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 :)