Open House or Meet the Teacher?
Posted by Sharon M. Tresino on 27 Aug 2009 | Posted in: Classroom Routines, Teachers and Teaching
As I drove to work one day last week, I passed an elementary school with a sign out front signaling that open house was scheduled for that afternoon. It caught me by surprise because school has not yet started here. I always thought of open house taking place a few weeks into the school year. It was a time for parents to visit the classroom, ask questions, and learn about routines and the curriculum for that grade. So I figured that the open house I saw advertised was probably what I would have thought of as Meet the Teacher Day—a chance for the kids to meet their teachers before school starts. I brought this up to a few of my coworkers and we all seemed to have had different experiences. That’s why I’ve decided to ask you: do you have both events at your school? And what do you call them? I’m curious!
57 Comments |
Subscribe
|
Email This
Yes, we have both meet the parents and open house at our school. We have parent orientation two days before school starts. The orientation clarifies any questions or concerns parents have before school starts. The teacher gives a booklet stating all classroom routines and projects that will be coming up. This helps the teacher put parents faces to names the names of their students. We have open house in March. Parents looking to enroll their child in our school come to check out all the classrooms. Also, parents check out the classroom their child will be in next year to see what they have in store for the next grade. Science fair displays are shown and also student art from their art classes. The cheerleaders perform on this night to demonstrate school spirit. Open house is a fun night for parents and students.
We have a parent meeting in early August . Parents meet with the director to go over paper work and school policies.
Preschool and Kindergarten teachers visit each childs home befor school starts.
Then we have an open house and ice cream social the night befor school starts. the whole family comes and members of our sponsering congregation come to welcome the children to our Early childhood center.
We have an open house before school starts which you could say is meet the teacher time–they come in meet us and can drop off supplies. I have seen all of your great ideas in the mailbox and wish our school would do something like this once school starts. I think it would really boost the connection between school and home!
We have always had “Meet the Families Night” at our school. It takes place after registration but before the first day of school. It is a time when our families and children meet each other and also the time we go over “House Keeping Rules” for the parents. These “rules”, also known as school policies, is a time to explain all that our parents need to know about our policies and organizational methods so we can serve our families with the utmost quality. We put out a spread of finger foods for all to enjoy and we show the children where they’re seats and cubbies will be. Last but not least, we hand out a school shirt to each of our students with a surprise back to school package. This “Meet the Families Night” has always started our school year off on the best foot possible.
I have an open house, but it’s before the school year actually begins. I call it an open house, but it’s really more of a “come and meet me and some of the other kids in your class” type-of-thing.
I have taught Kindergarten for three years and we have always had an Open House just before school starts. This year I decided to try the “Meet the Teacher” approach so that my new students would have some one-on-one time with me before school started.
It went so nicely and everyone had quality time to get to know me and ask questions that they might not have asked during an Open House. We are still planning on an Open House - However, it will be in September so we can use that time to show off our work.
Also, were able during “Meet the Teacher” to get some of the dreaded paperwork filled out before school started. We are off to a great year!
Knoxville, TN
We have “open house” the night before school starts. The families are supposed to drop off all the supplies and meet the teachers.
When we had Open House a few weeks into the school year, most parents wanted to use it like a mini parent teacher conference and ask how their child was doing, but the public Open House forum was not the appropriate setting for that.
I like it with open house before school starts, I always put out permanent markers and have the parents put the child’s name on all school supplies. It also allows me to see which supplies are missing and tell the parents which special class we will have on the first day of school.
I am the Director of a large Pre-school. We begin our school year with an Open House the day before school starts. The children and their parents come in to see their classrooms, meet their teachers and classmates. The children play with the toys while we speak to the parents about some of our policies and pass out a little paperwork.
The next day the children arrive there are many fewer tears since they have been there the day before and remember some of the faces and the fun they had the day before. This seems to work out perfectly for us!
We have both events at our school. A few days before the students began school, we had meet the teacher day where the students bring their supplies, meet the teacher, and this school year,toured the new school building. This helps eliminate the students having to carry the bulky supplies with them on the first day and also keeps parents from sticking around, because they too have already met the teacher. We started the school year on August 12th, so we just had our Open House in the evening
with a PTO/PTA meeting, touring of the building (resource classes), Book Fair in the library, etc. Many students bring their grandparents to Open House, where we have art work, class samples and textbooks on display.
At the school where I intern at they have both days. The Friday before school started they had a “Meet the Teacher day” where the students and parents came to find their new classrooms and meet their teachers and classroom interns. Later in the year we will have two open houses…but they call these nights Curriculum nights - each curriculum night has a them like reading and math or science and history. The school feeds the families dinner and the families have a chance to go around to different classrooms to engage in lessons and activities connected with the theme.
