So Much To Do, So Much To Teach!

Oh goodness...  I feel like this time of the school year is INSANE!

I have all of these fantastic ideas and remember how easy it was to get through things last year.  Ah yes, I am remembering my kinder kiddos from the end of last year.  I think *we* primary teachers forget about all of the madness that takes place the first few weeks.  Hmm...  I must get my act together and get these kids ready for all of the amazing things we will be accomplishing.

Only one problem.

I have so much to do and absolutely NO TIME at the beginning of the year {in kinder} to do it.  If you are like me, the first step is organizing and creating lists.  I love lists.  I am one of those people who will write things on my to-do list that I have already done just so I can cross it out and feel accomplished! Love it.  LOVE it!
I made this great little to-do list after my friend Jillian made one that matched the colors of her class.

   
You can grab yourself a FREE copy of it HERE!

Oh man, as I started writing down everything I had to do, my list got a little out of control.  Eek!  I need to take a sub day just to prepare for all the things I was to do, make and learn with my kiddos.

First things first!  I need to get all my alphabet crafts organized and ready to go.  I put them all in a binder with a tab marking each letter and all of the corresponding activities.  Now I can grab them quickly and easily.  I even pre-cut some paper and shapes and slipped them into sleeve protectors so that on the day-of, I would not need to spend time cutting or gathering supplies.  Everything is ready to go.

We make a craft for every letter and I have made a file for you if you would like to grab it. (I posted about this in Alphabet Crafts)

The kiddos love to make a craft every day and it helps connect what we are learning to something 'real immediately.  We are applying our letter-sound relationships each day!  Gotta love that!

Here is a picture preview of the pack:

I have included a picture of a student created craft for each letter along with a short description of how we made it.  I hope you love them!

Please let me know how much you like them!

It's the Most -------- Time of the Year...

I know what the Staples commercials say, but I am not sure my tune sounds the same. Today was our first day back and I missed my little man like CRAZY. 

I hated dropping him off. 
I hated that someone else got to see his cute sleepy face after a nap. 
I hated that I was going to miss whatever new thing he decided to marvel the world with today. 
I hated it. 

I was sad all day. I found myself flipping through the picture gallery on my phone - thank goodness for camera phones!

Come on working moms, tell me I will hate this less as time goes on. 

My morning was filled with meetings (as most BTS weeks are) and then MORE meetings in the afternoon. I need to get some real time in my room so I can organize and get things rolling. Ahhh! The next time I will be able to work in my room is Thursday, the night of 'Meet the Teacher'. Stress factor = HIGH! 
I was able to get a few things done between meetings and missing my little man. My name tags are all set to go and most furniture is back where it belongs. 

Remember...?

And this...?

Well, with an unpaid work day last week and a few good minutes today...

I have a ton of little things to do and millions of BTS copies to make, but they will all have to wait until Thursday. :(  Until then, I will be in meetings and professional developments stressing about all that still needs to be done.  Ahh!

How is your BTS week going?

Back to School 2.0

There are so many things to do to prepare for the first weeks ofschool.  One of the things I have been workingon is my ‘Back 2 School’ letter.  Theletter I send home is pretty important – it is the first school-homecommunication I will have with families, it sets the expectations for the yearand it is the best time to lay out the inter workings of our class and day.  I usually start off with anintroductory letter.  I want to letfamilies know WHO their kiddo will be spending so much time with.  I talk about me, my family and give them alittle bit of my educational and career background.   The next few pages are all specifics aboutour class – our schedule, class expectations, rules and responsibilities,consequences, rewards, wish-list, blah blah blah!  If that packet was not enough for parents,this year I added a few new pages!    

 

Thesepages include a student info sheet (quick guide for me to have in the room), aparent volunteer form and a photo release paper.  I wanted to add the photo release paper so Iwasn’t posting any pics of my amazing kiddos and their work this year withoutpermission.  If you are interested inthis pack, I have bundled it for you HERE! In addition to those three sheets, I also included a quick-contact paperfor you and a daily behavior chart.  Ilike having the quick contact paper near my phone so that if/when I need to geta hold of a parent, I don’t have to mess around and waste time!  

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Back2School-MINI-pack

What do you like to include in your parent letter? 

Plannin' Time!

Alright, it is July… That means I only have a few weeks before I have to stop pretending to be a Stay-A-Home-Mommy and return to my crazy kindergarten life. It also means it is time to start planning and organizing.
Most people make resolutions at New Years, but as a teacher, I make mine in July. This (school) year I resolve to be a better planner and keep track of my life. I resolve to finally be a grown-up and use a planner and not rely on sticky-notes!

I found this great planner at Target – if I have to plan it should at least be adorable!
Since I can’t leave Target without browsing EVERY.SINGLE.AISLE. I also found these great little bands.  These bands will be great for data folders, homework collection and adding a little flare to my new planner!

What is your New *School* Year Resolution?