First Day of School Celebration Handbook. First Day of School America

First Day of School America First Day of School Celebration Handbook How to jumpstart school family community partnerships to promote student success First Day Foundation www. firstday. org

Handbooks for participating Schools and Communities The First Day Foundation provides this First Day of School Celebration Handbook to help schools and communities develop their own First Day of School programs and activities, custom tailored to local needs and circumstances. Newsletter The First Day Newsletter shares firsthand experiences and reflections from schools in urban, suburban, and rural communities across the country, and offers planning tips to stimulate greater family involvement in education throughout the year. Request our newsletter through the contact information below. First Day Video The 8-minute First Day Video shows successful First Day stories from Vermont, Tennessee, Connecticut, Minnesota, and California. And it gets how to conversation going at faculty and school board meetings, Chamber of Commerce and service club presentations. We charge $5 per video to cover costs of duplication and shipping. Call or e-mail us to place your order. First Day Foundation The First Day Foundation is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization devoted to increasing appropriate, meaningful family involvement in education. At this time, thanks to private and corporate donations to the Foundation, most materials and information for schools are provided free of charge. First Day Foundation 210 Main Street PO Box 10 Bennington, Vermont 05201-0010 Phone: (802) 753-3005 Fax: (802) 753-3009 Toll Free: 1-877-FIRST DAY e-mail: firstday@sover.net website: www.firstday.org Major funding provided by Copyright 2004, First Day Foundation Pages from this booklet may be copied for use by schools planning First Day of School activities only if such copies are provided to the school(s) free of charge and as long as First Day Foundation is credited as the source.

Table of Contents Materials and Contact Information.................................. Inside Front Cover First Day at a Glance........................................................... 1 Why Do a First Day Celebration?.................................................. 2 Brief History of the First Day Campaign........................................... 2 Examples of First Day of School Family Activities.................................... 3 Frequently Asked Questions..................................................... 6 Planning: The Key to Success How Big Should Your Celebration Be?......................................... 10 First Day Planning The Team and its Organization............................ 10 First Day Planning The Day Itself.......................................... 12 First Day and No Child Left Behind................................................ 14 Getting Employers Involved...................................................... 15 Media Relations Opportunities................................................... 17 Writing Successful News Releases................................................ 18 Community Relations Opportunities............................................... 19 Right After First Day........................................................... 20 The Rest of the Year......................................................... 21 Appendix: Sample Correspondence Sample Memo............................................................ 22 Sample Letter............................................................ 22 Sample Invitation......................................................... 23 Sample Press Release...................................................... 24 Sample Thank You to Teachers from Principal................................... 24 Sample Thank You to Employers from Principal.................................. 25

First Day of School America uniting Parents & Teachers Families & Schools Schools & Communities First Day at a Glance Since 1997 the First Day Foundation, a national 501(c)(3) organization, has been assisting schools, families and communities to come together for a celebration on the First Day of each new school year to support education and begin a year-long partnership to promote student success. No one else provides this unique service on a nationwide basis. The number of schools participating in the First Day of School America campaign has increased from 11 in 1997 to thousands of schools in all 50 states. The First Day Celebration helps make school a comfortable place for all families; it is a positive, upbeat event that welcomes everyone and begins the year with smiles all around. Schools provide materials in languages that parents can understand and plan celebrations that meet the needs of their particular community, including activities that address diversity, character education, literacy, safety, or other issues. The support of community businesses and employers lets schools know they re not alone. And all of this can be accomplished for little or no cost at the local level. The scope and nature of the events are limited only by the imagination of the planners. The community can support First Day in a number of ways. Employers give working parents time off to attend the Celebration this can be paid, unpaid or flex time to be made up later. Community-based organizations provide materials and resources to parents to make them aware of services available to them in the community. Community leaders mayors, town council members, legislators, clergy, business and corporate leaders, and others visit the schools to show their support for education. Local businesses partner with schools by donating products, services and volunteers to the First Day Celebration. They may then develop ongoing partnerships that provide new opportunities for involvement as readers, tutors, and mentors. Students return to school amidst a grand celebration with family and community members there to cheer them on and show their support for education. Testimonials from schools, community members and parents are extremely positive, and schools report that First Day Celebrations are successful at engaging parents who do not normally come to the school. They also report increased and enhanced home-school communication and more parental presence in the schools following their First Day Celebrations. In addition, many schools report reduced absenteeism and discipline problems following a First Day Celebration in which the students get a clear message that their education is important. First Day Handbook, First Day Foundation, Bennington, Vermont www.firstday.org, or call toll free 1-877-FIRSTDAY page 1

