School Supply Organiation

    My first day back to school is only days way! Yikes!  Elementary school teachers can appreciate how hectic the first morning is.  Twenty kids, 40 new shoes, 20 backpacks, new crayons, parents wanting pictures, parents asking questions, teacher trying to figure out how each child will get home...and of course the two grocery bags stuffed full of supplies. Hectic is probably an understatement....more like chaos.  
     I'm hoping to curve the chaos a little by being more organized with the school supply part.  I created labels to go around the room so that the kids will know where to place the appropriate supplies.  I also created a PowerPoint slide to go on my Promethean board with directions for the kids.  
  

PowerPoint Slide

School Supply Label Cards

Clorox Wipes

  (The cards are made to be folded, so that they will stand.)

You must be a teacher

     Yesterday I was feeling guilty  as I pushed my buggy into the checkout line.  I knew scanning my 40 spiral notebooks (with all the spiral metal wires latching (stuck) on each other) would not be the cashier's favorite task of the day.  But you do the math.  40 notebooks at 20 cents a piece = a bargain that I can't pass up.  It will give each child in my class two notebooks for the writer's workshop.

     As I place my heaping stack onto the conveyer belt I realize the cashier is already fighting with a stack of spiral notebooks from the customer in front of me.  The much-older-than-me-customer and I make eye contact and I state the obvious..."You must be a teacher."  And with that a moment is shared that only a teacher can appreciate. 

Once a teacher, always a teacher.

Getting to Know You Activity

     Monday night was transition night at our school (at least for my grade level).  While our administrators keep parents in the gym to go over procedures and other important boring parent things, we take the kids to our classrooms.  It is when the kids learn what teacher they will be with and we only learn a few hours before hand what kids we will have.  
  
     I honestly was a little nervous.  It really surprised me.  I mean, come on, this is my seventh year teaching.  But as soon I had my new friends in the room all the butterflies left.   I am a teacher through and through.  


    Back to the point of this post...we needed a 30-45 minute activity to do with the kids.  My team and I choose the same thing as last year...a getting to know you necklace.  . There are several questions the students must answer to determine which  beads to get.  For example, my favorite one, 

Take one star bead if you think you will like second grade a little.

Take two star beads if you think you will like second grade a lot.

 

Did you notice I didn't give the option of not liking second grade?  Teachers are clever like that!  Everyone's necklace ends up looking different.  We challenge the kids to wear them back on Monday, the first official back to school day.
    This idea did not originate with us!  Google it, you'll find several examples.
   I created some safari themed direction cards to set out with my beads.  There are two on a page and made to be folded and stood on the table in front of the correct container of beads.  Hope someone else can use it also.  (Click the link, not the picture.)

Getting to Know You Necklace

Sunday Afternoon Painting

I was real proud of myself that I refuse to spend the weekend at school (kids are coming tomorrow night for transition night).  Then at some point today I realized that I spent my entire day (between church services) painting school decorations.  But at least I did it at the comfort of my own kitchen table!

You won't be able to see the bottom of the foam board that's a little beat up.

I needed a few new decorations that go with my safari theme. 

I was happy with how these turned out. 

Simple Doorway Decor

   I have been busy busy busy preparing my classroom for the next group of friends that will spend ten months there.  I had forgotten how hard this working thing is!  I'm exhausted!  Since my room is not to a point that I want to show pictures,  I thought I'd post a simple project that a team mate and myself worked on today.  We used my cricut and created a little "pop" factor for right outside our doors.  I actually like it better in person than in these pictures.

Simple and easy to make.  

Welcome Letter

     Since I'm getting in the "school" mindset I started updating my welcome letter.   I found this letter years ago online and have just adapted it.  There are a few details (when open house is, etc.) that I'll update later.  This is my most favorite back to school welcome letter ever!  I've used it for several years now and splurge to print it in color.  If you are interested in using it, leave me a comment and I can email it to you in word doc so that you can make changes. 

Back to School Welcome Letter 

Do you smilebox?

A few years back I discovered smile box.  I first saw it on a fellow teacher's website at my school.  It's a great way to add pictures or videos to a blog or website.  It's so easy to create a cute, attractive slideshow.  At the beginning of the year I have parents fill out a permission slip to allow me to use their child's photos & first names on our class website.    I let them know upfront if they choose to opt out, their child may be asked to sit out of some photos.  After permission is granted it's time to get a-snapping!   


Smile boxes I create for the class site:

• First day of school
• Meet your teacher
• Daily 5 Reading
• Camp-Read-A-Lot Activities
• Biography Speeches
• Group Photos
• Halloween Pictures
• Recess
• Field Trip

The list could go on and on.

Here's the smilebox I created this year to introduce my family and myself.  

Make your own free slideshow design

Smile box has always had free accounts but they have advertisements on them when viewed.  Paid accounts are ad-free. 

However....Smile box is good to teachers......

Teachers can get the premium account for

......FREE!  Click here to learn more.   You can't beat free!