Back to School Guidelines Continued... Open House

Last week, I posted about back to school guidelines. I discussed guidelines around reflection, room set up, and curriculum review. That was the beginning, but there's more.

• Get Ready Open House- The preparation for Open House can be overwhelming at first. There's so much to do to make the classroom a place that is inviting for incoming families. Personally, I LOVE Open House. It is a great time to meet families and give your students a first glimpse of their new classroom. If you are anything like me, you want to give as much useful information, but at the same time, you do not want to overload families with information. As a result, I give each of my families a parent folder. In this folder, you can find our classroom handbook (Yes, I made a handbook including everything that you need to know about our classroom), informational forms, bus tags, and a welcome certificate. This folder is also a place for parents to keep useful information that is sent home. My main goal with this is to try to answer as many questions for them. In addition, you want to gather classroom volunteers.I have sign-up sheets for this. I strongly believe that classroom volunteers support building a classroom community, a community of learning. Our Open House is split into 2 one hour sections. The time is split evenly for mingling and presentations, 30 minutes each. Parents spend time visiting stations and completing the scavenger hunt with their children. Then, we have a presentation about the first grade curriculum. Our team shares a power point highlighting the life of a first grade. I can write more about open house, but here are some pictures that shows a little of how I set up Open House at Farrington Bay. This will at least get your mind thinking about Open House. I am sure that you have great ideas too, so please share in the the comments section.

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  Sign up for volunteers and donations... I also have an additional pre-conference times for families who might need more time with me. These conferences happen during the first week of school.

  
  

  

  Parent Folder with Welcome Certificate and a little treat for my new students.

  
  

  

  All ready to go.

  
  

  

  Tray to turn in forms

  
  

  

  1st Grade Tee Shirt Forms and return spots

  
  

  

  Our Classroom

  
  

  

  First Peek at our 'The Reading Spot'

  
  

  

  The Reading Spot

  
  

  

  Welcome sign in- I collect emails here too to set up my email group. There is also the scavenger hunt for them to complete at Open House.

  

  Invite Students with Their Pictures, they also love seeing their faces on the door. It makes them feel apart of the family before school even starts.

  

  Volunteer Sign Up!
  

  
  

   Open House is extremely important. It is a time to begin building relationships with families that will jump start the school year. Take some time to think about what you want your Open House to look like. I gave you a few ideas. Share some of your ideas below. If you see anything that you like, just ask, I am always willing to share. Good luck getting ready for Open House!

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  
  

Back to School Guidelines Part 1

Did I just write back to school? Wow, I can't believe I wrote that, but I am beginning to see it everywhere. Television commercials, Target, Wal-Mart, malls and other stores are starting to promote the reopening of school even though, it is still two months away in Minnesota at least. Other places might be opening earlier.

All teachers know that preparing for the start of school is overwhelming. There are so many little things that must be done to jump start the school year. I strongly believe in putting the time in now, so that I can focus on the most important thing during the school year: student learning!

Today, I am going to share with you some guidelines that I that I follow as I prepare for the start of the new school year. If I miss anything, please feel free to add it to the comments section of my blog. I am always looking for ways to be more proactive. (Note- Our school is currently under construction so I am unable to get in there as early as I usually go into my classroom, so this summer I am preparing things remotely.)

• Reflection: Every effective teacher must reflect. Take some time to think about your past school year. Think about things that really went well and some things that you can improve on. We can always improve on. I know that there are some things that I am definitely going to change next year. For example, I want to improve my data tracking. I want to create something electronically through Google to track my student progress. I want to be able to use this information to share with my parents and also other teachers. In the past, I have used binders, Microsoft Excel, the Pensieve made by The Sisters (both paper and electronic) and the old-fashioned record keeping book. All have been effective in some way, but still I feel like it is not the right system. This is one project that I am going to spend some time on this summer, especially because I can't get into my classroom. What are some things that you are reflecting on? Post them below. 
• Room Set Up- I LOVE to set up my classroom. It is a time for me to get in there and create something that will be effective for my students. Unfortunately, I can't this summer because of construction, but you can read my classroom blog to find out how I went about it last year: Classroom Set Up 2014. It is critical to create a space that is welcoming, warm and FUN. Maybe, more in elementary classrooms, but I believe that all classrooms should be FUN. Think about it...it is your home away from home for nine months. You want it to be somewhere, where students feel excited about learning. I am going to post more about room set-up later this summer, but this should get me thinking about my classroom space again. Do you have any helpful tips about classroom set up? 
  
  
  
  
• Curriculum Review- I like to call this my scope and sequence for the year. Warning: it takes a lot of time, but it was the best thing that I have done. I got the idea from Lori Finn, a fifth grade teacher at my school. At first, I thought how do you this without even knowing your kids? We all know that the school schedule changes all the time and all that other good stuff. But, hear me out. Take some time to lay out your school year. When I did this, I did a pacing guide weekly. Click here to see my example. I thought about my lessons and placed them in a manageable way. Obviously, there are going to be changes, but this at least this gives you something to keep you on track and to refer too. It also makes sub plans easier as well. Remember this, the more time you spend planning now, the more time that you can focus on student learning.
  

  

  The First Week of School

I hope that this at least get your mind going. Look for another post very soon. Now, I am off to explore Montana a little more. I can't wait to read your comments later.

Why blogging?

Many times, I am sitting around thinking about teaching and learning. My mind is turning with ideas to try in my classroom. Sometimes, I decide to write ideas down or I might type it into the notes section of my iPad. Often times, I forget ideas.

So I thought, how about blogging; a place where I can document ideas in one place. Hopefully, these thoughts and ideas can be discussed with other educators to help teachers and students everywhere.

My goal is to use this as a place where I can share ideas about developing an effective classroom for today and beyond.  My classroom is not perfect, so I hope that I can also gain ideas from you. I believe that effective teaching and learning is a collaborative process. Together, we can create a learning place that is highly functional for all learners.

Well, here it is. One random summer night, it begins. I hope that I can look back at this post and celebrate collaboration. I hope that teachers become inspired everywhere. Most of all, I hope that our ideas can maximize learning for all students!

Let's get this started.