The 2015-16 school year began on September 1st at Arrowhead and students are starting to recognize classrooms without the use of a map, their minds are back on track, and are they finally getting familiar with their teachers. But now it’s the parents’ turn.

On September 9th from 5:30-8:30pm, Arrowhead hosted a Meet the Teacher gathering in the West Gym at Arrowhead Union High School.

For three hours, Arrowhead’s faculty lined lunch tables in alphabetical order from Albers to Zwirlein.  

While student volunteers carted cookies, soda and water as a thanks for the faculty giving up their time, the gym was flooded with chatter.

And meanwhile in the lobby outside the gym, the AHS booster club sold t-shirts to help any Warhawk, new or old, show their school spirit.

The night provided an opportunity for teachers to inform parents about a variety of things — from a overview of how a typical class period would go, to what the expectations were, or even simply to what the class would cover.

“Now the focus [of Meet the Teacher night],” says Julie Schwartz, a business education teacher at Arrowhead, “is more on the student and what their requirements are.”

Schwartz said Meet the Teacher night gave parents the chance to share significant information about their child with the teacher, whether it was shyness or even a fear of the front of the classroom.

Teachers were told not to discuss grades, but rather use the night as an opportunity to get a glimpse into each student and his or her needs.  Parents who attended were able to learn about the course and get to know the teacher.

Tanya Billings, one of the parents in attendance, says the night was a way of getting more familiar with the teacher and what they’re covering over the semester.

“It might be a good idea to do it a couple times, to kind of see where they’re up to. Sort of like a follow-up appointment,” she says.

According to Becky Gordon, the new associate principal at North Campus, the next Meet the Teacher night is scheduled for February 3rd, from 5:30-7:30pm. It will be located in the West Gym.