Why Do A First Day Celebration? More than 30 years of research indicates that when parents are actively involved in their children s education the children do better in school. But in many schools parent involvement is low for a number of reasons. Work schedules may prevent parents from getting to school during the day. In diverse communities there are cultural and language barriers to involvement. Many parents had an unpleasant school experience themselves and are uncomfortable in a school setting. Parents want the best for their children, but in many cases, don t know how to help. Many teachers were never taught how to involve parents in meaningful ways, and many schools have security measures that make it difficult for visitors to feel comfortable. The result is that schools are expected to educate children without the strong support of home and family a situation which has been proven time and again not to work. First Day of School celebrations are powerful opportunities to start each school year right! Everyone starts off on the right foot. Students know their families care enough to participate. Parents feel supported by their employers and welcomed by the schools. Teachers and families build rapport starting on Day One each year. Community members support schools and families. First Day offers opportunities to enlist families as partners, to coach them in their appropriate roles and responsibilities, and to guide them to available resources. First Day unifies communities in support of education and schools First Day creates positive public relations opportunities for schools. First Day costs are low-to-none, benefits are high, and results can be significant and long lasting. Brief History of the First Day Campaign The First Day of School America campaign was initiated in 1997 by Terry Ehrich, late publisher of Hemmings Motor News in Bennington, Vermont. Eleven schools in the Southwest Vermont Supervisory Union tried out the idea and liked it so much they decided to make First Day celebrations an annual tradition. Based on their success, Ehrich established the First Day Foundation to spread the word and inspire other schools to join the campaign. By 1999, First Day events were hosted in nearly 400 schools, and Hemmings Motor News was recognized with a President s Service award from the White House, Points of Light Foundation, and the Corporation for National Service. Today there are thousands of First Day schools across the nation, with participants in all 50 states hosting celebrations for families and students in grades kindergarten through high school. The First Day of School America campaign has been featured on the Today Show, Good Morning America, and National Public Radio; in Education Week, McCall s Magazine, Working Mother Magazine, the Boston Globe and numerous other news and education media. page 2 First Day Handbook, First Day Foundation, Bennington, Vermont www.firstday.org, or call toll free 1-877-FIRSTDAY

Examples of First Day of School Family Activities The ideas we include here reflect only a sampling of the First Day stories we have heard. Consider them starting points for your planning. Many schools start with a short and simple program in their first year, while others fill the day with activities. Pick and choose, mix and match from these ideas and others you may develop. Design a First Day program best suited to the needs and culture of your community. Basic elements of any program, at any grade level, are: Fun, Friendliness, Inclusiveness, Cooperation, Information, and Food! Ideas for All Grade Levels Families, students and teachers share breakfast, lunch, or simply doughnuts and juice. Food adds to the feeling of celebration! Picnics and ice cream socials are always a hit! Decorate the school with balloons, banners and welcome back posters in all of your school s languages. Parents can help write Welcome in their own language. At an assembly, the school principal and assistant principal(s) welcome everyone, introduce teachers and staff, discuss important policies, and outline major goals for the year. Musicians, drummers, dancers, or clowns add to the festive nature of the program with performances for everyone to enjoy. Teachers or other staff distribute information packets, including a school calendar, resource lists, suggestions for how families may best support their student at home, volunteer sign-up forms, etc. Families meet in the library or assembly room for coffee and conversation with other families and support staff. Guidance counselors, parent outreach coordinators, and other staff or community members present workshops for families which include suggestions for simple things families can do at home to help their children succeed in school. In a multi-lingual school, the ESL specialist, with the help of some community organizations, may plan sessions in languages other than English so that all families benefit from this information. The PTA, PTO or Booster Club sets up an information table or presents a short program, letting families know how they can become involved. The Registrar of Voters is present to register people to vote. Community agencies, including Boys and Girls Clubs, Parent Information and Resource Centers, neighborhood organizations, arts groups and others, set up displays to introduce families to the resources they provide. Teachers set up a curriculum fair with booths featuring reading, math, science curriculum samples for each grade level. Include tips for parents on how to help students at home. Area doctors, nurses, counselors, and the public health service team up with school staff to offer a health fair with screenings, information booths, and wellness activities for the entire family. Staff, student, and parent volunteers provide school tours of the building(s) and grounds. First Day Handbook, First Day Foundation, Bennington, Vermont www.firstday.org, or call toll free 1-877-FIRSTDAY page 3

