Why Do We Need to Address This?

In this day and age, childcare is not always accessible or affordable. In order to make back-to-school night easier to attend, it is important to provide families with options. Many families have two working parents, divorced/remarried parents, and many other unique situations that can make it challenging to attend. Most parents would be grateful for the opportunity to attend without having to arrange childcare.

This is a simple gesture that shows families the importance of attending back-to-school night. Each year, I notice an increasing number of missing parents from this important informational night. As teachers, this is the night parents/families get to meet the teacher and see where their children spend much of their week. Modeling for families an effort to get them to attend can be a game changer.

Who Should Be Involved?

As members of the education society, we all need to focus on thinking more globally. What I mean by this is to not view how it will affect your classroom individually, but the school or your district as a whole. Through completing graduate school, I developed the ability to view many decisions or make many decisions on a more global level, which I feel has helped my classroom run more effectively overall.

Building a solid school community of teachers, families, and students is so important to the success of the school year, and even involving the board of education members can help to build a strong foundation. When students observe their teachers and families working together, it helps to create a more positive and inviting learning environment. It also can help with classroom management, because students see teachers and parents communicating regularly. As far as planning a family friendly back-to-school night goes, I think the more that want to be involved, the better!

How to Involve the Whole Family

One way that a school can be more accommodating is to set up a classroom for the students that are in the building. You can involve the PTA (Parent Teacher Association), as well as some of the more responsible students in the school. The PTA could have a sign-in sheet and have little activities set up around the room. Student volunteers can help to run the activities, while the adults oversee them. One great activity would be to have students design bookmarks. This sends the message of the importance of reading, while allowing students to express individuality and make a cool bookmark to use all year. This helps to bring the school community together, as well as accommodate parents who do not have another option. This option would need to be planned prior to back-to-school night and be approved by administration, but it is a great idea to bring up when school starts up in the fall.

Another simple way would be to have a movie classroom. Again, this could be run by the PTA, or special area teachers could rotate in on half hour shifts in the room. Responsible students again can help with running this “movie room.” This would give students a place to hang out, and meet some new friends while the parents meet the teachers and see the classroom environment.

Utilizing the school gymnasium could also be a great idea! You can set up different activity stations and have some simple games set up for the attending children to participate in. Again, simple is the key word here, as you want the games to move quickly and efficiently. Minute-to-Win-It games, such as cup stacking, are a great idea.

Incorporating activities into your actual classroom on back-to-school night can be a bit more challenging. I would set up a comfortable area in the hallway directly outside your classroom to accommodate children. You can leave out questionnaires for siblings of students, as well as your students alike if they are in attendance. You can say you want to get to know the family. Coloring pages and simple activity worksheets would also be good for this setup. If you planned on setting up a little station outside of your classroom, I would run this by administration first to make sure they are on board with this. Many schools want to be “on the same page,” and it may not be considered fair if one teacher offers this while others do not. It is always best to obtain approval for any ideas.

Including the entire family in back-to-school night is a wonderful idea. Keeping students in the room while parents listen to information pertinent to the school year is too distracting, but having activities, games, or alternative placements in the building is a great idea. When the parents/family are finished meeting the teacher and listening to details about the school year, the family can then move onto activities and participate together.

The world is a different place than it was 20 years ago, and being more progressive in all areas of thinking is important to the success of our schools. When it becomes apparent that it is difficult for parents/families to attend back-to-school night, appropriate accommodations must be made. As teachers, it is so important to form connections with students and their families, and this is the first stepping stone to doing so.

The post How to Involve the Whole Family on Back-to-School Night appeared first on TeachHUB.

Although some staples like open house have stood the test of time, there is no doubt that culture and technology have evolved tremendously. This evolution has impacted our schools, and that impact has trickled down even to open house. Below are some fresh ideas to help your open house remain relevant and effective.

Ditch the Old PowerPoint on Back-to-School Night

Let me start off by saying this: I get it. The PowerPoint that you made five years ago is accessible and convenient. You can update a slide or two and you’re done! As technology has evolved, however, presentation software has evolved as well. Open house is a great time to showcase inventive presentation applications that you can implement throughout the year.

Prezi, for example, is a presentation platform that was created with the human brain in mind. Using scientific research about how we learn and engage, the creators of Prezi created software that researchers have found to be more engaging and effective than its commonly used competitor. Prezi allows users to use visuals and spatial relationships to create an interactive experience. It’s not only a great resource to use during open house, but also a useful resource to expose your students to in the classroom. Prezi isn’t the only tool offering a fresh approach to presentations – there are many others, such as Microsoft Sway, Canva, and Adobe Spark. You can access all of these programs for free!

See Your Students Through a Parental Lens

Open house is a time for you to disseminate information to parents, but it is just as important for you to glean valuable information about your students from parents. Your students can communicate details like their favorite foods and pastimes, but students don’t always have the emotional maturity or self-reflective skills to articulate who they are and what makes them tick. Thus, it is beneficial to dedicate time for parents to answer questions such as What makes your student angry? and What are your student’s strengths, weaknesses, and passions? A creative way to do this is to have parents complete a quick body biography about their student. Keep this information handy throughout the year so that you can reference it as needed – like when dealing with a difficult student.

