Photography Challenge (Catch Up) and the start of Spring Break

At precisely 3:31 pm yesterday, Spring Break started.  At 3:40, I was in my car.  By 3:53, I had a tall Blue Moon in front of me and four giggly coworkers in our booth at PT's for girls' night.

#feedyoursoul #ladytribe

Glorious, glorious decisions.  I'd like to brag and say we had a wild night, but I was in pajamas by 7 pm and out by 8.  It'd be a long week!

Photography Challenge Recap


Day 5: "Not Mine"

Technically I took this picture on day 4, but saved it for Wednesday.  Tuesday was my work wife's birthday, so I snuck into her classroom before she got there and decorated on behalf of the grade level.  

I did get caught by two other teachers, so I'm clearly not up on my ninja skills.

She felt loved and valued, so that's what matters. 

Day 6: "Spring Is In The Air"

Spring means my allergies are a mess.  We are dealing with some epic winds and drastic temperature changes, which doesn't help.  I'm on a daily decongestant, nasal steroid, and Allegra to keep things contained.

I also frequently wear a face mask while outside, so I decided to have a glamour shoot with my mask.  It's my favorite accessory to any spring day.

Day 7: "Where I'd Rather Be"


First, my bed. We have a new bed and I love naps.  

Second, I wanted to be at happy hour.  As posted above, we made that happen pretty much as soon as possible after work ended.

Third, I want to be on my honeymoon!

In July, the hubs and I are off on a grand adventure.  We'll be visiting some friends in Florida, going to Harry Potter World, and then off to an island resort in the Dutch Caribbean for a week of relaxing and outdoor adventures.  The fur babies will be staying with my momma.  We'll be back in town for a few days before both of us have to return to work.

Day 8: "Hobbies"

One of my hobbies is getting dressed up with my hubby and celebrating.  Tonight we're celebrating a fellow teacher's wedding.  She's one of the kindest people and we're thrilled to get to share in her special day.  We are sharing a table with some other fun coworkers and there's an open bar, so two other hobbies (drinking and selfies) will also be occurring!  

I've cleaned out my phone for the night so Facebook will be filled with pictures tomorrow!

Happy Birthday Percy Jackson!

As a birthday celebration for my favorite Seaweed Brain,

All my products related to Rick Riordan's novels are 20% off from the 17-19th!  Shop {here} and snag resources for your small groups!   With 61 different options, there's sure to be something that will meet your (upper elementary) classroom needs.

Rethinking the classroom calendar

I admit it, I have a laminated calendar very similar to this in my classroom:

It's very cutesy and frustrating to change out each month.  As diligent as I am, I inevitably miss a child's birthday each year and that's super uncomfortable.  The calendar just kind of hangs there without any student input.  

Next year, I'd like to change that.

So I purchased a very basic desk calendar:

Before the school year starts, I'll go through and label all the crucial days: staff development days, three day weekends, and student birthdays.  

But here's the change:

I'm going to have students write their Reading Ranger goals, both short and long term, on the calendar.  When they achieve their goals, they'll get to highlight their goals and we'll do a classroom celebration.   

Students will get excited because it's a small brag wall, but it's the goals they've set.

I'm excited because I will keep this calendar by my small group table to help with accountability.  If all my data (in terms of students' goals) is in one place, it should stream line my goal setting weekly meetings.  Plus if I'm saving time on goal setting conferences (which will be Mondays and Thursdays), that leaves more time for small strategy groups and book chats.

Of course, the calendar will still be cute...but now, also practical.

What new strategies are you trying in your classroom next year?

Happy Half!

In elementary school, birthdays are special.  Students are sung to, treats are had, and a cute certificate is placed on their desk.  They get to use this special chair sign for the day:

(That is of course, if they celebrate their birthdays.  Always check during the first few days of school! I do this by including a question on their family surveys.  Chair cover is from the Dollar Store.)

My birthday always falls within the first week of school, so I rarely expect presents...because they've known me for what, 3 days?

However, my heart aches for those summer birthdays who don't get celebrated.  So this year, I decided to change that.

We are celebrating half birthdays:

I sent a note home to all my parents in December who had students with June, July, or early August birthdays to let them know we'd be celebrating and that they're welcome to bring in treats.

One mom made these:

They were delicious!

There has been a lot of positive feedback from my students and their families, so I'll definitely be doing this again next year!

I gave in

I gave in.

I tried to avoid the whole I have to go back to work situation by quickly changing the channel whenever back to school ads came on...but I failed.  I gave in.  I was out running errands and I ventured into the dreaded back to school supply aisle.



I bought my classroom supplies today.  I snagged some deals at the Dollar Tree and Target.

New classroom supply buckets:

(Round 2).

I'm hoping the smaller size will mean less mess.  I used these supply buckets last year and well, they didn't work.  So now, round two!  I plan to make cute table cards like these:

I will either color code or number code the supplies, depending on if I can find the appropriate sticker colors.  I'll print the cards, laminate them, and use a hole punch and binder rings to attach the cards to the buckets.

I found this cute chair cover at the Dollar Tree:

I think it's a fun way to add some joy into the classroom and make students feel special on their birthdays.  Plus, it's not related to food, so no need to worry about allergies!

I found this gem in the dollar aisle:

It will be a nice reference for students after I've explicitly taught these roots.

While I love my old classroom sign, 

It's time for a new one.  I haven't decided on what colors or fonts I'll be using so until I make up my mind, this is how it will stay.

I do love dollar tree stationary and will be using this for my classroom welcome letter.

I snagged these and will create a cute "survival" kit for my fifth graders.

I don't have everything fully figured out yet, but something about it's okay to make mistakes because it's proof you're trying and that I hope they sparkle (since the pencils are sparkly).  I'll post the final version once I've made up my mind.

I also stocked up on some new cups, which is one of my favorite classroom management strategies.

My old ones had been through hundreds of students...so it was time for a fresh start.

I found these at Target and think they'll go nicely with the bright colors I've picked out for my classroom decor.

I am excited for decorating my classroom!

Now, it's time to relax and enjoy my last few days before headed back for training.

More Dollar Bin (Dollar Spot?) Finds!

So I'm sure I've expressed my love of Target and their dollar items, but today I was once again pleasantly surprised.  Although it's marketed towards "busy moms," I snagged a couple of these 30 packs of children's birthday cards:

I plan to give these to students along with a pencil.  Way healthier than a candy treat and who doesn't love opening a card on their birthday??

Plus, I can sign a whole bunch of them this week (SHARK WEEK!) and then just put students' names on the outside.  

Happy thrifting!