Seriously!? It’s hard to believe August begins this week. Where does summer go?! The first few weeks of summer I couldn’t even think about school. Then in the past week as I was on vacation (pathetic, I know) I started to get that itch. I’m not ready to go back yet, but I started to get the itch to get things ready. On our 9 hour drive to Maine, I worked on my laptop the whole time. I know I am not alone! August starting in my school means that letters with teacher placements will go out to families this week and kids are back-to-school shopping. Although my school sends home a letter to inform the families of teacher assignments, I always send home a welcome letter from me. It puts the families at ease to learn a little bit more about the teacher and to feel as if they’ve been reached out to before the school year begins. Here is a look at what I sent home!
My welcome letter includes:
- A brief biography and background of me
- A brief overview of my philosophy of teaching and parent communication
- A request for a letter back from the parents (this wonderful portion of the letter comes from Beth Newingham’s opening letter)
- A supply list
- One sheet of Avery labels with the student’s name on them (I like everything labeled and this way I know it is labeled to my liking and it also helps the parents out!)
- An invitation to Meet the Teacher Day (This is optional, but since I teach a K-1 self-contained room, it is helpful for the families and students to be able to come visit the classroom and meet me before the first day of school. This is also a good idea if you have students who have recently began receiving special education services or are transitioning to a new building or special education setting.)
In addition to welcome letters at the beginning of the school year, I have always sent home introduction letters to the families when I was in long-term substitute positions.
Families have a difficult time with the transition of new teachers, especially when their students receive special education services. It was always my goal to ensure that my families felt comfortable reaching out to me and understood that I wasn’t just a warm body to fill the room while the other teacher was on leave. Reaching out goes a long way with parents!
Here are some samples of my letters:
Welcome Letter for Parents & Meet the Teacher Day:
Supply List
Avery Labels for Labeling Supplies
Hi Sarah,
My name is also Sara and I teach in a self-contained class as well. I graduated this past December and was lucky enough to accept a job before I even graduated. I relied on your blog a lot to get me through those first few months and I'm excited to start fresh this year. I'm really struggling to design a schedule for my kiddos and was wondering if you had any tips or could post an example of one that has worked well for you?
Thanks!
I've nominated you for a Liebster Award! Visit my blog at http://speciallittlelearners.blogspot.com/ to find out what to do next!