Generally handed out on the first day of school, children take home an index card with their name and phone number on it. Students give the card to parents to fill out things such as names and important contact information for emergencies during school hours. Instead of just sending an index card home, teachers can create their own emergency cards on Vista Print's website by selecting the postcard template and designing it as they choose. For example, on one side the postcard would have the teacher's name and room number. On the back, they can ask for things such as parent names, daytime phone numbers and contact order in the case of an emergency.
A few times a year, teachers request a conference with the parents or guardians of their students. In most cases, this means a letter sent home with the child, often misplaced among homework as well as within daily worksheets. To avoid the letter getting lost and getting parents to respond on time, teachers can use the postcard template at Vista Print to invite parents into the classroom. This is also a great tool for teachers looking to invite parents in to see some of their child's work.
Reading is an important part of learning, but with so much going on, it's sometimes hard for kids to keep track. By either using the postcard template or even making their own stationary, teachers can hand out these fun tools to see what their students are reading. This is a big help just after summer vacation to see what the students may have read outside of the classroom. These lists can also be handed out by the teacher with titles and authors already filled out, suggesting those titles to students individually.
Learning a new classroom and all the new rules is daunting the first handful of weeks for new students. To help teachers assist their students as well as to keep from repeating themselves, they can select things such as window clings or magnets to hang around the room. These little reminders range from something as simple as students hanging up their jackets after coming in from recess, putting their book bags away, remembering to take their homework home or something a little more complex such as labeling turn-in baskets or listing extra credit opportunities. With many schools using white boards instead of chalk because of the dust, place these magnet reminders on the board where everyone can see them.