To Do List (Before School Starts) Linky

Hey everyone!  I hope you're enjoying the holiday!  While I listen to fireworks I'm linking up to Fabulous 4th Grade Froggies for what is on your To Do List before school starts.  

Now as I've already looked through some of the blogs that have linked up I noticed that my list is a lot longer than theirs.  I can almost guarantee I forgot something and will come back to add on more.  But I know how concrete I need things to be laid out for myself so I think that by having a detailed list that I can continually refer back to will help me actually get it done.  Can you believe this is the first time I've actually sat down and thought about what I need to get done?  (on top of unpacking, planning a wedding reception, and doing normal adult stuff).  Anyway - hopefully my list helps you organize your thoughts.
 

*These are not in any particular order.

1. Create small easy to do crafts/projects found on blogs and Pinterest. Find links below text.

•  Personalized Sanitizer Bottles (Resourceful Room)

• Bulletin board with spot for each student using clips and numbers similar to the ones below (Darling Little Learners)

• Make these signal pictures for the classroom (Clutter Free Classroom)

•  I want to make a video for my sub plans.  The link below is to put them on a cd - I would like to put a variety of sub plans for any given day and a video on a USB drive and have that ready.  I think it would be a good idea of the students and I made a video together.  In the video the students could model procedures in the classroom and introduce ourselves.  The teacher could watch it during my plan or at the beginning of the day - or even watch it with the students to review. (Learnnc)

• Organize classroom board games into plastic containers.  (meckmom)

• Make cute magnets that have been seen everywhere.  I'm not sure what I would use them for but I'm hoping maybe to make some for my clip chart???  We'll see - they're just too darn cute. (Kickin it in Kinder) 

• Make binder for master copies (Orange polka dots)

•  Make classroom club board (4th grade frolics seen below;originally from Molly at Lessons with Laughter
• Make a "Grade, Copy, File" plastic organizer(Fun in 4b)

• Follow blogs and look for cute things to make.

2.  Get organized

• Finish putting together teacher planner - hole punch calendars, laminate cover pages, add meeting notes, district schedules and CCSS
• Update teacher binder:  parent contact forms, discipline forms, pt conference data, student information forms
• Update reading binder (pensieve): new conferencing forms and data tabs
• Create Reading group, math group, and writing group folders with cute covers 
• Organize bulletin board letters into cd holders. 
• Organize spelling lists on Spelling City 
• Get all digital files organized. 
•  Create binder with all word sorts from wtw and print spelling inventories for first week
• Update procedure packet
• Organize/laminate all task cards

3.  Work to get accomplished

• Make sure all referral data is entered into SWIS and turn into admin
• PD: 7/16, 7/24, 7/27, 8/5-8/9, 8/14
• Lookover new math curriculum
• Work on PYP units with team 
• Long Range planning - work math concepts into PYP units
• Before August 8th (registration) - make welcome packets with newsletter and mail student welcome postcards
• Update class website

4.  Classroom Stuff

• Finish unpacking classroom
• Work on PYP Bulletin boards:  Front bb: spot for central idea etc.; Transdisciplinary themes across the top ; key concepts; skills; question of the day.  Closet door:  learner attitudes and profiles where students can goal set
• Add homework club stuff to back bulletin board
• Either put word wall on bulletin board behind desk or create some sort of movable word wall
• Leave a space for objectives on white board
• Look up student supply organization on blogger and pinterest and decide how you want to organize supplies
• Organize library - maybe use book retriever or a system for check - out/investigate how other teachers are doing it.  Sort through books and decide if any could be given to new teachers.  
• Write down and finalize your system for clip chart and reflect on if any changes need to be made
• After classroom is organized - do I need to make another Vistaprint order?? (birthday cards, homework passes, recognition tags, etc.)
• Label new math curriculum and number
• Label student cubbies
• Make final copies of roster and schedule
• Make sure all lessons and units through November are in planbook - don't get too obsessed with decorating!

• Organize a place for student binders/notebooks  
• Classroom jobs - keep from last year or update? 
• Create handouts for Meet the Teacher Night
• Buy a new stapler and classroom friendly pencil sharpener/organize supply center for sharpener and pencils
• Create 10 new student packets with all prepared materials in gallon ziploc bags
• Make "I'm so lucky" bags for first day and "Thanks for poppin' in" bags for meet the teacher. 
• Find activities for class building and fun for first week of school.

Teaching Smart!

Teaching Smart Linky - Click here to check it out!

Okay, I am officially a loser this morning.  For some reason I couldn't get the html code to work to link up to this linky, so I just added the graphic and put the link to it underneath.  Anyway,  this linky is all about teaching smart and the best things that you have learned in the classroom!  If you want to check it out, click the link underneath the graphic above!

