Meet the Teacher

 Each fall, our district does a "Meet the Teacher" event where families come to check out the school, teachers, and classrooms.  It's usually an hour or two long and and families can stop by at their leisure. I LOVE the fact that there is no formal presentation--We used to do that my first few years and I always hated it because I felt like no one paid attention.  We also encourage families to drop off school supplies, which is a tremendous help!  I sure don't miss the days of unwrapping the supplies of 20-some student's on the first day of school!  Today's post is an overview of how I run my Meet the Teacher event.  I try to keep things simple!

Tips for Success:

1.  Keep a clipboard and pen with you--Keep a transportation log on it so you know how every student is going home the first day of school.  In addition, keep some notebook paper on your clipboard.  This is for notes that families may share with you (behavior, medical, custody, etc...) This will help you big time after families leave!  You can refer back to your notes for important information.

In years past, I've offered these transportation tags to families in case they want to label their child's book bag or shirt on the first day of school.  These help adults in the building get children to their designated classroom.

2.  Provide Time for Families to Browse-Once I've checked in with families, they are encouraged to find their child's desk, peruse the classroom, and unwrap their supplies.  On the desks, students will see any workbooks, notebooks, a welcome treat, etc...they will use for the year as well as their take home data binders.  The binders travel to and from school each day.  

3.  Provide a Treat-I love placing a special treat on each child's desk.  I've done several things over the years...popcorn, cookies, crackers, lollipops, etc...You can grab the tags that I use by clicking below.

4.  Provide a Space for Supply Check-In-My favorite way to collect student supplies is to display the following signage and have families set up their child's school box.  I display the sign in the clear photo holders and place one on each pod of desks.  

In addition, I use my open house supply signs to make customized signs that match our first grade supply list.  I label large bins with the signs and place them at the front of my room.  Families follow the directions and open/unpack all supplies.  It's truly amazing leaving open house having everything opened and sorted.  It also really saves my hands and wrists! 

*I also put out a sign regarding headphones and markers near the large supply buckets as an extra reminder for families to label them with their child's name.*  

Teacher Tips: Place a set of student name labels near the marker and headphone collection bins.  Families label the marker box with their child' name.  Place a box of gallon Ziploc bags near the headphone bin.  Families unwrap the headphones, place them in a Ziploc, and stick their child's name sticker on the bag.  

*acrylic sign holder affiliate link above*

5.  Distribute Paperwork/Forms- As mentioned above, I place all of my student's paperwork on their desks.  Most families take the forms home to complete and return them on the first day of school.  However, I do give the option for families to sit and complete them during Open House if they choose.

*Although I don't currently use it, I used my "Meet the Teacher Board" for several years.  It's an editable kit that contains the pieces to create an open house 3-panel board, where you can organize paperwork for families to collect.  Several themes are included.

Best of luck with your open house!

xo

Megan