{"id":"ind-par-absence-excuse-email","audience":"parents","category":"writing-emails","technique":"constraints","title":"Excuse your child's absence with the right dates and no extra details","free":false,"task":"You need to email the school attendance office about your son's absence. Keep it under 60 words, plain text: his full name, grade, homeroom and the corrected absence dates in the first sentence, the reason as just \"sick\" with no symptoms, then your phone number as the last line. Don't ask the office about makeup work; that goes to teachers. Write a prompt that gets you exactly that.","materialLabel":"Your notes (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"MY NOTES - email to Cedar Ridge Middle School attendance (attendance@cedarridge.example)\n\nKid: Mateo Alvarez, 7th grade, homeroom 214 (Mr. Kessler)\nOut: Monday Nov 3, Tuesday Nov 4, and Wednesday Nov 5\n-> wait, he went back Wednesday after lunch. School says half days count as present if they're there by noon? No: he got there at 12:40. Ugh. Actually I called Weds morning and the office said a partial day counts as a tardy, not an absence, so only list Mon and Tue.\n\nWhy: stomach bug, threw up Sunday night, fever 101 on Monday, better by Wednesday.\nDoctor's note? Didn't go to the doctor.\n\nMy phone: 555-0187 (cell)\nAlso need to ask: does he need to make up the science quiz? (teacher question, not attendance)\nPickup line has been crazy this week.","rules":[{"type":"maxWords","max":60},{"type":"plainText"}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Trusting the AI to count words","why":"AI is bad at counting. Ask for \"under 60 words\" and it often lands well over.","fix":"Cap each part instead: \"3 sentences, each under 18 words, then the phone line.\"","checks":["maxWords"]},{"title":"Burying the key facts","why":"The AI opens with \"I hope you're well\" and scatters the name and dates.","fix":"Add: \"First sentence: full name, grade, homeroom, dates absent.\"","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"Using all three days","why":"Your notes list Wednesday before you crossed it out.","fix":"Add: \"Only Mon Nov 3 and Tue Nov 4 (Wednesday was a tardy).\"","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"Oversharing","why":"The AI adds the symptoms to sound thorough.","fix":"Add: \"Reason: sick. No symptoms.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Mixing in other questions","why":"The AI asks the office about the science quiz, which teachers handle.","fix":"Add: \"Don't ask about makeup work. End with my phone number.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Ignoring where it will be pasted","why":"AI loves bold and headings, which show up as stray ** and # symbols in the email.","fix":"Name the place and the format: \"For the email. Plain text, no bold or headings.\"","checks":["plainText"]}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Puts key facts first","patterns":["first sentence","lead with","start with","homeroom"]},{"label":"Uses the right dates","patterns":["mon(day)?.{0,15}tue","only (mon|two)","not wed","nov(ember)? 3"]},{"label":"Keeps it private","patterns":["no symptoms","just .?sick","don'?t (mention|share)","private"]},{"label":"Ends with your phone","patterns":["phone","555-0187","last line"]},{"label":"Sets a word limit","patterns":["\\d+\\s*words","word (limit|count)"]}],"hint":"An attendance office needs a few facts in one place. Tell the AI exactly which dates count, how much to share, and what to leave for teachers.","rubricLabels":["The first sentence gives Mateo Alvarez, 7th grade, homeroom 214, and absent Monday Nov 3 and Tuesday Nov 4 only (not Wednesday)","Gives the reason only as sick or ill, with no symptoms (no stomach bug, vomiting, throwing up or fever)","The last line includes the phone number 555-0187 (a name next to it is fine), and the email doesn't ask about makeup work or the science quiz"]}