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Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Meet Your Teacher Night (before school begins)

Meet Your Teacher Night - New Signs, New Activity



Students and parents had to make their own back to school letter in the form of a flip book!  Since I moved up a grade level I have many kids return to me and they knew to get right to work...the new families had to adjust to my style :)






The room was all set with signs to give directions for flip book pages.










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Another year is beginning and Meet Your Teacher Night was a success!!

The kids were very excited coming in and I had a great time meeting them tonight.  My new parents signed up to help and took helping hands home with them.  With any luck this could be a really easy year with all of their support!!


  

































So early to be thinking back to school!  The to-do list is never ending: name tags, hall passes, hanitizer (aka hand-sanitizer), wipes, floor and dusting swiffers, craft supplies, classroom designing, and best of all the SALES!!

I'll start with what I did last year as I again find my way to a fresh new year :)


Meet your Teacher Night - Stations

So many great ideas found online were compiled for my welcoming and informational evening. *7 stations for my 7 year olds* to complete with their parents each one with directions on a giant paperclip stand from the DollarTree. This is all very easy and keeps parents moving so you can talk to them all.


Station 1: Welcome Sign and Folder including my Emergency Contact Postcard, back to school letters, and a photo release form.  Everything is completed and signed  before they leave!



Station 2: How do we get home?  I had 2 paper, one for the first day/week of school and one for the rest of the year.  I have found that the first day/week parents do the pick up and after that the carpools and bus riding kicks in.






Station 3: The ever important School Supply List with Modals.  I like to have all the same items for my students so my display helps them see some of the special items like the Primary Ruled Notebook with the drawing and writing space with the helpful lines (BEST notebooks for CCSS word problems).



Station 4: Good ol' parent contact information!  I asked them to sign up for my emails and text message system (Remind101) but with where I teach I wasn't so successful this time...I'll try again this year!  There are also a set of planners on this group, and every group, so the parents know they will be used in my classroom.


Station 5:  The fun or prize station for my new students!  If they can read (which most couldn't) they were to follow the poem and add the ingredients from the desks.  I borrow the poem and added in numbers for items so I had enough just in case all of my families showed up.  THIS made me a "cool teacher" to the big brothers and sisters :)


       





       

Station 6: A gift for parents and hope that they will join our parent room!  I copied this cute picture and made postcards on VistaPrint so they are sturdy and I have some for future years and parent visits.



Station 7: I gave prizes and gifts now you can return the favor to help your kids!  Helping Hands to request different school supplies and gift cards to store I buy all of the fancy learning tools (office stores, Target, Walmart, etc.)




Thank you to all of the other bloggers out there for these super ideas.  If you see something you like or have a question please leave a comment for me!
~ Jessica ~         














Thursday, July 16, 2015

Pinterest Party - Back to School 2015

Nothing is more fun then a Pinterest party to get teachers ready for back to school set up and stress.  I made a Facebook event to invite all of these awesome teachers.  I planned for 2:30 start time so it wasn't a meal time, it wasn't too early, or too late.  


INVITE DETAILS
Come make a craft and hang out with teacher friends before we have to go back to reality again.
Here's how it works:
1. You pick out a project for back to school.

2. Count how many people RSVP'd so you know how many sets of the materials you need to bring.

3. Post your project on this page so we can avoid repeats.

4. Gather the materials needed to make the project with enough for everyone to make their own. *Plan to allow each person to make enough of the craft so they can use it in their class.

5. Come to the party with your crafting goodies ready to share and model your craft.
6. Make all of the projects others bring that you want to use!!


I made (bought at the dollar tree) baskets for each guest to store their loot in and attached a cute label.  

The labels said "I actually made something I pinned on Pinterest" 
OR "Less pinning, more doing"



Photo Frames out of paint sicks and letter foamies!
  

   


The left side was Drop Boxes and the right side was Journal Jars







Dual purpose craft...Where am I board OR Table Points Board
  
  


Water Bottle Pencil Sharpeners
  


Warm Fuzzies and Jewel Jar
Some Crafts not pictured up close and in actions since I was sooooo busy... 
Popcicle Stick Easels


A basket getting filled up with all the cool projects!




I couldn't resist having an award...
And the Pinterest Party Queen is....

Mallory for the dual purpose magnetic boards!


  
No party is complete without some food!  

I made a baked potato bar to go with the Build Your Own and Pinterst theme.  The ingredients were simple and delicious!!  
  
 Crafting makes you hungry :)





After all the excitement these items were left behind along with TONS of foamy letters.



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