We have an open house the night before school starts. This gives the families a chance to find the classroom, meet the teacher, and drop off all of those supplies that would otherwise weigh the students down the first day of school. I think this also lets the students rest a little easier that night before school, too. It also lets the teacher concentrate more on meeting the families, instead of having mini conferences at a later open house.
We have three different events that serve three different purposes. We have two open house sessions, one in the winter and one in the spring. We also have a meet the teacher session one week prior to the start of school. Additionally, we host a back to school night.
The open house sessions give parents an opportunity to view the school/classrooms in action. Parents are typically given a brief overview of the school’s mission and goals before participating in a guided tour of the building. After the tour, parents are given the opportunity to ask questions about the school.
During meet the teacher week, each family is given an individual appointment with the teacher in the child’s classroom. This allows the child, parent and teacher to get to know one another. During this time, parents also fill out a survey about their child as the teacher takes the child on a classroom tour. Back to school night is usually held mid/late September and allows parents and students an opportunity to meet all key staff, review grade level expectations, school protocols and information specific to the child’s class.
I teach two sessions of Special Education preschool which is comprised of 3,4,5 year olds with developmental delays, integrated with two peer models (typically developing)in each session in a K-6 public school. Our school population is over 51% free and reduced lunch. Our back to school night is a free BBQ where school supplies and backpacks are provided as needed, along with special prizes. A half hour into the BBQ, classrooms are open for an hour for parents and students to drop off their supplies or get their supplies and to meet the teacher. I sent out post cards to each of my students inviting their family to come. In the classroom I took a family picture of each child with their “family” (all persons who showed up with the child). I had their name on an apple taped to their cubby. I invited the child to find their name on the apple then take in to our tree on the wall at circle time area and put it any where on the tree that they would like. In the child’s cubby I had a “Survival Guide” and all forms that needed to be signed and returned. With the child busy at a number of stations set up around the room I was able to speak with each parent about specifics and answer questions. Some filled out the paper work then and some played with their child at the various stations. This was our third year to have this for our parents. In my class,14 out of my 18 families came. School wide - 700 hot dogs were donated, 40 were left! It was fantastically received! In the fall we have conferences at school and in the spring we go to each child’s home for a visit.
We just had our Open House and I don’t feel it was that successful because it was so early. Our students just started the week before and we met and talk to all our parents then. So the marjority of them didn’t attend the Open House. I feel we need time to get to know our students and have them do some art work or other work to have on display for the parents to see. I know as a parent this is what I enjoyed when going to the school.
My school does a meet the teacher or Orientation a week before school starts. We don’t do an open house until the spring.
I teach at a church preschool and we have an Open House about a week before school starts. My co -worker and I send out letters to the parents inviting them to come see their child’s classroom, meet the teacher, and hear about what activities or parties that are planned for the year. We also have a sign in sheet and another sign up sheet to volunteer to be a Room Mom or just to help with one or two parties. It is usually well received if you tell them they can sign up with one other Mother who has volunteered to help. We also allow the parents to ask any questions at that time and hopefully put them at ease by our answers. The transition of coming in the first day of school sometimes goes a lot smoother for the child and parent when they attend our Open House. Everyone has met.
Our elementary does a lot! In mid-August our school has two registration days when parents can bring in all the completed forms that had been mailed home a week or so earlier, pay fees, sign up for PTA membership, etc. We also have school pictures taken that day. A week before school starts class lists are posted and many teachers send home a “Welcome to my class” letter or postcard. Almost all the teachers offer a time or two during the in-service days prior to school starting for students and their parents to bring in school supplies, find their new classroom and meet the teacher. About three days after school starts parents are invited to a “Talk-in” where the classroom teacher talks with just the parents of his/her class to explain routines, schedules, curriculum and other housekeeping details. Then about 5-6 weeks in to the school year we have an “Open House”. The PTA sponsors a picnic, we have a theme basket raffle and classrooms are open for families to visit.
Our school district has a set open house date where parents come in with their children to view the classroom, sign up for conferences, meet the teacher, etc. We also have a few hours that are available to parents before school starts (while teachers are in-service) where students can be brought in to see their classrooms.
At our elementary school we have had our Open House the week before school starts the last 2 years. Our staff decided it would be beneficial for our families, especially the Kindergartners and First Graders. It seems to help for them to know their teacher and where their room is before school starts.
