We've all heard that first impressions are so important. This is why the Meet the Teacher can set the tone for your school year. Of course, you never feel fully prepared for when that day arrives, but there are a few things you can do to make a good first impression.
You don't have to finish every bulletin board. The ones that will be used to display students' work or anchor charts will look rather sparse. But, what you can do is put background paper, title/caption, and border on them so they look like they are ready for students' work.
Your room should be free of clutter and trash. Stash the clutter in drawers and closets if you aren't finished organizing. Hopefully, you will have time to finish organizing after Meet the Teacher. Custodians try to empty trash cans before this begins. I usually keep a few large trash bags in my closet in case I fill my trash cans after the custodians have emptied mine. Do you really want your parents to walk into a room that has a trashcan overflowing?
Sometimes your students bring their supplies to Meet the Teacher. I love it when that happens because it makes the first day much smoother. It helps if you have some type of slideshow playing at the Meet the Teacher that is giving the parents and students instructions. I made a free and editable in Powerpoint one for you.
- Do you have students turn in some of their supplies like tissues? Where do they put them?
- Do you want supplies labeled? If so, which ones? Do you have extra sharpies available for parents that don't have supplies labeled.
- Is there a different arrival procedure the first day of school?
- Where will you normally pick up your class?
- Is breakfast served at your school?
- What do students that eat breakfast do when they finish eating?
- Do students need a lunch ticket? Should parents put money on the account today or can they do it online?
- Do you recommend students bring their lunch the first week while they are adjusting to school?
- Dismissal is another important detail to find out at Meet the Teacher.
- Will the child go home a different way the first day, first week than the rest of the school year?
Click HERE to download this FREE editable file.
Have you found some things that have improved your Meet the Teacher?
Today, some of my friends and I have organized a Back to School blog hop. We thought you would enjoy getting some new ideas and few freebies.
Next on the hop is my friend Michelle @ Apples and ABC's. She has some tips to share about Back to School supply list.
Sources to make my blog post graphics can be found HERE.
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