Secondary back-to-school nights can come up fast during a busy time of the year which is why these quick and low-pre ideas are going to be your saving grace. Think about this…by the time students get into the middle grades, families have been attending back-to-school night or an open house for about 6 years (if they have made it to all of them :P). Once they hit those middle grades, they visit up to 7 teachers in one night! That is A LOT! At this point, I am sure they don’t want to watch and hear me talk about myself…
So I am not going to do that this year! It’s time to mix things up. I am excited to share with you three ideas for secondary back-to-school night. These ideas are bound to make sure families don’t find it to be a boring night.
Real quick, I wanted to mention the families that don’t make it to the open night. They are just as important to start communicating with which is why I give my students this family homework during the first week of school. It gives me a chance to begin the two-way communication between school and home which is so helpful throughout the year. The free Family Homework is in both Spanish and English for you and all you have to do is change the date, add your name, and print!
Let’s get started with the ideas of how to make the back-to-school night a little more fun for families. The best part is, these ideas for secondary back-to-school night are super low prep! So if you’re open house is tonight, you can totally do this.
Ideas for Back-to-School Night
- Pass the Bag – (this is also a great way to start the school year with your own students!)
Gather up a few things you already own that tell something about YOU and put them in a plastic baggie or brown lunch bag. Label the bags by number and give the families scratch paper. These items will be rotated around the tables of families where they must write down what they believe this object tells them about you.
Here are a couple of examples! Back in the day, I put a quarter because I was 25 years old. Another example is I put in markers that were blue and orange because I went to Boise State and those are the school’s colors. Reveal what the objects mean about you at the end of your time and ask the families if they got any of them correct. You are letting them know basic info about you at the back-to-school night in a fun way!
- A Taste of Class
This idea for secondary back-to-school night is simple. Do an activity you would do with your students! Give the families a preview of what their students will actually be doing this year. The best part of this is it’s low prep if you already have activities from the previous years or something you’ll be using soon! Think of a card sort, a puzzle, or a cut and paste activity. I would go with the one I like most.
After a quick welcome for the families, have them write words of encouragement, hopes, and expectations for their students. I have done this one already and it was such a great idea for secondary back-to-school night. I got feedback from parents that they totally loved it! I even did it through a GoogleForm so families who couldn’t make it, could still participate.
Set these up in three different spots in your room to get them up and moving! The family members can walk around and add it as a sticky note or into a box. These are great to pull out throughout the school year when students need a reminder when they are feeling defeated.
Speaking of back-to-school time, the start of communicating with families doesn’t end when the open house ends. This is just the start! Make sure you read about how to Strengthen School-Home Communication. You will find three helpful and practical ways in this blog post. It will make your connection with your students better and make your classroom run smoother. If you’re ready to dig into more back-to-school prep to make your life easier, check out these 5 Best ESL Strategies to Plan for BEFORE the school year starts.
Recap of Ideas
There you have three quick and low-prep ideas for a secondary back-to-school night! These ideas to try are also engaging and interactive. This will help keep families on their toes and interested in what you are doing. Remember that by the time these students get to your class, families have been to so many open houses that they are sure to appreciate something other than a teacher intro spiel. I am excited to try these out on my back-to-school night my junior high.
