As the beginning of the school year starts to creep up on us (you can tell it’s close by all the back to school ads) it’s time for teachers to start thinking about how to make their lives easier from the start. One way to make your life easier to get teacher worksheets together to help you start and stay organized from start to finish.
A worksheet? Isn’t that a bit old school? Yes, but sometimes old school is the best school. When you are starting off the school year, you want to be as prepared as humanly possible for the little humans who are about to walk through your door. There are many ways to get ready, but using some of these teacher worksheets is the old school way that still works.
Start with you!
Everyone seems to want to start the school year thinking students first and while this is a great mentality to have, sometimes the teacher gets left in the dust. So start the school year with what you need in mind. Will you still be thinking of your students? Yes, of course you will but these worksheets focus on the teacher.
Check It Off
The first worksheet you want to make is a checklist of things you need to get done before the school year starts. Don’t get too specific here, I know you’ll make plenty of to-do lists along the way, just stick to the basics. This checklist includes:
- School supplies purchased
- A sample of needed school supplies should include:
- Paper
- Pens
- Scissors
- Tape
- Paper clips
- Other office supplies.
- A sample of needed school supplies should include:
- Roster acquired
- Available parent information attained
- Learning Centers planned
- Decorating supplies bought
Often when we first step into our classrooms to get them ready in the summer we only have a vague idea what we want to do. Because we only have a basic outline, we end up not getting as much done and therefore end up having to go back and spend more time than what might have been necessary. With this simple list, you will know you are ready to walk into your classroom ready to go.
Roll Call!
The next worksheet you will want to create for yourself is a student information sheet. This teacher worksheet will come in handy when you have a sub (especially if it is long term) or you have someone coming in who needs to know more about your students. On this Roll Call teacher worksheet, you should have a space for:
- The student’s name
- Nicknames
- Parents’ names and contact information (may need to be added later)
- Allergies and other medical information
- Special learning needs. Keep in mind a learning need is not always something that comes on an IEP. If you just know or come to realize that Johnny does better with chunks of instructions, then you can jot that down too.
- You may also want to include any favorites for when a student is down. This can be anything from favorite superhero to what their favorite color is.
Keep confidentiality in mind when filling out this and sharing this information. Not everyone needs to know parent information, learning needs, or allergy and other medical information.
Having this teacher worksheet as filled out as possible at the beginning of the school year will help you get to know your students better and sharable information will be helpful if you ever have a sub.
Sub Spot
Another teacher worksheet to start would be a Sub Spot worksheet. While this worksheet isn’t exactly for you it will be incredibly helpful! On your Sub Spot worksheet, you have a place to write down all the need to know information including:
- Student info (which you may need to change throughout the year). This area is good to tell the sub who gets a long and who doesn’t. You can also list students who are always extra helpful or students who like to talk to each other a little too much.
- Classroom Rules and Procedures
- Weather related information which will vary by your region. The worksheet includes things such as:
- Fire escape plan
- Tornado warning
- Earthquake procedure
- Map of the school
- Schedule for a “typical” day. (Music Mondays, Art Tuesdays etc.)
Having this teacher worksheet ready to go at the beginning of the year is important to have because you never know what might happen. Being organized and ready for a sub at any moment will save you stress in the future. You may have to update this worksheet along the way and you still may have some extra notes to add but all of the basics will be there no matter when you are gone.
The Students
Now let’s get to what you want to have ready for the first day of school for your students. It’s always good to start the school year off prepared in your classroom. Getting a first day of school packet ready for your students and sending it home will hopefully help you lean new information, double check contact information, and get all the news out you need to right away.
Calendar Tracker
For the students first day of school packet you will want to throw in a calendar of upcoming events. These can be tentative events and if they are just note that on the calendar. Some homes have two working parents who still want to be able to help with the classroom party or be part of the wax museum but they need a heads up.
Say Cheese
Another thing to include in the first day of school packet is the photo booklets that are typically handed out at the beginning of the year. Getting these to parents right away gives them more time to talk to relative so they know how many pictures to order.
Teacher Contact Info
You don’t need to give out all of your private information but an email and school phone number is good to shoot out to parents just in case they need you. With that, you may want to include when the best time to contact you would be if needed.
Parent Contact Info
Although you probably got this information from the office, it’s good to double check that you have good parent contact information. Have your students bring home a simple worksheet that asks for a phone number and good email as well as their preferred form of communication. The teacher worksheets download below has a great sheet to gather this information.
Student Information
A questionnaire for students to fill out with their parents is a fun way to get a family to sit down together and a great way to get to know your students. On this teacher worksheet you can learn some of a student’s favorite things as well as some information about how they learn best. This doesn’t have to be a serious questionnaire, make it fun for you, the student, and his/her parents.
Classroom Procedures
The last, but maybe most important, piece of information you may want to put in the first day of school packet is a classroom procedures guideline for parents. When parents know what is expected of their child from day one, they are more likely to be your ally if an issue were to ever arise.
There are so many ways to get and stay organized at the beginning of the school year and teacher worksheets are just one way to do it. While it may take some time to organize and fill out these worksheets, they will be very helpful to you as you start the 2019-2020 school year.
Looking for teacher worksheets to make your first days back a breeze? Click below to download your FREE BACK TO SCHOOL Teacher Worksheets and get your year started off on the right foot!
