First Day of School Plan

I have been so indecisive about what to do the first day of school. I keep changing my mind and then changing it back. I want to make a good first impression and start the year off with good vibes.

Here is my schedule so far:

1. Introduce myself to the students. I've made a Prezi which is almost done with some things about me. 
2. Names and Introductions. I will try to learn everyone's name in 10 minutes. I try to have everyone's name down by the end of the second day. It is something that is important to me to do. 
3. Classroom Expectations and Procedures. I am going to do this Post-It activity, but probably shorten it a bit. I want to make some fun presentation about classroom expectations. But really, I plan to teach and practice those in action the first few weeks of school. 
4. School Supplies. I wrote a post about how I deal with school supplies. If there is any downtime during this time, students will have an all about me page to fill out. 
5. Name Quiz. A test for myself to make sure I know everyone's name.
6. Team Building Activity. I have never done this on the first day of school, but I want to improve collaborative learning in my classroom this year. There are several to choose from, but I think I have decided on this Cup Pyramids One. 
7. Friend Scavenger Hunt. If there is time, students will find others who fit certain categories on a scavenger hunt. 
8. Repeat.

Of course, everyday for the first two weeks at least I will review classroom expectations and procedures. We will practice until the classroom runs smoothly. 

My advice to myself on my first day of teaching years ago was to practice all procedures until it is near perfection. It is the worst part of the first weeks of school for me, but it is important to having a class run smoothly. 

I also plan to start calling parents on the first week of school during my conference. I like to make positive calls home BEFORE I need to call for something less than positive. 

5 days until the kids arrive!