Back-To-School Night

We have now finished two weeks of school and Back-to-School Night just passed. I haven't always had a homeroom because I was a special educator for 6 years prior to making my move into 3rd grade. I am still ironing out the kinks in my BTS plans. My school runs two different sessions that parents may attend for approximately 30 minutes. I have posted pictures below of some of the things I have incorporated into my BTS night.
If you have not read any of my previous posts, my classroom theme is "Space" and "Reaching for the Stars" this year.

"Who's Your Shining Star?"

Self-Portrait Bulletin Board: Parents are asked to guess which drawing belongs to their child. This activity serves as a nice intro or outro to a BTS session. (***written permission was received to display pictures and work for any students included in this blog***)

I began the session by having parents fill out an anticipation guide about 3rd grade. I use these in my classroom often when introducing a new concept, vocabulary, or topic and wanted parents to try it out for themselves. I explained that by the end of the session, they would be able to go back to the guide and fill in the right column after hearing about the 3rd grade happenings.

I also had papers on each child's desk that I went through with parents explaining Common Core in parent-friendly terms (thanks to a freebie handout by Jen Jones - Hello Literacy), the importance of reading 20 minutes a night, and what reader's and writer's workshop would be like in grade 3.

A few other things I went over in my PPT included:

• facts about me
• our daily schedule
• routines and procedures
• classroom materials
• field trips
• upcoming concepts and things that will be covered in 3rd grade
• behavior system
• Remind101 - a safe and private way to text parent groups about upcoming events, reminders, and important information
  

I had a donations poster in the back of the room titled "When You Wish Upon a Star - Things That Room 5 Wishes For..." I stuck stars on the poster listing items that we use frequently in the classroom and tend to run out of often. I had interested parents take a star with them which would then get attached to the item they donated and sent back to school. We have had sandwich baggies (to house word sorts, flashcards, etc...) and index cards donated so far! :) Much thanks to those generous families!!!

BTS Night #3 = SUCCESS!!!