What to Include in a Meet the Teacher PowerPoint

Does your school require you to give a presentation when you meet your new families? Using a Meet the Teacher PowerPoint to guide your open house can ease any anxiety, help you manage parents, and ensure that you cover all the important details. In this post, I’ll show you what to include in your parent presentation so you can confidently communicate important information about your classroom. Read how to plan a successful Meet the Teacher Night here. See how to set up your classroom and manage Meet the Teacher here. If you’re holding a virtual Meet the Teacher Night, read here.

How to Create a Meet the Teacher PowerPoint Presentation

All About Your Teacher

Share something fun or interesting about yourself with your families. Provide pictures of your family, pets, vacations, etc. Tailor it to fit your students age and grade level.

Slideshow template source

Tell parents about your education and how long you have been teaching. Consider adding your school picture from when you were in the same grade level as your students. Parents and students love to learn more about their teacher because it helps them make a connection with you. It can put them at ease to know more about the person that they are entrusting for their child’s education.

I also recommend making a Meet the Teacher letter that you can put on each child’s desk as well as send to families who were not able to attend.

Newsletter template source

Teacher Contact Information

Provide parents with the best way to get in contact with you. Explain to parents your policy on phone calls, emails, and setting up a conference if needed. Similarly, explain to parents your communication response time. For example, emails sent during the day will get a response after school on the same day, but emails sent after school or in the evening will be responded to the following day. Tailor this to fit your needs and the expectations of your school.

Slideshow template source

Customize a back to school brochure with your contact info and important things to know about your classroom. Include your daily classroom schedule, specials schedule, homework policies, contact info attendance office phone number, and anything else parents will need to keep handy. Make simple refrigerator magnets by customizing these templates and gluing a piece of magnetic tape to the back. These keep important contact and classroom info handy for parents.

Brochure and magnet templates source

What to do with Supplies

Explain to parents and students where they need to put their different school supplies. Many families bring in their supplies on Meet the Teacher Night which is very helpful! Show families what supplies will go in student desks (pencil box, scissors, ruler, etc.) and what supplies are for the class (highlighters, expo markers, glue sticks, etc.). Consider placing bins out on a table for extra supplies. This will help with organization and save you time later so you don’t have to open packages and sort supplies at the end of the night.

What to Expect on the First Day of School

Communicate with families what time the campus opens and where you will be on the first morning before school. For example, some schools have students go to the playground while other schools have students go straight to their classroom upon entering campus. Tailor this to fit your school procedures and expectations. Provide lunch information for those students who will buy lunch on their first day of school. Explain your procedures for the end of the day including students that will be picked up by parents, ride the bus, or go to an after school care program that your district provides.

Your Class Schedule

Provide your families with your daily classroom schedule as well as a special classes schedule. It is important for parents to know when their student needs to wear tennis shoes for P.E. and when library books are due back.

Lunch Procedures

Communicate how lunch and recess works at your school. Provide information on how to set up a lunch account so students can purchase lunch. Include your lunch time in the class schedule.

Forms & Information You Need From Parents

Call attention to the parent forms that need to be completed during the open house as well as forms due back during the first week of school. Provide examples of any information that may come home during the first week so that parents are expecting it. Communicate to parents how you will send home important fliers or school memos. Stress the importance of checking student’s folders and backpacks every day.

Student information forms source

I set up stations for parents to visit after the presentation to fill out or turn in important student forms. Read more about using parent stations to manage Meet the Teacher Night and get helpful tips for how to plan a stress-free open house.

Editable back to school parent forms and stations (source)

Click here for Meet the Teacher kits with editable parent stations and student forms, in both English and Spanish, that you can customize for your classroom.

Homework Folders

Familiarize parents with your homework routine in your Meet the Teacher PowerPoint. Explain what will be assigned each week and expectations for completing it. Provide examples of what the homework will look like and when it is due. Show an example of how their child’s daily folder will look and the expectations for that folder. Your folders may include a behavior chart, spelling lists, practice pages, a reading log, notes from the teacher etc.

Walk parents through the type of homework assignments their student will have each week. Explain how to use the reading logs and do fluency passages if you use them. It is important for parents to know what requirements their child has each week as some younger students won’t remember in the beginning.

Classroom Rules and Behavior Expectations

I usually provide a back to school newsletter with all of this info as well as include it at Curriculum Night with parents. If the norm at your school is to do a Meet the Teacher open house presentation, you can certainly include rules and behavior expectations.

Consider including a slide with an explanation of your management style as well as your classroom rules for students. I try not to have more than five simple rules for students which is helpful because then they are not overwhelmed. It’s useful to communicate this early to parents so they know what to expect. You can also provide your class behavior plan. Try these easy to use editable Curriculum Night PowerPoint templates with example slides.

Volunteer Information

Parents love to volunteer! Provide families with a list of ways they can volunteer in and out of the classroom. Make sure to include when this will start. I usually wait at least a month so I can establish routines within my class.

Always Include a Thank you

Thank your families for coming and let them know you look forward to an amazing school year. Send your presentation, and any important forms, to families that cannot attend.

Meet the Teacher Night doesn’t have to be stressful. By planning ahead and using the right templates, you can create a clear, concise, and polished Meet the Teacher Powerpoint presentation.

Click here for a BRIGHTS theme. Click here for a BURLAP theme. Both are also available in bundles with Curriculum Night and First Day Rules & Procedures PowerPoint templates.