Back to School Forms and Docs FREEBIES!

Hi everyone!

I have been living, sleeping, eating school stuff lately, and what a drag how exciting it's been!  I keep feeling like I should try to enjoy these last few days of no official school commitments by sleeping in, reading and relaxing, but I am constantly distracted by my ever-growing to-do list!  My plan is to get as much organization and planning done as possible so once the year starts I don't have tons of projects to be working on...especially since we will probably be closing on our house soon! (Cross your fingers for us!)

Today I wanted to share what I've spent the majority of the past few days working on.  I've been doing a lot of pinning, downloading, and re-creating of back-to-school forms that will fit my classroom.  I'm going to have a packet of information for parents for our Back-to-School Night on the 30th...(is it really only TWO weeks away?).  This packet will include:

-Welcome to Open House Letter
- Personal Letter
- Important/Quick Information sheet
- Blog info (like this blog...I've created a blog specifically for classroom use/updates for parents)
- Snack Info (asking for volunteers to bring snacks)
- Parent's are Teachers brochure
- Student info form (transportation and contact info--to be handed in that night)
- Photo/Video Release form (to be handed in that night)
- Volunteer form (to be sent back the first week of school)
- Student interest forms 1 & 2 (to be sent back the first week of school)

Click on any of the links above to grab your own copy!  These are the PDF versions...if you need an editable version let me know!

I've got most of my copies made and sorted...just need to finish my personal letter (waiting to get my email address and extension) and put together the packets now!

Other parts of our Back to School Night:
- Questions and Comments forms/bucket so the parents won't have to wait to ask me all their questions
- Form for parents to sign up to bring treats for parties
- SmartBoard Program for kiddos to choose their favorite thing about school
- Buckets for sorting the myriad of supplies students will be bringing in.  Here are some signs I'll be using for them.

Well, I hope everyone is enjoying their last few days of summer!  In a day or two I'm going to share about my new-found classroom management idea...so stay tuned!


**Disclaimer** I did not create all of these forms (the brochure or student info form) and the ones I did create were inspired by other ideas on Pinterest.  If the person who created these happens to ever read this, please let me know so I can give you credit!

A Few Project Photos!

         
Hi everyone!

I went into school today (for maybe about the zillionth time this summer!)  Even though I've spent a lot of time in my classroom this summer, it still amazes me how much work I have left to do!  It's coming together, though, and I'm so excited to meet my new set of kiddos!  So, my post today is dedicated to a few of my summer projects!

The first project I want to share are my crate stools!  I'm sure you've all seen them on Pinterest, which is where my inspiration came from.  I got the crates from Target...they had the cheapest prices I found.

The fabric I chose is from a Joann's shopping excursion with Katie and Mandy at the end of the school year!  It fits my owl theme perfectly and are super cute and comfy!  

I think my Dad really liked this project because my craft obsession is leading into "construction" (probably as close as I'll ever get!) by having to cut and sand down the wood for the seats! Here's a picture of all the crate seats at my Guided Reading table.  I think the kids will love them!

Another project I worked on were dressing up my Sterlite Drawers a bit.  I saw the link to this website on Pinterest and wanted to do this to mine, too!  

So I used my stash of cutesy scrapbooking paper and went at it.  It took a long time to get all my drawers done (I have 5 different sets) but they look super cute in my classroom!  

I'm thinking though, that since I used tape on them and they aren't super sturdy, I won't let the kids use them...they'll be for teacher-only use :)  And the cute Owl Nametags I used on them are from my amazing sisters-in-law as a birthday gift!

Sharp/Dull pencils and eraser buckets...$1 from the Target Dollar Spot and some cute vinyl cut out using my Silhouette Cameo...I love it!  I got it originally for scrapbooking but I've been using it SO much for stuff for school!  I'm worried it will wear out or break from overuse...but so far so good.  It was definitely a great purchase!

Next are some cutesy jumbo clothespin magnets.  These are also from the Dollar Spot at Target.  All I did was add two magnets to the back.  I plan to use them to hold up no-name papers, homework, or other random papers.  In this picture, you get a sneak peek at part of my behavior management system...that project is still in progress, but as you can tell, I'm totally loving the owls this year!

Last picture for the day is of my classroom library.  I made the level labels with my cutter and used contact paper to adhere them.  And, in the middle, are the adorable, super comfy and fun owl pillows. Katie and I made these the day after school this year.  As excited as I am to start a new year at New Berlin, I'm going to miss being across the hall from Ms. Frank (oops...Mrs. Beckwith now!) and sharing our fun ideas and working on crazy projects together, like pillows and decoupaged clipboards!



Thanks for stopping by and taking a look! I'm excited about all the things I've already gotten done for the start of the year, but still have a huge to-do list left!  I'll be sure to post more pictures as projects get finished, and some of my whole room once it's not such a disaster area!

Welcome!!

                           
Hi everyone!  I wanted to start this blog before the start of the school year so I can share with you my journey of beginning to teach at a new school in a new location!  I thought it would be a great way to share my experience, ideas, and pictures of my classroom and other fun stuff with my "Barabooian" friends and other teaching friends!

I don't have any pictures to share yet, but I'm in the process of a bunch of projects that I'm excited to share with you soon!  A few pictures of my classroom to come later this week, and hopefully my cute "teacher chair" will be finished later this week too!

I'd love it if you'd become a "follower" of my blog and comment often!  It will be a great way to keep in touch and share ideas!  Love you all!