Back to School Bash: Meet the Teacher

 Thanks to everyone who joined last week for our first of four

Back to School Bash Linky series.

I know I learned a lot, and hoped you did as well.

I loved seeing how other people set up their rooms and how creative everyone can be.

This week we are featuring Meet the Teacher ideas.

It is so important for your students to know who you are

and to get off on the right foot.

Unfortunately, we do not have a "Meet the Teacher" night.

At times, I wish we did.

At other times (like this week when my room is not quite ready),

I'm glad we don't!!

The first thing we do, is send notes to our students.

Our third grade team makes a pretty big deal about it.

Some might call us over the top.

Some might call us a tad enthusiastic.

We just love what we do, and we want our students to know that.

The day we were able to send our letters out we all met in one of our rooms

to stuff envelopes.

Thanks, Belinda from Third Grade on the Edge, for the pics.

In our letters we put a letter to the student welcoming them to third grade.

We also put a picture of a superhero for them to color and bring the first day of school.

We also include a note to the parents/guardians giving a school supply list, a note from us, and

a list of upcoming dates for them to put on their calendar.

I always include a handwritten, personalized note from the teacher to the student and parent.

This is an excerpt of the letter to the student.  I handwrite my note at the bottom.

 The parent letter looks a little like this.  Again, it is just an excerpt.

Then, I include a letter about me as a person.  Why?  Belinda explains it here.

Once the letters are addressed,

(I will admit I forgot to address one of my envelopes!)

the third grade team took a field trip to the post office.

This is where some might think we are a little extreme.

However, we had a great time!

Me and Kim (my partner teacher) mailing our letters.

My amazing team looking RIGHT into the sun.
FYI - the mailboxes were HOT!!!!

Fun story.... as we were mailing these and taking pictures, one of our future third graders came to the post office with her mom.  As they drove away, the mom pointed and said, "There's your teacher right there mailing your letter to you!"  She said the little girl was so excited to see us having such a great time!

We, then, posted and shared these pictures all over social media.  We had so many comments from parents of incoming third graders and parents of future third graders.  We even had comments from people who have no connection to third grade at our school.  They just loved seeing the excitement being built!  Our excitement must have caught on because we began to see MANY pictures all over social media of students at mailboxes or on the couch receiving their letters from their teachers.

It was just fantastic to see them as excited as we were.

It has really become a favorite tradition of mine.

On the first day of school, we officially meet our students.

I meet them at the door with a lollipop note for the parents.

(See this post here for that explanation.)

The child's desk looks like this:

Third Grade Hero Folder

Parent Homework Envelope

Transportation Information Note

Superhero Rubber Duck from me

Lucky Charms from my partner teacher

(Her students have that from me on their desks.)

School Days word search

Name tag

This student has a little bit more on his desk because he is missing the first week of school due to playing in the World Series for his baseball team!  We are so proud!

I love getting my class list and thinking of how each name is going to change my life over the course of the next year.

I love seeing their excitement.

This really is a wonderful time!

Now it's your turn!  Share your ideas for Meet the Teacher by joining this linky here:

An InLinkz Link-up

Don't forget about the giveaway as well.

Enter here to win some great things!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for stopping by!

#2getherwearebetter Linky: Bulletin Boards

I am oh so excited to be teaming up with teachers literally all over the globe

to bring you a wonderful linky

#2getherwearebetter.

Thanks to Ashley and Angie for giving us the encouragement to do this.

They are the leads in this, so you know it is going to be

FANTASTIC!!!!

Check out all the action here.

This month we are going to be talking about:

This year I have had a love/hate relationship with bulletin boards.

One of my boards (pictured below) is almost too small to do anything with it.
I have a bunch of ideas, but don't know what my students are going to need,
so until I meet them and get to know them much better,
this will have to do.
We are going Whole Brain Teaching this year and they will not be familiar with the
terminology.  I am hoping this can help them remember.
*** Bonus for me - something's on it!

