Positive Notes Home the FIRST Week

front and back of note

Contacting students' families in a positive way FIRST is so key.  So, I pre print these half sheet notes and leave them on my desk to remind myself to write one for EVERY kid within the first week.  I put it in a sealed envelope with "To Parent/Guardian of _____" and hand it to them to take home without saying anything.  Some get nervous.  I love it!

Since it does take time to write out one for every kid, here's how I try to tackle it:

1. There are some kids who can do something that requires parent contact in the first few days.  Rare, but ugh.  So it's crucial to send home notes to their families.  I try to target those "labeled" kids first, just in case, but don't let it taint my vision of them.  I have a soft spot in my heart for those kids.  Besides, those parents probably don't get positive feedback about their kids as often as they'd like.  It's a great way to get parents (and student) on your side rather than them becoming defensive when you first talk to them about problems.
2. Parents who have already come to you with concerns about academics, social issues, etc. are next on my list. In my note to those parents, I try to comment on something they are concerned about in a positive way, such as, "I love how ___ raised her hand during our discussion about ___ this week.  I sure hope to see this continue throughout the year..."
3. I make mental notes of specific things I see in each kid and usually put that in my note.  It's nice that it isn't so generic.

Anyway, it's a lot of work the first week, but totally worth it!  Make a kid smile today!

8th First Day of School

Ok, so I survived my 8th first day of school.  Phew!

Friday before first day of school:
Sneak Peek - where students meet the teacher & drop off supplies AND when my projector bulb dies 10 minutes before kids come rushing in with my directions neatly posted.  "It's okay," I tell myself.  I've taught with much less technology.  Make do.  I did.

Weekend before first day of school:

My sister's bachelorette weekend!  Eeeek!  I hop in a cab to get to the airport in time directly after the Sneak Peek. If it were anyone else, I wouldn't have gone, but needed to support my sis.  It was worth it to get my mind off EVERYTHING.  I also learned how to pump in airport bathrooms and airplanes! Alaska Airlines had a plug on the seat in front of you, so... why not?  I used my nursing cover of course! ;)

First Day of School:
First day of school plans change last minute when I am disappointed my projector bulb will not be replaced before the bell and some of my presentations/slides for rules/procedures, etc. are not going to be viewed.  I grab chart paper and do things old school.

Next few days:
Basically, things are amuck as I teach without my Smartboard or document camera (my prized and most useful item) the next few days, but it works.  I become VERY clear about my directions and enlist student help to check each other.  I feel bad wanting this tech stuff knowing some schools don't have the luxury, but it just sucks when you plan to have it and then have to do all the work over again.  (My room is full of chart paper.)

ANYWAY... what did go well?

Kids are great!  Sweet group so far.

31 roster went down to 28 (Yes!  3 kids makes a BIG difference)

I have a makeshift pump station in my room (see picture) so I don't have to go anywhere.  Even though I will lock my door, I used velcro to hang the table cloth for added security, just in case.  I also brought soap, a sponge, and drying mat to wash pump parts and just leave them at school.  That way, all I have to carry back and forth is the milk & ice pack.

I feel like a seasoned enough teacher to get things going with baby on the back of my brain.  It will definitely be busier (I learned this quickly as we ordered in practically all week.), but it will all work out!  Cheers to another school year!

Back to School Night

Back to School Night...when teachers present to the parents/families what their child's school year will be like.  It is an important night because it's a great time to build rapport and get family support from the get go.

I remember always thinking, "Ugh, it's so soon in the year.  I barely know their kids.  Why can't it be a few weeks in???"  But now that I've thought about it, it's okay that it's early.  I prefer it so that I get all my information out to them as soon as possible.  There are definitely years where I had to wing it when I told them about curriculum since it wasn't all figured out yet, but it's also okay if you change things.

So what's on students' desks???

• Name tag (I encourage parents to check out their child's desk for neatness and see what we've been working on so far)
• Apple for parent (see below for information about the poem and where I got the idea)
• Packet of information about classroom/curriculum & tips on how they can help their child this year (packet is underneath so you can't see it)
• Letter to parent from student welcoming them and telling them what they are excited about and what they've already learned so far.
• Tent card for parent to write a positive note to their child while they mingle and wait. 
• Pen/pencil so parent can write the note. 

Classroom Website

I started a classroom website the year I knew I would be teaching a 4th/5th grade combination class.  How would I communicate assignments that were different? What about the different events? I color coded on the website (red for 4th, blue for 5th, and black for common assignments). This was the main reason why I started a website and have found so many other valuable uses!

I use teacherweb.com and have loved it ever since.  Not only does it keep my students and parents informed, it keeps me organized and I have found communication is much easier!

Student Binders

Our school mascot is the bengal tiger, so I wanted to make a notebook with that theme.  By 5th grade, I don't want a whole bunch of loose folders.  Students need to learn how to organize and keep things in one place.  So... B.E.N.G.A.L.S. stands for Bengal Education Needs Greatly Arranged Learning System.  Dorky?  Why, yes!

I tell students their binder is now a part of their body.  They go somewhere, their binder follows. So here's what it includes:

This is the cover of the view binder.  When they first open it up they should have a pencil pouch with the basic essentials (2 pencils, eraser, pen, etc.).

Economy System

There are many ways to do this in your classroom, as I've heard from talking to other teachers.  However, to give credit where it's due, I got my idea from the AMAZING teacher, Rafe Esquith & his Hobart Shakespeareans.  His first book, There Are No Shortcuts, talks about how he runs the economy system.  Then I adjusted, added, and tweaked things to fit me and my classroom.

One big take away that I've learned from Rafe is to not reward behavior externally with the money system.  It is solely for the responsibility of working the class job and other academic extras.   Behavior is expected and can be recognized other ways, but I'm not giving students money for sitting nicely, being kind to a neighbor, or taking out things quickly when asked.  I don't get paid extra to be courteous to my coworkers. Trust me, I have run into (crying) moments when I know I could just do the table points or toss dollars out left and right to keep my sanity, but the point is to teach behavior so that students act accordingly no matter who they're with or where they are, not just because I'm giving them an incentive (money).  It's a higher and more difficult expectation, but I've found it very beneficial throughout the years.

Here are some things the economy system teaches:

Well, here are the basics of what I do that's worked for me: