The U.S. Postal Service is working with WeAreTeachers to introduce The USPS Pen Pal Project, a free educational program for students in Grades 3–5, this 2021-2022 school year.
The USPS Pen Pal Project will provide 25,000 classrooms across the country the opportunity to partner with matched classes to write one million letters with the goal of building friendships and understanding diverse perspectives.
Each participating classroom will receive a USPS Pen Pal Project kit with A Friendly Guide to Writing a Friendly Letter! classroom poster (plus printable activities), class set of student stationery, envelopes for mailing, and a pack of stickers. By participating in the program, students will improve their writing, communication, and collaboration skills. Letters will be sent four times throughout the school year using the materials provided and class matches will take place in late December or early January.
WeAreTeachers offers daily articles, videos, and giveaways for educators as well. Throughout the year, they will also be updating the main site and sending out the Pen Pal Partner newsletter which will include letter-writing prompts and ideas for creating connections between classes.
“WeAreTeachers is so excited to work with USPS on this unique program that will share free resources with teachers and give 25,000 classrooms of students the opportunity to have a pen pal experience and build friendships and understanding across the United States,” said Dana Truby, the company’s editorial director.
U.S. public, charter, and private school teachers are invited to join The USPS Pen Pal Project. More information, including official rules and instructions for teachers to sign up their classes for the project, is available at www.WeAreTeachers.com.
The U.S. Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.