The chalkboard to the left of the bulletin board has been many things.
It has been our "Moment of Silence" board and our "Today's Special" board.
This year, with it being right behind my reading group buckets,
I am doing a quote or thought.
I don't know if I will change them every day or once a week.
I am getting them from the
365 Days of Wonder: Mr. Browne's Book of Precepts.

Any ideas you have for either of these boards, is MORE THAN welcome!

This board is probably one of my favorites.

A few years ago we had a school theme of The Energy Bus.

Each room in the school was a bus stop, and I was the Cafe!

Now we are superheroes saving Gotham City (our school), so we get to keep our themes -

Hallelujah!

Since I am the Cafe, I have a lot of chefs and cupcakes all over the room.

My plan for this board is to write recipes for different skills we learn throughout the year.

We will write them on big recipe cards like the ones you see on the board already.

I also plan on having smaller cards for the kids to write their own recipes.

We will place all the recipes in a recipe box, so we can look at them all during the year.

I will admit - I am SUPER excited about where this board can go!

I am sorry this picture is blurry. That's what I get for not checking before I left school.

However, I think you get the idea.

I love this board so much it has not been changed in 3 years!  GASP!!

Before you hang me out to dry, let me tell you what is behind all that fabric - 

A CORK BOARD!

Yes, that's right!  You can't staple on a cork board.  You can't really do much of anything on a cork board except - HOT GLUE.

The first year I had this room, I literally had 2 days to get my room ready.

So, we had to go easy and quick.

Therefore, you have what you see before you. Every piece you see from border to fabric to aluminum pans are hot glued onto that board.

I really dread the day I have to take it down.

This is our student work board inside our classroom.

Each chocolate chip cookie has a name of a student and is hot glued to a clothespin which is hot glued to the pan.

Most of the time, I allow the students to choose what is put on the board.

Sometimes, I request a specific work of art.

Mainly, though, it is their brag board.

The main reason it is their brag board is because I decide what is placed out in the hall.

I know this isn't your typical bulletin board, but it is a place that has been transformed to a place where work, skills and ideas are displayed.

To go along with our superhero theme at the school, we sent each student a superhero to color (that post is coming on Wednesday).  When they come, we are going to hang them out in the hall around our part of the city.

Later, these names will hold the work of students that I want displayed out in the hall.

Here is a closer look at the names....

My whole perception of bulletin boards has changed since I was in college and my first years of teaching.  Here would be my tips:

1.  Choose a simple 2 color theme.  Mine is red and black with a bit of white thrown in as well.

2.  Think of board ideas that can last you almost all year. You do want some boards that are changed during the year, but as you get wrapped up in the actual teaching, you find the boards fall to the back of the list.  I really try to make my boards to where they can have parts changed, but the basis stays the same.

3. Use fabric.  This was HUGE for me!  I was a little worried about the black fabric fading, but both of my boards with the black face a wall that is FULL WINDOWS.  It has lasted me 3 year now.  Once it is up, its stays up.  Our Fire Marshall does make us spray the fabric with a spray that is suppose to help during a fire - I don't know.  We have issues with our Fire Marshall!

I make my letters for my boards with my cricut.

This year I used the cartridge Cuttin' Up!

It's cute and fun.

I do use border and when I find a border I like, I buy a lot of it.  

I cover my clothespins that are hot glued all over my room with strips of it.

I cover ugly parts of whatever with it.

I just like everything to match.

As I mentioned earlier, I would love to hear any suggestions you have!

I am an open book!

Thanks for stopping by. Be sure to come back - especially next month for my FULL classroom reveal!

Five for Friday: July 31

I have come to love different Linky parties this summer

because I have met so many great people this way!

I haven't done this one with Doodle Bugs Teaching.

I thought I would give it a try!

So....

I have ONE working day until my new kids come into my room for the 2015-2016 school year to start.  That means I have a lot to do today, and, in true teacher fashion, I will be up there this weekend working on things and making sure it is all perfect.  I have been in my room every day this week (except for yesterday which was our county wide meeting day at the high school), and have had a lot of help getting everything ready.  I am super excited about sharing with everyone soon!  Monday will be here soon with 18 new kiddos!

