How to host a prospective-parent ‘Open House’

Your school wants to plan an open house for prospective parents to visit their neighborhood school.

HERE’S HOW YOU DO IT:
Step 1: Identify students, parents, faculty, staff, and school partners to serve as members on the “Open House Planning Committee.”
Step 2:  As a committee, select a date and time in which you can attract a large number of parents and community members to your open house. This can possibly be a recurring monthly event.
Step 3: Publicize the open house with colorful signs in the lobby, send a student-created invitation home, send an email invitation, write a short article for your community newspaper, post the date on your school website, attend a community meeting, and invite your school partners and local businesses to spread the word.
Step 4: Create an agenda that includes ample time for a school tour. Consider student and parent ambassadors to assist.
Step 5: Decide what items you would like to go in a Parent Information Packet that each parent can take home. This may include; Top 10 Points of Pride, Fast Facts, Faculty/Staff Bios, Curriculum Overview, After-School/Extracurricular Offerings, School Partners, and copies of The Atlanta Educator.
Step 6: Send a personal Thank You note to each person that attended.

MATERIALS YOU MAY FIND USEFUL:
·          Decorations that welcome parents and the community
·          Welcome table with sign-in sheet to record names and contact information
·          PowerPoint presentation that includes photos of students engaged in hands-on learning activities
·          Light refreshments

If you need assistance, your communications liaison should be the main point of contact:

SRT-1: Kimberly Willis Green, kwgreen@atlanta.k12.ga.us x2836
SRT-2: Morieka V. Johnson, mvjohnson@atlanta.k12.ga.us x2849
SRT-3: Luana Slaughter, lslaughter@atlanta.k12.ga.us 678-686-0310
SRT-4: David Lee Simmons, dsimmons@atlanta.k12.ga.us x2849
Office of High Schools: Stephen Alford, salford@atlanta.k12.ga.us x2835