When I first started teaching, my mentor explained to me what she presented during Back to School Night and gave me copies of her documents. I was so thankful for the guidance! Here Thank you Mrs. LeCompte! 

Below is a list of topics you may want to discuss during your presentation:

• welcome/introduction/info about yourself

• a curriculum overview 

• homework 

• your preferred type of communication & office hours

• lunch & snack 

• behavior 

• various teaching strategies you will be using 

• technology, digital citizenship & online safety

• birthdays 

• volunteering (our school had strict policies for this, so check with your administration) 

Before you prep everything, it's important to talk to your principal/director and other teachers at your school to find out what needs to be presented.

I put a folder on each child's desk with a copy of my slides, a pencil so the parents could take notes, and any additional handouts. I had parents/guardians sit at their child's desk. The folders had a label with their child's name.

At the end of the night, I collected the folders of the students who did not have representation and attached the "We Missed You" note to go home the next day. You can also send an email or text (however you communicate best) to let the guardian know you missed them and they can expect the folder. 

Putting out a sign up sheet for Fall Conferences really helps you get a head start on that scheduling, and parents like to have first dibs.

My school required a sign in sheet that we had to turn in to the office. I always made a copy or took a photo of it so I knew who attended, but I also knew by which folders were left.

The Secret Graph is fun for parents and adds a little buzz to the beginning of your session. Parents will walk around trying to figure out which graph represents their child while other parents arrive. Before I had this activity, parents would come in, I would greet them and they would sit down and basically wait quietly or make small talk. This activity makes it way more fun!

I ALWAYS ran out of time, so I ended up adjusting my slide deck and saving time by taking out all of the curriculum slides. I put that info into a curriculum overview handout and quickly mentioned it to parents.

Just do your best! If you're like me, you will change and adjust this presentation every year. 

Wishing you the BEST Back to School Night. It's going to be great! 

Jody (aka Ms. B)