My two kiddos have been a church camp this week.  Yes, I am that mother who sends her kids off to camp the week before school starts so I can get things done.  I have actually missed them for multiple reasons.  They are fantastic sports and always help me (the girl more than the boy) get my room ready.  The hubs will go pick them up from camp this morning and then my parents will keep them the rest of the day while they sleep (and I continue to work in my room).

Last night was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do as a teacher.  One of my sweet girls from last year lost her three year old brother this week due to a swimming accident.  Last night was the visitation, and I went to spend some time with this sweet girl.  She showed me all the flowers, sprays and toys that had been sent.  She showed me what she had helped to choose for the coffin spray and explained what special things would happen today at the funeral.  I plan on going with some of her other teachers tomorrow right before the funeral to love on her some more.

I love my teaching team in third grade! I know I put these on here when I talked about our PD days this summer in this post.  We really do have fun together.  Four of us have been together for five years now.  Three years ago we added another one and this year we have added the sixth. These women are amazing and I am just thrilled that I get to go to work with them each day!

This is my partner teacher, Kim, and myself!  This is our third year teaching together.

This summer has been full of a lot of first for me in the social network world.

I became a regular blogger.  I added my class to the Instagram, Twitter, Periscope, and Facebook world.  I have met some fantastic people from all over the world.  It has made me stretch as a teacher and I have LOVED it!

As I have done this 5 for Friday, I have thought of how next week I will have had a full week with my new students. I think it would be neat to have them do my Five for Fridays!  We will have to see about that!  Just something to mull over....

Enjoy your weekend!

Lollipop Moments

A few weeks ago in our inservice, our principal shared this video with us.

Ever since then, our third grade team has been looking for and celebrating

Lollipop Moments.

This year, we are using this video as a spring board.

We want to

create,

celebrate,

and acknowledge

any of these moments with our students and our parents.

School begins for us in 4 days.

4 days!

In an hour and a half, a report back to school for the official start of the 

2015-2016 school year.

I want this year to be full of lollipop moments that I have created for others in my life.

I want to be intentional and not live full of regret of what I could have

(or should have) done for my

family,

friends,

church family,

school family,

students

& their parents.

I want to celebrate when they have lollipop moments.

I want to acknowledge others when they give me a lollipop moment.

Do you celebrate and acknowledge lollipop moments with your family or school?

I want to know how.

Share your lollipop celebration ideas.

Everyone deserves one!

Back to School Bash Linky Series: Classroom Set Up

I am so excited

(and WAY nervous)

to be part of my very first linky series and giveaway.

For the next 4 Wednesdays, we will be linking up with teachers to share

great back to school information as well as

GIVEAWAYS!!!!

You don't want to miss this!

This week it is all about 

This is something I agonize over each year as I walk into my room for the first time.

Unfortunately, there is not much I can do differently with my room because of the design.

Luckily, I love how my room has worked for me in years past, so I don't have to do

a lot of major changes.

Before I start, the pictures I am using are NOT what my room looks like at this moment in time.
My room, sadly, is not photographic ready.
Come back later for a TRUE classroom preview.

Basically, I have 3 things I am adamant about in my room.

1. Groups - we do a lot of group work in my classroom, so I want the students

to be able to be together.  I think it is critical that the students have a space that allows them to work independently as well as in a group in a moment's notice.
Therefore, I have my students in groups of 6.  I am also blessed to have 18 students, so
3 groups fits in the room as well as fitting my needs perfectly.  You can see part of the desks area in the bottom right hand corner of the picture below.  I have placed a small bookshelf at each group of desks to hold items that groups may need.

You will also see the yellow group table.  On this table, the students find their group boxes and assignments for the day.  Everything they need to get started is in their box. This has worked beautifully!

2.  Teacher Table - When I got my own room (the first year I team taught with a teacher and we shared a room), I got rid of my desk and decided to use my horseshoe table as my station.
I have not missed it ONE. BIT.  This area is close to my fire window, so I can't put a whole lot around my table.  I have what I need at my reach and really would not change it for the world.

