Jul 2, 2026
Frequently Asked Questions: Boarding Home Students Returning from Summer Break
How long is summer break for boarding home students?
From mid-April to early June, students return to their remote villages for summer break. The summer season in the southeastern state of Tamil Nadu runs from mid-March to late June, with especially sweltering temperatures in April and May. Temperatures often exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit during these hot months.
How did my student(s) spend their summer break?
While students often spend time biking, swimming, and playing outside in the summer, many students also help their families with chores or paid labor during their school break.
While school is no longer in session, our LPGM India team stays busy during this summer recess. They spend time traveling to remote areas of the region visiting students (both sponsored and unsponsored), alumni, and students' families in their home villages.
When is the first day of school for boarding home students?
June 4 was the official start of the new academic year for boarding home students.
When do boarding home students return to the boarding homes?
Parents work as daily wage laborers and migrant workers in nearby districts and states, earning meager wages. They struggle to consistently pay small boarding home fees and many parents have had minimal formal education.
Many of the sponsored students are first generation scholars, and their parents are often more drawn to the safety and security provided by the boarding homes than the education their children receive there. Therefore, while school officially begins in early June, students slowly return over the course of June and July. They return when their parents can bring them and/or need childcare.
How do students and parents learn about LPGM and sponsorship?
At the start of each academic year, our LPGM India team hosts information sessions for parents and students to tell them about LPGM, sponsorship, and sponsors. Parents are given an opportunity to ask questions and sign consent forms.
I wrote to my student(s) during summer break. When can I expect to hear back?
If you chose to write a greeting over summer break, please know that a response will be delayed until the students have arrived back at the boarding home and our staff has had a chance to deliver your message and get a response for you. This will likely be in late June/early July.
If your student is at Siloam, please allow extra time for a response. Our previous Siloam sponsor relations coordinator (SRC), Aswini, got married and resigned in May, and her replacement, Srinithi, just started her new role in June. Thank you for your patience as Srinithi learns the ropes and catches up on the communication backlog.
If my student dropped out of school, or transferred to a new school, when will I be reassigned a new student?
Since students return to school on a rolling basis, we rely on our LPGM India team to let us know how long to wait before designating a student as “dropped” or “transferred”. The students’ parents don’t always communicate the change with the boarding homes. For this reason, these reassignments can take longer. We will try to reassign you to a new student by late August if possible.
If my student graduated, when will I be reassigned a new student?
If you expressed interest in continuing with student sponsorship, you will receive a new student once the boarding home rosters are finalized. This process will likely happen in July and August, and you will be notified via email once a new student has been reassigned to you.
If there is a period of time between when my student graduated/dropped/transferred and when my new student is reassigned, why am I still being charged for that period?
While students are only at the boarding home for 11 months each year, your sponsorship dollars are averaged across all 12 months to make billing simpler. The reassignment process can also take an additional month or two, but rest assured your donations continue to benefit the boarding home staff and your sponsored students year-round!
Remind me how to write to my student(s)?
If you scroll down this page, you should see an embedded form that you can use to write an electronic message to your student(s). Fill out the form with your name, email, your student's name and LPGM ID, your message, and up to two photo or PDF attachments.
You do not have to sign into the sponsor portal to send a message to your student. If you do not see a form on this page, please email office@lutheranpartners.org or call 612.823.5058, and we can assist you further.
How do I view the reply from my student(s)?
Our staff will share your student's/s' reply with you via the sponsor portal. You will get an email when our India staff has uploaded their response to the sponsor portal. Then, you may log into the portal to read their response.
PLEASE NOTE: Some email servers will place these email notifications into a spam filter. It’s a good idea to check your spam filter if you’ve been waiting for a while to hear from your student.
My question wasn’t answered, or I have a follow-up question. Who should I reach out to?
You can reach out to LPGM’s international program manager, Laura Feile. You can email her at laura@lutheranpartners.org or you can call her at 612.806.0732.
