Teachers know that parent communication is key to building a partnership with parents to best meet the needs of their students. When heading back to school, I like to immediately inform parents about myself, our classroom, and how to best contact me. I also like to provide parents with an opportunity to tell me about their child and how to best communicate with them.
Welcome Letter
Before school starts, I like to send home a Welcome to Kindergarten letter. In this letter I explain two other items that I send home with it (more about those below) and give parents some helpful information they should know before the first day of school.
I include when the first day of school is, when school begins, when the school day ends, information about our snack times since I ask parents to provide snack items, and sometimes I provide information about how our dismissal works if I have a lot families new to the school. There are a lot of details parents should know that will help make the first day of school go smoothly. I also make sure to include how parents can contact me in case they have any questions before school starts. The first day of Kindergarten can be hard for some parents-especially if they are sending their oldest child to school for the first time. I want them to know their child is in good hands. 🙂
Meet Your Teacher
In the Welcome Letter I explain that I am also sending home a Meet Your Teacher letter. This is a letter that I write directed towards students, so I ask parents to read it to their child. In this letter I tell them who I am: how long I’ve been teaching, some things I like to do, who is in my family, etc. Then I tell them a little bit about what Kindergarten is going to be like. Some students can’t wait to go to Kindergarten, where others are a little more worried about it. I hope that by introducing myself and Kindergarten, it will help alleviate some of that worry.
At the end, I always make sure to include some of my favorites. The kiddos love asking about all my favorite things and it helps them get to know me a little better. I’ve also had parents tell me that they love that I include this section. It helps them know what to get me come Christmas and Teacher Appreciation Week. I’m lucky that I work in a school with parents who are willing, and able, to get me something little once in awhile.
All About Page
The last thing I send home is an All About page. I explain in the welcome letter that I would like parents to fill out this letter about their child and return it to me at the beginning of school. As you can see in the picture above, I ask about their child’s nicknames, birthday, family, pets, hobbies/interests, and allergies. Next, I ask for them to describe their child, the goals they have for him/her, anything else they would like me know, and what’s the best way to communicate with them. I really like getting to know the child from the parents’ perspectives and knowing what their goals for their child are. Parents should know that we are a team, working together for their child.
Back to School Editable Letters and Form
If you like what I showed you above, be sure to check out this product (if you click the picture above it will take you to my Teachers Pay Teachers store). This includes what I showed you above and so much more (and not just for Kindergarten). The best part: the text in both the Welcome letter and Meet Your Teacher letter is editable. You can change the content of each letter to meet your needs. *The headings in the letters are not editable- just the text.
What's Included?
I’ve made the Welcome Letter in several different versions for each grade level: Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, and nonspecific grade level. Each comes in several different color options and a couple black and white versions. All the text (besides the headings) is editable.
The Meet Your Teacher letter also comes in several different versions and colors. Pick the one that works best for you and all the text (besides the headings) is editable.
The All About Form comes in two different versions and is not editable.
These letters and forms have worked very well for me over the last few years. I hope you enjoy using them as much as I have!
The photos in this post were made using stock photos from A Little Peace of Africa: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Laine-Sutherland-Designs