You will see I do have a bookshelf or two with items that I need
 as far as books and notebooks are concerned.
You will see at the end of the table that I have a white crate with a lid.
This crate holds seasonal books.  On top, you will see a black crate.  Inside this crate, I keep
notecards, my supplies and bookmarks.
On the other side, is another white crate holding reading games I can get to at a moment's notice.  On top of it, is another crate holding files for me - each group has a file located here, each student has a file, etc.  This has worked WONDERS!!
I really do love this area of the room.

3.  Library - My entire room centers around this part.  Being an ELA teacher, this is the most important part of our room, and it quickly becomes the favorite part of the room of the children.  I try to make it as comfy as possible and as accessible as possible as well.  I have between 2000-3000 books in my library and more set aside for special holidays and special units of study.  Boxes of different sizes work wonders for organizing the books by author, theme or genre.
Yes, I have all of those in my library.

If there is anything, you have questions about, please comment and I will get back with you asap.
It may also inspire a future post on the blog!
Thank you for visiting and/or joining this
BACK TO SCHOOL BASH!

See you all next Wednesday for more!

Don't forget this is a linky party AND a giveaway.

Here's the giveaway part.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

I want to see what YOU do now...
Please feel free to link-up with us and share your AMAZING Classroom Set-Up and Organization Ideas!  We simply ask that you follow these simple rules:

• Save the images above and use them on your post to link back to our party!
• Enter your link below and encourage your friends to do the same!
• Be a friendly blogger--> visit other blogs in the Linky party and leave thoughtful commentary to the 2 blogs ahead of you and at least 1 behind you!

An InLinkz Link-up

Celebrating with Lindsey

Last year I met Lindsey through our SLANT box participation.

She was AMAZING in our correspondence as well as putting together a GREAT SLANT box!

Since then, we have kept in touch via Instagram, email and her blog.

Now, she is celebrating her blog's second blogiversary with a MAJOR bash!!!

That's right, folks!!

LOTS of freebies of all kinds coming your way!

Yours truly, donated one of the items up for sale - 

my best seller, The Preamble Unit!

Now, what are you waiting for?
Head to Lindsey's blog NOW by clicking here to register for all these great things.
Not only could you win something great,
you will get some amazing ideas!!!

Monday Made It: July 20

Well, I didn't make it last week, but here I am with my first

ALL SCHOOL

Monday Made It, thanks to 4th Grade Frolics.

I really have enjoyed this link up each week.

Next week I will have a ton (hopefully) because this is my last full week of summer break.

Last week we had 4 days of PD with our school and grade level from all over the county.

My first Monday Made It was suppose to be for that.

When I went to our Common Core training this summer, they mentioned this method to help students retell what they had learned.  It is called the GIST method.

You can get it in my TPT store for free.

(I promise to liven it up a little later, but I wanted to get it made.)

This is a great way for you to see if your students can answer basic questions about what they have read as well as summarize what they have read in 20 words or less.

I loved it and can't wait to use it!

So much of my teaching is done in small groups.

A few years ago, I realized I was not allowing the students to be leaders in these small groups.

So I found the TEAM method.

I have slept since then, and I have searched Pinterest high and low to find where I got this idea.

However, I cannot find it AT ALL!!!!

In the past few years, I just had the jobs listed and each person knew what they were.

However, with observations and make the learning more student centered, I figured I needed these jobs to be more prominent.  So, I made these last night.

I bought lanyards and badge holders from Amazon.

I did not want them huge, so they are smaller than some might like.

I am going to use these at the beginning of the school year, and then move into badges that just have the job name on them.  I just figured at the beginning they will need to be reminded of what their job is suppose to do!  Then, later on in the year, I can make them cuter as well!

You can get the set in my TPT store for free.

I can't believe the school year is here!

I can't wait to share my classroom with you and see what you all have been making as well.

Happy Creating!