Meet The Teacher Ideas!

Looking for fun and cute ideas for your Meet the Teacher or Back To School Night?  You came to the right place.  Together with my blogging friends we are sharing all those ADORABLE, FUN, and CREATIVE ideas!  

Now some schools offer a Meet the Teacher prior to the start of school while others have an official Back To School Night once school has started.  I am LUCKY to say that at my school we do BOTH!  Are you kidding me?  Yes, it is true!  The Friday before school starts we open up our classrooms for 1 glorious hour to WELCOME our sweet kiddos into their new classroom.  This is a chance for especially my kiddos (kinders) to get their first glance at their CLASSROOM.  Furniture is in place, the classroom is organized ( I hope), the decor is set and before you know it little feet come hoping through the door and the new school year officially begins.  

Let me share with you what my Meet & Greet looks like on this day:

My number one goal is to provide WARMTH to any individual that walks into the door.  This is the first time your student are meeting you and their parents.  I always make sure to pick out my FAVORITE, COLORFUL outfit to wear.  Kiddos love color so I make sure to be BRIGHT & SUNNY with a BIG smile on my face!  Oh and don't forget the SPARKLY shoes!

I set up stations throughout my classroom for parents and kiddos to visit.  There are 4 stations that families visit on Meet the Teacher day.  As they walk into the classroom I hand them a darling poem that explains where to go.  I found several of these ideas from Kim Adsit and her unit called The Ultimate Open House Scavenger Hunt

#1  Sign-In Table

This is where I collect important information from the parents.

• Sign-In Sheet-to record the parents and child's name. 
• Child Information- I started doing this due to the fact that the office collects information sheets for the office and I like to have my own for my class.  I keep these forms in my Teacher Binder. 
• Field Trip Permission Slips- As a kindergarten team we have these printed and ready to go for ALL field trips.  Parents sign all forms and write a check and your forms are completed in a SNAP!
• Parent Volunteer Form- Every parent likes to participate in some way throughout the year so on this form I have the parent describe what they are interested in doing.  Then I send a google doc out to the entire class for parents to sign up.
• Internet & Blog release-  I have ALL parents sign a release form for me to use photos of their child on my blog or website.  If they sign "No" then I make sure to never have the child in my pictures that I post.  

#2  Student Folder

Every new student will receive a special folder to start the new school year.  I write the names of each student on the folder.  This helps me remember who did not come that day.  Inside I make sure to include information for the new school year that parents can refer to all year long.

• Daily Schedule
• Monthly Themes
• Welcome Letter
• Supply List
• Explorer of the Week List (Star or Student of the Week)
• Parent information flip book (This is new this year!) Created by Learning in Wonderland

                              

#3  Family Scrapbooking Page

Another amazing idea from Kim Adsit.  For our Writer's Workshop folders I have each student bring home a Family Scrapbooking page to decorate.  Students get creative and decorate their page with pictures of family members, pets, favorite places to go, food, sports, you name it!  During the first week of school each day I try to have 3-4 students share their scrapbooking page.  This is their very first presentation!  Then we keep this as their cover to their Writer's Workshop folder.  It helps my kiddos think of things to write about.

#4 Picture Time

It is important to make every kiddo feel special in those first few moments in your classroom.  I do this 2 different ways.  First each child visits my classroom library and picks out a favorite book.  I have them place this book in my "Special Book Basket."  I try to read these special books the first week of school.  Then to end our SWEET visit I take a picture of my little gems to cherish this moment.  This is a keepsake for me and their parents.  

#5 Special Treat

Every kiddo and parent leaves with a Special Treat!  We are all in this together so I make sure to acknowledge my parents too.  We are a team!  

Parents are teacher too!

My kiddos have a BIG smile on their face when they see this!
Starburst
Eraser
Smarties
Hershey's Hug
Penny
Sticker

I can't wait to hear your ideas for Meet the Teacher or Back To School Night.  Don't forget to join our Linky party this week.  We are giving away fabulous TPT Units to start off your new year with a smile on your face.

An InLinkz Link-up