Back-to-School and a TPT Sale

Hello Teacher Friends,

I don't know about you, but I am feeling the overwhelm of summer vacation ending and the back-to-shool season beginning. It is a little stressful thinking that in less than a week, I will have my classroom full of students...this week we are gearing up with our teacher planning days and if I am honest, I wasn't ready to say goodbye to the carefree summer days.

Even in the midst of saying goodbye to summer vacation, I am excited to say hello to the TPT sale this week. You cannot beat 25% off. I stocked my cart all summer with my favorite resources so that I can purchase things to help me plan my year. Maybe you are in the same boat. If you are looking for resources to make your year easier, let me show you a few back-to-school goodies that may be a fit for you.

Spy Academy Multiplication Bundle

Want to get your kiddos engaged and excited to learn those multiplication facts? Spy Academy might be just the thing. This is a multiplication learning system designed to help students learn their facts in 12 weeks. That's just one set per week! Students will love the Spy theme and you will love that your students actually WANT to learn. Filled with activities that target different learning styles, flash cards, partner activites, coloring sheets, task cards, and even a spy games, this is sure to be a winner in your classroom.

Year-Long Multiplication Centers Bundle

Finding centers that can keep your students learning while you are doing small groups can be a definite challenge. That's why I love these easy-to-prep multiplication centers. You only have to teach the students how to play the three simple games once and then each month they play the same game, but with a different theme. The changing themes keeps them engaged and you have more time to teach. These are perfect for year-round multiplication practice that will be sure to keep your students sharp in their multiplication facts. The best part is that they are differentiated for different ability levels.

First Week of School Resources

This time of year is always hectic with so much to line up for the school year. These activities will help you take some of your time back so you can focus on other things as you prep for the year.

Back-to-School Teambuilding

Team building activities are essential to building community within your classroom in the first weeks of school. I love using this art challenge with my class. Students are placed in groups and each group is given a bag of the same art supplies. The teams are given a theme. They then will use the bag of supplies to create a collaborative art project. Teams will have a certain amount of time to create their art display. If you love the show Chopped, then you will love this. This is a spin on the Chopped challenges, with an art twist and some friendly competition.

Get-to-Know You & Bulletin Board Activity

Get to know you activities don't have to be boring! I love to use the two truths and a lie activity in my classroom. Students come up with two things about themselves that are true, but could seem like a lie. They come up with a lie that could seem like a truth. The fun comes when each student reads off their list and their classmates try to figure out which is the lie. This comes with a foldable that can become a bulletin board guessing game as well. Students can color their picture and write their statements inside. Then the class can try to guess while enjoying the pictures on the board. There are over 30 different face styles included.

Parent Communication

We all know parent communication is important if we want to have a successful year. That's why these binders are so helpful. They make communicating with parents a breeze. From the newletter template to the positivie notes home and the communication logs, these binders are sure to make your life a whole lot easier and keep your parents happy in the process. These come in three different styles with editable forms included.

Classroom Decor

If you are looking for a new look that gives your classroom a little something extra, one of these decor sets may be just the thing for you.

I hope this year is everything you want it to be and more. Have a wonderful school year!

-April

Setting up a Parent Communication Log

Keeping a parent communication log is essential for teacher documentation. A ----not only helps you keep track of conversations you have had with parents, but also provides a record to look back on when needed.  

Here are five Tips for setting up a parent communication log and having top notch communication with parents throughout the year. 

1. Set up a Binder
It is easy to set up a parent communication log inside a binder as a place to keep everything organized. Having a binder ready at the start of the school year will help you track communication from the beginning and keep all your notes in one place.

2. Communicate Early

Start right away, before class begins if possible. Send welcome letters, mail out student postcards. Once school starts, be sure to make a positive phone call home. That positive phone call will help to set the tone for the year. You DO want to start things off positively. If you do, you will have much more support throughout the year.

3. Communicate Often

Try to find something positive to share with each parent at least twice a month. Send a note. Write a text. Make a call. You will bring a smile to their faces. 

4. Celebrate
Celebrate parents. Celebrate students. Everyone LOVES to be celebrated. Parents love you to see the good in their babies. Parents feel great when you celebrate them too. Do what you can to spread positivity. It will come back to you!

5. Listen

When parents are upset, listen. Think about where they are coming from. Think about why they are upset. Is there something you could change? Be flexible. Be approachable. 

Interested in learning more about communicating effectively with parents? You can find more ideas on my blog here or here.

You can check out some parent communication binders here, here, and here. 

Start Your Year on a Positive Note...and Keep it That Way

Starting the school year can be a challenge. I like to start it on a positive note and work hard throughout the year to keep it that way. Here are five easy tips to help you start your year off on a positive note and keep it that way too.

1. Send a letter of greeting to each parent. If you can get a hold of parent addresses about a week or so before school starts, send a letter of greeting to each parent introducing yourself and telling something about you. Be sure to include some things students will be learning during the school year. I also like to send a post card to greet the students individually. Students LOVE to get "real" mail and parents will enjoy passing this note along to their child. 

2 . At the start of the school year, call every parent within the first week. Seriously, take the time to call each one and thank them for entrusting their child to you. Tell them that you look forward to working as a team and share something positive that you have noticed about their child. It is so important to do this before any misbehaviors have a chance to happen. Generally, students are in the honeymoon stage the very first week of school, so I choose to make a phone call home during this time so that the first contact from me once school has started is a positive one. 

3. Set up a communication binder. Be proactive and set one up before school even starts. Keep a record, throughout the school year, of each and every communication. It can save you if you are ever in a tough spot. Documentation is key. Save every email. Document every phone call. Write down conversations you have with parents in person. This will help you keep track of all interactions. I like to keep a binder where I can write down each and every interaction. 

4. Send positive notes home. I set a goal to try to send one positive note home at least every two weeks to each child in my class and while I am not always able to accomplish that, parents really do enjoy getting little notes of praise from the school. To do this, keep a clipboard of positive note printables on a clipboard. Write each child's name on one of the notes. When you see something to celebrate, write a quick note. Send it home at the end of the day. Doing it this way helps you keep track of who you still need to send notes home with. I use one of these cute little printable note sets to keep it super simple. 

Here is another piece of advice on this one. If you have a child who is not easy, and let's face it, there's usually one every year, give these notes of praise even more often. Remember teachers, fair is not always equal. Fair is making sure each child receives what he or she needs and I make sure the students in my class know that they will not all be treated exactly the same because that may not be what he or she needs. Students with difficulties often have low self esteem, but you can help build that child up and strengthen your relationship with him or her by looking for things he or she is doing well or right. Be sure to be sincere and let him or her know exactly what you appreciate.

5. Have an open door policy. I know teachers who never give out their personal phone number or only allow parents to see them at certain times. I want my parents to feel and know that I am available to help them when needed. In the twenty years I have been teaching, I have NEVER had any parent overuse my phone number. Instead they are always respectful, apologetic, and thoughtful when they have to use it during my personal time. It certainly gives them a feeling that I care about their child and them and that feeling goes a long way. I am available to meet with parents after school as needed. It is not often that I need to meet with a parent or take a phone call, but I want them to know that I am there if they need me. 

Good communication will knock out a whole host of problems before they have a chance to begin. It is the number one way to keep parents informed, feel a part of the school experience, and be on your side. It is worth the time and effort. I am not a natural communicator. I am a quiet person, but knowing this about myself has made me push myself even harder to keep up the communication. So let's do it! Let's start this year on a positive note...and keep it that way.

If you need some resources to help, you can check these out. Click on the pictures below to be taken to the store.