Your welcoming first day of school plan

Discover my comprehensive plan for a successful and welcoming first day of school. I focus on creating a positive environment where every student feels safe and ready to learn from the moment they arrive.

Day One Goals

  • Every student feels welcomed and safe before leaving on day one. 
  • Students know the teacher's name, the course expectations, and at least two classmates
  • Classroom community norms are co-created and publicly displayed.

Welcome and Warm-up

Greet students at the door, play background music, display a welcome slid with a fun "getting to know you" prompton the board. 

Introductions

Share your background, teaching philosophy, and what excites you about this class. Invite students to share one word describing how they feel today.

Class Agreements

Collaborativley build classroom norms. Students brainstorm on sticky notes, then we group and vote on the top agreements to post in the room.

Course overview & Syllabus

Walk through the syllabus highlights, majoy projects, and expectaions. Emphasize growth over grades.

Ice Breaker Activity

"Two truths and a lie" or a structured partner interview activity. Students share out to the class.

Q&A with Closing Reflection

Open floor for questions. Exit ticket: One thing they are looking forward to this year and one question they still have.