Area businesses contribute school supplies for all students. A photographer is set up next to the school sign, or with the school mascot, to take reasonably priced family photographs. The school displays a rogues gallery of faculty and staff. List credentials and qualifications beside each photograph. This meets one of the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act. Students and families view a slide show (set to music) of students and families pictured in school activities. Educators and families hold a frank and open discussion about barriers that can keep families from becoming engaged with the school, and explore ways to overcome these. Schools initiate a dialogue with families to find out what they need and want from the school. Develop a committee of parents and school personnel to begin to meet some of these needs. Primary and Elementary School Ideas Family members accompany children to their classrooms, where the teachers talk about the year ahead. Family members and children share academic and arts activities, such as reading together, decorating a fabric square that will later be sewn into a class quilt, setting off on a library scavenger hunt, working in small groups with other children and family members to produce a First Day skit or group poem, or to design a First Day poster. Teachers organize getting acquainted exercises for family members. Family members, students and school staff create banners and streamers for a parade around the school and/or through the neighborhood. The music teacher, with parent and student volunteers, leads an all-school sing-a-long. Family members share stories of their own First Days of School. Staff and family members organize outdoor games or a picnic lunch on the playground or at a local park. Middle and High School Ideas Programs in the middle and upper grades are generally more effective when organized along separate tracks for family members and students. Involving students in the planning process for these events further helps to ensure their success. To add a festive touch to the occasion, the school band or orchestra provides music and/or the drama club entertains family members and students with skits about school life. While students are in class, family members choose from workshops offered by support staff and/or representatives from the community. Topics may range from career and college planning to balancing a job and homework, substance use and abuse, relationship issues, bullying, Internet safety, parenting adolescents, and more. Area colleges, military branch offices, and technical schools hold an information fair for family members and students. Guidance staff are available to answer questions, and family members may be recruited to volunteer for upcoming career days. page 4 First Day Handbook, First Day Foundation, Bennington, Vermont www.firstday.org, or call toll free 1-877-FIRSTDAY

Coaches, club advisors, and others involved in the school s extra curricular activities provide family members with an overview of opportunities available. Clubs and/or sports teams present short demonstrations. Student leaders organize a pep rally and/or Wacky Olympics on the football field or in the gym for family members, students, and staff. First year students start school one day earlier than the rest of the school. Family members and students attend separate orientation sessions, helping ease the transition to a new school. Students and/or faculty members put on a dress code fashion show, done with humor and good will to illustrate appropriate and inappropriate school dress. Some general thoughts about First Day activities: While we know that family involvement is critical to academic success, it s a fact that in order to impact student achievement, family activities need to be focused and targeted. If you want your reading scores to go up, hosting a pot-luck supper for families will not accomplish that. Hosting a family literacy night would be an appropriate activity to help achieve that goal. However, it s also true that building relationships is a critical first step in engaging the cooperation of family members. Your First Day activities may provide any combination of relationship-building and/or curriculumfocused activities. Just be clear which they are and what you are hoping to accomplish. If your school has had good family involvement in the past, and you think that relationships between home and school are in good shape, you might want to focus your First Day activities around some specific curriculum goals. In that case, choosing a theme, such as literacy might be appropriate. If, on the other hand, this will be a concerted effort to engage some families for the first time and to improve home-school cooperation, then you may want to focus more on fun and camaraderie than on specific curriculum goals, with an eye (always!) toward future activities that will be more curriculum-focused. By establishing a family-friendly climate on the First Day, you will be better positioned for a cooperative next day relationship. First Day Handbook, First Day Foundation, Bennington, Vermont www.firstday.org, or call toll free 1-877-FIRSTDAY page 5

