Sep 08 2009
Meet-and-Greet
Today is that day that I met my new students, or at least most of them. One thing our school does is we set aside a special day where new children come in for a one-on-one session in the classroom. Parents get to come with them for that time. In my room, I spend time talking to the parents, answering their questions and asking a few of my own. This year, I had to comfort a lot of moms who were sending their children away to school for the first time. It was very cute!
Meanwhile, my assistant is bonding with the child. Honestly, she will be spending more time with that 3 year-old, as she redirects him around the room, reinforces the ground rules, and assists in the inevitable potty runs.
In other classroom, the teachers orchestrate multiple children visiting during one session, so that the child automatically has a familiar face on her first day of school. To each their own! Each teacher uses her own system to her advantage and it works well.
The biggest issue encountered today was, of course, the potty-training issue. To parents who have not yet mastered the art of potty-training, you have 6 weeks to do it, according to our policies! 
How does your school introduce new students? Do you have a chance to meet with them one-on-one beforehand, or is a blind first day on both sides?
