Starting the School Year Right: What I Do During the First Week

The first week of school is crucial for setting the tone for the rest of the year. Over time, I've honed my approach to focus on three key priorities: building relationships, introducing procedures, and setting expectations. In this blog post, I'll walk you through how I address these priorities and share tips to help you create a positive and productive start to the year.

Building Relationships

Building strong relationships with students is the foundation of everything we do as teachers. Here are some strategies I use to create connections from day one:

Personal Introductions:

I take the time to greet each student individually. It's so important to break that initial "stranger barrier" before parents leave - it helps students settle in faster. I try to spark a short conversation with each child, even if it's just about their new shoes or hairstyle. (Fun tip: I often wear conversation-starter earrings, like Bluey, to make it easier!)

Connecting with Parents:

I introduce myself to parents and direct them to a simple instruction sheet on their child's desk. This helps manage the chaos of drop-off and ensures they know what to do without needing to search for instructions posted around the room.

Learning Names Quickly:

I make it my mission to know every student's name by the end of the first day. The next morning, I greet each student by name as they arrive. They earn a sticker if I forget or accidentally call someone by the wrong name. Names are powerful for creating a sense of belonging, and I prioritise learning them early. If you want tips for memorising names, let me know!

Getting to Know Students:

Throughout the week, I include a few "About Me" activities in which students share their interests, hobbies, and family details. This helps me learn more about them and builds connections.

While these activities change slightly each year, they usually include a Numbers About Me (e.g., their age, year level, favourite number, etc.) and a house that opens up to show a self-drawn picture of their family.

Acknowledging Parents and Emotions:

Once the bell rings, I gently guide parents to say goodbye and ask students to join me in the seating area. For those having a tough time separating, I lend them a stuffed animal for comfort.

We then talk about feelings. I ask students to raise their hands if they're feeling emotions like happy, nervous, or sad, and I join in, raising my hand for the emotions I'm feeling, too. Acknowledging emotions helps set a tone of empathy and understanding in the classroom.

Introducing Myself:

I often tell students a little about myself with a fun PowerPoint presentation. I share relatable facts and tidbits to help them connect with me and see that I don't live at school!

Why Building Relationships Matters

During that first week, I aim to have as many positive interactions with each student as possible. Here's where it gets a little controversial: I want my students to like me. I know respect is vital, but I also believe that students will do their best work if they enjoy being in my classroom and see me as someone fun, approachable, and fair.

That's a quick glimpse into how I focus on building relationships in the first week. I'd love to hear what works for you or answer any questions about my approach!

Introducing Procedures

Procedures form the backbone of a well-run classroom, so I start teaching them on day one. Here's how I approach it:

When do I start?

I begin introducing procedures on Day 1. It's crucial to show students exactly how you want things done right from the start. Clear expectations and modelling help create a classroom environment where students know what's expected of them, reducing confusion and chaos later.

Day 1 Focus

On the very first day, I introduce the foundational procedures we'll use daily:

• Transitions: Moving to and from the mat or between activities.
• Break Times: How to leave for and return from recess or lunch.
• Morning Routine: How we greet each other and review the day's timetable.

First Day Booklet

Download a copy of my free First Day Booklet, which is aimed at younger students. To see how to turn it into a booklet, watch this video.

Daily Progression

Each day, I add a few more components to our regular routine, such as:

• Literacy rotations.
• Fluency pairs.
• Daily review.

When introducing these activities, I make the content easy so students can focus on learning the procedures rather than being distracted by challenging material. This approach lets them feel like "experts" early on, which builds confidence and helps them enjoy the activities more.

Avoiding Overwhelm

Introducing too many procedures at once can overwhelm students, so I limit it to two or three new procedures each day. Keep in mind that students will initially take longer to complete tasks as they learn the routines, so expect your schedule to move more slowly in those early days.

Adding Fun to the Day

To balance the intensity of learning new procedures and keep students engaged, I include lots of simple classroom games throughout each day of the first week. One of my go-to activities in the first few weeks is Time Ball:

1. Students stand around the room, and one starts with the ball.
2. The timer begins, and they call another student's name before passing the ball and sitting down.
3. This continues until everyone is seated, and the timer stops.
4. Students aim to beat their previous time with each round.