Frequently Asked Questions Answers in italics are from experienced First Day teachers and administrators. 1. Won t it be confusing and disruptive, having family members present on the first day of school? Most schools report a strong spirit of parent/teacher/student cooperation and reduced disciplinary problems when family members (or mentors) participate in First Day programs. Here s how one elementary school got family members involved: The way we structured our program, with opportunities for family members to participate in a variety of activities, they were anything but disruptive. Family members were there to assist as we needed them, and they were supportive in a hands-on kind of way that was unique to the First Day program. Their enthusiasm helped generate even more enthusiasm and cooperation from the kids, and the day ended up going more smoothly than most first days had in the past! Each school plans its own First Day. You can structure First Day of School programs for family members in ways to bring out the best in everyone, yourselves included! 2. Why on the first day? What s wrong with later in the school year when things have settled down? Waiting for things to settle down usually means that students with academic or behavior risks will have settled down into bad habits and parent/teacher relationships may have also settled down into something negative. Building parent/teacher and family/school partnerships from the very First Day, when everyone including teachers! has a clean slate, keeps a lot of kids out of trouble and helps family members and teachers forge friendly relationships so they can deal more cooperatively and effectively with problems which may arise later. The excitement and symbolic importance of the First Day of School even the First Day anxieties we all experience make First Day the one day each year when it is simultaneously most important and easiest to establish rapport with family members, enlist them as partners in education, and coach them in positive and effective ways they can help their children have a great school year. 3. Does it matter what we call this event? You may hear schools call this their First Day of School Holiday, First Day Celebration of Education, First Day Jamboree, Chicago Goes Back to School, Mayor s First Day Festival, or any number of other names. Whatever you call it, the point is to get families and communities involved in children s education. So use a name that sounds fun and inviting, that conveys the spirit and purpose of the day, and that fits your school and community culture. 4. We already have an Open House and plenty of parental involvement. Who needs another event? Open houses have their place, but First Day is unique in underscoring the value the entire community places on education. When employers give their working parents time off, even unpaid or flex time, to attend school with their children, that s a message which can t be replicated any other way. Plus, getting family members in on the First Day, instead of even a couple of weeks later (when some kids are already in trouble, often the students who need the most help and support) really helps set the tone for the year. It may seem only symbolic, but symbols are important specifically because they mobilize us and make us receptive to ideas, change and challenge. page 6 First Day Handbook, First Day Foundation, Bennington, Vermont www.firstday.org, or call toll free 1-877-FIRSTDAY

5. Won t a First Day program make the transition to school more difficult than usual, especially for the youngest students? We ve found when family members and kids all get to know the school together, everyone is more comfortable, including the very youngest students. In fact, many of them find it easier to bond with the new classmates they re meeting when their family members are right there on the sidelines. Since we ve been doing First Day, we ve never had separation problems when it s time for the family members to leave. If anything, it s been far easier because of those first few hours of togetherness and support. Kids gain confidence from knowing that their teachers are not strangers to their parents, and seeing family members and teachers together on the First Day can build that confidence immediately. 6. How much extra work will it involve? I m already stressed! Presenting First Day programs for family members requires a bit more of teachers and school administrators. This can be a little or a lot, depending on how ambitious and elaborate your programs and activities are. Even just serving refreshments and being friendly can go a long way towards setting a positive tone. You can probably get the refreshments donated, while being friendly costs nothing and pays back big time. A one-page list of Tips to Family Members takes only a little time to prepare. It s worth it for the benefits realized getting families on board with you right from the start, and helping them understand how they can send their children to school ready to learn each morning. If they can help that way, your own stress will be noticeably reduced. And next year you can add some more substantive activities and materials. 7. I m trying to set the tone for the year. This is MY time to build rapport with my students. Rapport between teachers and children improves when both children and parents feel welcome not only on the first day but throughout the year. Rapport is about openness, it s about mutual support and striving to meet each other s expectations. Rapport is not something which is set in a day, but it is something which can be far stronger the more inclusive you make it. I ve heard an old saying that goes There s nothing as powerful as a teacher with the door closed. And I say that real power, positive power, comes when we open that door, especially if it divides teachers and parents. 8. What about kids whose family members don t show? Couldn t that make them feel worse? As long as a child has a caring adult to buddy up with, he or she can feel just as important as anybody else. We ve had a lot of people from the community come in to participate in our First Day programs, and they re all happy to pair up with children. Whether it s a teacher, another parent, or a community member, the important thing is that the child feels supported and is receiving some special attention. Some kids whose families are not so supportive may even feel more comfortable with another student s parent. It s just never been a problem for us. First Day can actually be an opportunity to recruit volunteers for Big Brothers/Big Sisters or similar mentoring programs. And organizations like RSVP (Retired Senior Volunteer Program) can be natural partners in First Day activities. 9. First Day may be OK for little kids, but junior high and high school students don t want their parents around! The structure of First Day programs will be different in the upper grade levels; family members and students may spend more of the day apart than together. But the purpose is the same: for family members to demonstrate to both their children and their children s teachers their support of education, and to get some coaching on their changing roles in their children s education. First Day Handbook, First Day Foundation, Bennington, Vermont www.firstday.org, or call toll free 1-877-FIRSTDAY page 7

