The Home-School Connection
Back-to-School Open
House Nights
Along with shopping for school
supplies and adopting earlier bedtimes, the back-to-school Open
House night is an important ritual marking the beginning of the
new school year. Listed below are the dates for the Port Jervis
Fall Open House nights:
Port Jervis Middle School:
Thursday, September 13, 7 p.m.
Anna S. Kuhl Elementary School
Grades 1-3:
Wednesday, September 19, 7 p.m.
Grades 4-6: Thursday, September 19, 7 p.m.
Hamilton Bicentennial Elementary School
Grades 1-3: Wednesday, September 19, 7 p.m.
Grades 4-6: Thursday, September 22, 7 p.m.
Port
Jervis High School:
Thursday,
September 27, 7 p.m.
Tips to Get the
Most out of Back-to-School Open House Night
Devise a
strategy if you need to visit more than one child's classroom.
If you have more than one child at the school, you'll need to
strategize. If your older child has already had the teacher that
your younger child now has, you might decide that visiting your
older child's teacher is the priority for the evening. If both
parents are able to attend, you can divide and conquer or take
turns in the different classrooms.
Bring a pen and paper.
Brenda Lofton, 2006 Louisiana Teacher of the Year and a middle
school math and science teacher recommends coming prepared to
take notes: "If the teacher says you can contact me and these
are my conference hours, you need to write down that
information. Also, teachers may give information through a Power
Point presentation or maybe something written on the board. So
bring something to take notes with."
Save specific questions about your child for a one-on-one
meeting.
Ask any questions that you have about the curriculum, field
trips or grades, but refrain from asking questions specific to
your child that won't be useful to other parents. It's better to
make an appointment for a conference to discuss your concerns
one-on-one.
Be ready to volunteer.
There will be many opportunities to sign up for volunteer
activities, either for school-wide programs or in the classroom.
You'll be better prepared if you've already given some thought
to your time constraints and how you'd like to contribute to the
school community.
Important Information to Take-Away From Back-to-School Night
An overview of your child's school day
Elementary school teachers will share the typical daily and
weekly schedule for the class. At the middle school and high
school, parents will get to a "mini" version of their child's
schedule.
Knowledge of what the classroom looks like
You will often have the opportunity to look at the textbooks and
any journals, portfolios and artwork the students have created.
Homework and discipline policies
Learning the teacher's homework policy and school discipline and
attendance policies will provide you with the information needed
to help your child succeed. Teacher's often provide information
about how they evaluate homework, how much is assigned
each night and on weekends, and how much it counts towards the
final grade.
How to contact the teacher
Find out how to contact your child's teacher (or teachers) and
what form of communication they prefer: email, voice mail or
notes.
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