We have both events! Visiting Day is held the day before school starts - families are assigned times to meet the teacher, plus they can make deposits for school breakfast/lunch, drop off medical info/supplies at the nurse, sign up for community partnership programs, walk around the school, and have their child practice getting on and off the bus. Open House is held in the evening a few weeks into the school year, when families can see what their children have been doing in school and can also walk around the building.
We just had our Open House for our preschool program at chruch. It was very successful. All the parents and children came to meet the teachers and visit in the rooms. We had ours from 9-12 in the morning and it was a come and go. That gives parents some freedom to come at a time in the morning that is best for them. We find parents can meet each other, ask the teacher questions about curriculum and class management, etc. This is our fourth year to have an Open House and we will continue having them the Thursday before school begins.
I send out email to all our families two weeks before to remind parents about immunization records,
ask them to bring updated, addresses and phone numbers and remind them to be prepared to review paperwork for completeness with my Admin Assistant.
We hold an Open House injunction with our elementary building. We begin the evening at the elementary with the PTO providing hotdogs, chips, drinks, cookies for everyone; after introductions of staff we go to our preschool center. My classroom is a preschool intervention classroom. This year our them is “Swinging into Preschool”, using monkeys to introduce to the children in making good choices.
We had “Back to School Night” after the second day of school. I teach in a middle school so I don’t think as many parents come as in an elementary school. I thought it was too soon. I didn’t know the kids at all yet and when a parent would share information on their student I couldn’t even picture who they were talking about.
I have an open house night for our preschool and childcare for new and veteran families to come, meet each other and take care of new procedures and questions. Our biggest issue last year was our pick up and drop off line, so we made sure to enforce our policies very strongly at the open house, and had a much easier time when classes began! This is also a great time to touch base on any paperwork they may have missed like calendars, handbooks, or immunization records. It also gives parents an opportunity to drop off supplies instead of during the first day craziness! The children get to find their names, bathrooms, and the parents have time to meet with the teachers one on one. It really helped our first day of school go much more smoothly than last year.
We have a fun day on the playground (parents included) just before the start of school. We do facepainting, free play, snack, a couple games such as ring toss or duckpond. New students get a tour of the classroom a couple at a time where I show them where things are such as bathroom, cubbies, snack area etc. The next day we have orientation. There are 2-3 sessions of an hour where children are in the classroom with assistants while I meet with parents and go through all important info, sign up volunteers, answer ??’s etc. Then regular classes start either the next day or next week, depending how labor day falls. Open House for us is held on a sat during the school year sometime after we open up registration to the public. We don’t do it unless we are short on sturdents for the following year. We allow prospective parents and children to arrange a classroom visit so they can see how a school day goes and if it would be a good match. These occur throughout the year as people become interested.
At the school where I attended grade school, they now have a PTO Cookout type of event where the kids and parents can come and interact with the teachers that they will be working with throughout the year. Then, a few weeks or a month into the year, an Open House event takes place.
At my Open House, I have all forms ready, the Handbook, and all information I can give. Usually parents ask the same types of questions so I also have a FAQ sheet they can look over. I try to keep many interesting things in the room so kids can read or look at maps. I find this helpful because kids usually have an older or younger sibling with them.
We usually have our Open House 4 or 5 days before the start of school. This is done right after the announcement of class room assignments. At our school we usually have a very good turn out, and everything is very organized.
I do know that most schools around where I teach all it Open House. I find it strange sometimes that schools do this on the first day of school of after school starts. I thought the purpose was to allow the kids and parents in before to ask questions, get information, and know where the room is. We have always had alot of activities such as prize drawings or art activities. This keeps the kids busy while I talk to the parens about the upcoming year. In my experience, the parens who attend are usually the ones who help in the classroom the most!
We have “Back to School” night a few weeks after school starts for the parents to come into their child’s classroom. In Kindergarten though there is a special night set aside before school starts as well for the parents and students to come in and explore their classroom, meet the teacher and fill out any forms necessary.
We always have Open House before school starts. We have all the forms, information ready, let the students see their room and desks and have fun activities for them when they get there. Sometimes we have small prize drawings to get parents interested in coming to Open House. I always have a binder of previous years’ students wishing the incoming class well. It work because alot of students look up to the older kids and think “wow” they enjoy being in the class, look what they did!!
We only have Open House, and that usually is 3 to 4 weeks into the school year. Our schools are always “put together” late (rooms being cleaned, floors waxed and polished, etc..), so the teachers aren’t even allowed to get into the schools to set up our classrooms until a week before the kids come back, so having any “Meet the Teacher” events are out of the question. We meet the parents the same day we meet the kids. Day 1 of school.
