I Scream for Hopes and Dreams

It's Labor Day, which is usually the telltale sign that Summer Break is officially over here in Jersey. This year is different for me. For the first time in roughly 27 years, I am not heading into a classroom as a student or a teacher (some years, I was both!). I'm on Maternity Leave to start this year! Could you blame me for wanting to stay home with this guy?

Photo Credit: Janet Lanza Photography

However, once a teacher, always a teacher! I cannot help but reflect on Back to School seasons of years past. My school is rooted in the ideals of Responsive Classroom and in nearly every classroom, you can find Hopes and Dreams for the students, teachers, and sometimes even parents posted year round as goals for students to develop and work on all year.

As many of my lessons as a Kindergarten teacher begin, I love kicking off Hopes and Dreams with a book. My kiddos LOVE Leo the Lightning Bug!

Have you read this one before? It's the darling story of Leo the Lightning Bug and his challenges and struggles to make his own bright light like the other lightning bugs. I have found it to be a great tangible connection for students to create their own hopes and dreams for the year. It doesn't have to be the same as their friends and it could even be something their friends are able to do well that they aren't able to.. YET! It's a story about resilience and never giving up. It's a great way to begin the thought process on what their own personal hopes and dreams would be for the school year.

Hopes and Dreams in my room are shared and posted ALL. YEAR. LONG. On days when we need a mood lift or a reminder of why we are in school and what we are working for all year, we refer back to our Hopes and Dreams. For something to be posted for the entirety of the year, I needed something I was willing to see all year. And so came, I Scream for Hopes and Dreams!

This adorable craftivity can be found in my TPT store here!

Best Part? It's a dollar deal!

That's right, ONE dollar for a meaningful and estetically pleasing lesson. Because who needs any more stress during Back to School season?

Enjoy this deal or pin it to save for next year!

Keep your head in the clouds!

Taking the Work Out of Paperwork

It is finally getting to be time for me to sink my teeth into my classroom and begin to set up for a brand new year. Classroom setup is one of my favorite things about a fresh year. I love to redesign and put a lot of thought into my set up. Bulletin boards are one of my FAVORITE things to do. I put my heart and soul into design that I have found myself scrambling last minute for all the necessary paperwork to send home with my sweet new little ones for their grownups.

Well NOT. ANY. MORE!

Click here to download from my TPT store!


This product comes with 13 different forms to use at Back to School time as well as anytime throughout the year! Plus, don't they look great on Astrobright paper? I love to copy those beginning of the year forms on different colors for multiple reasons. When I go into a student's file and need a form, I can find it quickly if I know what color I'm looking for. Plus, when collecting all those forms, if one goes missing, it's a helpful way to help students and parents when you can say, "We're missing your contact sheet- the green form!"

Here's a highlight of some of my favorites from the pack!

Info about your students!

This is where I can find out logistics about them, such as their favorite color or book as well as how the parent would describe their child. I like to know their strengths and perhaps any hardships that their child may be going through.

I have to admit, I never thought of a family holiday survey until working with my teaching BFF for the first time a few years ago. Holiday Surveys are SO helpful throughout the year. I love being able to know what they celebrate and calling on parents to help us learn more about their cultures in the classroom!

Contact Info and Communication Log!

It dawned on me this year. Why create a separate Contact Card and Communication Log? Everytime I made a phone call I took out both- why not combine them? Now I have a contact form with a communication log already started directly below it! I photo copy my full page Communication Log on the back of it to continue going should I need to! It's the little things sometimes that get me excited and this was one of them!


Release Forms and Transportation Forms

Whether we find it a sad reality or a smart tactic, I always feel more comfortable when I have a few release forms signed at the start of the year. Every time I participated in ANY food related activity, I used to give myself the heebie jeebies! I was constantly worried that a child would slip an M&M while counting during Math when at home they have a strict no sugar policy or touch an ingredient during a whole group cooking activity and discover an allergy for the first time! Now, I have my families sign a Snack and Food Release. It sounds so silly, but food is a huge component of my classroom. It makes so many lessons come to life, and while many times we are only handling the food and not eating it, I want to be able to use these fun reinforcers without the worry!

(We have a district wide technology and photo release form that is filed out by all students, but I've always created my own technology release as well. It allows me to photograph or video record students for our classroom twitter as well as post their work too! Additionally it makes me feel more comfortable blogging to all of you knowing I am being transparent with the families of the little ones I care so very much about. Those forms can also be found in this pack!)

I've also included a Transportation Form to help you get your little ones to and from school each day. When I get the data from this form, I make a class list of where everyone goes and hang it by the door. It's super helpful at the ever stressful dismissal time and it's also a great resource for a Sub!

There are also Back to School Night Reminders, Social Media Handle Sharing and so much more! Check it out here in my TPT store!

If you like what you see, use this to pin it to your boards for later!

Keep you head in the clouds!
xo

Cooking Up a Great Year in Kindergarten! - {A Back to School, All About Me Unit!}

I know, I know. Summer vacation should be about rest and relaxation, but I'm already getting inspiration for beginning of the year activities! I have had a Cooking Themed classroom for the last few years, so this only seemed fitting for me to create:

Cooking Up a Great Year in Kindergarten!

Check out the major craftivity of the unit below: A Menu of Me Lap Book!

The Menu of Me is a lift the flap craftivity that allows kiddos to share about themselves: What makes them special, Their house, Their teacher, Their Family, What they want to be when they grow up, What they do outside of school, and their favorite subject!

How fun are those "Favorites" flaps?! 

There's also this adorable Hopes and Dreams craftivity. For those of you who aren't familiar with the Responsive Classroom, students start the year documenting their hopes and dreams for the school year, sharing, and displaying them in the classroom. Keeping with the theme, the lift the flap plate cover allows for an adorable way to display your student's hopes and dreams around the classroom! These are so sweet, I may keep them up all year!

There's also Chef Self Portraits! There is a boy and girl version with the face already done- just needs to be colored as well as a boy and girl version with a blank face for students to draw their own. As an integrated teacher, it's always important to me to try to develop ways for all students to participate in the activities despite their learning styles. (There's differentiated options for the hopes and dreams as well!)

And of course, how do you end the first day without creating your own chef hat to wear while holding this first day of school sign?! I cannot wait to hang them up and compare them to our future last day of school pics! Cute factor overload!

Check out your own copy of Cooking Up a Great Year in Kindergarten!

As for me, I'll be at the pool! (I can't create ALL Summer Vacation, can I?!)

PS. This also goes great with my

Keep your head in the clouds!

xo

Thinking Ahead: Open House!

Open House. Back to School Night. Meet the Teacher. No matter what you call it, bringing in families of students can be a bit nerve wracking! All those extra eyes scoping out the room. You want to make sure you've dotted all i's and crossed all t's. Well you're in luck! I've made a bunch of resources to make your Open House night a success (and adorable, if I might add!)

And so, I bring you.. Cooking Up A Great Year!

Adorable AND Editable! Can you believe it?
Comes in three variations: Back to School Night, Open House, and Meet the Teacher.

There's even this adorable Student Activity to have on display:

And get this- first five people to retweet me will get this whole set FOR FREE! Retweet and follow my blog and you've got yourself an automatic free pack, regardless of which number retweet you are! Happy tweeting!

Chirp, chirp!

Keep your head in the clouds!