An open house for parents is now required in many districts and states, usually in early Fall. At our school, we have ours one day before school starts and it is a combination of an open house and a meet the teacher day as we are a pre-K to 12th grade school.
The question is how to showcase the event, so it becomes a positive and informative event for the teachers and parents. Something that is a positive PR tool that can improve the school’s culture and climate. Often principals do what they have always done and do not attempt to improve the event each year “If it ain’t broke, then don’t fix it.”
There is only one chance for a good impression at an open house as this is the only time that many parents will visit the school. Revisit your open house a day or two after the event to see what you can do to improve for the next year. With technology, parents don’t have to leave home or work to go meet the teacher about concerns about their child or to ask questions about the class or school.
Most open houses are planned in the evening but meet your teacher can be during the day as well. For us, we have two, one for the elementary school and another at the secondary school but back to back in the early afternoon as many of our parents have kids in both schools.
I just want to describe in this article about the planning part and then write more about the actual program. Preparing for a successful open house begins with an assessment of the school’s culture and climate far in advance of the event. While a healthy school climate and culture can be the underlining components of a successful open house. It is a great opportunity for enlightenment as well. Just as we can observe whether someone is physically unfit or feel when a car is not running properly, parents can sense when things are not right at their child’s school by what they see and hear when they visit.
There are a number of steps involved in planning a successful open house. Some things to consider are:
Make sure you include the following when you announce your open house:
An open house should no longer that an hour to two hours in length. I will discuss in another article about the program itself.
Les Potter, Ed. D.
Director
American International School West
Cairo, Egypt
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