Station Rotations

It’s no secret that teachers love a productive, well-organized station rotation. What’s not to love about differentiation, movement, and multi-skill practice all rolled into one? We like stations because they are effective, and this effectiveness applies to open house as well. Set up stations around the classroom that cover pertinent information and give parents a “road map” to help them navigate the stations. You will, of course, have your typical and necessary stations like curriculum information and contact information, but including more unconventional stations like a simple game or photo booth will make your open house all the more engaging. I also strongly suggest a “Frequently Asked Questions” station – work harder and not smarter by proactively answering those questions that you anticipate from several parents.

Capturing Contact Information

Speaking of contact information – it pays to be specific in how you obtain this information during open house. Even though phone numbers and email addresses are typically available through school data platforms, collect this information again in case there are any changes. Perhaps the most valuable contact information is how parents should be contacted. Include questions about what methods and times are best to reach the parent.

Furthermore, it is highly beneficial to collect contact information digitally if you can. Google forms are easy to create and use, and Google stores the responses for you. Have a laptop or computer available for parents to submit their contact information, but also have a QR code and web address handy for parents who are able to complete the information on their smartphones.

Technology Crash Course

Even the least technology-savvy teacher must possess basic knowledge of educational technology in order to teach in today’s classrooms. With that being said, many of our students’ parents were students during a time when technology was far less prevalent in schools, and they may need your help keeping up with the technology you implement in your classroom. Apps like Class Dojo have revolutionized the way that we bridge the gap between home and school, but parents must know how to use them in order for them to be successful. During open house, take time to walk parents through the technology they can use at home to support their students. Offering brief instructional guides with visuals to take home will be very helpful as well.

Include Your Students

Last but certainly not least, include your students as active participants in open house. If you have identified classroom ambassadors, assign them roles to assist. Your students are experts on how your classroom runs, and it boosts confidence and unity when you include them. This is also a great way to focus on the true purpose of open house and everything else we do – to support student success.

The post Fresh Approaches to Back-to-School Night appeared first on TeachHUB.

Preparing for Back to School Night

Before an open house, you must plan ahead of time. Think about a creative and engaging way to get your parents to attend. While most school districts send out invitations, think about creating a more personalized one that will draw parents to want to come to the event. Next, consider how you will make the night welcoming. Will you put up decorations? Have a class scavenger hunt? Other things to consider are how you will address parents, give an overview of things to come, showcase students’ work, talk about your educational philosophy, and how you will keep the lines of communication open with parents.

Addressing Parents

The purpose of back-to-school night is to inform parents of what they can expect in your classroom. It is also a time to introduce yourself to the families and let them get to know you better. You can address parents in an informative manner while allowing them to get to know your personality by creating a presentation that is unique to you. For example, if you are exceptionally good at technology, you can create a presentation using the smart board, PowerPoint, iMovie or any digital tools that will captivate your audience and showcase your technological skills. If you are an artist, you can create a presentation that showcases your artsy side, or if you are more musical, you can create a presentation that involves music. The key to finding a way to address parents that will not only inform them but also showcase your personality at the same time.

What to Include in Your Presentation

Once you have thought about how you will present information to the families, you need to think about what you want to include in your presentation. Here are a few ideas.

Talking About Yourself / Educational Philosophy

Some teachers like to show family photos or talk about why they decided to become a teacher. When you do this, it shows parents you’re willing to share and reveal a more personal side, which is a great way to connect with others. It’s also a great time to share your educational philosophy with parents. You do not need to get into your entire teaching philosophy, but you can go over a few important highlights of what you think is essential in a classroom.

Giving an Overview

In addition to telling families a little bit about yourself, you can also provide an overview of what you have planned for the school year. Spend a few minutes talking about the topics you will cover, the projects students will partake in, and the field trips students will attend. If you are also giving out a handout, this is a great time to do so, so the parent can refer to it as you are speaking.

Showcasing Student Work

Traditionally, back-to-school night is a few weeks after school has begun, which means you will have gotten to know your students pretty well and can showcase some of their work. You can do this by displaying students’ work around the classroom and in the hallways, as well as providing parents with one or two pieces of their best assignments to take home. Many teachers encourage parents to keep these pieces and have their children compare them to their work at the end of the school year, which is a great teaching tool for students to see how far they’ve grown throughout the year.

Keeping Parents Informed

Lastly, provide parents with a variety of different ways that they can stay informed. Apps like Remind, Class Dojo, GroupMe, and Parent Square are all useful tech tools to keep the lines of communication open with parents. Providing a weekly newsletter, having a classroom website, and sharing a nightly student take-home folder are also all great ways to keep parents informed. In addition to these options, provide parents with set times of the day and week where they can connect with you via text, email, or over the phone if they have any questions or concerns.

Making it Memorable

Back-to-school night should be a night to remember. While it’s unnecessary to go over the top, it is necessary to make it unique. Think of a fun, high-interest activity for families to do together, such as a classroom scavenger hunt, a getting-to-know-you survey, or having each attendee in the family write something special about the student who is going to be in the classroom. Make it unique so families will be excited for the year to come.

To successfully get through back-to-school night, all you have to do is show up, be yourself, and provide families with a welcoming, easy-to-understand, informative presentation. While you can’t fit everything into one performance, you can start the school year off with a general overview that gives families enough information to know their child will have a great upcoming school year.

The post How to Survive Back to School Night appeared first on TeachHUB.