If they're still learning names, I encourage them to look at the person they're passing to, who will then state their name aloud. Depending on their age, we might encourage them to discuss strategies for improving speed.

Jumping Into the Curriculum

While some teachers prefer to dedicate the first week entirely to back-to-school-themed activities, I like to start my programs right away. I teach HASS, Technologies, Health, and Text Types through one weekly lesson, so I start the first lesson of each program during the first week. I ensure the activities are highly engaging and not overly challenging so students can ease into the content. (Please note, if I only have 3 days in the first week, I will only teach three of those subjects).

I love covering Statistics as my maths topic in the first week as it integrates nicely with 'about me' activities like graphing the number of siblings or birth months.

Setting Expectations

Setting high and consistent expectations is essential for fostering a respectful and focused classroom environment. Here's how I approach it:

While we touched on this briefly when discussing procedures, setting clear and consistent expectations goes beyond routines. It's about laying the groundwork for how your classroom operates—ensuring both students and you are set up for success.

Start with Procedures

When introducing a new procedure:

1. 1. Explicitly explain the steps you expect students to follow and how you want them carried out.
   2. Model the procedure yourself, showing exactly what you want.
   3. Ask students to model it, either for their peers or as a whole class.
   4. Consider demonstrating non-examples and invite students to discuss why they don't meet expectations.

By practising these routines consistently in the first week, students will internalise them and make them a seamless part of their day.

Behaviour Expectations

Set high standards for behaviour right from the start. For example, if you don't want students calling out during mat time, address it early. Use a mix of gentle corrections and positive reinforcement:

• • Praise nearby students exhibiting the desired behaviour.
  • Provide calm, clear corrections when necessary.

I know it can feel tricky to correct students in the first week—you want them to feel safe and like they belong. However, a kind and consistent approach shows students that clear boundaries exist and that everyone is held to the same standard.

I also spend time on Day 1 setting class rules with my students. At schools using a PBS (Positive Behavior Support) framework, I incorporate the school-wide behaviour matrix. Together, we discuss how these expectations look in our classroom.

Academic and Organisational Expectations

It's not just behaviour and procedures—set expectations for:

• • Work quality: What does "your best work" look like?
  • Morning routines: How should desks be organised?
  • Collaborative work: What does respectful teamwork sound like?

Take some time before the first day to think through your own expectations. Clarity is key when communicating them to students.

The Power of Feedback and Praise

Feedback and praise are critical when setting expectations in any area. During the first week, make it a priority to:

• • Provide immediate, clear feedback: Let students know how they're doing and how they can improve.
  • Be specific with praise: Instead of saying, "Great job," say, "I love how Mason raised his hand and waited patiently to speak."
  • Highlight classwide successes: Celebrate when the whole group meets or exceeds an expectation, as well asindividual praise.

Positive reinforcement not only motivates students but also gives them concrete examples of what you want to see. Make sure to balance corrections with praise to build confidence and a positive classroom culture.

Consistency is Crucial

Consistency is the backbone of setting expectations. If you correct one student for calling out but ignore another, it creates confusion. Be fair and predictable in enforcing your expectations—it builds trust and ensures everyone understands the boundaries.

Why It's Worth the Effort

Setting expectations takes extra energy in those first couple of weeks, but the payoff is enormous. Revisit and reinforce expectations often during this time, and you'll find your classroom runs much more smoothly for the rest of the year

Bringing It All Together: My First Week Plan

Now that we've covered the three essentials—Building Relationships, Introducing Procedures, and Setting Expectations—let me share how they all come together in my first-week planner.

Key Considerations:

• I sprinkle games throughout the week to maintain engagement, though they're often omitted from my written plans after Day 1.
• My focus is on procedures and making students feel comfortable rather than diving deeply into academics or assessments.
• While I introduce many of my daily routines, not all are covered in the first week, especially during shorter weeks.
• I start teaching some lessons from unit planners (e.g., Health and Text Types) to ease into the curriculum with engaging, low-stress activities.

You can get an editable copy of this by clicking here.

By focusing on these three pillars, I've created a first week that sets a strong foundation for the rest of the school year. Feel free to adapt these ideas to your own classroom—and let me know how they work for you!