Back to School Forms

Hi everyone! Glad to have you back for week 3 of our Special Education Summer Blog Hop. If you’re just stumbling across this blog hop, you can catch up by reading my previous posts:

Week 1: Scheduling
Week 2: Classroom Set-Up

This week it’s all about back to school forms! In the coming weeks I will be starting to get my welcome forms and letters together so that I am not scrambling to get them done when the calendar turns to August.

Although my school sends home a letter to inform the families of teacher assignments, I always send home a welcome letter from me. It puts the families at ease to learn a little bit more about the teacher and to feel as if they’ve been reached out to before the school year begins. Here is a look at what I send home!

My welcome letter includes:

  • A brief biography and background of me
  • A brief overview of my philosophy of teaching and parent communication
  • A request for a letter back from the parents (this wonderful portion of the letter comes from Beth Newingham’s opening letter)
  • A supply list
  • One sheet of Avery labels with the student’s name on them (I like everything labeled and this way I know it is labeled to my liking and it also helps the parents out!)
  • An invitation to Meet the Teacher Day (This is optional, but since I teach a K-1 self-contained room, it is helpful for the families and students to be able to come visit the classroom and meet me before the first day of school. This is also a good idea if you have students who have recently began receiving special education services or are transitioning to a new building or special education setting.)
  • A to-do list for the parents to complete before the school year begins. This includes:
    • Joining my Remind text notifications
    • Checking out my classroom website (TONS of information here)
    • Choosing a family photo to send in for our classroom (I ask my families to send a photo in each year and I keep them framed on our windowsill throughout the year)

Here are some samples of the letters in my welcome packet:

Welcome Letter for Parents & Meet the Teacher Day:

Supply List

For suggestions on creating a great supply list, check out my 9 Supply List Must Haves.

Avery Labels for Labeling Supplies

Hop on over to Julie at Superheroes in Sped to read about her back to school forms! See you next week for some fun with paraprofessionals!

  • Sarah Forst July 12, 2015 at 2:59 pm

    I loved your parent letter! I have done one in the past, but not quite that detailed. Thanks for sharing!

    Sarah
    Years That Ask Questions

  • kinderspedadventures July 12, 2015 at 3:14 pm

    I love the label idea! I (not-so) secretly cringe when everything is labeled differently.

  • Breann Prince July 12, 2015 at 11:59 pm

    I too love the label idea!

  • Kim @ Mrs. Hs Resource Room July 13, 2015 at 5:23 pm

    I love that your letter is personal and informative! 🙂
    Kim
    Mrs. H's Resource Room

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