I teach preschool and we always have a meet the teacher night two days before school starts. I have a scavenger hunt set up for them on a sheet of paper for them as soon as they arrive. Example woud be find your cubbie with your name on it, find the science table, find the flag, find the bathrooms,find your teachers! This gives them all something to do until everyone arrives. Then I go over the curriculum and rules and give an overview of a typical day in pre-k. Then I have a open question and answer time. A quick snack and then I have a small reward like a plastic animal cow, horse dinosauretc. that follows my room theme, to give them as they leave. I found by giving a small token at the end of the meeting, helps the ones that don’t want to leave to exit sooner!!
I have worked in schools that had a Meet the Teacher event before the start of school, a time to see where they will going and to bring in supplies so the first day isn’t so chaotic. Then the Open House was several weeks into the school year.
I now work at a school that only does an open house about 2 weeks into the school year.
I like the Meet the Teacher events. It helps me get organized, put the extra supplies away so the room is neat. It also gives me a chance to put parent faces and children together, I teach kindergarten by the way.
My school is K-4. We only do Open House the third week of school. Parents come and listen to the teachers discuss curriculum, rules etc. I would much rather have a Meet the teacher night or day before school. Three weeks into the school year is not early enough to go over all of the procedures and policies that we have been working on.
I teach at a K-6 public school with close to 700 students. Our kindergarten teachers hold a “meet the teacher” night a couple of nights before school begins but the rest of the faculty participates in an Open House about 2 weeks after school starts. The families meet in our cafeteria where the principal and the president of the PTA speak to the parents before they are dismissed to their children’s classrooms to meet the teacher and check out their child’s classroom.
We host an Open House 2 days prior to the start of school. It’s basically the same premise as Meet the Teacher. Students bring in and unload their supplies, while parents complete paperwork. It’s really helpful for getting people to sign up for fall conferences, volunteer at the school, and give transportation information. Also, the kids have a little less timidity on the first day.
Our Open House is the second week of school. My building is K-2 so everyone gathers in the gym to hear the principal say a few words and introduce the staff to everyone. Then parents can go to their child’s classroom. Some teachers talk in their rooms while others just walk around and chat with parents. Children can come that night and show their parents their classroom, seat, and all the other neat things in our building. I have folders at each child’s seat of information about the class and classroom. I give parents our daily schedule, our special classes we go to (art, gym, music, computers & library) our school pledge, a list of kids in our class and a copy of our reading, math, science & social studies curriculum. We usually have a good turnout.
I teach 4K, and we have an Open House usually 1-2 weeks before the beginning of the school year. Parents and children are welcome to join us for some refreshments and to drop off supplies and explore the room. It is a lot of fun! We have conferences in November (as part of the school district), and then I have some very informal family activities, like a dinner and movie get-together.
At our Preschool we are trying something new this year called a “Meet and Greet.” This day is taking place the day before school starts. it is a chance for the parents and students to come to the school, find their cubbies, meet the teachers, check out the room and toys, etc. Parents are more than welcome to ask any lingering questions about the start of school. we are hoping that this eases the transition into Day one for the students …and the parents.
we usually have Back to School Night a few weeks after the start of the school year for just the parents to attend to talk about the curriculum and routines, etc.
Our Back To School Night is the night before the first day of school, but then again we have 3 and 4 year old kids! It’s a good chance for the kids and parents to see the room before school starts so ease those first day of school jitters. We don’t get a ton of time to speak with the parents, but I still think it’s a good chance for the children to get ready for school.
We do conferences about 2 months into school so we use that time to talk to the parents about their progress. It works pretty well!
I wish we had these evenings. Our preschool doesn’t have any kind of parent meetings.
We have a meet the teacher time the week before school for students and families to see their classroom, meet their teachers, fill out any forms, and just familiarize themselves with the school. We also have a parent orientation the night before school starts to go over policies, rules, procedures, etc.
In February we have an open house/carnival event for families in and outside of the school to see our classrooms and curriculum, and paly a lot of games.
We have “Meet the Teacher” a few days before school starts, so the kids can see where their room is and bring their supplies to school. We pass out first day of school info at that time, stuff like transportation the first week, student info sheets, and procedures and contact info for me.
We have “Open House” in February to show off how the rooms have changed and what kinds of activities we are doing then.
