
If you have any questions, send us an email at bkwritinglab@bishopkennyhs.org!
Image Credit: Email by Visual Language from the Noun Project
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