3 Ways to Start the School Year Right with Back-to-School Night Videos

For teachers, back-to-school night can feel a bit like an audition or a job interview; parents want to make sure that the person—or people—instructing their children are up to the challenge. So why not impress from the get-go with video? We’ve come up with some simple ways to put parents at ease—before, during, and after your back-to-school night presentation.

Celebrate the start of the school year with video

If you or your school has a social media presence, why not create a quick video reminding parents to attend important events like back-to-school night? It’ll show up in their feed and is likely to draw their attention more than a written note would.

You can post a simple Instagram video as a reminder or post a longer video welcoming parents on Facebook or Twitter. The video below was created using our School Newsletter video template, and it’s a great choice for sharing info at the start of the school year.

Back-to-School Night presentation

There are lots of ways to incorporate video into your back-to-school night presentation. Principals or other administrators can create a video presentation welcoming parents to the school. Teachers can do a rundown of their rules and class expectations, or introduce themselves. In fact, many of the videos we suggested for students in their first week of school will also work for their parents.

Teachers might also consider creating a video showing parents what their children have been learning since school started. This can be a video presentation with student work or a slideshow of students learning or working on projects in class.

After back-to-school night

When the parents have gone home, be sure to post any informational videos you showed during class, since those videos can serve as a virtual back-to-school night for parents who couldn’t attend. In addition, you can create a video recap of the night to post online—students may get a kick out of seeing their parents in their classrooms—or make a video thank you note to the volunteers who often help out on back-to-school night. The video below was made using our 4 Reasons to Smile template

Save yourself some stress by creating a few videos for this year’s back-to-school night. Parents will see you’re capable, prepared, and tech-savvy — all in one move, and by reaching out to parents before and after back-to-school night, you open the door to better communication as the year goes on.