New Parents Meeting

[Guest]

Hi, I am trying to organise a new parents meeting for in a couple of weeks time. I am Reception Teacher in a Foundation unit, so new nursery parents and any new to reception will be invited along to an hour long meeting in the school hall. This is my first year at the school and in previous years parents have been invited along to listen to a great number of people saying a bit about uniforms, typical day, headteachers welcome etc etc. This is fine but it all seemed a bit formal as the parents as a whole group just sit their and look at all members of staff in a great big line and listen as one after another get up in turn and talk about their bit.

 

This year I fancied doing something on a carousel style, but the logistics of how to organise it is baffling me at present. Without having someone ring a bell every 10 minutes ha ha to move people round to the next 'speaker' which sounds a bit too much like speed dating, im struggling to think of how to do it. I could just ask parents to move around the hall and visit each 'speaker' at their free will but that could cause mayhem as people could turn up halfway through some information etc.

 

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!!

 

Thanks

[Guest]

Our new parents evening is similar to what you do now, but each speaker keeps it brief and we do a power point presentation - it lasts about 1/2 hour after that we provide refreshments and parents are invited to come and look around the classroom and outdoor area (which are both set up with various activities). Speakers and Staff are then around to talk to parents and answer any further queries. In all it lasts about 1 1/2 hours.

I like your idea of a carousel but logistically it would be a nightmare at our school.

[Cait]

Could you have a display board/table for each speaker to visit as they wish - you may have returning parents or parents of children already at the school who don't want some information. Could you have some competent year 6's to show parents round a classroom? (child safeguarding needs to be thought about) presumably all these parents have had a prospectus - are you doing home visits too?

 

I'd say try and keep it lively and entertaining as this is your 'window' to the parents and if this goes badly it's what they'll remember (speaking from my own experience) and how they may judge you in the future

[HoneyPancakes]

In my children's FSU, the Mums and Dads all sit around on the nursery chairs which is very cute and gets the newbies talking to each other. Think it also keeps the meeting short 'cos no one wants to sit there too long.

 

Fe

[Guest]

We invite our new parents to come in during the day. We start with a short talk in the hall with the head and me, and I bring a group of children in who talk about what they like about being in Reception. Feedback from previous years is that hearing it from the children is much better than hearing it from us! Then we take all the children into the class (yes it's manic with the existing class in there too but it's good fun!) whilst the parents have another tour of the school and have time with the head to ask question etc. After that we do a 2-for-1 school dinner where the parents and the children are invited to stay for a school dinner. It always works really well.