What papers do I actually need for Meet the Teacher?
OK, it feels like there is SO MUCH information to tell parents at Meet the Teacher.
My first year, I printed 13 papers for my parents to take home. Yep, you read that right. THIRTEEN. As I watched parents leave the room, juggling the mess of rainbow-colored copies I had given them, I realized... there's no way they want to read all of those, let alone keep track of that stack of papers for the entire school year! At that moment, I vowed never to do that again to my poor parents.
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What Printouts Do I Need for Meet the Teacher?
Instead of my high score of 13, now I try to limit Meet the Teacher documents to 3 papers:
ONE for the parent/grownup to take home - ONE for me to keep/file - ONE to keep the student busy
If you’re like, “YES! Sign me up!” I have created a completely editable bundle for you! It includes a 25+ page resource guide and 10+ printable options so that you can find the right fit for you! Check out the full bundle here.
Paper for the Parent. This page has all of the critical information I want families to leave the classroom with that night - usually a Meet the Teacher info page on one side and Class Information on the other.
Meet the Teacher Info - Parents want to know a little about the person who will be spending all day with their child, so this is a great place to introduce yourself, give some fun facts, maybe include credentials, and preemptively tell them some things you like (cough cough Teacher Appreciation gift ideas).
I usually include my name, background, and where I graduated college. I also include some details about my interests (dog, sports, teams I like, etc) and foods I like (Starbucks, Dr. Pepper, Cheez-its). Oh, and contact info of course! I also think this is a great place to include a note to parents with your goals for the school year or just express enthusiasm to teach their student!
Class Information - Next up, give some specifics for this school year. What is your class schedule? What are your specials rotations? (This is helpful so families know when they need to dress their kiddo for PE and when to dig library books out of the closet crevices.) Do you have any classroom rules already set they should know about? (General rules or specifics like: "no hats" or "no gum.")
Once parents know the general schedule, give them a feel for what their child will be learning this year. This could be a whole year overview or just the main academic things you will be covering in the first quarter. Example: "In Math, we will start the year by practicing addition and subtraction up to 1,000 with regrouping!" This could even just be a simple bullet list of the big topics they will learn.
Paper for the Teacher. This page includes all student emergency information as well as adult volunteer information. Families will complete this printout at Meet the Teacher and leave it with me.
Student Information - The Student Information page is VITAL for you all year long. This has the most current emergency contact information for the parents which can be a lifeline when you need to get in touch with them quickly. Here are the most crucial things I think you should include:
Student Name,
Guardian Information (at least 2 emergency contacts),
Transportation. (In addition to their normal mode of transportation, make sure to ask how the student will be getting home from school the first day - you’d be surprised how often it differs from the normal way!)
Volunteer Information - Meet the Teacher Night is a great time to request availability from your classroom parents and guardians to gauge interest for volunteers throughout the year. Before creating this form, find out your school and/or district's policies for volunteers and all the ways they are allowed to help. Once you know those guidelines, start thinking about the ways you would LIKE help. You typically don't HAVE to offer volunteering options if they are overwhelming to you. (For example, most years I don't ask for help with bulletin boards because I am very particular about them.)
Paper for the Student. This is an activity page to help keep the student busy while the parent is filling out the other paperwork. Think: word searches, scavenger hunts, coloring pages, etc.
Have you ever tried to cook dinner while your dog begs to go outside? Impossible, right? That's how it can feel for parents when they are trying to fill out all of the papers at Meet the Teacher night. Their student's sensory processing is going into overdrive and all of that energy needs some direction! My personal solution? Give the students a job just like the parents! This comes in the form of a dual-sided checklist or scavenger hunt to help them put their supplies (i.e. their most treasured possessions) away.
Why dual-sided? Some supplies can go straight into their desks, but the classroom supplies are where the scavenger hunt comes in! Set up stations around the room where students will drop off their room supplies. The stations can be marked by numbers, pictures, colors... whatever you want!
Just make sure this page is as KID FRIENDLY as possible. Depending on the age of your students, include pictures for the supplies or just the words. Remember, if a parent has to help much, that defeats the purpose!
TIP: Pre-stock stations with the materials on the checklist to help signal to the child they've found the right spot!
ONE MORE THING… To keep track of what paper is going where, I use this notes page. It’s perfect to keep track of all of those last minute papers the office asks you to send home, too! (and it’s included in my FREEBIE Quick Start Guide! Grab it with your name and email address below!)
Meet the Teacher is a big night! Let's start the year off on the right foot!
Looking for more tips? Check out these posts!
