Back to School Checklist (Packet)

In another effort to get ready for the school year, I made a back to school checklist. I came up with 5 categories: classroom set-up, classroom procedures, supplies, in-service week and first week of school activities and ice-breakers.

The classroom set-up and procedures sections allows you to plan how you want to run your classroom. You will need to take into consideration your class subject, class size and teaching style. I have also included supplies that I find useful when organizing my class at the beginning or the year.

In order to establish high expectations and routines, it is important to have everything ready for students before the first day of school. Label all bins, crates and folders. Double check that you know where all your supplies are in your class.

Let a nearby teacher know where you keep important files, especially your substitute folder and lesson plans. Download your back to school checklist here:            

Back to School Checklist (Packet)         

Getting Ready for School in the Summer

I know it's still summer, but the first day of school is close, really close!There are a few things I have been doing to get myself ready- organizationally and mentally.Since organizing is easier, lets start there.I always try to bargain shop when looking for ways to keep my classroom organized. An organized classroom makes for a much, MUCH smoother year. So my first stop was Wal-Mart. Most stores start setting up for back to school in June so it was a breeze to find almost everything I needed in the back to school section. Now I don't normally shop at Wal-Mart because it always seems to be so crowded that I get discouraged and end up leaving empty handed. This time around I went with a very clear list in hand and a buddy (read: my mom). We went late one Thursday, divided and conquered. Notebooks that cost a dollar at Five Below were 17 cents at Wal-Mart. Now I know I probably don't need to advertise for them, since most people know it is cheaper than most other stores. However, if you are at all like me, you need a little push. It is worth the crowds and the lines at check-out. Some other places I visited that were worth the hassle? were Costco, Five Below and the Dollar Tree. Amazon is also good, especially when the thought of going to any of the above, just seems impossible.

Some items I bought (not a complete list):

Crates- in lots of colors & sizes 

Folders

Notebooks

Ribbon

Binders

Crayons

White-out

Scrapbook paper

Glue

Erasers

Hand sanitizer

Large Calculator

Bins

Construction paper

Dividers

Sheet protectors

Record Book

Printer paper- white, colored

Hanging pocket folder for files

Manila Folders

I know from past years that this would be a really good start as far as supplies go.
I made another list of tasks I could start on right away. 

This list included:
Substitute Folder
Teacher Binder
Labels for Student Crates
All About Your Teacher Big Book

I will go through each of these topics in other entries since each of those items have several parts. It's never too early to start planning. I'm hoping that by the time we go back for our professional week, I will have gotten a good start on the year.