Back-to-School Night is one of the first events on the school calendar, and it can be a stressful evening for many teachers. Expectations are high as families will want to learn about the grade-level curriculum, classroom rules and policies, year-long goals, reading plans, special events, and even your teaching philosophy.
Below, teacher Michelle Sullenberger shares insights on how to organize the event with confidence so your Back-to-School Night is a resounding success.
Create a Welcoming Environment
Prior to Back-to-School Night, practice pronouncing the first and last names of your students so you have them memorized before you meet their families.
Clean and organize your classroom and make sure there are enough chairs to comfortably sit everyone who will attend. Prepare your handouts and forms in advance and have extra copies available.
Exhibit student work around the room to show what they’ve learned so far, and display some of the books and materials you will use during the school year for families to review. Invite your students to help with the preparations by writing a welcome letter to their families.
When the guests arrive:
Smile and greet them at the door with a positive and confident attitude. Introduce yourself and ask the guests to do the same.
Provide a sign-in sheet, since not all students’ and their families’ last names are the same.
Invite families to sit at their child’s desk and ask them to respond to the student’s welcome letter by leaving an encouraging note in reply.
Establish Parent Communication
Back-to-School Night is an ideal time to share all the ways families can reach out and connect with you and your class during the school year. Be sure to provide the same information in writing to the families who are unable to attend the event.
Encourage the attendees to sign-up for parent-teacher conferences in advance so they can plan ahead and avoid future scheduling conflicts. The conferences should be scheduled in 20 to 30 minute blocks with added rest breaks for yourself.
Discuss ways families can volunteer to assist your class, whether at school or from home.
Explain the ways you will be sharing classroom communication (newsletters, monthly calendars, website, etc.) and the preferred ways families can reach you during the school year (email, voice mail, written notes, etc.).
Plan a Compelling Presentation
A major focus of the evening should be a visual presentation where you share information about yourself, your teaching philosophy, and the upcoming school year.
Allow for pauses throughout the presentation to take questions from the families. Practice in advance so you can keep it engaging and on schedule.
In your presentation, you should:
Introduce the curriculum and highlight the standards or benchmarks for the school year.
Explain the homework policy and procedures in your classroom.
Outline your classroom rules and explain the behavior-management system in the classroom and the school at large. Provide take-home copies of all the policies.
Go over your grading system, the criteria for grading, and how you will communicate grades throughout the school year.
At the end of your presentation, be sure to thank the families for attending and graciously conclude your Back-to-School Night. Then breathe a sigh of relief for a job well-done!
Organize Your Classroom Library
To showcase all the great books students will be exposed to throughout the year, organize your classroom library ahead of Back-to-School Night. Encourage families to browse the collection and gather inspiration for related books or series to read with students at home.
This is also a great opportunity to encourage families to read together with students for 20 minutes every day — whether it's a few pages after school or before bedtime. According to the 2023 Scholastic Home Libraries Topic Paper, 21 minutes a day of reading outside of school results in higher scores on reading achievement tests and an increase of more than 1.8 million reading words annually.
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