A Little Break / Mini Vacation / Back to working on my classroom

So I have been completely enjoying vacation these last 2 weeks!  I went to the cabin in Duck Creek, UT and had a great time.  Then was home for maybe 2 days and then headed down to CA for my gorgeous co-worker's wedding! 

We had the best time! We went to Santa Monica Pier, to IKEA (which there will be lots and lots of IKEA in my new classroom), to Calabasas (to see Dash which is no longer there), to Malibu for the wedding, back to Santa Monica, then on to Disneyland. 

It was a trip I needed to relax and not think about work.  I also am forever bonded to my traveling companion Rebecca and I miss her so much already!

Of course the day after I got back was August 1st which meant school was back open, so I could go in and start organizing the wardrobes that were left by the previous teacher. 

Let's just say I have a thing for matching bins and labels.  I also hate clutter so these wardrobes were going to be the death of me.

Luckily I got one completely sorted through and the second one I didn't quite get finished because my principal came and needed help with this.

Yes, the prep schedule. Seems easy enough right?  Make sure everyone has a prep every day and make sure all of the classes go to all of the specials. Try to give as many common preps as possible. The list goes on and on.  Well KS & I came up with a schedule that works for now but if we get any more classes added (which we are 99% sure will happen) it will be back to the drawing board.  Hopefully they will just send some itinerants to the school to help supplement because there are literally NO open preps!

But while helping with the prep schedule I did steal a glance at the Master Schedule.  And I happened to take a photo of said master schedule therefore giving me all of the information I need to finish my beginning of the year lesson plans, parent information, scheduling cards.  It was like the flood gates of pre-school preparation had been opened.

So I started with my Daily Schedule that I put in the parent information folders.  I pulled up the way I did my Daily Schedule last year and almost cringed.  I had to take a photo of this year and last year's side by side just to see what a difference a year can make.  My style has COMPLETELY changed!!

I am very happy with how my new schedule turned out and can't wait to get it copied, 3HP, and into those parent information folders.  Who knows if they will look at it but it's there just in case.

Back in the Swing of Things

So I've been off the "grid" if you will for a while and returned to lots of great things! 

I decided I would finish up my label for my team gifts I made earlier in the Summer and just leave off a name.  

Then I started thinking I wanted to make toppers for all of the fun treats/ surprises I had planned for my class.  Well I'm glad I waited to make them because Cara Carroll over at The First Grade Parade created the most adorable back to school survival set which included toppers.  So for an easy $6.00 she has saved me hours of creating!

So now I don't feel so guilty going to the cabin and relaxing for a few days!

What We Apparently Won't Tell You...

There I was.  It was 7:00 in the morning.  I sat down at my computer opened up cnn.com to see what happened in the world while I was sleeping.  And right there at the bottom of the screen was “13+ things your child’s teacher won’t tell you”

Intrigued?

I was.

Here is the link to what they posted were the things teachers won’t tell you.

Number 2, 6, and 10 are my personal favorites…

What are some things you “won’t” tell parents?

Now Trending!

Since I embraced the blogging world this summer I have been shamelessly blog stalking/ following any blog out there to get any ideas I can!  I have found a lot of common themes that a lot of people are talking about. 

1) The Daily 5 & Café

2) The Spectrum Behavior Chart

3) Policies and Procedures

4) The Target Dollar Spot

5) Decorating on the Cheap

I think I have blogged about 3 out of the 5 already.  My blogging bucket list is almost complete!

Today I wanted to focus on number 3, Policies and Procedures. 

When parents first meet me they ask me what my rules are for my classroom.  I tell them I don’t have any rules, we just follow our school rules.  The rest is all taken care of in policies and procedures.

I mentioned previously that CCSD had us take New teacher trainings (which by the way I completed 4 years ago).  Well in the very first New Teacher Orientation they had Harry Wong come and be the keynote speaker.  We all received a copy of his book  The First Days of School.  Mine has a lot of sticky notes which I review every summer the sticky noted pages.  Not that it isn’t a glorious book but I have to prioritize my time!

His book is broken up into 5 units.  The unit I re-read EVERY summer is Unit C- Classroom Management. 

It goes over having your classroom ready, how to introduce yourself to your class, how to arrange and assign seating, when and how to take roll, an effective grade book, an effective discipline plan (rules and consequences & rewards),  and how to have students follow classroom procedures.

In his book he gives a list of many of the procedures to rehearse with students.   Here is my list combined with his list. 

Each summer I look at my previous year’s document to see if that is really how I still want that procedure to be done. 

Only I’m moving next school year so a lot of these will have to be done once we go back for teacher report day because I don’t know what the school wide procedures are.   This is where I have to insert the reminder to myself that I can only worry about the things I can control. 

What are some of the procedures you practice with your students at the beginning of the year?

