Prep for Back to School
Make it a Stress-Free Night
Have a successful back to school night! As summer is just getting underway, I am already thinking ahead to the next back to school night. Gathering ideas and making preparations in the summer is a great idea, because things can get a tad hectic for teachers once school begins. Back to school night is a time when you get to make an impression. Of course, it’s a time to share about the curriculum, the rules, and the procedures with the parents, but all eyes will be on you as you present the information. Being organized is a key factor in helping make the night a success. In order to help you have a stress-free back to school night, I have put together a bundle of resources.
What does the pack include?
Back to School PowerPoint Presentation - This is an editable PowerPoint template. It means you can ADD images and text to the slides. You can use different fonts and insert pictures or clip art over the top, but you CAN NOT change the slides I have included. You can add more slides though if you want. The PowerPoint includes 34 slides with predetermined titles. It also has 7 slides that have backgrounds and images, but they do not have titles. You will want to read the slide titles below to make sure they will work for you. For each slide in the presentation, there is a themed picture that goes with the topic of the page. There is also a matching solid colored background. Many of the images included are 'real' items, such as a photo of shoes for the dress code slide, kids eating lunch for the lunch/snack slide, etc. I liked the look of using the real photos rather than just using clip art.
Open House Parent Handbook - This is perfect for you to print and have on desks for parents. They can take it home and refer back to it. It includes the following topics:
- Communication (type in email, phone, etc)
- snacks/lunch
- arrival and dismissal
- Note from the teacher - introduce yourself
- nurse/medicine
- birthday policy
- field trip
- schedule
- supplies
- homework
- weekly folder
- recess
- volunteers
- curriculum
- notes
- questions for the teacher (leave blank for parents)
- blank template (you can insert your own images and section titles
Meet the Teacher Template - All parents want to meet the teacher. They want all the details about your education, your likes, and more. This one-page (printed front and back) booklet-type parent newsletter template is the perfect way to share all about you. It's different from a standard letter you might write. This is suitable for passing out on meet-the-teacher day, open house, curriculum night, or whenever you feel is appropriate. I absolutely love how the cover turned out... so cute with the teacher image and the mug that says, "Eat, Sleep, and Teach".
Meet the Teacher Bulletin Board - Back to school is such an exciting time for the teacher and kids. All students are excited to meet their new teacher and find out their personality, their likes, favorites, and so on. There is so much they want to know but they are too nervous to ask. They want to know you as a person and not just as a teacher.
Hallway Display - This is a fun beginning of the year "All About Me" activity to help you and your students get to know each other. The great part about this activity is it will make a very cute display outside your classroom for back to school night. In addition, it could also be used as a bulletin board display. An added bonus is that when you are finished displaying the All About Me backpacks, they can be glued into your students interactive writing journals and they can look inside the backpack for writing ideas as the year gets started.
Have fun as you get to know the parents of your new students.