Some of the Best Things I Have Learned

1.  Organized Teacher Binder

Source: beyondthegrades.blogspot.com via Kristin on Pinterest

Having an organized place for important information, meeting notes, parent contact is a really smart idea.  It has helped me in conferences, staying accountable, documenting behaviors, having authentic data at intervention meetings, and overall just being an organized person.  Below you can see some binder dividers that I actually made for my own teacher  binder this year.

2.  Planners/To Do Lists

To balance everything we need to balance!

3.  Student Conferences/Anecdotal Notes

 Source

Source

I use anecdotal notes and student conferences all the time.  CAFE through the pensieve, Really Good Stuff's anecdotal notebook for writer's workshop and math workshop.  The great part is you can great your own!  Get a binder or a notebook, create a tab for each student, and have a form where you can take notes!  This is a smart teacher tip, because you will need these notes to not only help you plan for your groups and student needs, but it can also serve as a point for documentation should you be involved in an intervention meeting!

4.  Assigning Students Jobs In the Classroom

In my classroom I use student jobs to promote student independence, accountability, and responsibility.  The reason it is a smart teacher tip is because it is a time saver!!!  Having 20 plus hands to help clean up the room, run errands, help organize homework papers, take attendance, etc. is better than having to do it all my self.  Here is a list of things in the classroom that my students learn how to do and do everyday!

Attendance/Lunch Count on Computer

Alphabetize Homework

Use a spreadsheet to mark off who has turned homework in

Stamp Daily 5 Checklists

Stamp Planners and mark who has planners filled out

Pass back papers

Run office errands

Collect pencils in "Dull" container at the end of everyday

Sweep Floors

Change date on calendar

Put out morning work

Fill out Clip Chart behavior log at the end of the day

Take lunch boxes to cafeteria

Turn off computers/Smart Board

Grab copies from printer

and more!

I love that my kids mark off the homework and take attendance for me.  This allows me to stand at the door and greet my students for 20 minutes while my students are coming in!  When they are all at school, I walk to my desk and all the homework is in order by student number ready to be marked off!

To help assign jobs I use Amanda from One Extra Degree's Job Freebie  The kids love it!

That's it!!  What I have found is that if you can get the children to help you around the classroom, AND you can maintain organized notes and binders than the teaching and the awesome classroom environment will follow! 

Organzing: Right on Target

Like Christina Bainbridge I was so excited after reading Amy @ The Resource Room post that I dropped everything I was doing and ran straight to Target.  Only to be extremely disappointed by the $$ spot.  The shelves were empty.  EMPTY. empty.  Saying those words is making me sad even now as I type it.  THAT HAS NEVER EVER EVER HAPPENED.  I walked around the little section like two or three times in disbelief. 

I did need a few hair items, so I decided to walk around.  While walking around I did find....

The green and aqua bins have had my eye - ever since I read these two posts from Jen @ IHeart Organizing

To store medicine...

For bathroom his and hers....
She posted this after I had already cleaned my linen closet and I really didn't have a use for them.

So tonight I was standing in front of them and a light bulb went off.  My students PYP reflection journals were given to me this year in a box.  They still sit on a shelf in my classroom in a cardboard box.  I could put their journals in this cute little container and that would make my room so adorable.

OMG!  As I was typing about my use for them in the classroom, I LITERALLY just thought of another great use.  I have all of these teacher manuals leaned up against each other that would look adorable in that container!  I need to go to Target and get more!

Sorry for that interruption, anyway the lime green one is going to school because it matches my cupcake pink and lime green color scheme.  You will have to wait and see if I use it for journals or teacher's manuals.  Maybe I will have to go get another one.

The aqua one is staying at home.  At first, I bought it to store hair brushes, blow dryer, flat iron, etc. I was hoping it would sit on the back of my toilet.  But alas, it is too big.  So my next idea was to sit it underneath the sink and store the same items in it.  It is too big to fit under there......
So I still have to find something to store my brushes and hair stuff in.  Currently they are all lying on top of the bathroom sink - making it look cluttered and nasty.  Any suggestions?

So this is my current use for the aqua container.

 Before

After

It currently has the flashlight, coupons, and a few other odds and ends that I haven't had time to sort out yet.  

Moving on to the red fruit organizer that you saw in the above picture.  Target has the cutest color coordinated kitchen decor.  Orange, white, black, red, teal wine racks, table cloths, containers, fruit bowls, cereal bowls, etc.  While I wanted to grab one of everything, my budget allowed me to only buy what was immediately necessary.  Nathan and I both eat a lot of fruit, and this is how it had been stored....

 Before

After

I really like the red.  When we actually have a house, I hope to have a red and white kitchen.

Moving on to the school supplies....

 Clipboard on the front with notepad inside!

