Ready or Not!!!

     I go back to school in exactly 1 week.  Yes, you heard me….ONE week!!!  This summer flew by so fast.  I have so enjoyed the slow & relaxed pace of summer vacation, but at the same time, I am ready to be back to a routine again.  NOT so excited about grading papers on a regular basis, but I *think* I have prepared myself for all things 2nd grade!  Our 2nd grade team met today and I am very excited to work with this group of women.  They are excited about teaching and are all inspiring educators.  I am a very blessed girl!!
     This year will be different for me not only because I'll be teaching a new grade level, but because my children will not be attending the same school with me anymore.  We made the decision to move them to a Catholic school at the end of last year and this will be the first time that they will not be just a hallway away from me :( Pete & I prayed and prayed about this decision and I truly do feel that we are doing what is best for our kids, but it is still going to be hard for me to not just be able to peep in and check on them whenever I want.  It will all work out and I know that God will give me the strength to handle being away from my children during the school day and be the best teacher I can be while I'm at my school.
     So, in preparation for back to school, I have been getting materials ready for my future 2nd graders! I have made their daily folders using a template from April at A Modern Teacher.  She has some amazing ideas and products for student organization!

     In addition, I FiNaLlY read The Cafe Book by the Sisters.  I have been doing the Daily 5 in my classroom for the past 2 years, but had never integrated the CAFE system.  After reading it, I am PUMPED about working more closely one-on-one and in small groups with my students.  It is written in such teacher-friendly language and I love how it is very explicit in how to implement it in your classroom.  The only unfortunate thing was that the sisters highly recommend having a bulletin board to display the reading strategies that are being taught and I had already set up my classroom, bulletin boards and all.  So, after brainstorming with another teacher friend/CAFE buddy, I decided to do a portable CAFE bulletin board.  I used a black project display board, some pennant border, and some {freebie!} CAFE signs from TpT (there are a ton of free CAFE signs & strategy cards with many different themes available).  This is the outcome:

     I am happy with it and I actually like the portability of the board because I don't always teach in the same area of my classroom.  I can't wait to put it into action with my 2nd graders!!

     I also uploaded a new product to my TpT store!  I wanted a fresh look for my weekly newsletters, so I created this newsletter template to match the color theme of my classroom this year.  What do you think?  I like that it is simple, includes the weekly homework (to cut down on copies), and has a modern teacher twist with the dotted apples and chevron!

     So, this will most likely be my last post of the summer…I'll be back next time as an official 2nd grade teacher!  I'm off to enjoy the rest of my *free* days :)

  

Favorite Pins Friday!!

     I love Pinterest.  It has become quite the obsession for me & many of my friends!!  I am linking up with Cara from The First Grade Parade to bring you my favorite pins from this past week.  {You can link up on her blog to share your fabulous finds, too!}  So, the way it works is simple…just post your favorite pins with a link back to the original poster (not back to Pinterest) and, while this is a teaching blog, the pins do not necessarily have to be teacher-related!  Because we know we do not always follow the lesson plan, right?!?  So, here goes…

I am loving this management idea from Teaching is a work of HEART!!.  Each student has a clothespin with his/her name or number and clips it on the library basket when he/she picks a book.  When it's time to return the book, the student looks for his/her clothespin so that he/she will return the book back into the proper basket.  Genius!!!

So, I'm on a serious budget these days.  Aren't we all?!?  I am definitely guilty of spending a little too much money in my classroom and it's nice to find a *free* way to reward your students for great behavior!  Thanks to Peace, Love, and First Grade, you can use these adorable freebie reward coupons to give to your students :)

"Is it time for lunch yet??"  I'm pretty sure every teacher {and parent for that matter!} has heard these words from their kids!  These clock displays with important times during the school day are perfect not only to let students know when daily activities will happen, but it also reinforces clock reading skills.  Thanks to Christi from Ms. Fultz's Corner!

And on to some non-teacher related pins…

I'm a Louisiana girl through and through and I'm in LOVE with this tee from Bourbon & Boots.  You might see me in this very soon!

Shoe addicts everywhere NEED this little poster :) Thanks Style-Delights: Humor In Life!

So now that both of my kids are into sports and getting LOTS of t-shirts from the different events, I thought this was a perfect way to make use of their tees once they have outgrown them {especially since I do NOT sew!!!}  Love this idea from Fabulous Home Blog!

Happy pinning y'all and happy Friday (although it's summer for us teachers and EVERY day is Friday :)