Hi everyone!

Every summer as teachers start thinking about going back to school, I get flooded with DMs and emails asking me the same questions: “How do you get ready for the first day of Kindergarten?” and “Can you share your Kindergarten start up list?”. After years of sharing bits and pieces in my newsletter, I figured it was finally time to put everything in one easy-to-find place… right here on the blog!

This is just one way of doing things, but I hope reading through it helps take some of the mental load off as you prepare for the start of the school year!

Let’s start with my “Kindergarten Start Up Checklist” FREEBIE!

First off, here’s my start up to-do list! You may not need to do everything I’ve included (some tasks are likely school or board-specific), but I hope this helps take some of the mental load off as you build your own back-to-school checklist.

And here’s a deeper breakdown of when and how I approach this list, with links included!

What I Prep in August:

1. Teacher Binder

Where I live, we go back the Tuesday after Labour Day (so typically the first week of September) with a mandatory PA Day the Thursday before.

The first thing I do when I’m ready for BTS (Back to School) prep is to put my teacher binder together!

I use a 2” binder for my main teacher binder. This has tabs for calendars, planning, curriculum, general info, pd & meetings, misc. and masters (I keep any master copies I use weekly here for easy access).

Every summer I print and add this year’s calendar pages and write in any important dates that I am already aware of.

My very first year, I also prepared my binder covers and tabs for the main binder and all my other binders (parent communication, master copies, literacy assessments, numeracy assessments, pd & meeting notes, sub binder and special education). But once you set it up they can be reused each year so every summer I just empty them (if I hadn’t in June) and add any new info as needed!

If you want the printables to make this teacher binder you can grab it by clicking here or on the image below ⬇️

2. Communication Folders, Mail Bags + Mail Bag Organizer

Near the end of August I also start prepping my communication folders, mail bags/mail bag organizer and birthday crowns.

I have a full blog post explaining how I prep these and where you can download the FREE editable file to make your own! You can find it in this blog post: A Peek Inside My Mail Bags.

I just leave the names blank until I get the class list.

TIP: Always make an extra 3-5 of each item students need when they join our class for last minute changes/new students throughout the year! I keep each set in a large Ziploc bag so it’s easy to pull and have everything ready right away when a new student arrives!

The communication folder goes in mail bags (I like these clear poly bags but you can also use XL Ziploc baggies!) and after I check them every morning they get stored in this organizer. Again you can read more about how I set these up here: A Peek Inside My Mail Bags.

Want the mail bag labels? You can find those here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/EDITABLE-Mail-Bag-Labels-2-4696838

3. Birthday Crowns

I also prep some birthday crowns and pencils (at least enough for the first month) before school starts. After that I try to enlist the help of co-op students and volunteers whenever possible but if you have a partner that is willing to help you, maybe you are lucky enough to get them all prepped before school starts!

I prep and store the crowns flat so it takes up less space. I clip them with a large binder clip and hang it on a hook inside one of my taller cabinets.

Click here or on the image below if you want to grab the printables for my birthday crown + pencil toppers and read more about how I incorporate them into our day!

Last Week of August:

Once I get my class list and know names and numbers (which for us is usually not until the week before school starts) I start making copies of things I need to send home the first week of school!

This includes:

• Emergency/Student Information Forms
• Kiss & Ride Letter
• Kindergarten Handbook (I don’t have a shareable version of this available, sorry! It basically introduces our school/team’s philosophy and routines!)
• All About Your Educators Letter (Scroll down for the link to this FREEBIE!)
• Classroom Website & Remind Letter (Click here to see my letter and to grab an editable version to make your own!)

You can find the Emergency/Student Information Forms and Kiss & Ride Letter in my Back to School Forms and Assessments for Kindergarten pack.

You can download the FREE editable “All About Your Educators” letter templates by clicking here or on the image below:

We also copy a September self-portrait/writing sheet for every student. We start these whenever we have a free moment during centre time and aim to have them all done by Meet the Teacher so we have them displayed as their first writing wall piece!

You can grab this writing page for FREE by clicking on the image above or the button below! Pages for August and September 2025-2030 are included in the download!