A Walk Down Memory Lane

My 1st year of teaching CCSD had us attend these new teacher workshops.  In one of the workshops the instructor gave us a sheet with the word S.W.I.P.E.D across the top.  It stood for Stealing With Integrity and Pride Every Day.  I feel like that's pretty much what I do.  Except I don't like the connotaion of stealing.  I am inspired by lots of people, places, things.  I get inspired watching commercials for heavens sake!

Having said that, my 1st year of teaching I worked with an amazing team.  I found that I changed so much during that year because I literally lesson planned with everyone!  I wanted to see what everyone was doing (We had 9 first grade teachers at the time) and how I could tweak it to be my own.  Well Amy & Yvonne had cute little While you were absent folders.  That actually had a much longer poem on the front about the duck and quack quack we're excited you are back.  And the poem went on from there about the work you missed and it was adorable but too much text!  

Then after I first discovered Teachers Pay Teachers, I came across this freebie from Kindergarten Works. 

Again the wheels start turning... I need a little face lift to my absent folders.  I loved the colors and the brightness of the ones made by Kindergarten works. 

After getting my masters degree in TESL, I have a hard time putting lots of text on anything.  (Besides my blog posts)  The population I work with typically do not speak/ read English.  I need things to be simple and consice so the kids can explain them to their parents. 

So after all of those things this is what I came up with. 

I feel like my little kiddos would be able to explain to their parents this is the work I missed and I have to bring it back to school on Wednesday (for example).  I am also confident in my ability to write the days of the week in Spanish so I could also write the date it is due in Spanish and hopefully they would get the idea. 

And again I love my full/ Half sheet shipping labels.  No need to laminate, no need to glue stick.  Pop that bad boy on there and I am done!

Pom Pom Trial

So I've seen these all over the place.  At parties. On blogs. Just about everywhere.  And I knew there had to be a way to make them versus buying a kit from the craft store.  So thanks to Pinterest I found this beauty. 

From the Godmother of Crafting herself, Martha Stewart. 

 

My only complaint is, I really need step 3 to have maybe one more photo before step 4.  I need to know do you pull toward the middle for all of them.  Do you do half of the stack one way and the other half the other way.  I just need to know these things!  Since I am not good at following directions and getting the same results, I just have a hard time when it comes to paper folding.  (I can't even fold an airplane properly)

But for all intents and purposes it didn't turn out too bad for my first time.  I used 20 sheets instead of 8 because I read someone else's comments on this that 8 sheets wasn't full enough. 

Here are my results.  

More of a pointed cut

More of a rounded cut

My tips are the following

*Perhaps use 11- 15 sheets

*Use a scoring blade to make the folds more defined (the further in I got into my pom the less defined the folds were)

* I just used a rubber band to secure the middle, no floral wire needed.

Remind 101

This is not an infomercial!  I actually just found out about this from another blog over at Mrs. Standford's Class  In her post on July 10th (today) she shared this amazing app/ website.  So no worries if you don't have an iPhone or a smart phone you can handle all of this web based.

So basically you sign up with the site Remind101 it literally takes less than 5 minutes! 

Then it gives you an option to print a flyer to pass out to parents.  I know I'm planning on printing mine and putting it in my parent information folders for Back to School Night.

I'm definitely excited about this little gem!  and it is F-R-E-E.  My favorite kind of item!

Parent folders

I realize all I keep doing is posting pictures of the graphics I'm going to print onto labels to place onto all of the things in my room.  But I'm sure I'll do a finale post when all is said and done. 

Considering this is pretty much just a journal for me I don't really mind posting all of these photos that might be pointless to others.

So here is the graphic for my parent information folders.

I am in L-O-V-E with half sheet size shipping labels.  They literally can dress up any cheap pocket prong folder. 

While organizing all of my teaching supplies I stumbled upon all of these pocket 3 prong folders that I did not use last year. Thankfully I was able to purchase these last year when Staples let me buy 100's (literally 100's) on their 1 cent deals. Not so much this year. Maybe it was little old me that did it in for everyone else. But believe me they still get most of my business so they get their money one way or another!

Having said that, I do not have to purchase any new pocket prong folders this year.  I use them for all kinds of things in my classroom. Namely
* Parent information folders
* Data Folders
* Writing folders (If I don't get my donors choose folders funded)
*Reader's Theater
*Fluency Folders
*Math Notebooks

Literally the list could go on and on. 

So as I design and create/ label these lovelies I will post. 

--Mel

P.S. I must say it is a whole new summer of designing since discovering teaching blogs/ scrappin doodles/ free fonts/ Print Candee.  I feel naive for not knowing this whole world existed!

The most random post ever!

This year I'm moving to a new school.  Which honestly is one of the scariest things ever!  While I am excited to have a new adventure it's like the first day of school all over again!

What if no one likes me? 

What if I don't know what to do?

The only reason I left was that it was time for a change and luckily for me my amazing former AP was promoted to be a principal at a different school and she graciously took me on! 

