{"id":28565,"date":"2023-01-16T00:30:06","date_gmt":"2023-01-16T00:30:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cos.net.au\/c\/?p=28565"},"modified":"2024-12-11T04:18:17","modified_gmt":"2024-12-11T04:18:17","slug":"back-to-school-checklist-for-teachers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cos.net.au\/c\/cospedia\/back-to-school-checklist-for-teachers","title":{"rendered":"Back to School 2025: 8-Point Checklist for Teachers"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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The end of a school year means crunch time. There are of course the term 4 assemblies, celebrations, and events, but that\u2019s not all \u2014schools are already looking to the <\/span>first day of school<\/span> in 2025, necessitating a load of <\/span>back to school preparation<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Especially for teachers who are new to the profession, preparing properly for the new year can bring a sense of control and confidence, allowing them to start the first term off on the right foot. To that end, we\u2019ve compiled a short teacher checklist for classroom organisation that we hope you find helpful! <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Back to School Classroom Organisation<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Why is classroom <\/span>organisation<\/span> important?<\/span><\/span> In shor<\/span>t, it affects all areas of your teaching. On a practical level, good <\/span>organisation<\/span> makes you more efficient and productive, but <\/span>then there are other less straightforward aspects. <\/span>Organisation<\/span> can be an effective component of managing <\/span>behaviour<\/span>, <\/span>giving students a feeling of ownership, bringing calm to those with anxiety issues, and so on. <\/span>Here are <\/span>some of the main aspects of preparing your classroom that make for <\/span>solid back-to-school preparation.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Create a classroom calendar or wall planner<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Films about teaching and schools, combined with the boundless enthusiasm around teaching that is instilled in pre-service teachers at university, gives the impression that you have to be a true maverick, ensuring no two days are the same while putting your winning personality centre stage. In reality, children, especially those in primary school, <\/span>like<\/span><\/i> routine.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

There is room to be creative and interesting within the bounds of a plan, providing you with a solid framework to do some good teaching, and decreasing feelings of uncertainty for the pupils in your care. Setting up a classroom calendar or wall planner<\/a><\/strong> is a way to make sure that everyone is on the same page, and can even be a collaborative effort set up between the students and teacher.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Bring in cleaning and hygiene supplies<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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A clean classroom <\/span>is essential, not just in terms of <\/span>promoting hygiene, but in ensuring that students feel that their learning environment is cared for <\/span>and<\/span> respected.<\/span> While cleaners often take care of the bigger things, wiping down the window sills and making sure that all desks are dirt free will fall to you <\/span>after the 6-week build-up of dust. Remember, <\/span><\/span>cleaning<\/strong> <\/span><\/span><\/a>and hygiene supplies<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span> bought for <\/span>your classroom<\/span> are classified as a work expenses and are tax deductible.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Ensure you have enough quality stationery<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Nothing is<\/span> more frustrating than testing markers that are running out of ink<\/span> or scrambling for stationery for <\/span>students<\/span> mid-<\/span>class<\/span>. <\/span><\/span>Having enough educational supplies<\/a><\/strong> and accessories<\/span><\/span>\u00a0is crucial to a lesson that flows smoothly, which is why you should ensure you are well equipped with everything you need to start teaching.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Prepare packs for the first day<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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It is unlikely you will start diving into the curriculum first day, but neither do you want to be <\/span>just playing games or killing time. Instead, you will be getting to know your class and allowing them to be comfortable in their new learning environment. Preparing a pack with <\/span>a few <\/span>activities<\/span> allows <\/span>students <\/span>to<\/span> go ahead with <\/span>some structured work while <\/span>giv<\/span>ing<\/span> you the space to <\/span>monitor how your cohort works, have little chats with each <\/span>student<\/span>, and make any early adjustments to the seating plan as required<\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Decorate your room<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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While <\/span><\/span>decorating<\/span><\/span> sounds like something only the early-stage teachers should concern themselves with, conducting lessons in a room with a prison ae<\/span>sthetic is unlikely to inspire much enthusiasm. You don\u2019t need to spend da<\/span>ys, but can simply put up a few interesting or educational posters. Especially for students in primary\/early high school, <\/span>you can set tasks to create interesting visuals which can be put around the room. Not only will it inject some colour, but give students a feeling of ownership over their learning space.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Give thought to seating<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Whether you choose fixed seating or allow students to sit where they like, the way you arrange your seats and tables can have an effect on the way students work. If it\u2019s a difficult task, straightforward rows with two to a desk may be the best option. If you want to encourage a more collaborative and flexible space, you may organize desks into groups or even give thought to <\/span>incorporating <\/span>other forms of seat<\/span>ing, <\/span>such as<\/span> <\/span>ottomans<\/strong><\/a> or<\/span> stools<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Set up a filing system <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Teachers are working in a hybrid environment, where they need to organise paper documentation while setting up systems for distributing and collecting work completed online. While you may have <\/span><\/span>boxes<\/span><\/span> or trays<\/span> to store permission slips and other documentation,<\/span> setting up <\/span>a cloud-based environment with folders for each student with master access ahead of time will mean you are not scrambling to locate <\/span>completed tasks.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Check your first-aid kit<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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By the first day of the school year, you will have completed your mandatory <\/span>first-aid training<\/span>; however, <\/span>you will also need to make sure that you have a <\/span><\/span>first-aid <\/span>kit<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/a> with everything you need in the event of an <\/span>emergency. Best practice is to get a list from your school of what you should have<\/span>, and then <\/span>check against what is actually in your classroom, requesting any missing items ahead of time.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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2025 Back to School Dates Australia<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The first day back in 2025 varies depending on the state and territory you are in. Here is the complete list<\/span>*<\/span>:<\/span><\/span><\/p>

New South Wales Eastern Division<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/td>

Friday 31 January<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr>

New South Wales Western Division<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/td>

Friday 7 February<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Victoria<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/td>

Tuesday 28 January<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr>

South Australia<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/td>

Tuesday 28 January<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Queensland<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/td>

Tuesday 28 January<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Western Australia<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/td>

Wednesday 5 February<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Australian Capital Territory<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/td>

Monday 3 February<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Northern Territory Urban Schools<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/td>

Wednesday 29 January<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Tasmania<\/b><\/p><\/td>

Thursday 6 February<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>

*Please check with your individual school as <\/span>start <\/span>dates can vary between the public and private sectors.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

0<\/span><\/a><\/div> <\/div>
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With the new academic year upon us, here is an 8-point back to school checklist for teachers to start off the year right!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":47305,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,2121],"tags":[1315,2711,58,1199,2658],"class_list":["post-28565","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cospedia","category-education","tag-back-to-school","tag-classroom-organisation","tag-education","tag-learning","tag-teaching"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cos.net.au\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28565","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cos.net.au\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cos.net.au\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cos.net.au\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cos.net.au\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28565"}],"version-history":[{"count":61,"href":"https:\/\/www.cos.net.au\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28565\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47324,"href":"https:\/\/www.cos.net.au\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28565\/revisions\/47324"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cos.net.au\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47305"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cos.net.au\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28565"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cos.net.au\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28565"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cos.net.au\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28565"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}