Shopping for new school clothes and supplies and the first day of school are important events, however; Back-to-School Night in New Jersey schools is one of the most important events of the school year.
The events are scheduled anywhere from early September through late October, depending on other events placed on a district calendar. Back-to-School Night is the time when general information about curriculum, teaching practices/styles, assessment practices, and general classroom expectations can be highlighted and shared by teachers. It’s also the time when parents can ask open-forum, general questions about these same things.
Usually, parents are asked not to bring children to Back-to-School Night – this is an adult discussion evening.
Tremendous planning and coordination goes into scheduling Back-to-School Night. Administrators and support staff coordinate and organize the tightly-packed schedule/agenda and the logistics for the evening. Teachers plan classroom presentations and sometimes activities for their students’ parents.
Many teachers provide handouts for the parents to take home to review with their children, and teacher contact information is also shared so parents may discuss individual student concerns with the teacher at a later date.
Parents are asked not to engage teachers in specific conference-like conversations during Back-to-School Night – the forum is too open to have this kind of private discussion about a student. Parents with school-wide issues of concern are asked to be directed to the administrator to have a discussion.
Teachers are asked by administrators to focus on giving the parents a general overview about classroom work, procedures, and expectations.
Back-to-School Night provides the opportunity to build and strengthen overall trust and collaboration between parents, teachers, and administrators. When the event flows successfully and everyone “sticks to the plan,” the tone set for the school year can easily be one of high trust and ongoing collaboration.
New Jersey students benefit from this kind of relationship-building.
Sharon M. Biggs, M.A.
Co-Chair & President
Website: http://www.mylifelinefoundation.org/
301 N. Harrison Street
Suite 35
Princeton, NJ 08540
877.570.1237
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