Mrs. Wheeler's First Grade Tidbits: 8 Tips for a Smooth Open House

Hi, friends! It's back to school time for me and I'm sure it will be your turn soon {if not yet already!}. Today I am here with another "8 Tips" post with a focus on Open House or Meet the Teacher Night. *If you missed the prior "8 Tips" posts, see them here: 8 Essential Books for Back to School and 8 Essential Books for Classroom Management

Our Open House has evolved over the years from us having to do a formal presentation to an informal meet and greet. I have to say that I LOVE the meet and greet format. Each year, I try to tweak the Open House to make things go a little more smoothly than the year prior. Today, I am sharing some of my best tips for Meet the Teacher/Open House with you!

Tip #1: Have your room looking presentable and clutter-free-Remember, this is the first impression your students and parents have of you and your classroom. Your classroom is a reflection of you. Showing them that you took time to get your room ready and organized will show that you are care about them and your job.

Tip #2: Have all forms from the office on student desks & anything from you organized on an Open House Board or student desks-If you're like us, we always have tons of papers to send home from the office. Those are put together by our secretary {PTL!} and in envelopes. In addition, I like to send my own few letters and forms {grab these FREE here} home. Those are not in the office envelope. I use my "Open House Board" {editable to meet your needs} to organize all of those. Parents just visit the board and grab what they need.

Tip #3: Have a sign-in sheet for people as they arrive-This can be combined with tip #4 if you wish. I like to keep the sign-in sheet for my own record. This helps me know who missed Open House and who I need to send forms/papers home with on the first day.

Tip #4: Find out how students are going home on the first day-I can not stress this tip enough! I've made it a habit of asking people right as they walk in my room after I've introduced myself. As soon as I write down this information, I write out a Transportation Tag and ask parents to pin it on their child's book bag the first day. This way, if someone is confused, any adult can quickly identify who they are and where they are supposed to be going! There is nothing more chaotic than not knowing how someone is getting home at the end of the day.

And YES, I do have more students than this. Not everyone came to Open House!

Tip #5: Have name tags laid out on desks but NOT taped down-This is something I started this year...the reason I decided to do this is because many times, parents will come in and say that their child is best friends with the child I randomly chose to put them next to. They will also say the opposite! I will be keeping the name tags "loose" the first week of school. That way, I can quickly relocate children whose current seating situation isn't working. No more sliding desks around and making tons of noise {and tearing up the wax job on the floor!}.

Tip #6: Have labeled bins out to collect supplies in-This is a game-changer! Get those bins out and ready! Label each bin with a large sign. You will love yourself when the parents/kids leave and your supplies are already sorted!

Tip #7: Ask parents to unwrap and sort supplies {using a directions sheet}-I print out a sheet with explicit directions for parents and leave one on each desk. I used to just project the directions {which you can still do} but that didn't work so well because most people wouldn't see it. Printed sheet=amazing. Why do we spend hours unwrapping and sorting through everything for 20+ kids? Why not have the parents unwrap!? This is a game-changer, people!

Tip #8: Show your enthusiasm-You've just spend days and many hours setting up your classroom. You are exhausted. BUT, you must put on your game face and show your excitement for your new students and their families! Greet everyone with a smile and a "I am SO happy you are here!"