7 ways welcome back students in 2020!

Nothing is more important than getting to know your students. There are many creative fun ways you can do this. If you are teaching virtually this year, you may wonder: how will I welcome kids? Guess what? there are many ways you can "break the ice" on and off screen. 

1. Welcome Postcards

Grab these in my store HERE!

Welcome kids with mail! Students love to get snail mail. Build excitement for your first meeting (virtually or in-person). 

2. Classroom App

Classroom app makes it easy to communicate to both students and parents!  They just click on the icon to find out what is going on for the week. Learn more about set up here.

Set up Part 1
Set up Part 2


3. Virtual Classroom

Click here to learn how to set this up1

Students will love visiting their virtual classroom. There are interactive elements to make the classroom fun. Students click to go to assignments. There are so many examples out there!

4.) Flipbook

Click here to Purchase

Provide parents with all the information they will need this upcoming school year with a paper flipbook that is editable or cut-free. This includes easy steps to set up in your google classsroom.

5. Dice-breakers!

One of my favorite ice breakers to do the first day of school. It can work both in-person or virtually. All students need is a die, which they can grab out of a board game at home if needed. In dice breaker, students write out 6 questions for each die number. Then, they answer the question that matches the number on the die when rolled.

Examples include: Would you rather wake up early or sleep in?


6. Kahoot

Games are always a blast and help students get used to the group. Kahoot is an easy game maker and it is free. Your students can make their own or you as the teacher can make one they have to try to do. I create a trivia game based on procedures and rules for students to master that first week together. Example questions would be: What is the first thing you do when you get to the classroom? You can continue to use the platform for assessments in the future.


7. Create Meet and Greet Videos on Flipgrid

Flipgrid is a great site for social learning where teachers can pose a question and students answer/respond to videos. You start by creating a welcome video.

Teaching with Masks

The familiar summer heat is one few things that feels normal this year. Yet we all know that this fall is anything but normal. COVID 19 and its effects of health and everyday life continues to frame the way we interact and make decisions. As a society and educational community, we know much more than we did in March, but today, many questions remained unanswered. Planning seems to have many scenarios. However, it helps to gain reassurance and energy from those around us.  Let me just give you an idea of what my life will look like in near future when teaching with a mask. I'm excited to provide high quality in-person instruction.  Here is what I imagine to be a typical life of Mrs. Koetje's classroom with a mask.

At 7:50 the bell rings. I have 20 kids show up at my classroom. As they try to line up 6ish feet apart, I will motion for my students to enter the building. As students enter, I smile through my mask and welcome each student in-person with energy and excitement for our day of learning. 

As each student enters I will have them sanitize their hands, reminding them to cover all areas of the hand and not just finger tips. Teaching them to sanitize isn't just for the COVID 19 pandemic, but for good hygiene and body care in the future.  After that, my students will sit down and be allowed to pull down their buffs or take off their masks. We begin our day together, not apart. I am grateful I get to be the one who talks to them face to face. 

We go over our daily schedule and it gives students a sense of security, purpose, and structure to our day. 

Our first lesson begins, students face forward at their desks and we begin our  literacy time together. By now the students have noticed that I wear a clear mask.  My face mask was carefully chosen so that it doesn't fog up when I speak. Throughout the lesson, I can call on students and give good reminders to those who need to stay attentive. They see my facial expressions clearly and know the difference between my serious command or my gentle one. Being in the same room together brings on a sense of togetherness. The peer pressures and social emotional growth that happens together is essential for everyday living. 

When it is time for independent or partner/group work, Students put their masks on to allow less distance between each other. The peer to peer learning experience helps build confidence and reinforces good social skills. I walk around with my mask and take on the role of a coach, cheering on good partnerships and supporting others that need encouragement and tools for communication. 

During snacks and lunch, my students will sit at their desks. Wiping down surfaces before and after with wipes to make sure their area is clean. Having these practices in place will help my students become responsible and less sloppy individuals. 

At recess we get to be with our class on the playground. Students are assigned to recess zones. We play in coherent groups and this allows us to pull down our masks. Not an ideal situation, but we all get to play, run, jump, and learn how to make friends and initiate conversations with one another. 

Being outside is not just for recess, when the weather cooperates, lessons will be planned for outdoor learning. As a teacher, this will stretch my thinking, but add something students weren't always getting in the previous year. I will be able to take off my mask along with my students as we explore, enjoy sunshine or fresh breezes together. 

Specials will continue to be incorporated to our school day. They will receive either Art, P.E., Spanish, and Music class for 50 minutes a day each week. This will allow me some good planning time while students will get a broader education. 

At the end of the day, I am so glad I was able to be with my students in a safe way. I was able to foster social emotional growth, encourage students to do their best, come alongside students who need extra support, challenge students who are bored, and build relationships that will hopefully plant seeds for growth and maturity.