Back to school night can be a nerve-wracking event for both teachers and parents. To alleviate some of the stress, here are practical tips to help you plan and execute a successful Back to School Night & Open House. By implementing these ideas, you can streamline your classroom organization, create an effective classroom environment, and maintain your sanity throughout the event.
Your Back to School Night & Open House slideshow should have the following topics covered:
- Your contact information (Include the best way to contact and how long it will take you to respond)
- Meet the Teacher (Tell a little about yourself)
- Daily Schedule (Be sure to post this by your classroom door)
- Snacks and Drinks
- Birthdays
- Donations (Maybe you need tissue or antibacterial wipes. This also might be a good time to mention a project you know you are going to do and will need certain things like toilet paper rolls)
- Take Home Folder
- Homework Requirements
- Expand on Reading
- Grading
- Missing Assignments
- Late Assignments
- Technology
- Expectations for Behavior
- Classroom Management
- Rewards
- Field Trips
- Volunteer Opportunities
- Attendance Policy
- Supply List
- End with a “Thank You” and open the floor to questions
Here are some helpful tips for Back to School Night:
- Only give out information you know for sure. It’s okay to tell parents you are still working out the details. It’s a lot easier to wait to give out information than to retract it.
- You can display your parent volunteer sign-up sheet during the back to school night. Many teachers (including me) don’t like to ask for help. However, many parents enjoy helping the classroom in some way. And this is the perfect opportunity for the teacher and parent! Put this information in your slideshow so you don’t forget.
- You may want to put out a parent sign-in sheet that has an area for parents to put their phone numbers and e-mail addresses. This is ONLY if your school isn’t already having parents update their contact information. Many times the information in the school’s system is outdated and the parent sign-in has helped.
- Use this time for parents to create and connect to your communication platform such as ClassDojo, Remind, Classtag, or whatever communication system you decide to use for quick communication.
- Discuss your classroom management system. Whether you will use brag bracelets, clip charts with behavior calendars, or a classroom economy. This is the time to let parents know what to expect during the school year.
- With changing times, you may need to have students stay in their seats throughout the day more often. Before you post the student supply list, be sure you know who (the students or teachers) or if anyone, is going to rotate.
- Try to minimize the student supply list as much as you can.
- Presenting Tip: Look at the foreheads or eyebrows of your audience if eye contact becomes overwhelming.
- Here are more back to school night tips for teachers and parents.
Here are some Editable Back to School Night and Open House resources that have those must-have topics expanded on. They also include a student supply list, parent volunteer sign-up ideas, and parent sign-in sheets. It’s a huge time-saver for back to school planning. Slides can be edited, added, or deleted as needed. Get your Open House and Back to School Night Presentation organized!
