- 2 emails to TAs prior to the teacher/TA training, in addition to sending a Google calendar invite. I sent the first email about 2 weeks in advance, the second email about one week in advance. See example #1.
- One email sent immediately after the training with suggested next steps. See example #2.
- One reminder email about the workshop on the Monday before the workshop. See example #3.
- Thank You note plus link to feedback survey after the workshop. See example #4.
- One email about 2 weeks before the workshop. Reviewing workshop basics, stressing the importance of canceling if you can't come, reminding folks the InstallFest is mandatory, some info about the facilities at the location. I also sent some links to @Aphyr's Clojure from the Ground Up & @nonrecursives Clojure for the Brave & True, but stressed that these were FYI only, not required reading. See example #5.
- One email on the Monday before the workshop. This email reviewed dates & times, reminded folks about the waitlist and cancelling if they can't come. See example #6.
- One email to waitlisted folks on the Monday before the workshop. See example #7.
- Thank You note plus link to feedback survey after the workshop. See example #4.
Subject line: ClojureBridge Teacher Training on 3/18
Hi Folks,
Thanks to each of you for volunteering as a teaching assistant for the first-ever ClojureBridge workshop! Seventeen women have signed up to attend the workshop so far. I'm really excited to see so much interest, and really eager to welcome these new folks into the Clojure community.
Please make sure the ClojureBridge teacher training session is on your calendar. It's next Tuesday, March 18, from 6:00 - 8:00 PM, at the Cognitect offices in downtown Durham. We'll be serving free pizza, soft drinks, and snacks.
If you want to be a TA, you must attend this training session.
Here's a rough agenda:
- Teachers & TAs meet each other. Group hugs optional.
- Explain ClojureBridge's goals
- Talk about how to be a good TA and what to expect
- Review the ClojureBridge curriculum
- Q & A
We'll have a GoTo Meeting session in case anyone can't make it in to the Cognitect offices. The link is in the Description field of the calendar event. I've also included it below:
GoToMeeting link:
You will be connected to audio using your computer's microphone and speakers (VoIP). A headset is recommended. Meeting ID:xxx-xxx-xxxIf you have any questions, please let me know. I look forward to seeing you all next week!
Subject line: ClojureBridge TAs - next steps
Dear Superfriend,
Thanks for coming out for the ClojureBridge teacher training session last night! This would not be possible without your help, your time, and your enthusiasm.
As of this morning, we have a waiting list of folks who want to attend the workshop. (Registration is currently capped at 20 people. We may consider upping that, especially if there are only 1-2 people on the list.)
As we mentioned last night, here are some things you can do to prepare for the workshop:
1 - Read the curriculum and think about how you'd do the exercises. The curriculum us still a work in progress, but it's mostly done. Pull requests for minor improvements welcome. Pull requests involving major overhauls won't get much attention until after the first workshop. The curriculum will also be available in slide format by the time of the workshop.
2 - We'd especially appreciate help testing the the Windows version of the setup instructions. If you don't have Windows installed, you can get an evaluation-licensed VM of Windows from Microsoft at modern.ie.
3 - Get familiar with Light Table, so you can answer basic questions about it.
4 - Check out the Global Growth app we'll be "building" in the workshop. The master/full version is here. The shell/fill-in-the-blank version that students will start with is here.
If you have any questions, post them to the ClojureBridge Workshops Google group . You're all members. And here are the teachertraining slides from RailsBridge if you would like to review anything.
Thanks again to everyone for teaching and TAing. This is going to be so much fun!!
Subject line: ClojureBridge TAs: Ready, Set, Go!
Hi Folks,
Thanks so much for volunteering your time and enthusiasm to help teach the first-ever ClojureBridge workshop! You're awesome.
Here are a few things you should do this week to prepare for the workshop:
- Check out the full schedule here:
http://clojurebridge.github.io/community-docs/2014/03/28/the-first-durham-chapter.html
-
Double-check the event times (They are listed at the bottom of this email and in the link above). If for any reason you can't attend the InstallFest or the Workshop, please let us know as soon as possible so we can adjust our plans accordingly. We have a full house of 20 attendees, so we need all your hands on deck to make this successful.
-
If you haven't yet, please make sure you read through the entire curriculum and get familiar with the Global Growth application we'll be building in the workshop. The full curriculum will also be available in slide format by the time of the workshop. See something that could be better? Please send us a pull request.
-
Check in with Bridget prior to the festivities on Friday night. She'll be coordinating TA activities and she may have some special requests for you.
-
If you have any questions about the curriculum or the workshop, please send a note to or post a question to the ClojureBridge-Workshops Google group. You're all group members. By default, you get no email notifications from this group. To change that, you can log into the group and edit your settings.
Thanks again for making this possible!
<3<3<3 ClojureBridge
==InstallFest Friday, April 4 6:30 - 8:30 PM Dinner provided. Feel free to head over to the Cognitect office anytime on Friday afternoon. We'll be around and you won't be interfering with anything. You can help us re-arrange furniture!
