It’s that time of year when back to school night ideas are probably swirling through your head. This event can be different depending on how your school structures it for parents. In some schools, Back to School Night is more of a hop from one classroom to another at your own pace whereas others are blocks of time for each teacher so they can present information to parents all at once. Check with your team to learn how yours is structured if you aren’t sure and use the following tips in a way that works for you and your school.
Back to School Night Ideas: Goals
First, let’s set goals for the night. What do you want the adults that visit your classroom to leave with? What information will they have left with you to make the first days of school run smoothly? You’re definitely going to want the following information:
- What is the best contact information?
- Who has legal custody of the child? With this, you will know who you are allowed to communicate with.
- What language is spoken by the adults you will contact? This is good to know in case you need a translator for home phone calls.
- Does the student have any allergies or health concerns you should know about?
- How will the student be getting home on the first day? This could be different from the rest of the year, so you want to be sure to send them home the correct way right off the bat.
Knowing these basic pieces of information will be so helpful when beginning your new school year and coming up with the rest of your back to school night ideas. Some teachers send home questionnaires with parents, but I’ve found that getting them back can be difficult. Gathering this information while adults are physically in your classroom will guarantee you’ll have it when you need it.
Back to School Night Ideas: The Set Up
One of the expectations of Back to School Night is that you’ll form connections with the families of your students. Just like in class, getting one-on-one time requires everyone else to know what to do and be able to do it independently. Setting up stations around your classroom can make this easy to accomplish. In this section I have listed out some stations that are perfect to add to your list of back to school night ideas.
Station 1: Fun Activity for Kids
Have a station dedicated to an activity that kids can do on their own. This will keep them occupied while you talk with the adults. Keep in mind that some families bring siblings to each classroom. Some good ideas that appeal to a wide range of ages are coloring pages, manipulatives like pattern blocks or legos.
Station 2: Sign In
With the kids busy, adults can now focus on completing their sign in sheet. This is the short form I give them that asks for the information mentioned above. Remember that part of Back to School Night is making everyone feel welcome in your classroom. Having copies of each form in the languages commonly spoken by the population serves you in this mission. My schools have always required us to record who attended for Title I funding purposes, so having these forms turned in that evening will make it easier for you to remember who was there.
Station 3: Supply Drop
Having a supply drop is one of my FAVORITE back to school night ideas. Ask adults to bring supplies during your Back to School Night activities if possible. This will make the first day of school so much easier. Create signs telling adults or students where to put everything and you’ll have organized piles created for you. Then you have to put each pile where you want it without worrying about where you may find things later on.
Station 4: Digital Check In
This is a station I ALWAYS include in my brainstorm of back to school night ideas. Getting caretakers connected to whatever online portal your school uses is important and can be a big hurdle for a lot of teachers. At this station post the directions for downloading any necessary apps and have login information ready.
You could even set it up on a monitor with QR codes for parents to scan and add to their phones quickly. Help any families that are struggling to get connected and quickly demo how to use the app. Most education portals have instructions ready to print in multiple languages, so you can even include those in the Back to School Night Folders. Make sure you have options available depending on your population.
Station 5: Back to School Night Folders
This station is a great place to give parents a folder with all of the information they will need for the school year. These folders can include an About Me page, class rules, procedures, and login information for any online portals you use. Including a more detailed questionnaire in these folders for adults to fill out at their convenience can be a great way to gather more detailed information on your students. This can include information like goals for the year, academic expectations, and likes/dislikes.