Five for Friday August 8, 2014

I'm joining Kacey @Doodle Bugs Teaching for her linky Five for Friday.

I shopped the big TPT sale..didn't everyone? You can definitely tell what subjects I'll be teaching this year.

 

 

 

 

Can I just say I absolutely love The Science Penguin's bundles! I would have bought all of them if I had had the money.

My old school went back on Monday, it was really weird to read all of the posts on Facebook. Parents were posting pictures of the kids first day of school. I worked at my old school for 20 years, 3 as an assistant and 17 as a teacher. It's hard to imagine that they are actually functioning without me! LOL  At my new school, I feel just like a first year teacher, I don't know what the procedures are, where things are located, etc... It's really a strange feeling. One of the teachers told me to laminate my stuff at Smitty's. I didn't know who, what or where Smitty's was. I found out yesterday it is apparently the district laminating place if you don't want to laminate at school. There are more teachers at my new school and I am trying to get their names and grades down, so far I'm doing good just to recognize that I have met them! HA I'm sure after a week or so of being in school all of these feelings will be forgotten. I  had a couple of teachers help me out yesterday, it was great! I feel like my room is starting to take shape, plus I have made some new friends!

Besides the classroom, I have been working on another painting project. I had a couple of bar stools that are still like new. I decided I would try to do a little decorative painting on one of them. I'm not really artistic and I don't have a very steady hand so I'm really glad to have painters tape!

So here's stool before.

Here it is after I painted it...

and then I added a few dots. I like the finished product!

Since I used the same paint from my classroom, it will match perfectly!

Tuesday evening, I met my best friend to deliver Delaney to her. She is spending the rest of the week with their family in Wichita Falls. as you can see she is having a great time! So guess where I'll be while she is having fun??? Of course, up at school trying to get my room together.

So I have been working in the room and even with the AC turned on, it has been very hot in the room. It is running and if you are right in front of it, you do feel cooler, but in general it feels kind of like a rain forest, warm and muggy. UGH! A work order has been turned in. I hope it gets fixed before school starts, I don't even want to think about how bad it will be after recess on a hot August day. I don't think a Scentsy will be able to fight that smell. HA! I haven't finished the room, but I thought I would give a preview. I still have a lot of things to put away. I need to work on some bulletin boards.  Plus I need to adjust several desks so they are all the same height.

From the front of the room, didn't notice the picture was blurry. : / I was going to do polka dots on the back of the red cabinets, but time became an issue. Plus once the shelves are full, you wouldn't be able to see them anyway.

From the back of the room 

I was so glad my rug fit in the room since I had only had it one year. I probably need to adjust the valances, but those windows are so tall, they may stay just the way they are! 

I'll be in new teacher orientation Friday and Monday, hopefully I'll be able to finish up in the time we have after meetings next week. 

Five for Friday

 I'm joining Doodle Bugs Teaching for the linky party Five for Friday.

I have been back to school for 2 weeks and since I had to unpack my room from a move, I feel like I have been trying to play catch up ever since school started. So this 5 for Friday has things from the past couple of weeks that I just haven't had time to post.

1. Here are some pictures from my classroom. these were taken before school started, I do have a few more things up on the walls now.

This is a picture from my door. I have books all over the room, but I guess the back wall with the orange shelves would be what I would call my library. I'm trying tables for the first time since I have been teaching first grade.

This picture is taken from in front of my computers. As you can see from this picture, our newly renovated rooms are very colorful. My teacher table is in the back corner and then behind the black shelf is my writing center. In the foreground you can see part of the rug I bought. It has 24 squares and we have already outgrown it. I have 27 students so far.

This picture is taken from the back door. The shelf that is by the rug have AR books and easy books to use at the beginning of the year.

This picture is taken from my teacher table. The computers are in the far corner. The table with the orange chair is my writing table. I don't have anything hanging above the boards, for some reason they did not put any tack strip above the boards so everything has to be taped with something that won't ruin the new paint.

2. Here is my version of the BE poster I saw on pinterest. I have a lot more words to add, but I am going to use it as a vocabulary lesson and introduce the Life Principles from Great Expectations each week. Once I have introduced the words, I'll put the word on the board.

3. This board says:

In our class...We celebrate success. We use critical thinking skills. We are committed to excellence.

We speak in complete sentences. We demonstrate mutual respect. We have high expectations. 

We are responsible for our own behavior. All children can learn.

4. My principal bought me some brightly colored Ticonderoga Dixon pencils to use for my different tables. So I decided to spruce up my pencil holders a bit. Here's the supplies I used.

And here is the finished product. I love them!

5. As I said, I am seriously behind. All of these pictures were taken before school started 2 weeks ago. So staying with that theme, here are two  pictures of my daughter on her first day of 5th grade.

This is one of students on the first day. I had this frame last year, I just added the sock monkeys to it.

Enjoy your weekend!

Made It Monday and Favorite Song Linky, Plus a Freebie.

This week I'm joining Tara @ 4th Grade Frolics, once again, for her "Monday Made It" linky party.

I have been working on things for the classroom since I report back on Wednesday.

The first thing I have made I got from this pin.

I loved this poster! When I was working on mine, I decided to get  most of my words from the Great Expectations Life Principals. So if the life principle is curiosity, I put curious. I made a few words to start with and I'm thinking about adding one word a week to make sure the kids will know each word. Here a picture of some of my words. As you can see, I haven't actually made the poster. I just got the pages laminated. Hopefully I'll get it on my board tomorrow. 

I also worked on a set of motivational quotes that are in my TPT store. Here are a few that are printed, laminated and trimmed.

My last Made It came from Math Coach's Corner. she has blank ten frames you can print. Then you use colored dots to make cards for the students to practice subitizing. This was a very easy made it thanks to Donna.

I also wanted to link up with Barb from Grade ONEderful and share one of my favorite poems/songs. When I used to teach kindergarten, it was always the class' favorite song out of all of the songs we would learn. I found the song in a Mailbox magazine years ago, I don't know who to credit. You can grab a copy HERE if you like.

The kids love the song and as you can see it also has some wonderful vocabulary to introduce.

Enjoy your freedom, while it lasts, I go back Wednesday.

It's Time!!! When do you go back? Linky Party and a Freebie

I'm joining Jessica from Literacy Spark for her linky party, "It's Time!! When do you go back?".

Link up and share with us when you officially start back at school.  How many days of work do you have before the students come back?  What do you spend those days doing?  How are you feeling about going back...?!

I officially go back to school on July 31. Yikes, that is this Wednesday!!! We get one day to work in our room and we have two days of professional development before the kids come August 5.

I'm kind of torn about going back. There is a part of me that is always ready to go back, I do love teaching! There is another part of me that loves the freedom that summer brings. In my district, we have a very strict curriculum guide that we are supposed to be following. After looking at it last night, I'm not looking forward to school as much as I was.

I have a little freebie to share this morning. My principal says this to our staff a lot. I asked if it was her original quote, she said no, but she couldn't remember where it came from. I made it with four different background colors. Pick one up HERE if you like it.

Thanks to the following:

Some of the backgrounds were  By- Jessica Stanford MrsStanfordsClass.blogspot.com 

The chalkboard frames: © Graphics Created by The 3AM Teacher http://the3amteacher.blogspot.com/

If you are interested, I just posted a group of 32 motivational quotes using these same chalkboard frames, you can check it out on my TPT. 

If you pick up the freebie, I would appreciate if you would leave me a comment or follow my blog. Then I'll know if people are interested in more of the same type of things.