Getting Ready for Back-to-School – Communicating With Parents

Many of you are getting ready to go back to school.  Some have even started already.  YIKES!

Communicating With Parents

I thought I would post some communication reminders to help get yourself ready to meet the parents.  These are not in any particular order, but you really need to think about each one as you start making your plans for the year.

It is important to have a plan in place for how you will communicate the various types of information with parents. 

Newsletters - I definitely recommend sending home classroom newsletters.  Ideally, weekly is best, but you could also do them monthly or even quarterly.  It's important to let parents know what is going on in the classroom and share photos if you are able.  There are MANY different templates available that are easy to use.  I have many themes that you can check out here.

Business Card / Magnet - When you first meet parents make sure to give them all your contact information.  At least that way they can't say they were,'t sure how to get a hold of you.  I usually give them business card magnets.  I have my cards printed at VistaPrint and put the magnets on myself.  It's cheaper that way.  Ask parents to stick it on their fridge.  That way they have easy access to your contact information.

Welcome Packet - Have welcome packets prepped (with 10-15 extras for any new students throughout the year) With all your back-to-school information and ALL those forms and papers from the school that you can easily hand out to parents at Meet the Teacher, or send home with kiddos the first day of school.  I put mine together in large ziploc bags so I can easily add anything new that needs to go in.

Behavior Reports - Decide how you will communicate student behavior with parents.  Will you send home weekly or daily reports?  Will you just make phone calls when necessary?  How will you communicate positive behaviors?

Email - Make sure you have a way to collect contact information from the parents from day 1 because we all know that what the office has is often very often incorrect.  I have forms like this out at Meet the Teacher (it's also a great way to remember who showed up for Meet the Teacher!) and on the first day of school.  You can grab a copy of my form by clicking on the image.

Website - Will you have a class website or blog?  How will parents be able to access it?  What will you include on the site?  Prepare an informational note about your website or blog to include in your welcome packet  and have the site up for parents to see for Meet the Teacher.

Remind 101 - Does your district allow you to use site/app like Remind 101 to communicate with parents?  If so, have all log-in information and details ready and available from the start.

Graded work - How will you ensure that parents receive the graded work that you return to students that often seems to disappear into the vast unknown that is a student's backpack?  I have always sent home graded work in a folder on a particular day of the week in a specified folder.  Think "Take Home Tuesday" or "Friday Folders."  I have found that sending things home on Fridays though, papers tend to not get seen, especially for students who spend weekends with a different parent.  Tuesdays have worked well for me.  It gives me time to get the quizzes from Friday graded and recorded.

Phone Calls - How and when will you return parent phone calls?  Before school, during prep periods, lunch time, after school?  Let parent know when they can expect to hear from you should they call and let them know that you cannot take calls during class time.  Do not give out your personal telephone information.  Unfortunately there are some parents who will abuse it.

Homework - What is your homework policy?  Will it be sent home daily, weekly, or not at all.  When do you expect it returned to school?  Will parents need to help students with homework or should the students be able to complete the work independently?

These are all important things to consider as you are making plans for the new year.  Do you have another way that you communicate with parents that I did not mention?  We would love to hear about it.  Please share in the comments!

All About Planning

I report back to work on MONDAY, so I have spent the last few weeks trying to come up with my outline for the year, and some awesome planning sheets.

#teacherconfession I am AWFUL about using a planner!  I LOVE planners, love the way they work, love to decorate them, but I am not good about sitting down and using them.  I have never been good at it, but I am pretty good about sitting in front of my computer.

I started in Vegas talking with my bestie about some awesome apps that she used for math on her iPads.  Her school is 1:1 starting in 3rd grade!!  Then I started outlining a brief sketch of what I wanted my planner to look like as well as some ideas that I knew I needed to start working on.  I love using my flair pens to help me with my planning!

From there I actually started to create what I wanted my weekly planning pages to look like and started working on some plans for the first few days of school!  We start school on a Wednesday this year!!  

I have this big chunk of time on Tuesday when my kids have specials, so I have a big chunk of blank space.  What do you think I should put on my planner in this blank chunk?!

I love typing my lesson plans too because it allows me to share them with you all on Sundays and then I will be able to add products so you can click right to them!!  I can't wait to share my first week of school plans soon!

