1st Day and Back-to-School Night

What I Learned In School Today: The first day of school is exhausting!

I will sleep well tonight. I am the assistant principal of Concord Elementary School, a kindergarten through second grade school in the Garnet Valley School District located in Pennsylvania west of Philadelphia. For students in the primary grades, the first day of school is a huge event filled with excitement, enthusiasm, and many tears.

Kids at this age are still dependent on adults for so much. We can’t assume that the kids know their teacher’s name, let alone how to find his or her classroom. We can’t assume the kids know how they will get home at the end of the day, let alone who will pick them up or which bus they should ride. We can’t assume all of our students are comfortable being away from a parent for long stretch of time, let alone make it through the day without a coveted nap. In order to function on day one with our young students, the first day of school has to be an all-hands-on-deck affair where everyone pitches in.

In addition to this being the first student day, tonight is back-to-school night for our kindergarten parents (first grade parents come tomorrow night and second grade parents join us on Thursday). We are fortunate enough to have excellent parental involvement at Concord which, when coupled with the age of our students, makes back-to-school night a very well attended event.

Fortunately, our teachers do a terrific job communicating with parents, who were anxious and excited to see who their five or six year old sons and daughters will be spending time with for the next ten months. The day went well and we are ready for day two. That being said, I will sleep well tonight.

How do other schools manage sneak-a-peeks and back-to-school nights? Our numbers and space limit us, but I’m interested in creative ways of structuring these events. Thanks!