10 Important Back to School Procedures

The first few days of the school year are the perfect time to establish important back to school procedures. Your students have been out of school for three months, so they need some reminders about how to behave in a classroom. Teach and practice these 10 procedures the first week of school, and your whole year will go so much smoother!

10 Important Back to School Procedures

#1 – Morning Routine

What are your students expected to do as soon as they come into the classroom in the morning?

In my classroom students need to:

• Put their homework in the bin on the side of the room
• Put their homework folder and planner in their desks
• Hang their backpacks and coats in the closet
• Do lunch count
• Start working on morning work

That’s a lot to remember before 9:00 in the morning!

Start by making a list of everything you need your students to do when they enter your classroom. Then, make a slideshow with a list of all these expectations. You can project that slide on the board each morning so your students don’t forget any important steps.

#2 – Bathroom/Drink

It’s inevitable that one of your students will need to use the bathroom within the first 30 minutes of the first day. Bathroom procedures are one of the first things we discuss.

In my classroom, students put a bathroom pass on their desks when they need to go to the bathroom or get a drink. This lets me know where they are, and it shows the other students if someone else is out of the classroom. Only one boy and one girl are allowed to go at one time.

Decide on your bathroom and drink procedures, and go over them in the morning on the first day of school. Practice them each time a student asks to leave the classroom throughout the day.

#3 – Tissue

It’s shocking how quickly the tissue box can become the social center of your classroom. One student gets up to blow his nose, and soon there are four kids huddled around the tissue box having a conversation during your lesson.

I have a “get it and go” tissue policy. There is no standing at the tissue box. The students need to get the tissue, take it back to their seats to blow, and then throw it in the garbage can.

Model your tissue policy for your students on the first day of school. Make sure they follow it each time they need to get a tissue.

#4 – Pencil Sharpening

There’s nothing more annoying than the sound of the pencil sharpener in the middle of your lesson. That’s why it’s important to establish appropriate times for pencil sharpening.

My students need to have at least 2 sharpened pencils at all times. They are allowed to sharpen them in the morning before school starts and at the end of the day when they’re packed. If both pencils break during the day, they can borrow a sharpened pencil from me. It just needs to be returned at the end of the day.

When introducing your pencil sharpening policy, make it very clear when your students are and are not allowed to sharpen their pencils. You should also make sure there is a way for your students to get a pencil if something happens to theirs when they aren’t allowed to sharpen it.

#5 – Turning in Papers

When your students finish an activity, they need to know where to put it. That way, they don’t have to interrupt you 100 times a day to ask where to put things.

I have a bin on the side of my room with a section for each subject. As soon as my students finish a paper, they put it in the correct section and work on extra time activities.

Choose a place in your classroom where you want your students to put their completed work. Make it an easy-to-access spot, and don’t accept papers from students who come up to you and try to hand you their work. Point them to the turn-in bin so they get in the habit of putting it in the correct place.

#6 – Lining Up and Walking in the Hallway

Before we walk in the hallway for the first time, we take a few minutes to talk about what it should look and sound like. We practice forming a 3-S line – still, straight, and silent.

Once we enter the hallway, I have my students walk on the silver lines on the floor. That helps them stay in a straight line without walking beside someone, which cuts down on the talking.

Walking in the hallway is definitely something you will have to practice with your students. If they aren’t following the expectations, have them walk back to the classroom and start over until they do it correctly. 

#7 – Using the Classroom Library

You probably spent a lot of time over the summer organizing your classroom library. You don’t want your students to undo your hard work the first week of school. That’s why you need to take some time to go over procedures for your classroom library.

I have my students gather in our classroom library, and I take them on a tour of all the parts. We talk about how to choose a just right book without messing up the library shelves. When my students return a book, they put it in a “Return Box,” and my “librarians” put the books away at the end of the day.

You should also think about where you want your students to keep the books after they borrow them from your classroom library. They can get ruined when they are shoved in the back of a desk. I give each of my students a book box where they keep all of their reading materials, including books.

#8 – Using Technology

My classroom is 1 to 1 with Chromebooks. On the first day of school, we go over the procedures for using them. We also make sure everyone can sign onto the devices, and we set up our classes in Google Classroom.

You might want to make anchor charts explaining your technology expectations so your students can refer to it throughout the school year. I also find that it’s helpful to make a list of all the websites my students are allowed to visit when they are using our Chromebooks.

#9 – Fire Drills

We always have a fire drill at some point during the first week of school. I take the opportunity to show my students what to do during a fire drill at the end of the first day. I take my class outside for a quick recess, and we walk outside like we would for a fire drill. We go to our spot and stand silently for a minute. We do the same thing the second day of school to make sure we’re completely ready to follow the fire drill procedures.

Find a time when your class is already going outside. Take a few minutes to explain exactly what should happen during a fire drill. Then, allow your students to practice. Your principal will be so impressed with your students’ behavior during that first fire drill because they know exactly what to do.

#10 – End of the Day

Just like your students need a routine for the morning, they also need one for the end of the day. Getting homework written and backpacks packed quickly will lead to a smooth dismissal.

I have my students write their homework and get it stamped first. Then, they get their mail and backpacks. Once everything is packed, they sit quietly until we are all ready. We see how quickly and quietly everyone can get packed. If they’re able to do it with a minute or two to spare, we play a quick game.

Just like a slideshow can help your students remember important morning routines, it can be just as effective at the end of the day. Decide what you want your students to do, make a slide outlining the activities, and display it on the board.

I try to spread out the introduction of procedures over the first few days of school. I don’t want to bombard my students with everything at the same time. Check out some of the other activities I do the first week of school.

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What Do You Think?

What do you think are the most important procedures to establish the first day of school?

Let me know in the comments below.

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