Hey there fellow Kinder WBT!!!!

Ok...had our parent orientation last night and it was amazing!!! Lots of business information to discuss first but then I hit em with the WBT strategies that I would be using this year!

I explained the scoreboard, the behavior pockets and practice cards. Discussed our five rules and how we don't punish...we PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE!!! They were so excited! I think my parents were so excited to hear that my goal in my class room is to never have to take a child to the office for "punishment" and I want to be encouraging to them to be expressive just within boundaries!

They were really excited! I had several parents already that have called or text me this morning because they came to the website and also You Tube and watched videos. They are expressed how excited they were to have their child in this type of atmosphere! They are ready and willing to help!

I believe this is going to be the most exciting year!!!!

Farrah

I was so very excited to hear your post. I was just moved to kinder from upper grades and a short time as a first grade teacher. I am new to WBT but totally commited and looking forward to introducing this to my new kids and parents.
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Keep in touch because I need all the help I can get!

Annette Warren
San Diego, CA
Kinder teacher

Tell us more about how you put your parent night presentation together -- mine is coming up in 2 weeks and i'm trying to figure out how to do this! Can you help me???? PLEEEEEZE????

Farrah:)
That sounds awesome! You have inspired me! I think I will be pulling these ideas out for Back to School night. We had our KinderOrientation last week (we do it for a week. The parents stay the first hour and we cover different topics for how to support learning at home), and the parents got to see each day how we added a little bit more and watch their students using it, but I never thought about having them use it or to direct them to the Website! Great ideas!
Ten finger woo with a lightening sizzle to you!!!

I am so sorry it has taken me a week to reply. I start school on 16th (tomorrow) so I have been busy busy busy!!!

Ok...so setting up parent orientation...


Well I have a brief letter that I write and then I put an orientation packet together that includes EVERYTHING my parents need to know for the year about our classroom...including all the WBT stuff. Now this is all in a folder and there are several forms that parents have to sign for me...

Homework contract
Discipline Contract (saying they agree and are willing to help with the WBT techniques)
Photo Release form (for my website and videos)
PASSPORT contract (we use binders like the MOOSE books)
and a simple form saying they received the packet and are responsible for all the information in it.

Now...I do not go over EVERYTHING in the packet! That would take forever...

So I go over drop off and pick up, lunch requirements since we don't have a cafeteria and kids must bring their lunch, homework policies, Saturday school policies (I hate this but it is a school thing), uniform requirements, daily schedules, WBT classroom management system up to the practice cards and purple wisdom cards, goals for the year, and last but not least what I expect from the parents.

I direct the parents to the website and videos and my classroom site!

This year was the first year I had directed them to the site and videos and the response was a amazing...especially when they watched the video of my kinders last year and could see EXACTLY what a portion of our day looked like!

HTH

Farrah Shipley

This was awesome help. We are coming up on "first" day too. Your information confirmed that I am on the right track, I forgot about havin them sign. Especially sharing the WBT web site as this will be some parents first time for school and Kinder is not like when they went to school or when I went!
Annette