Remember, family members probably need even more coaching as their children enter the increasingly risky years of middle school and high school. This is a time when parent/child relationships change ever more rapidly, and everyone may need help keeping up. As First Day becomes a traditional community-wide event, one that s expected year after year and accepted by all students at all grade levels, it may further serve to convince parents that adolescence is no time to drop their kids on the school doorstep and leave. 10. What about teachers who are also parents? How do you make it fair for them? This is a hard one. There s really no way to let teachers off on the First Day of School. But we make provisions for teaching parents to get free for a couple of hours during that first or second week so they can go visit their children s schools and meet their children s teachers. It s so important to be able to do that during the daytime when class is in session, and teachers need that experience as much as any other working parents. Sometimes, we call in substitute teachers; sometimes, teachers simply cover for each other. 11. How do we monitor security with all those extra people around? It s really just like any other school-wide event. In fact, security on First Day may even be a little easier because people s positive energy is so high, it s hard for something really negative to gain any momentum. Our main concern is knowing where the students are, and making sure they re safe and involved. With that many adults around, we re probably far more secure than we would be otherwise. See also #16 below. 12. Our parents probably wouldn t want to come anyway. They re all busy people who just don t have the time, or they re not interested and wouldn t know what to do. You never know until you ask! Most family members would really love to get involved but they re waiting for the invitation and the chance to leave work without compromising their jobs. First Day gives them that opportunity. Many of the schools which have hosted First Day programs for family members have witnessed a sharp increase in the number of parent volunteers who stay around to help throughout the year. In some schools, parent involvement in the PTA has increased 8-10 fold. One school saw its numbers rise from just a handful to 50% of all parents in the school. 13. Will employers allow working parents time off to attend First Day of School activities? Employers generally see the benefit of supporting their working parents and allowing them time off from work to participate in First Day of School programs. The cost can be negligible because time off can be unpaid, time to be made up, or paid time. 14. If my school is the only school in the district that is interested, can we still participate? Absolutely! Your school can be a leader, inspiring others to follow. 15. There are only a few weeks before the end of this school year. Do I have enough time to plan a program for the beginning of the next school year? Yes because you design your school s program as you wish, you can successfully present one with just a few weeks of planning time. Remember, some of the planning can also take place during the summer. 16. How can we handle more people, traffic, parking? Depending on where the school is located, parking can be a problem or of no concern at all. If it is a problem, it s not insurmountable. Here s one town s solution: page 8 First Day Handbook, First Day Foundation, Bennington, Vermont www.firstday.org, or call toll free 1-877-FIRSTDAY

We re fortunate in that a lot of our family members and students are within walking distance. But to accommodate the increased volume of traffic at some of the schools downtown, the merchants got together and sponsored a shuttle service from the municipal parking lots. That gesture alone sent a huge message to the kids about community support of their education and their schools! In another community, the company providing school bus service offers free school bus shuttles from and to parking lots volunteered by shopping centers. You can also invite your local police department to assist with the planning of First Day, and ask for their help with the traffic/parking issue. Everyone will benefit from seeing police officers as a benevolent presence in the schools as part of the First Day festivities. 17. Our superintendent has mandated that all schools host a First Day Celebration. We re having trouble drumming up enthusiasm for the idea because it s another have to from our central office. Sometimes, faculty and staff love the idea of First Day right from the start. Sometimes they resist it first and love it later. Practically every school that s hosted a First Day Celebration has elected to make it an annual tradition, with support from teachers. In fact, the Vermont NEA, the state s teacher s union, has been a partner in the statewide First Day Campaign since 1998. The greatest benefit to teachers is that when parents feel welcome starting on Day One, they re more likely to be allies instead of adversaries throughout the rest of the year. Research has shown that when parents are included, they speak more highly of the school and the teachers. 18. Our budget is already tight. We can t afford a First Day of School program for family members. A First Day program can be as simple and inexpensive as you care to make it, and still be effective. With a little advance planning and volunteer effort, schools are usually able to get area businesses and clubs to provide refreshments or decorations; contribute materials; purchase customized T-shirts and posters; or donate other goods and services. Title I parent involvement funds can be used to fund a First Day Celebration, and if a school already has a working partnership with an area business or community organization, this partner may play a key role in helping to generate First Day funds. The Parent-Teacher organization may also wish to provide seed money for the event, to organize a refreshment drive, or to raise money from other sources. And in many communities, United Way or the Chamber of Commerce may be more than willing to pitch in with a small grant or to join in as First Day partners. When you invite your business community s support, you re giving them an opportunity to become involved in a positive program that benefits everyone! Remember partnering with a local business is an important way to spread the word about what you are doing, and to help generate widespread excitement about the First Day of School. (See more about school-business partnerships on page 15). Have you got questions or comments? We d love to hear from you. www.firstday.org or call toll free 1-877-FIRST DAY First Day Handbook, First Day Foundation, Bennington, Vermont www.firstday.org, or call toll free 1-877-FIRSTDAY page 9