We are switching back to quarters this school year, which put me in a bit of a pickle when I was trying to plan.  In the past we've had trimester so I spent each trimester focusing on each type of science.  My partner teacher and I were able to come up with what we wanted to do, and where we wanted to plug them in based on the number of weeks in each quarter.

From there we went in and started adding ideas to our plans, once again, just a rough sketch!

Finally, we started working on our long term plans for the school year.  This way we can get a rough idea of when we have breaks, early dismissal days, tests in other subjects, or how quickly or slowly we can move through a subject.  We were able to plan some subjects through the year (handwriting), and some through November.

I know that these are ROUGH ideas, and will depend on our class.  We have built in days for preassessments, so that way we can give the assessment before we begin the lessons.  Then we will have the opportunity to look through our plans and see where we can compact some lesson, or where we need to spend more time.

I hope that you have found some great ideas on how you want to start planning for the future.  I am excited about doing this, because then I won't be freaking out in April trying to figure out how I am going to squeeze in three more units for math, science, religion or any other subject that I "have" to teach!

If you having any questions about planning, please let me know!  I know I am no expert on keeping a plan book, but I am open to sharing what I use and talking about new ways to plan!

Back to School: BEE Books!

I have to share a one of the best things I have ever implemented in my classroom with you today.  BEE books!

I got this idea from Jessica Meacham years ago and I have pretty much used them the same way for the last 8 years or so. They are that amazing!  In one neat folder there are resources for families, a behavior calendar, a place to keep papers, homework, and a zipper pouch for money and notes so they don't get lost.  I told you....AMAZING!

    The front inside cover has a little sticker with my contact information and a "Left at Home" sticker.  All papers at the end of the day that need to go home go in this side of the folder.  

 The first thing they see inside the folder is a zipper pocket with a little sticker that says "Money and Notes".  I encourage (actually I insist) that parents put any money or notes in this pocket.  I am horrible about being handed a note and then setting it down, sticking it in my pocket, or just burying it under a pile of homework.  (this makes me sound really unorganized but if you've ever been in a primary classroom you know what I mean!)  If they use the pocket I am SURE to see it because I check through them every morning.  It's quick and easy with the clear pocket in the front. 

Also included inside:

You can customize BEE Books to make them fit your needs, that's what I love about them most!  Add as many clear page protectors as you need to make them work for you.   

Here are some labels and an alphabet resource to get you started!  The labels are just good 'ol shipping labels and the cover labels I print on regular paper and tape with clear packing tape (this is needed to make them last all year long). 

Click HERE to get started!

I also have the behavior calendars as a forever freebie in my store too. You can get those by clicking on the picture. 

  Thanks for stopping by Hello Sunshine Teachers today!   Remember we will be sharing fun back to school ideas all month long! 

 

First Day Fun with Playdough!

Good Morning!

We all know the first day of school can be hectic for most teachers. 

At many of the schools I've worked at, we've had a “Meet the Teacher/Bring Your Supplies Day” before school officially begins.  However, there were a couple years when we didn't have those days and students brought all their supplies and met their teacher on the first day of school!  When the first day comes, with all the supplies to put away, it does get very hectic!  Instead of expecting children to settle down with a worksheet, I placed a Ziploc bag filled with play dough and some work mats on each desk.  This is a highly engaging activity that requires no teacher guidance - allowing time to collect and assemble supplies. In addition, it also provides the children with a fun activity to calm their back to school jitters!

When I used this activity in my classroom, I had each child practice making numbers and their name with the play dough. Then I had them make something to represent their favorite summer activity.  This became one of our first “getting to know you” activities.  Each child shared about what they made.

Click here or on either picture above to download the recipe and some fun work mats!  Use these work mats or create your own for your students.  Be sure to laminate them.  :) 

Some additional ideas for how to work the play dough into an educational/getting to know you activity:

-use the dough to represent a favorite hobby or food

-use the dough to mold elements from a favorite book or story, etc.

-use the dough to create letters or build their name

What ideas do you have for incorporating play dough fun with the first day of school? 

