First Week of Term 3

                                   Back to School

Prioritise for the First Day of School

Before we get into it, let’s take a moment to consider what’s really important on the first day of school. Figuring out what’s urgent and important helps us to prioritise. It’s tempting to believe that labelling every non-living thing in your classroom and making things look pretty is a top priority. But consider that decorating your classroom can wait and that other things are more important.  The most important thing to plan for the first day of school is ways to connect with your students, being to create a classroom community and to build relationships.
DON’T FORGET THE RULES  Go slow. Be deliberate. Very deliberate. Explain EVERYTHING. To the point where you think you’re going overboard. Every opportunity you get, go over how to do something both in the classroom and outside of the classroom. Chorally repeat them. Model them. Practice them. 

COOPERATIVE LEARNING ACTIVITIES & ICEBREAKERS  Plan a lot of them. Plan more than you will need. You never know when you might have a little extra time to throw one in. The first couple of days/weeks of school are all about learning how to get along together in the classroom. Use every opportunity to build community and teach students how to get along with one another. It will pay off in the long run, later in the year.

"Develop an environment where the diversity and uniqueness of all learners are accepted and valued."