Exciting Back to School News

I am so excited right now! Just finished reading my new issue of  "The Organized Classroom Magazine". Aside from gathering some great tips for getting my room ready for the new group of rock star students about to come dancin' through the door before you know it, I'm so proud to announce that one of those hit the ground running tips is from my blog!
What a great magazine - lots of tips from some pretty great teacher-bloggers and even one from me! Don't miss a chance to subscribe for more amazing tips for a smooth school year and who knows what other surprises Charity Preston (the publisher) has in store for us!
Here's the link!
http://www.theorganizedclassroomblog.com/index.php/magazine

By the way, on the post below about the laminated "clouds" (I still like to think of them as clouds.), I found that using a water-based marker (such as Vis-a-Vis) makes cleanup at the end of the day super easy.  Just wipe today's standard away with a damp paper towel and then a dry one, and you're all set to write the next standard on the cloud!

And speaking of getting ready for those little rock stars of yours, check out some of my time and sanity-saving, fun back to school resources! My current favorite is Rock Star Students. Click on the cover page below to learn more about it! Time to get ready for back-to-school!

                                                                                                      Retta

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Making Life Easier with the Standards

This is a post from last summer with a real time saver that is working for me!

I know it's summer, but in between planting the fairy garden, traipsing through the art fairs, and spending time with family and friends, I can't help thinking about school! I love the freshness of the new year, and another chance to get it all right! (Okay, maybe one or two more things right!)
Here's one I'd like to simplify: posting the standards or learning goals for the kids to see each day and for the principal to see when he's filling in his mental checklist.
I set up this system for last year, thought it was super cute and easy, and yet got sidetracked with all the lists of "I Can"statements, pocket charts to display them in, and finding a good place to display them. For this year, I definitely want to try this low-maintenance plan again.
I bought some giant speech bubble signs at the local teacher's store (was looking for clouds, but couldn't resist the colorful borders on these!). I laminated them and arranged them around the date card as you can see in the photo. It was then super simple to write the learning goal for each subject first thing in the morning and leave it there all day.  A few times, I wrote the learning goal in with the kids while I was introducing it. That worked great, and might be the plan I will use this year. The bubbles are hanging in a very small space between my math calendar and smartboard. They really take up little room, are very noticeable, and I really think they will simplify my teaching life in the fall. Simple, visible, cute, done!
Happy summer, everyone! Try not to think too much about school...just a little....and keep it simple!

                                                                                               Retta 

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