Student Spotlight - Recognizing Each Student in Your Classroom

It's still July and many of us teachers don't want to think of going back to school (just yet)! But for some of us (including myself) my modified traditional school begins THIS WEEK! I know I'm dying over here too! I go back this week for training, meet my 2nd graders on Thursday and then school begins Monday, July 20th! AHHHHHHHHH! 

One thing that I have been prepping for these last few weeks is my spotlight student activity that I do weekly for the entire year. I love to organize it now, that way I don't have to worry about it throughout the year. I wanted to share what I do to prepare for this easy activity to save teachers time with back to school to-do list!

First thing depending on what grade level you teach you need to decide what you want to do as a spotlight for your students. I choose to do one student a week. On Monday of each week they bring in their All About Me poster and share it with the class. We then hang it on our spotlight bulletin board for the entire week. This student is my teacher helper all week. That way they get to be noticed for being a good helper and who doesn't love that?

On Friday as a fast finisher for the weekly assessments I give, my students write a friendly letter to our spotlight student! I then bind the letters together with the bright cover and give them this with their poster to take home. Parents and children love reading these adorable letters and they love that you take time to do something extra special for each child in your class. 

I believe you can do a student spotlight for all grade levels. I went ahead and found some adorable ideas from Pinterest for other ways to showcase each of your students in your class. Find a way that fits your style and plan it out so its ready to go on day one!

Meet Your Teacher

Most teachers spend a great deal of time at the beginning of each school year getting to know their new students and doing community building exercises so the students get to know each other.  But, how do you introduce yourself to your students?  Some students come into the new school year with a lot of anxiety about their new teacher.  What will he/she be like? Will she have  sense of humor, does she like animals...? 

Each year on the first day of school, I spend a little bit of time introducing myself to my students, letting them see me as a person and not just the new teacher that they are stuck with for the next 9 months!

I start by using the cooperative learning strategy Round Table.  They send a piece of paper around the table and brainstorm questions they have about me, what are some things they would like to know about their new teacher.

After I have given them some time to brainstorm, I show them a Power Point all about me!

As I go through the slides, I tell them a little bit about the members of my family since they will hear me tell LOTS of stories about them throughout the year!

 



I end the slideshow by talking about all of the reasons that I love third grade and giving them a few things to look forward to.

After the slideshow, I have them look at the list of questions they brainstormed and cross off all of the questions the slideshow answered.  Then I let each table ask me one questions that wasn't crossed off. 

It's a great way to introduce yourself to the students and ease some of that anxiety on the first day.  They understand that I'm not just a teacher, that I have a family and interests outside of school...that I'm a real person!  Then we get down to the business of getting to know each other!

Join us all month as we share ideas to help you get ready to go back to school!

Blessings,
Jennifer
The Blessed Teacher

Kicking off a New School Year With Kindergarten Read Alouds

We all know the beginning of the school year is full of excitement, adjustment, and exhaustion. Our classes and days can be unpredictable and it takes some time to get students acclimated to classroom routines and procedures. Even if you have a basal curriculum, chances are you don't start teaching from it right away as there are pre-assessments, community building activities, and teaching routines to attend to. If you want to kick off the school year in a fun, meaningful way; and aren't sure where to start; one of the best and easiest resources to use at the beginning of the year are themed read alouds! I've got some great book recommendations for Kindergarten that can help get your students excited and feel more at ease for the upcoming year!

Utilizing picture books in the classroom is such a vital resource for your students. Reading stories aloud creates student interest in reading, introduces important story elements, and increases reading comprehension. For your early kindergarten learners, it also teaches skills such as sitting and listening appropriately to a story.

Here are some suggestions for great read alouds for the beginning of kindergarten:

Book Titles & Authors from top left to bottom right: Clifford's First School Day by Norman Bridwell, Miss Kindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten by Joseph Slate and Ashley Wolff, The Night Before Kindergarten by Natasha Wing, Kindergarten ROCKS! by Katie Davis, The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn, Kindergarten, Here I Come! by D.J. Steinberg and Mark Chambers, Countdown to Kindergarten by Allison McGhee and Harry Bliss, and David Goes to School by David Shannon

I've used every single one of the books pictured above and my students absolutely loved them! They were so excited when they found something in the book that "was the same as our class". The thing I love about these themed books is that you can literally create any activity you want to to go along with the story. Here are some examples of things I've done in my classroom:

The Kissing Hand

The Kissing Hand is a great book to help ease your kindergarteners' fears about starting school. On the first day, read the story aloud and then have your students create this poem craftivity. Students will trace their hand, cut it out, and draw a heart in the middle. You could also use heart stickers for a simple decoration. Then, glue the hand and poem onto a piece of construction paper and you've got an adorable keepsake from the first day of school. Click on the picture below to download the poem for free!

Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten

This book tells the story of how a teacher gets ready for kindergarten. After reading the story, I have my students complete this activity sheet for students to draw a picture of how they got ready to come to kindergarten. When I model my version to the class, I make a point to talk about how many colors and details I am adding to my picture. It also provides a line for name writing practice, an essential kindergarten skill.

Clifford's First School Day

This is a simple story response sheet you can use with your students. By completing this activity, kindergarteners will have a chance to practice skills such as: name writing, letter tracing, drawing pictures to match labeling words, learning the name of their school, and story retelling by illustrating.

One thing I've learned from teaching kindergarten for 6 years is that they need LOTS of space to write and draw. Sometimes, when I create an activity, an 8 1/2x11 piece of paper just doesn't cut it. I use a ton of legal size and 11x17 paper, especially during the first half of the year. Thankfully, our school copier is set up to be able to print and copy this size - it's an easy fix to make one of the trays use different sizes of paper in the settings! Try it out! You'll thank yourself for it later when your little kinder babies are writing gigantic letters that just don't fit on a skinny little line. 

With that being said, I created the Clifford's First School Day response sheet on 11x17 paper. However, since it is saved as a PDF, you can print it on 8 1/2x11 paper - that is actually the default setting. If you'd like to print it out on 11x17 (which I highly recommend), here are the steps you follow:

1. Click "File" --> "Print"

2. Click "Page Setup" (usually at the bottom of the dialog box)

3. Click "Paper Size" and change it to Tabloid or 11x17 (may be different depending on if you are using a Mac or a PC)

4. Click "OK"

5. Click "Print"

And voila! You have a big workspace for your little learners.

But don't worry, you don't HAVE to print it on 11x17... it's just an option!

Click on the picture below to download the story response sheet for free!

What are some of your favorite read alouds for the beginning of the year? Share in the comments below, regardless of grade level! 

Back-to-School With Hello Sunshine

For many of you school just let out for the summer.  For others things are starting to gear up for back-to-school.  But we know teachers never REALLY have the summer off...

So this month, the teachers of Hello Sunshine are going to help you with ideas for 

New Beginnings - Getting Ready for Back-to-School.

I originally saw this idea on Pinterest at Christmas, but thought it would make a great ice breaker activity for back-to-school, so I tweeked it a bit.  Here's what you need: a sturdy paper plate for each person and a marker (or crayon for the littles.)  Each person puts the paper plate on their head and holds it with one hand.

Here's what it looked like on Happy Home Fairy.

With their other hand (their writing hand) they will draw as you give them these directions:

Here is what I envisioned as I wrote the directions (color coded to match the directions.)

And here's how it turned out when my daughter and I tried it...

On the original post, they gave points based on different criteria, but I thought is would just be a fun, creative way to break the tension of the first day of school and give everyone a giggle.  

What do you think?

Sound fun?

If you decide to try it, please come back and share the pics!  I would love to see them!  Click on the image below to download the directions with a link to the original post.

Make sure to follow out Back-to-School Pinterest Board and check back all month long for lots of great beginning of the year ideas to help you get ready for a new crop of kiddos.

Follow Hello's board Hello Sunshine - Back-to-School on Pinterest.
To join in the fun, just grab this button to include in your post:

...and nab this handy template to organize your back-to-school

 ideas, activities, links, and books:

(To use this template, save it as an image to your computer.  Use it as the background for a power point page, use text boxes to add your info, and then save your whole new creation as a PDF and/or as an image to include in your blog post.)

Next step:
Link up with us!
(Please link directly to this Sharin' a Little Sunshine post URL to keep things easy to find.)  Product links within a post are fine, but please no direct product links.

And the optional-but-awesome final step is to visit other linked-up blogs... and leave some love!

An InLinkz Link-up