Back to School

After three long days (and a few late nights)my classroom is finally ready for Open House tomorrow. After preparing and thinking all summer of how I want my classroom to look for this school year, I think I have it just right! I am so excited to meet 19 little faces tomorrow, who I will call mine for the next ten months. Over these next ten months, we will do a lot of learning, exploring, making new friends, working thru problems together, all the while celebrating milestones, and most importantly creating a strong classroom family. I know that there will be little sleep for me tonight as I anxiously wait to meet my students and their families tomorrow morning. In the meantime here are some pictures of my finished classroom:

 Main bulletin board as you walk in with hooks for student backpacks.

 

 Reading center bulletin board with a few of my favorite books.

 

 Writing center with writing center bulletin board

 

 My counter

 

 Classroom jobs

 

 Computers and bulletin board where I will display anchor charts we create as a class

 

 Word work center and word wall

 

 View of my classroom from the door with my wonderful husband who came to help

 

 My desk

 

 Reading center

 

 Smart board and rug

Open House

As I sit here this morning and type this I cant believe how quickly this summer has flown by. With this being said, it is probably about time that I begin working on some things for the fall. I, like any teacher, am eagerly awaiting to see my class list and see those names which will make up my class, and community for this school year. With only a few weeks left till open house I decided I would work on some things I wanted to edit from last year. Here is what I came up with:

First day of school reminder note to remind parents and students of what needs to come to school for the first day of school: FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL REMINDER NOTE

We all know that dismissal on the first day of school is a little bit hectic. To make dismissal easier on the first day of school for my class I have created this quick and easy form for parents to fill out at Open House: TRANSPORTATION ON THE FIRST DAY

I have created this mega pack of all things necessary for Open House. I have created it in Microsoft Word so that you can edit it to meet the needs of your class and schedule. It includes a cover sheet, all about the teacher note, class schedule, All About Me Bags, what your child will learn in 1st grade, expectations and rules, and student information form: OPEN HOUSE PACKET. 

 The last product I created for Open House is a basic, but cute sign in sheet for parents and students: SIGN IN SHEET

 

 

To all my teacher friends I hope you have a great last few relaxing weeks and I will see you in a few short days.

 

Happy Summer,

Sarah 

Reading Like Crazy

I'm not sure about you, but one of my favorite things to do during the summer is to relax and read. I love to get really deep into a series and to feel like I can't put the book down. I haven't always loved to read but over the last few years I have found a deep appreciation for books. During the school year I don't get to read a lot so during the summer I stock up. Here are a few of my favorites that I have read/reread so far this summer:

Firefly Lane is an amazing book by Kristin Hannah, a local Atlanta writer. In this book two girls start their long friendship on Firefly Lane. The book continues with the girls lives and friendship thru high school and then goes on to college, marriage and families. This is an amazing book that I read in just a few short days.


Fly Away is the sequel to Firefly Lane. I wont say much about it because it will give away the plot of Firefly Lane but this book also had me deep into reading for a few short days.


My next book I read this summer is the very popular, The Fault in Our Stars, I wont go into too much detail because I am sure you have heard all about this book, but it is worth the quick read. I couldn't put it down and finished it in two short days (shout out to my friend Caitlin Layfield for letting me borrow it).  I am looking forward to hopefully seeing the movie sometime this week and seeing how it compares to the book.


The last book that I have read so far this summer is yet another Kristin Hannah book, Home Again. This book has an incredible plot and love story. I could not put this book down the past two days and highly recommend you give it a read.


If you still have some extra time on your hands this summer or if you're heading off on a vacation I highly recommend you read one of these great books.

Happy Reading!

Happy Fathers Day

 

Happy Fathers Day to all the dads out there! I am so thankful to have my loving, caring father. From an early age my dad has always encouraged me to do the best that I can do and be the best that I can be. This still continues even though I don't live at home anymore. I love sitting down with my dad and sharing with him stories from my classroom or ideas I have that I want constructive feedback on. He never fails to give me advice and encourage me to be the best teacher that I can be. Thank you Dad for always being one of my biggest fans and Happy Father's Day.