Then I add names to things that need it like:

• Communication Folders (Write in names, add calendar/newsletter and put them in mail bags)
• Mail bag labels
• First Day Pick Up List
• Dismissal Checklist

Here’s what my calendar/newsletter looks like:

We also…

• Label cubbies (You can see how we label cubbies at the top of this blog post!)
• Log on to our computers and attendance programs to make sure everything is working

Some other things I do during the week before school starts:

• Fill in our timetable
• Fill in first week schedule/day plans
• Prep first week anchor charts
• Set-up Dramatic Play Area
• Set up entry centres for the first day
  • You can see some first week entry centre samples in these blog posts:
    • Classroom Reveal 2019
    • Classroom Reveal 2017
    • Classroom Reveal 2016
    • Classroom Reveal 2014
• Complete Annual Learning Plan (ALP)
• Try printing something to make sure the computer is connected to the printer
• Label book boxes
• Write or print names on label stickers for the first day (I do every day for the first week, it helps prep teachers too!)
  • Tip: If you have kids that peel them off after two seconds, put the name stickers on their backs when they come in on the second day!

I mentioned this already but I thought it was worth repeating because it’s one of my biggest set-up tips. Make 3-4 “New Student Bags” (I put them in extra large Ziploc bags) with anything you would send home or need for a new student (e.g. blank cubby label, blank communication folder, a set of first week forms etc.) It makes it so much easier when you get a student last minute to put everything together and get them settled!

My To Do List During the First Week of School:

After we get the “Emergency Information Forms” back I…

• Type out & print “Permission to Pick Up Details”
• Make note of any allergies
• Make note of any students who’s pictures are not allowed on the classroom blog

During the first day/week of school we:

• Take “First Day of School” photos
• Take photos of the students during each schedule time for the visual schedule (e.g. centre time, carpet time, snack etc.)

Click here or on the image below to get a copy of my FREE editable schedule template to make your own!

During the week or on the weekend, I prep these name activities that we will be using in Week 2 when we focus on names:

• Name Matching Cards
• Name Tracing Dry Erase Sheets
• Name Play Dough Mats with Photo
• Name Cards with Photo

You can grab these and all of my other name activities by clicking on the image below!

Before Meet the Teacher Night

Last but not least! Here are some things I prep for Meet the Teacher Night. Ours is typically at the end of September.

• Put up September Writing Sheets on Writing Wall (Name + Self Portrait)
• Put up a bulletin board that encourages students and families to learn more about their classmates/teachers and encourage conversation!
  • Last time I was in the classroom, we did an “Our Families” bulletin board! You can see pictures in this blog post. Scroll down to #8!
  • I made this “All About Me” activity to use next time I’m back in the classroom and a lot of teachers have had success with it as their Meet the Teacher Night /September bulletin board! You can learn more about this activity here.
• Meet the Teacher/Donation Letter (to send home prior to Meet the Teacher, click here for my sample and an editable copy to make your own!)
• Meet the Teacher Night – Classroom Scavenger Hunt
• Donation Table

This is what my “Meet the Teacher Night – Classroom Scavenger Hunt!” looks like:

We always get great feedback about this because it gives a clear direction on what they can be doing while they wait to speak to an educator and gives students ownership over introducing the classroom to their parents!

If you would like a copy for your Meet the Teacher, you can find the editable file here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/EDITABLE-Meet-the-TeacherEducators-Scavenger-Hunt-4882241

We also like to put out a donation table. So many parents want to help, so why not take advantage of that! Not all schools allow asking for donations though, so just double check with your admin/team first!

Here is a pic of my donation table from a few years ago to give you an idea!

It’s not shown in this image but I also had a second sign that said “If you are able to, please take a coffee cup and donate the item to our classroom. Thank you very much for your generosity and support!” so that it’s clear what they are suppose to do with the coffee cups!

If you would like to try this out, you can find the printables for the donation table here: Thanks a latte! Donation Table Printables for Meet the Teacher Night!

Ok that was a alot! But I hope it helps you wrap your head around planning for the first week and September!