So I'm changing a lot of things.  Including my behavior plan.  Traditionally I've used the typical stop light colors. Green, Yellow, (I added an Orange), and Red. 

Then one of my colleagues came back from a behavior conference where this was presented.  And upon further investigation this is ALL OVER Pinterest!

More details can be found in this free e-book http://www.newmanagement.com/ebooks/pdf/clip_chart_ebook.pdf

I'm all about rewarding positive behavior so I'm shocked it took me so long to realize this is what was missing! 

So of course I had to change the way my homework log looked to communicate this behavior home. 

This is what I came up with. 

I had to move around a few boxes but overall I like how it turned out.  

Also I finished filling my Teamie gifts.  Now just to make a cute label to go across the top.  Which I won't finish any until we go back to school since our District has pink slipped a few hundred teachers we are not sure who will be coming back and who will not.  But the good news is since I watch the Target Dollar spot like a hawk I can wait until the dollar spot stuff actually goes on clearance.  So for each box it only cost me a little less than $2 .50 to make total ! (and when I use my Target card I get that extra 5% off) Not too shabby. 

Of course my inspiration came from the lovely eighteen25.blogspot.com in this original post.  But I made mini versions using the organizers I found in the dollar spot for 25 cents! ( I also think it will look cuter with just plain hershey kisses but all I had at home were the ones I bought in Hawaii)

Looking forward to a restful Sunday!

Happy 4th... er 5th of July!

We were able to go and see the AMAZING fireworks in Boulder City tonight!  They really did put on a good show.  However, we got home pretty late and I needed to wind down. 

So I started thinking about welcome back night.  I love doing my own invitations to send out for welcome back night.  So I thought this year I would do a postcard invite.  (save a little $$ on the postage)

Luckily Print Candee had a $1.00 sale today so I was able to score some great backgrounds for only a buck a piece.  (Holy Chevron and owls. The sale pages were littered with Chevron and owls)

But I am insanely indecisive and now can't decide which look I like better.  I'm sticking with the teal/ aqua/ turquoise (just depends on your screen resolution really), gray, and lime green color scheme.  Both of these invites I did in turquoise.  One has Chevron print, one has polka dots.  One has a funky font, one has a script font. 

If were Dr. Jekyll and Mrs. Hyde this would be the two types of ways my personalities would manifest themselves! (Whoa watch out I know Chevron print and Polka dots) 

Team Labels

Well after spending a lovely week in NOLA I have lots of new ideas for my classroom!  It is so interesting where I find inspiration for my classroom.  I knew I wanted to make these since the last bridal shower I hosted for one of my dear friends. 

I tend to have an amazing vision in my mind of how I want something to look and then for whatever reason the execution of it doesn't quite measure up.  But I think I came pretty close this time.

So after about 10 days of not making a single thing for next year's classroom I spent the morning font hunting and changing font size and color. I finally have a product I'm satisfied with.

I'll have to post a little later the "finished product" as I'm attaching these to some tissue daisies I bought on http://www.polka-dot-market.com/tissue-fans/ 

I am not getting anything from passing along their amazing website, but I really do love it!  They have $5 flat rate shipping and my stuff arrived in less than 3 days.  (But in my shipment it had a business card with this promo code for 15% off which is LovePDM.

Also, I got the fonts from this website www.kevinandamanda.com/fonts the fonts I used were a combination of Rebekah's Birthday, You Wish you were a Shirley, and Pass the Chex.  ( I mean even their font names are fun!) and most importantly they are F-R-E-E!!!

For the actual #1/ #2 font I used a font I snagged (for free) from www.dafont.com  which was called needlework good. 

Sorry for all of the information but when I see stuff I like on other people's blogs I hate having to hunt for the stuff they used so I try and give you as much (and maybe too much) information as possible!

Until next time!

School Wide Theme 2012

Went in today to work with K.S. on some 2012 school wide theme items.

So here it is:

Had to update and delete my school information.  I was not thinking safety!

Let's try this again...

So I decided to create a new classroom blog when I realized every other classroom blog I have attempted have been wildly unsuccessful!  Partially because I have never been great at journaling at any time in my life and partially because last school year was crazy stressful!

Any way having more time to blog stalk I have found inspiration from several other teachers and can't wait to get my new room started at my new school and truly have the D & P show for a full 180 days!

I have been working on lately a lot of new items for my upcoming classroom.  I didn't want a specific theme because I LOVE to decorate for each season.  So here is a little sneak peak at some of the stuff I have been working on! I guess if I do have to name my theme it could be "Ocean side Chevron" 

All of these background designs came from http://lilmade.com/
I plan on using this paper pack for everything in my classroom to keep things cohesive.

Homework folder labels- what to keep at home and what to bring back

(Had to update this for safety purposes) I love to print these on half sheet labels and stick to the plastic 3 prongs to dress up homework folders!

Some of my Daily Schedule Cards- I use these in a giant pocket chart and then write our Student Friendly Objectives next to them.