High School homeroom periods at the start of the school year can be a very paper intensive endeavor. It is a necessary evil that must be handled as efficiently and timely as possible.
Like preparing for proctoring for a state examination, the room should be completely organized before the students enter. Clear off an area where all the documents can placed in an orderly fashion so the students can pick the forms up. Having the students pick up the forms will save time for you.
In the case of my high school, we hand out ELEVEN forms on the first day of homeroom: Student Parking Registration Form, Hazing Law Form, Student Information Sheet, Lunch Schedule, the District Calendar for the School Year, the Public Permission Form to Use Photos in the Newspaper and Website, Free / Reduced Lunch Form, Emergency Information Cards (for the Nurse), 1st 3 Days Bell Schedule, Student Handbook, and Student Schedules.
Once the students enter the classroom and become settled, have them come up to the front (or back) of the room to collect the forms.
Our student handbooks are also passbooks and homework agendas. The students write the name on the inside cover. I ask the students to open up to the current date and write their homework for homeroom. I stress we want to be the top homeroom (not stats are recorded) with the highest percentage or returns. Quick returns make the job of the homeroom teacher easier.
The goal is to get the documents to the administration or front office as soon as possible. Once classroom teachers relieve themselves of the homeroom form burdens, they can commitment themselves to their classes.
Before the bell, I reiterate to the students that it is critical to get all the forms in tomorrow. If you have organized and cooperative students this will make the collection day a breeze.