We have what we call an Open House one evening before school starts. At this time parents and students are able to meet the teacher, find their desk and locker and unpack their school supplies. The parents are also able to fill out any forms that need to be filled out and put money in their child’s lunch account. The classroom teachers provide information about classroom events/routines/policies etc. This makes our first day of school run smoothly. At my own children’s school they have what they call “Open Entrance Conferences” Each family schedules a time within a 2 day time frame to meet with the teacher. The teacher is able to discuss things about the classroom etc. with individual families. Parents also are able to discuss any concerns etc. The students are able to meet the teacher/bring in their supplies and see what they will be doing throughout the year.
At my school, open house has been scheduled earlier and earlier with each passing year. This school year we had it on the third week and it was a time to meet the teacher as well as receive information about the classroom rules, procedures, etc. Personally, having an extra event to “meet the teacher” would be too much! Open house is plenty to prepare for!
My school does both. We have “Meet the Teacher” a couple of days before school starts. This gives parents and children the opportunity to meet their child’s teacher in a casual, relax atmosphere. Children are also encouraged to bring their school supplies and place them in the classroom. A few weeks after school begins, we have Open House. This is mainly for parents. This is a time for teachers to explain curriculum, expectations, routine, answer general questions, etc.
We are a preschool and we have “Open House” more as a meet the teacher & enrollment opportunity for new families. We have them on Saturdays every couple months. Current families are encouraged to come & new. Its a chance for the teachers to be available with out having to be responsible for children.
In our preschool, we have Meet the Teacher, Group Parent Conferences and Open House. Meet the Teacher occurs for one hour the week before school starts. The parents and kids bring supplies and then have 30 minutes of greet and meet everyone. Then the parents go to a short meeting with the Director and I spend 30 minutes with just the kids. Group Parent Conferences occur 1-2 weeks into the school and it is a chance for me to meet with all my parents at one time and discuss important items that will occur throughout the school year, curriculum, and discipline. Then Open House happens around the time of Spring Break and we display as much of the kids recent art work and academic work as possible and it is a time for the kids to bring their family and extended family to see their school and what they have learned throughout the year. I like this progression of meetings and look forward to it every year.
In my preschool center, we call it open house. We coordinate it with the elementary school, so sometimes it is before classes begin and sometimes after. This year, our open house will take place the week before our students arrive. It gives parents, the students and even other family members the opportunity to check out the school and the classroom and to meet the preschool teachers.
At our school the day before school starts is “Open House”. This in my mind is “Meet the Teacher”, because that is what we do.
At the other school, “Open House” came after Spring Break and had as many of the students projects displayed as possible.
We have parent orientation in the evening before school starts for parents to meet the teacher, hear about her curriculum see the classroom and go over some policies.
Then we have an Open House for the family to come in to meet the teacher and see the classroom. That way the kids are familiar with the classroom and the teacher. We do the meetings separately, because it would take too long to do them together.
We have Open House (ours is tonight in fact). Most schools in our district have it before school starts but our school waits until the second week of school. It is nice to not have to hurry to have my room looking great but…because I teacher kindergarten it is scary that first day of school for the kids and their parents never having met me or seen the class. I am not sure which way I would like better.
We did a ‘Parent Night’ meeting the Thursday before school starts basically to tell a few important things before that first day and to get the students’ supplies so that they could be put away. Then, the following Thursday we did an ‘Open House’.
I am a co-op preschool teacher. We have a open house in March that is a chance for people to see the school, talk to me and the board and sign up for next year.
We also do meet the teacher just prior to classes beginning. Meet the teacher is so the child can meet me once again before school starts.
Co-op is very family oriented. We also do a ice cream social for the enrolled families in July.
But when I worked for Head Start we had home visits before classes began. Basically we went out met the child and did paperwork with the parent. We held a open house for parents to come in a few weeks after school began.
When we where kids that is the way open house was done - a few weeks into the school year. Now they do it before school even starts to allow the child and parents to meet the teacher and see the classroom before school even starts - I guess it helps get down to business once school starts. Parents already know the rules and expectations before they send their child off on the bus that first day!
Some schools in my area even do home visits - which allows the teacher to see “where” the child is coming from!!
As we learn things change.
As my kids went through school, Open House was a time a few weeks into the school year to go to the classroom, check out his/her curriculum and meet the teacher. As a preschool teacher, however, I have Open House prior to school starting as a way for the parents and children to meet me, see the classroom and get comfortable with coming to school. I also try to have a book for the children to take home and a paper for them to complete at home and bring back the first day of school. This is usually a drawing of a face that they complete to look like themselves. They really love this!
I work in a preschool and we call it open house.
Seems even when I was a kid we only had “open house”. Maybe a regional thing?