Tuesday, July 5, 2016

Getting Ahead of the Game, Week #4

Happy Tuesday! It's time for Week #4 of my Summer blog series, "Getting Ahead of the Game!"


 This week we are going to... 




Before the school year begins, we have a special night to meet our students and parents.  I'm sure you have something similar at your school too. First impressions are HUGE! This is the first time many of my parents will meet me and my new students will see our classroom. I want to make sure everything is organized and looking perfect! Here are a few suggestions of things to do to get you ready! : )

1. Make sure those forms are ready! I have parents fill out a student information form on this night so I already have the information I need before the first day. If you have been keeping up with us, this should already be checked off your list. Click HERE to download my student information form for FREE!



2. Make a wish list! Parents can't help provide classroom supplies if they don't know what you need! The beginning of the year is the perfect time to ask parents for what you need for a successful school year. I use this circus cupcake stand (that matches my classroom theme) to display the items I need. Parents just take what item they can donate to the classroom. 


Order this cupcake holder HERE. 



I am super blessed with wonderful parents who love Amazon Prime almost as much as I do. This year, I decided to create a wish list on Amazon to share with parents. The best part is that I can add items to the list throughout the year and everything will ship straight to me. I just created a QR code that parents will be able to scan and shop! 


I hope this will be an easy option for my parents who want to donate to our classroom! 


3. 
Make a small gift to send home with your students. There are SO many cute ideas for this one! My favorite thing to give my students is these little cotton candy buckets because again, they match my circus theme! You can read all about this sweet little gift HERE.  


And DO NOT feel like you have to spend a lot of money on this one. It's all about making a great first impression and letting those sweet babies know how excited you are to get to know them. Make a video of yourself reading a special bedtime story to your students for them to watch the night before the first day of school. A QR code will make it easy for students to watch the video, just add it to a cute graphic! I will have this at each child's desk for them to take home at Meet the Teacher Night as well. 




4.  Create a check list or scavenger hunt for students to complete with their parents. Meet the Teacher Night is always crazy because there is only one of you and like a million people who want to meet and visit with you. Give your parents and kids something to do that will help them learn about the classroom and get comfortable. Here is an example of mine:



 Make this week's challenge work for you and get ready what you need for Meet the Teacher Night! You will be thanking yourself come August.

Just joining us? Catch up below: