Meet the Teacher Night was a HUGE success!!!! 

Mrs. Rickman and her family!

As I was preparing for meet the teacher night, I thought about all of the previous meet the teacher nights that I had gotten ready for, and by far this one was the best! Why... do you ask? Because we are opening a BRAND NEW SCHOOL!!!! The students, parents, grandparents and alumni who came to our meet the teacher night were wowed with our new classrooms, spaces, gym, cafeteria, courtyard, and library! It is truly amazing and I feel so blessed to be able to teach with such wonderful people and to be opening such a beautiful new school! History is in the making!
I'd like to share some photos of my meet the teacher night with you and hope that you can maybe use some of these ideas for your meet the teacher night next year!
Outside my classroom door, I had a podium with a sign in sheet and a scavenger hunt. On the scavenger hunt, the students and parents had to find their desk, transportation tag, unload their school supplies, grab a lollipop and take a family photo!

Sign in and Scavenger Hunt

I set my crates outside my classroom with supply labels. The crates are perfect for organizing all the students' supplies and they look nice at the same time!

Crates for supplies

Inside my classroom I had everything set up and ready to go! On my horseshoe table I put a pot with blow pops and a chalkboard sign that said "Thanks for POPPING in!" Each student could pick their own flavor! They got so excited!

Thanks for Popping in! 
I put Helping Hands on my whiteboard for my wish list. Some of the things that I asked my parents for were: Room Mom, Parent Helper, and extra supplies. A lot of my hands were gone by the end of the evening! 

Helping Hands

On each student desk I have their behavior/communication folder with paperwork to take home and a bag of ready confetti!
This is a bag of glitter and sequins that I give the students with a note that says to put it under their pillow and it will help them have sweet dreams the night before first grade! 

I'd also like to give you a tour of my classroom!
Here is my carpet area, with my author's chair, big book stand and easel for easy teaching! I LOVE this space!

Carpet Area

This is my word wall that I made from ABC Circles with Chevron border and ribbon. I just LOVE it! I plan on clipping the words on the ribbon with small clothespins.

Word Wall

This is my author study center on the back of my easel. Our first author study will be of Kevin Henkes! All of the books I put inside the colored baskets.

Author Study Center

This is my theme center, paired up with science and museum. If you are interested in my All About Me Thematic Unit, click here: All About Me: A Back to School Thematic Unit Grades 1-3

Theme, Science and Museum Centers

This is my math center with my math workstation baskets and my touch dot math posters. I have BUMP games, dice games, graphing games and tally games. If you are interested in my BUMP math workstation packet, click here:
BUMP: Math Workstation Games for Every Month

Math Center

This is my center rotation board and my math workstation board. If you are interested in checking out my Literacy Center Packet, click here.
Launching Literacy Centers: Grades 1-3

Center Rotations

This is how I display my math graphs for All About Me, and how I keep track of my students' transportation. On each ribbon are colored clothespins. I put a label on each clothespin with the child's name on it according to how they get home. This works great because it's such a BIG visual for me and if I have a substitute! 

Here is a photo of my geography center, big book center, and my finger puppets center underneath my calendar. I put crates against the wall and stuck my centers inside them! It worked perfectly!

Calendar Wall
This is my poetry center with my Focus Poem, parts of speech and punctuation ladders, and pocket chart poem. If you are interested in checking out my Poetry Packet, click here:
Acrostic and Focus Poetry for Every Month and Holiday Grades 1-3

Poetry Center
This is how I organize all of my writer's workshop papers. I bought a banker's box from Office Max and it has really done the trick! Each compartment has a number labeled on it, so I tell the students which number they need to get according to what step they are on with the writing process. I LOVE this shelf!!!!!!!!
If you are interested in checking out my Writer's Workshop Packet, click here:
Just Write From Your Heart: Writer's Workshop Mini-Lessons Grades 1-3

Writer's Workshop Paper Organization

I hope you got some great ideas for your Meet the Teacher Night in the future! I wish everyone the best first day of school ever....its hard to believe that it's already here!
Love,
Kara