 Expanding File folder

Both of the above items are part of a newer collection that I have seen called contemporary designs.  They have two sets: the orange and pink style you see above or a gray with blues and greens.  They have binders that come with cute dividers, file folders, clipboards, clipboard with notepads, sticky note holders, tape dispensers, pencil holders.  All cute and matchy.  I grabbed these two things out of necessity, but I sure do wish I could afford to completely renovate my desk!

I have several notebooks from Vista print, notepads from the Target Dollar spot, and other planners that I have taken with me in the past to staff meetings.  But when I saw this clipboard/notepad combination thing today - I automatically thought of how organized I could be at the staff meeting at 7:30 a.m. tomorrow!  I am a sucker for cute, colorful school supplies.  

The expanding file folder is going to accompany this beauty..

 Now if I had been thinking logically instead of acting out of pure excitement, I would've gotten the grey, blue and greet scheme to match my bag.  But oh well. 

So the file folder will semi-replace my color folders per inspiration from this CFC post

All the colorful notebooks you see above were on clearance for $1 at Target.  I love all the bright colors - I got one in every design.  They are just composition notebooks, and I currently have no idea what I will use them for.  Your ideas and suggestions are welcome.  I just had to have them!

The next item I didn't get today.  I got a few weeks ago at Target for $12.  As usual I see a blog post or a pin and I get inspired.  This particular item was inspired by a post I had seen on I <3 Organizing about using Pottery Barn's home organization system to organize keys, mail, etc.  Nathan and I are so bad about sorting mail and just leaving it in a pile, so I picked this up....

Hanging on the wall above new aqua basket...

So here is my running total for today's shopping experience

Lg Weave Green & Teal Baskets   $ 9.99 ea
Red Fruit Basket  $12.99
Composition Notebooks  $1 ea
Expanding File Folder $10.99
Clip-pad  $5.99

Again, it's not as cheap as buying from the Dollar spot, but I am very happy with the organization tools I got.  Tomorrow I go back to school.  Hopefully I will remember to take pictures of the classroom and whatever I use the green container for.  Stay tuned....

Operation Organize 2012

In response to my new fascination with organizing and this post from I heart organizing, I decided to attempt cleaning out my linen closet.  

So I didn't take pictures before.... 

but it looked something like this.  

• Sheets, pillows, towels all over the place....
• Random bottles and boxes
• Take away the plastic organizers, because I didn't have any of that

It was basically a "throw everything in there" closet. 

Check out this picture...

 Minus the cat, this is everything that was previously in my linen closet but now is not.  My favorite is the pumpkin basket.  It was full of just random stuff.  The Rogers & Hollands bag had old nail polish, etc.  The rest were just empty or half empty boxes that took up a lot of space.  

So basically, I found some cute square mini-containers in the dollar section at Target.  I took one of the containers and filled it with all the medicines (because of aforementioned blog article) to remake this....

Source

Basically, the article said that a medicine cabinet is not for medicine.  Medicines have to be stored at a certain temperature, and for those of us that like hot showers and baths, the bathroom typically gets too hot for the medicine.  So what Jen from I heart Organizing did was combine them into this tin and put them on the top shelf of a cabinet.  You will see that I sort of did something similar with the aqua cube organizers I got from Target.

So here are some pictures from the after product....

A few things I did:
1. There is a bag full of plastic bags that you can kind of see sitting at the bottom of my closet.  There are probably 50 plastic bags in there.  Those were previously covering the bottom of my closet like confetti at New Year's Eve.  Now, I can actually see the bottom of my closet.
2. Notice aqua cube plastic containers from the Dollar Spot @ Target

 I took Toilet paper out of packaging and stacked them on the shelf to rid my mind of that ugly plastic wrapping. 

 I emptied the many boxes of band-aids and Day/Nyquil and put them in this white basket.  Just doing this, I was able to throw away 15 little boxes that were half empty.  I think this makes it more accessible as well! :D

  A better look at how I used the aqua cubes to organize other types of medicines and lotions. 

The towels and the sheets look less crazy because I went through the closet and donated old sheets and towels we never use.  My goal is to get some wicker baskets to put these into.

So it's a start.  I plan on organizing every bit of this apartment over the course of the year.  I plan on using this declutter calendar to help in that process.  :D  It may not seem like much,  but I feel uber proud of myself!

Here are some pictures of cute things......

 cute cat

cute boy

Happy Blogging!

Home Organization

This winter break I have been obsessing over how to better organize my living space.  Pinterest has been a faithful friend in this endeavor.  While pinning away I stumbled on one of my new favorite blogs!  The blog is called I Heart Organizing and it is fabulous! 

She has really cute kids as well....I'm just in love with some of the ideas I've found.  I can't wait to start revamping!