It’s that time of year again, back-to-school night is right around the corner! I know that parent involvement leads to student success, so how should I maximize the 20 minutes I have with parents to start the year off right? In the past, I’ve planned too much for back-to-school night. I always seemed to run out of time. Parents would be out the door before I even had a chance to go over my behavior management plan! This year is going to be different. I’m going to keep it short, sweet, and attempt to make better use of my time time.
Here’s my plan of attack:
1. Introduction! 1 minute
I plan to introduce myself and share a little background about myself. My hope is to come across approachable and passionate about helping their children succeed. My goal is to get parents on my side.
2. Give a BRIEF overview of what I have planned for the school year 3 minutes
I will inform parents of the general topics that will be covered in my class this year and any big projects I may need their help with down the line. However, parents get bored too — I will make sure to not go over every detail of my curriculum, that’s what a syllabus is for!
4. Go over behavior management plan: ClassDojo 5 minutes
Explain what ClassDojo is and how it will help develop positive behaviors in the classroom. Show parents what students’ avatars look like and what happens when students receive a positive or negative point. Explain how ClassDojo behaviors align with our school’s code of conduct.
5. Get parents on board! 5 minutes
We all know that parent involvement is directly correlated with student success. I plan on keeping parents in the know as much as possible through ClassDojo. At back-to-school night I will hand out parent codes so they can create a ClassDojo parent account. Here they can view behavior reports and communicate with me through ClassDojo Messenger.
6. Class “Wish List” 1 minute
Let’s be honest — teacher’s aren’t given much money to spend on school supplies. This is why I always show parents my “Wish List” at back-to-school night. This can include everything from glue sticks to construction paper. Anything you think you might need goes on the wish list!
7. Questions? 5 minutes
Leaving time at the end for questions is crucial. I want to make sure parents feel comfortable and excited about the year ahead. I’m hopeful that back-to-school night will give parents the information and tools necessary to stay as involved as possible in my class this year.
Fingers crossed! Here goes nothin’ 🙂