Do you have an agenda for Back to School Night? As a veteran teacher, Back to School Night/ Meet the Teacher/ Open House is not new to me. However, I always feel nervous right before the event since it is something that only occurs once a year. Over the years, I have found that having an agenda for back to school night helps me feel prepared and reduce the stress of the evening. It has become my essential game plan for a successful event. Here are a few ideas that you can easily incorporate into a Back to School Night/ Meet the Teacher event.
The Power of an Agenda
Not sure what to include in your agenda for Back to School Night? A presentation definitely helps! After introductions, the first thing to go over is the overall agenda for the night. You can use a Google Slides or PowerPoint presentation to review the important information you want parents to hear. The presentation will help you stay on track and remember everything you want to say. Best of all, you can easily reuse your presentation year after year.
Another idea is you can screen record your presentation and send it out to families who could not attend. If you get a new student mid-year, you can send out this same video with all the information! You can also house your presentation or video on your website so families can go back and refer to it when needed.
What to include in a Back to School Night Presentation
You may be wondering what information you should cover in your presentation. Here are few ideas you can include in a Back to School Night presentation:
–Meet the Teacher: Introduce yourself and tell a few facts about yourself
–Daily Routines: Review the school procedures parents will need to know right away such as drop off and pick up procedures.
–Schedule: Go over a typical day
–Curriculum: Highlight the curriculum programs used in your grade level/ subject
–Class Rules
–Behavior Management Plan
–Grading Policy
–Homework Policy
–Communication between home and school: Let families know how you plan on communicating with them throughout the school year and how they should contact you if needed.
–Volunteer Opportunities
You can also include anything else that pertains to your class such as how you celebrate birthdays or if you select a student of the week.
Back to School Night Brochure
You can provide parents/ guardians with a Back to School brochure that they can take home which highlights the information you covered. As an added bonus, if a parent/ guardian is unable to attend Back to School Night, you can send home the brochure with their child. This makes the information accessible to everyone. Like the presentation, the brochure can be used year after year which saves a ton of time! If you need to modify it, you can, and since it’s low prep, the brochures can be made with ease.
Back to School Night Stations
After the presentation is done, you can send parents off to visit a few stations before they leave.
Here are some ideas for back to school night stations:
Wish List Table
Before Back to School Night, brainstorm any items that you would like for your classroom. Many times, parents will ask you if there is anything you need and you can direct them to the wish list table! Parents can grab one of the item notes as a reminder and they will be more likely to get that item for your class. You’ll be so glad you included this as a station! Any items that get left behind can go on an Amazon Wish List that you can include on your class website or link to the weekly newsletter.
Parent Volunteers
Looking for parent volunteers? Have a sign up sheet ready to go. This is so helpful, especially for busy parents because they can plan ahead for when they will be needed in the classroom. It also keeps you organized since you will have all your volunteer dates already planned out.
Parent/ Teacher Conferences
If you know the dates for parent conferences ahead of time, it helps to have parents sign up early. This also helps parents block out the time on their calendar and I have found that it leads to a better turnout. Don’t forget to remind parents of their appointment a few weeks in advance. You can also include the conference schedule on your class website or in a weekly newsletter a week or two before conferences begin.
Bonus Ideas
Looking to add an extra special touch to your Back to School Night? Give these a try!
Student puzzle
This activity gets your students excited to have their parent/ guardian attend Back to School Night. Have students color and cut out a “Welcome to My Class” puzzle. They can leave the pieces on their desk and you can tell parents/ guardians to complete the puzzle to see the special message from their child. The next day, students can see that their family member sat at their desk and saw their special message!
Parent Letter
Another special idea is to leave a piece of stationary for parents/ guardians to write a letter to their child. They can write a message about their excitement and well wishes for their child on the upcoming school year. If a parent/ guardian missed the event, you can send home the stationary and instructions with their child along with your Back to School Night brochure. Once you have collected all the letters, you can pass them out to students. If your students are emerging readers, you can pull them aside and read their letter to them. This really makes the kids feel special to see that their families are excited for them as they begin the school year!
Hopefully, having an agenda for Back to School Night will help you feel prepared and have a confident start to the school year! By having a game plan, you will make a great impression and can ensure you don’t forget any important information. If you are interested in a Back to School brochure template, click here. I’d love to hear any other fun ideas you have to make Back to School Night successful. Leave your ideas below in the comments.
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