 

 It's been a busy few weeks since school has let out for me. Not too much relaxation yet, but I have promised myself and my husband that I will start relaxing very soon!! Last week I attended Fulton County's Summer Summit and learned so  much that I cannot wait to share with my team and implement in my classroom this year.(Look back soon for resources from Summer Summit). I was able to be a representative for my school for Assessment Uses. In these sessions I collaborated with peers from all over the county where we discussed developmentally appropriate assessment uses. I also attended some elective sessions on guided reading, math centers, math daily five, and the responsive classroom. All of which I gained a plethora of knowledge and ideas.

 

After finishing up with Summer Summit we went down to the beach for a much needed long weekend of relaxation and family time. Many hours were spent sun bathing, taking walks on the beach, reading, and playing our family favorite game... Corn Hole. In our spare time we were able to snap a few family photos.

 

After some wonderful family time at the beach with my side of the family we headed down to Mobile to spend some time with Elliot's family and attend our friends wedding.

 

 With a five hour car ride to Mobile, I decided to dedicate some of that time to create a writing PowerPoint. One of the things I have committed to this year is getting my students to write more. With this commitment I created a PowerPoint for each month with a writing prompt for each day for students to respond to. If you are interested in seeing any of these PowerPoint please click HERE. I have also combined a few of the months into one purchase for a discounted rate. If you are interested in viewing this click HERE.

 

 I plan on having my students respond to one prompt a day. On Friday each student will get to participate in Writer's Theatre, where they will get to choose one of their prompts from the week to read aloud to the class. Writer's Theatre is one of my favorite activities to do with my firsties. At the beginning of the year several will take a pass on sharing because they are too shy, but as they feel more comfortable they all begin to share and without prompting always compliment each other on their writing. It is a joy to see how each student gains the biggest smile after their peers give them a roaring applause and compliments after they have shared a writing piece.

 

Well that's all for tonight! Tomorrow is an early start for me with our first week of Summer Bridge Camp! Happy Father's Day!



 

 



Classroom Decorations

Classroom Decorations

Each and every teacher out there has an obsession with a collection of some sort of material for their classroom. Some might include a certain type of pens, books, fonts, construction paper, or bulletin board borders, the list continues on and on. For me I have quite an obsession with anything Zebra. Let's just say my classroom is covered in zebra anything and everything. From bulletin boards, to alphabet and numbers, to word walls and literacy centers, my room is filled with zebra. As the year went on I seemed to accumulate more and more, not only from my own purchases but also from my students as they saw zebra apparel with their parents and thought of me and my classroom. I wanted to take a moment and share some of the zebra products I have created for my classroom in case any of my fellow teachers/followers have the same obsession I do.

I have created my own zebra calendar. If you are interested in downloading it click on the  link: Zebra Calendar

 I have created my own "Look what we're learning" sheets that you can download and laminated and display on a white board or bulletin board in your room. If you are interested in downloading it click on the link: Look What We're Learning

I have also created pencil labels. Download this product and laminate and hot glue to two different plastic cups. This is a great tool to help keep pencils off the ground and an easy way for you to determine what pencils need to be sharpened. If you are interested in downloading this product click on the link: Pencil Labels

First Blog Post Ever!

 

First Blog Post Ever!

I have always wondered what in the world a blog was and who has time to write posts! I had heard people talk about reading them and writing their own, but I never really thought about it that much until this year. Blogging is such a wonderful way to share and find ideas from colleagues all over the country. I have now become addicted to many blogs and I am embarking on a journey to start my own blog this summer and fully launch it in August. I hope to share ideas I use in my classroom and find other creative ideas via blogs to continue to make learning fun for my students.

Happy Summer!!!