It’s almost time to go back to school! Things will certainly be different as our students come back into the classroom. For some, they’ll be meeting in the classroom. Other schools are continuing with distance learning. Still others are trying a blended model. No matter what your school or district is planning, chances are the traditional open house or back to school night is not happening as planned. The good news is that technology and digital resources make planning for a digital open house easier than ever! Follow these simple tips and make your virtual open house the best yet, and without the added stress.
Live or Shared?
Depending on what your school decides, you may have a live Zoom or Google Meet digital open house or resources you share on an online learning platform like Google Classroom (if students are already signed up) or via email. No matter what you choose, you’ll want to share a bit about yourself, the plans and studies for the year, and materials students will need. I recommend sharing the digital open house for parents to look at when they have time. Coordinating time for you and all parents and students to be online at once can be overwhelming and hard to schedule. You can always set up some office hours via Zoom or Google Meet in case parents have questions or want to meet 1 on 1.
Introduce yourself.
Share digital open house Google Slides with information all about you! Tell your students about things you love to do, your family, and even what you are most looking forward to this year. Primary students LOVE their teachers! Trust me, they’ll remember these little pieces of information you tell them early on. Tell your students you love cats, and you’ll have cat memes on Google Classroom all day long!
They want to make that classroom connection, and it starts with you. You’ll also want to included your contact information. This is especially important during distance learning. Parents may have questions about connecting to learning platforms, class meetings, or technology that come up, especially during the first week.
Share learning goals.
Your digital open house is the perfect time to share what your students will be learning in each content area. Make it simple with these pre-made Google Slides!
There is a slide for every content area plus blank slides to create your own. Share bullet points of what your students will be learning in the any or all of the following areas.
- Language Arts
- Writing
- Math
- Social Studies
- Science
- Music
- Art
- Technology
Digital Learning Information
Whether you are using Google Classroom, SeeSaw, Class Dojo, or some other learning platform, use your Back to School Slides for the digital open house to share information both parents and students need to logon and connect. Sharing this information early will make sure all students get connected and help you figure out if any students have technology or access needs. In addition, if you use Zoom or Google Meet, let parents and students know meeting times at least for the start of the year and how to logon.
Your digital open house for back to school will be a success! Don’t overwhelm parents and students with too many what ifs and plans for later in the school year. Introduce yourself, give a quick overview of learning goals, and let them know how to connect and how you can support them! Welcome back to school!
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