Back-to-school time can be stressful for teachers, students, and parents alike. Everyone is shifting back to their school schedule and routine. Students are setting alarms and adjusting to waking up early again. Parents are school supply shopping with their kids. There's Meet the Teacher night to attend and many other activities that have parents breaking out their calendars and sticky notes.
And then, of course, there is the back-to-school paperwork. Back-to-school paperwork can get overwhelming quickly, and the more children you have, the bigger the stack of papers!
There's:
Syllabi to review.
Letters to read.
Emergency contact forms to fill out.
Surveys to take.
Lunch menus to hang on the fridge.
Important school dates to add to your calendar.
Permission slips to sign.
Parent text alerts to sign up for.
Reminders.
Checklists.
I could go on and on, but you get the gist - and I'm sure many of you are shaking your head up and down in agreement and letting out a tired sigh. It's a lot! And the more there is, the more there is to mix up and forget!
I can relate to both sides because, like many of you reading, I'm both a mom and a teacher. Last year, I decided that mom-me and the teacher-me needed to have a talk and figure out a way to simplify back-to-school paperwork. It was a lovely and productive internal conversation, and now my back-to-school class paperwork consists of one syllabus and one letter. That's it!
So, how did I do it?
First, I Ditched What Wasn't Working
I used to find and purchase beautiful syllabus templates ... and became frustrated quickly. The colorful boxes rarely fit my needs. I was sizing and resizing over and over again. I spent way too much time moving those tiny boxes and clip art around the page trying to make everything fit while still trying to make it attractive and easy to read. Parents were having to look at twelve different boxes and jump around on the page. Ultimately, I was never 100% satisfied with the result, and I don't think what I wrote got more than a quick skim from parents. Sound familiar?
I needed to simplify things for myself and my students' parents.
How I Simplified My Back-To-School Paperwork
Instead of purchasing cute templates that don't fit my needs, I now use a frill-free syllabus and letter template that I created using Canva with two goals in mind - ease and simplicity! Click here to get the template! (Don't have a Canva account? Educators can get one for free! Click here for details.)
Let's start with the syllabus. My syllabus template (pictured below) is clearly meant for a Language Arts class because that's my jam :) However, the template will work for any secondary subject. There are three fonts/color combos to choose from, but the information in all three is the same.
So, how do you use it? Just follow these steps to customize the template to meet your needs!
Step 1: Fill in the subject and grade level along with your name, e-mail, and school phone number. (There is minimal clip art. If you don't like the clip art, simply delete it or swap it out for something that is more your style!) Step 2: Include a class overview. I've included information to help you get started. Use it, or write your own from scratch. It's totally up to you!
Step 3: Include your list of class materials.
Step 4: Include your school/classroom cell phone policy. You do not want to skip this one!
Step 5: Include your late work policy, homework policy, or both!
Step 6: The second to last space is there for whatever additional information you would like to include. Maybe you want to use it for your classroom rules. Perhaps you'd like to use the space for information about your grading scale, or maybe you just need the extra space for a few additional miscellaneous notes.
Everyone includes a different combination of information on their syllabus, so it's great to have a flexible space that you can use for whatever best suits your needs!
Optional Username and Password Section: Finally, there is a space at the end of the template for your students to record important usernames and passwords that they'll need to keep track of throughout the year. My students have several sets of login information that they use throughout the year, so this is definitely helpful in my classroom. However, if it doesn't apply to your classroom, simply delete the space and use it for more information from step six!
Now let's talk about your back-to-school parent letter.
Again, simplicity and ease of use is the goal - for your sake and theirs!
Step 1: Type in the grade and class information as well as your name and the date at the top of the letter.
Step 2: Write a letter that includes the information your parents need to know to get the year started on the right foot! I've created a rough outline for you and added suggestions for information to include to help you get started in the template! If something doesn't apply to you, simply delete it.
Everything your parents need to know is located on the top portion of the letter, which they will keep. They'll fill out and sign the bottom portion and have their child bring it back to you. Once you get the bottom portions back, you'll have contact information for every student as well as confirmation from parents that they received both the syllabus and letter.
Pro-Tip: I print one syllabus for my students to keep and one for their parents to keep that is attached to the parent letter. That way everyone has a copy to keep and reference throughout the year.
P.S. - QR Codes Are Your Friend
No really, QR codes are awesome! I include a QR code that is linked to my Remind class in my parent letter. Parents scan it to join and receive Remind updates from me throughout the year. With a QR code, signing up takes about 2.5 seconds. I've found that the easier you make the signup process, the more likely parents are to sign up for anything. The best part is that you can make a QR code for free in the Canva template. Just scroll down to "apps" on the left-hand side and type "QR code" in the search. Use the first app that pops up and add the link to the website you want the code to send your parents to. It will generate the code instantly and you can place it anywhere on the page. Additional Considerations - Language
Every year, I have students who have learned English as a second language and have parents who would benefit from receiving school information in Spanish. For this reason, I have a few Spanish versions of my syllabus and parent letter available on the first day of school. It's helpful and practical, but it also shows both my students and parents that I care and want to make sure no one is excluded!
To make copies in Spanish, I:
Duplicate the syllabus and letter that I wrote in English.
Select and copy the text in one section of the page.
Paste the copied text into Google Translate.
Copy the translated Spanish text.
Paste and replace the English text with the Spanish text.
Repeat for each section of the page.
This works for any language!
(To avoid formatting issues when you paste the Spanish text back into Canva, copy the translated Spanish text using the layered rectangle icon rather than highlighting the text and pressing Ctrl+C.)
I've come to realize that people often think that if they create something simple, they're creating something less valuable. Just remember that well-thought-out, carefully selected, efficiently arranged information that is easy to read and interpret IS valuable.
So remember, by keeping your back-to-school paperwork simple, you are creating a valuable, stress-free resource that provides students and parents with what they need quickly and reducing the number of questions you'll receive from both parents and students!
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