Where Did My Summer Go?!

We just got "the" email the other day.  You know the one I'm talking about.  The one where your principal says the floors are all done and then proceeds to outline the back-to-school week agenda.  As much as I'm not ready for my summer to end, I am glad to (a) attend a really cool professional development with some of my coworkers and my administrators (b) go to the beach one last time and (c) get back into my classroom so I can finally finish organizing my files and a mountain of papers.

I went back into my classroom and got the basics out of the way (desk arrangement, uncovering bookshelves, starting to clean off the counters, etc).  But my to-do list and to-buy list are already starting to grow...

 

At the top of my list is a long bookshelf to go under the white boards and Smart Board at the front of the room.  I have amassed so many books over the past three years that my bookshelves are overflowing and I still have two Scholastic boxes filled with books to be sorted.  My two little bookshelves at the end of my carpet are going back to  my house...I just put them there temporarily to make my carpet go flat after being rolled up all summer.

I changed the location of my small group table.  I usually meet with my reading groups on the front carpet, and I use the table more for testing accommodations.  But this year, because I'm planning on implementing a new approach to guided reading, my children will need to sit and write while they are meeting with me.  I wanted to leave the carpet area for students to spread out and read, and I also like that I can now see the door to see who is coming and going out of our room.  More pictures to come soon!

My To-Do List:

• Make personalized postcards for my new kiddos
• Name plates for desks
• Name labels for notebooks and textbooks
• Procedures and expectations PPT
• Put caulk on the underside of my mini rugs to keep from sliding
• Make my birthday balloons with crazy straws
• Plan stations for Back to School Night
• Double-check materials for Back to School Night

My To-Buy List {Once I Get State & PTO Money}:

• Febreeze Wall Plug-Ins
• Cookies and popcorn for B2S Night
• Avery Labels
• Crazy Straws
• EOY Gift {so I'm sure to use school money and not personal money}
• Playdough and auction prizes