==Workshop Saturday, April 5 9:00 - 5:30 Breakfast & lunch provided. Afterparty at The Pinhook, in downtown Durham. Your first drink is on us. Snacks will be provided.
==TA Note
Subject line: Thank you for helping with ClojureBridge Durham
Hi all.
Thank you SO much for giving up most of your weekend to assist with the Durham ClojureBridge workshop. We could not have done it without each and every one of your contributions.
We need to ask for one more piece of help. Could you please fill out the following survey so that we have more information about how to improve future workshops? We would very much appreciate it.
The ClojureBridge team
==Attendee Note
Subject line: Thanks for attending ClojureBridge
Dear ClojureBridge friends,
It was great to meet you at the first ever Durham ClojureBridge workshop. Thank you so much for attending.
We would love to know about your experience at the workshop. Please fill out this short survey:
We have added you to the ClojureBridge Alumni Google group. ClojureBridge teachers and TAs will be there. Please feel free to ask any follow up questions that you may have. All questions are welcome!
Here are other some resources you may want to check out: <note: many of these are local to Durham>
ClojureBridge community docs: http://clojurebridge.github.io/community-docs
Meetups
Triangle Clojure Meetup: http://www.meetup.com/TriClojure/ Refresh the Triangle: http://www.meetup.com/refreshthetriangle/ TriPython: http://trizpug.org/meetings
Clojure tutorials
Clojure for the Brave and True: http://www.braveclojure.com/ Clojure from the Ground Up: http://aphyr.com/posts/301-clojure-from-the-ground-up-welcome 4Clojure: http://www.4clojure.com/problems
Code schools
The Iron Yard: http://theironyard.com/locations/durham/ Girl Develop It RDU: http://www.meetup.com/Girl-Develop-It-RDU/
The ClojureBridge team
Subject line: Welcome to the Durham ClojureBridge Workshop!
Dear Super Friends,
We are so excited you've signed up for the ClojureBridge workshop April 4-5.
Here are a few things to keep in mind:
-
Registration for this workshop is capped at 20 participants, and we do have a waiting list. Please let us know if you can't attend this workshop, so we can offer your spot to someone on the waiting list. This won't be your last chance--we hope to offer more workshops like this in the future.
-
Attendance at the Friday night InstallFest is mandatory. We'll be installing all the necessary software on your laptop so you'll be ready to go Saturday morning. And it'll be fun, we promise. You'll get to meet the other workshop participants and teachers. We'll have free food, beer, and soft drinks available.
-
Free breakfast, lunch, and snacks are provided on Saturday. If you'd like to bring your own food, you're welcome to do so. We'll have a fridge, a microwave, dishes, & eating utensils on hand.
-
The Cognitect office is wheelchair-accessible. Please let us know if any special accommodations or assistive technologies would help make your workshop experience more awesome.
-
If you're curious to learn more about the Clojure programming language before the workshop, you can check out Clojure from the Ground Up, by Aphyr, or Clojure for the Brave and True, by @nonrecursive (also known as Daniel Higgenbotham, who will be one of the workshop TAs). This reading is completely optional, and you won't need to be familiar with this material prior to the workshop.
In the meantime, if you have any questions, please contact your friendly workshop organizers at
We can't wait to meet you!
<3<3<3 ClojureBridge
Subject line: Durham ClojureBridge Workshop Reminder
Hi Super Friends,
First, some news. Saturday's afterparty will be held at The Pinhook, in downtown Durham. After the workshop, we'll walk to The Pinhook or carpool in groups, since parking downtown can be challenging on weekends. We'll provide light snacks, and your first round is on us!
Next up, a couple of reminders:
-
Please double-check the event times and location and make sure you can arrive on time. The Friday-night InstallFest is a mandatory part of the workshop. Bring your laptop so we can install the necessary software and make sure you have a working Clojure environment. This allows us to hit the ground running on Saturday morning.
-
If you're unable to attend Friday's InstallFest or the workshop on Saturday, please let us know as soon as possible. We have several people on the waiting list, and we'd hate for any spots to go unused.
As always, if you have any questions, please let us know at
We can't wait to meet you!
--Your Friendly Workshop Organizers
Subject line: ClojureBridge waitlist status
Hi Everyone,
Thanks so much for your interest in the ClojureBridge workshop April 4-5. You're currently on the waitlist for this event, and we'll let you know if any spots open up.
We're delighted that this event sold out, but we're also sorry we won't get to meet you this time.
We'll be hosting other workshops in the future, and we'll make sure you get a chance to register for any future events before tickets go on sale publicly.
In the meantime, if you'd like to learn more about ClojureBridge, you can check out our web site or this talk ClojureBridge founder Bridget Hillyer gave at the recent Clojure/West conference.
And if you're curious about the Clojure programming language, some good introductory materials are Clojure from the Ground Up, by @Aphyr, and Clojure for the Brave and True, by @nonrecursive (also known as Daniel Higgenbotham, who is one of the workshop TAs).
We hope to see you next time!