A visitor recently sent me this question:

I am trying to get my iPad to give me an alert when email comes. The
alert comes if there is email waiting when I activate my iPad. But I
do not get the alert if the email comes when my iPad is sleeping. Is
there a “switch” that will cause the alert to come immediately when it
is available?
Roger

The solution to this problem is in the notifications settings. Here’s how to set the alert for new mail.

Go to Settings > Notifications
Look for Mail in Notification Center. If Mail is not in Notifications, add it from the list of apps below and choose the Alert style you want for mail.