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Welcome to the CALLOWAY HOUSE E-Newsletter Archive

August 2009

ORGANIZING BACK-TO-SCHOOL NIGHT / OPEN HOUSE

Welcome back! Now that you’re getting back into the swing of things, it’s time to plan your back-to-school night or open house. We’ve compiled a few ideas to help you hit a home run!

There’s a lot to think about when planning a big event. To make it a little easier, we’ve broken down the planning into three stages: before, during and after the event.

BEFORE THE EVENT:

Become familiar with parent or guardian names. Remember that parents and students do not always share the same last name.

Send invitations. Send them early. Prepare a general one or have students design their own especially for their parents. Make the event sound exciting! Include any services provided for the evening such as childcare, transportation, etc. as well as any special activities.

Send parents an information sheet ahead of time to complete and bring with them to the open house. You may find some anecdotal information about your students that will help you get to know them better. It’s also a good way to find out about each student’s challenges and best qualities. You can also ask parents to provide their contact information and the best time/way to reach them.

Get your students involved (if they attend your open house). Have them welcome parents, act as guides and direct parental activities. Have them prepare a song, skit, etc. to draw parents to the event. Include information about the entertainment in the invitation.

Prepare handouts of:
- the evening’s schedule. Include a school map and map of the room with parent-activity locations and displays marked.
- classroom basics, like discipline procedures, homework rules, dates for events, etc.
- school basics. Include report card schedules, activities, inclement weather procedures, transportation schedules, after-school programs, grading system, school phone numbers, etc.
- contact information: when and how parents can contact you.
- student work samples, so parents can see types of things their children will bring home for homework. Provide tips on how they can help their student with their homework.
- parent responsibilities for absent or tardy students and make-up work, opportunities for parent involvement in field trips, etc.
- needed and required supplies that parents can purchase and donate.

COLOR-CODE POCKET FOLDERS are an easy way to keep these handouts together!

Provide a sign-up list for parent volunteers, both for year-round and specific activities.

Do not hold parent/teacher conferences during the event. Instead, provide a sign-up sheet.

Provide enough appropriate seating for parents. Student-sized chairs cannot accommodate every adult.

Design nametags with students' pictures or just names. (For fun, have students draw pictures of themselves and write their names). Have parents find the nametag belonging to their child and ask them to wear it. This will help you remember which parents go with which students. Nametags are easy to make with our NAME BADGE KIT.

Place name plates or magnets on each student's desk so the parents know where their child sits every day. Our SCHOOL TOOLS NAME PLATES and MAGNETIC NAME PLATES make it easy.

Display student work. Materials like our SURE-TWIST® CEILING DISPLAY KIT, THE HOLD UP, CORK STRIPS, REMOVABLE TEACHERS’ TAPE and much more provide lots of easy-to-use, creative display ideas.

Display your diplomas, teaching credentials or any teaching-related awards you may have received.

Provide an interpreter for any non-English speaking parents.

Provide something for parents to do while waiting for others to arrive. Plan activities that require no direction from you and are flexible enough for parents to quit at any time.

Make the room inviting. In addition to displaying students' pictures, their work and an attention-getting bulletin board, consider a bouquet of flowers to brighten the room. Play soft music.

Make sure your room is easy to find. Include your name, room number and grade level on the outside of the room.

Offer refreshments. Take into consideration parents who have diabetes or are vegetarians.

If your school is not air-conditioned and it's a warm evening, provide fans to cool the room and keep air moving.

DURING THE EVENT:

Be prepared half an hour early for any early-bird parents.

Start and finish on time.

Remember to introduce student teachers, teacher's aids and other classroom helpers.

When presenting, look confident and organized.

Keep your presentation short. Ten minutes is sufficient.

Relate personal information. Parents may find out things they have in common with you, which will make conversation easier for all.

Show the kinds of things you do in class. A video presentation of the class in action is always a big hit. Keep textbooks and other materials out for parents to view.

Invite parents to check out their student’s locker.

Be considerate of those parents and children who may have trouble with strong scents. Do not wear strong perfume or cologne. Do not burn candles or potpourri.

Mingle, mingle, mingle! Greet each parent and student. Provide a guest book for parents to sign and refer to it to make sure you've seen everyone. Don’t sit behind your desk.

Shake hands firmly. Look everyone in the eye. Use breath freshener. Smile!

Have a question-and-answer time. You can have a hand-raising session, or provide a box where parents can anonymously write their questions ahead of time.

AFTER THE EVENT:

Correspond with parents. Write a letter that mentions each student’s contribution, or write a smaller letter with space for a personal note to each parent.

Follow-up with parent volunteers. For parents that signed up to chaperone field trips, bring snacks or whatever your volunteer opportunities are, call or email to confirm or even to schedule them. Thank them for volunteering.

Set up appointments. For parents who many want a one-on-one with you, contact them to set up a meeting time or inform them of dates for your parent/teacher conferences.

HOT TIP: If your school doesn’t host a Back-to-School night, have one of your own! Host a picnic, potluck or party. The relaxed atmosphere will encourage interaction among all the families attending.

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