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!