At our school, we do several things ... maybe one of these will work for you ...
We have an ice cream and popsical social out on the playground the day before school starts in the fall. This is the for the whole school, all grade levels, and all family members invited, not just Kindergarteners. But it really helps welcome the new families and introduce them to others in the community, and is a great networking event.
We also have a Kindergarten open house, where new Kindergarteners can come and see their new classrooms well before the first day of school.
We have a separate "Meet the Teacher" event, where kids (all grade levels) can come, see their classroom, meet the teacher informally, and drop off their school supplies.
Finally, we have a Welcome Coffee, where new families can come, enjoy a hot beverage, meet the Principal, and get to know each other.
We have a wonderful preK resource in our community that works with any child from birth to the time they enter kindergarten. That organization is doing a special transition to kindergarten program in the weeks leading up to the new school year. They have invited us to come and meet parents and students and share information about our PTO.
For communities that don't have the benefit of partnering with such a wonderful organization what about contacting your local library and hook into the summer reading programs or the local Y and get in front of day camp families. Just a couple of ideas we have thrown around here.
I posted your question on our
Facebook page
and received a few responses.
Recently, someone posted here on the boards that they were going to do a
Family Movie Night
in the summer for new families, where they would have time to socialize on the playground first, then show an outside movie. Thought that was kind of a neat idea.
looking in doing a different parent welcome to the school for the kindergarten parents, we usually do a breakfast with the parents on the first day of school, they meet the pto and principal we tell them how their first day will go and what the pto is and how we do events for the school,
i'm thinking of changing it to something more inviting, doing it maybe a few days before school starts, maybe on the playground with pop ice for the kids,
how do other schools welcome kindergarten parents into the school community?
