The idea of preparing for back to school night can be overwhelming. Add in the fact that teachers do not know what the return to school will look like this fall. We could be hosting a back to school night in person, virtually, or even both. I am going to give you some tips that you don’t have to start over from scratch. You can still do everything with a virtual back to school night.
A virtual back to school night will still contain all of the same elements as an in-person night. In this post, I discuss…
Planning and preparing for back to school night is stressful for teachers. However, it is important to have this opportunity to bond with the students you will be with for the school year. It’s also a time to meet the parents and make a good first impression.
Many students are nervous about the beginning of the school year. Holding a meet the teacher night will help ease stress for families. Take the time to speak to all of the students and make a personal connection. You may not see the students in person every day. Use this opportunity to bond with each student to help your school year go more smoothly.
At a typical back to school night, you can pass out forms or have families complete them in person. You can still do this digitally. Use the same forms and send them to parents via email or your online learning system. I have included print and digital versions in this resource.
Meet the Teacher Letter: One of my favorite items that I send to my students every year is a meet the teacher letter. This gives me a way to share things about myself with the kids. I usually create some questions for the first week of school that relate to this letter. I even started including a Flipgrid to share a video about myself with my students. The students then add a video of themselves to the Flipgrid for me to learn more about them.
Letter to Parents: Not only do I send a letter to students, but I also send a letter to parents. I open a line of communication with parents from the beginning. I want to establish a relationship with them and for them to know that their child is in good hands. Since I send all of my communication with parents via email during the school year, I also share my letter to parents via email. By doing this, it sets up that expectation and routine from the very beginning.
Parent Input Form: Included in my letter to parents, I link a parent input form. I create this opportunity for parents to share their input about the student. This provides a lot of great information about the student and parents will appreciate being able to give input. I send this to parents via a Google Form, so I can access this at any time throughout the school year.
Wish Jar: Even if back to school night is hosted virtually, parents and students can still share their wishes with you. I like to place a physical jar out with paper and read those wishes. This is completely anonymous and gives a way to share their hopes for the school year. You can still have a wish jar by creating an anonymous Google Form.
Teacher Information Card: I like to print and share a business card with my classroom families. You can still print and send these in the mail. If that is not an option, you can create a Google Slide to share with all of the same information.
Expectations and Procedures: Even though teachers spend the first week (plus) going over expectations and procedures with students, it is helpful for parents to know as well. This can also help alleviate any questions that they may have, in addition to building that bridge of communication. A printable flipbook will make this an easier process for you to explain these to parents. If you cannot meet in person, you can share this digitally with families with this resource.
Forms Galore: The beginning of the year seems like a pile of paperwork. It can be hard to keep track of it all. I like to use folders and binders to help organize. If you have a room parent, alleviate some stress by giving those pages to that person. Some of my must-have forms are volunteer, transportation, and conference sign-ups.
Classroom Wish List: Parents want to know how they can help. They cannot always volunteer their time. Yet, they can sometimes donate money or items that are needed. I keep a continuously updated Amazon wish list for my classroom. When parents ask what we need, I can simply send them the link to my wish list. You can also go the route of creating a printable wish list to share with families.
Video Tour: A video classroom tour is a great way to share your space with families. I highly encourage a classroom tour even during “normal” school times, as it helps those families that are not available to come into the school during designated hours. You have numerous options available on how to share your classroom during back to school night.
Set the stage for online learning starting with back to school night. By setting up this expectation and procedure from the first night, you will be engaging your students and their families in the online learning platform. Like anything in life, people learn best by doing. Most of the ideas shared above can be implemented in your school’s LMS (Google Classroom, Canvas, Schoology, etc.) Start the year on the digital right-foot to be successful!
Are you ready for your best back to school night, yet? If you want to help make the planning and preparing process easier, check out my already made product!