The New Kid

For the second year in a row, I joined the ranks of the newbies on a teaching staff. I don't consider myself super shy or anything and often I actually really like attention :0), yet being the new kid on the block is always weird. I was actually not the only new person joining the staff, but I am the only new classroom teacher. The PE teacher is new and there is a new ELL teacher in addition to some other non-teacher staff members. We did a few ice breaker activities so that the newbies could "get to know" the staff, but remembering more than 30 new names after playing a simple game is hard! I have the second grade team down, so I will consider that a victory.

The principal is nice and all business. Well, not all business, but the woman knows how to stick to an agenda which I can appreciate. She mentioned that one of her professional goals this year is to do more observations, but very brief visits followed by brief conversations about instruction so that she can visit each classroom more frequently. I am all for having the principal drop in because I am happy to share what I am doing and I am never afraid to get feedback on my teaching/lessons.

After we did the in-service/get reacquainted thing, we met with our teams to review reading data and then we had the rest of the day to work in our rooms. My room is looking pretty ready. I started to label a few things, but I want to at least wait until after our Back to School night this Wednesday to really put the finishing touches on because my classes may change and I may find out that certain kids have nicknames. Speaking of my classes, I now have 21 in my AM session and 22 in my PM session. The boy/girl ratios are really funky. There are 13 boys/8 girls in one group and then 14 girls/8 boys in the other group (or something close to that). I am not too sure how that is going to work out, but I know that many families request to have either the AM or PM session (whichever works best with their schedule) so they are having a tough time honoring those requests and keeping the classes even. I realize that I need to view my classes as separate entities and I may need to be more active in the afternoon versus the morning or I may need to structure activities differently when I have more boys versus more girls. It will be interesting to meet them on Wednesday and see what they are like! My teaching partner said I have some cuties and she mentioned a few "pistols."

Now, for some pictures!!

I added the color words to my rainbow train

I changed up my instructional wall a bit to include the stuff from the new math adoption. I had fish number cards 1-30 along the bottom before, but we are supposed to have the 120 chart and the "number parade" for our daily math routine. I actually really liked the daily practice routine we were taught during training and I think it will be great! The flip chart on the little table is also for the new math adoption.

The 120 chart uses a different approach than most number charts because 1) it goes to 120 so kids know how to transition beyond 100 (the trainer said kids tend to go from 100 to 200) and 2) the numbers go vertically instead of horizontally. Even though we are using this in Kinder to practice counting, it is building the foundation for place value because we make vertical tens.

I found some good things in my storage unit, like these plastic drawers, that add some extra storage. I am not using all of my teaching materials from first grade so I am trying not to unpack everything since it will just take up space. I am trying to keep my stuff really organized so I have some extra math supplies, stuffed animals, and stickers in these drawers.

I doubt my desk will ever be this clean once school starts! I set up the computer that was already in the room, but apparently we are all getting new laptops this week. Exciting, yet I wish those funds could be spent on teachers or full day Kindergarten...I know they come from different budgets, but still....

Tomorrow I am going to work on my attendance chart and my station labels. I decided to change my idea about having the kids put shells and starfish in buckets for attendance so it will look a bit different than I originally planned. Stay tuned for more pics!

Getting it Done

Another productive day in the classroom!

Take a look...

My masterpiece of the day. The idea is that as we learn about the colors, the children will find/bring in small items in various colors and place them in the bags. Then I will tape/staple them to the train car of the matching color. I want to write a little poem or something to explain that and post it above. I am also going to add the color words of course. I got this idea from Jessica Meacham's page, but I made it myself.

We put up the letter/picture cards for the phonics program and the number cards along the bottom.

I am still trying to figure out where I want the rest of the stuff on the big wall and I have to get my calendar supplies out of storage. I don't want to have this wall be too busy so I have to think some more about placement. I also have a little easel that I will bring out and use for instruction as well when I really need the kiddos to focus on one particular thing.

Since I don't have a bulletin board outside my room (they are designated for student work instead of a welcome to the class type board), I decided to just add the swimsuits as decoration. Originally I was going to write the students' names on them, but I decided against it. I think they look cute just as a little additional decoration above the main wall.

I added another set of alphabet cards on the cabinets near the "house" area. I figure the kids can never have enough exposure to the letters!

The room doesn't look that different, but a few more things are checked off the list.

Speaking of lists, I got my preliminary class lists today. They are interesting. I only have 14 kids in the PM class (so far) and there are 3 boys and 11 girls. Weird, right? The AM class has 18  kiddos (10 boys, 8 girls). I am fairly certain the classes will change between now and the first day and that most likely both classes will be larger, yet right now they seem unbalanced in a few ways. A few more boys should definitely be added to the PM class. I have a mixture of kids classified as both Hispanic and non-Hispanic, but that is the extent of the diversity in my classes. The morning class has a much larger percentage of non-Hispanic children than the afternoon class. I don't really care how the classes are made up or who I teach and when, but I do know that the morning session is preferable and I question why I have twice the number of Hispanic children in the afternoon class. It may be nothing, but it seems odd to me. That also leaves me with very few kiddos when children leave for English Language Development. That could be quite nice, but it just seems unbalanced between the AM and PM sessions.

I won't be working in the classroom tomorrow, but I am meeting a few friends to walk in the morning and I am going to take them in and show them my space. They are both teachers in the same district that I went through my master's program with.

P.S. I just got an email from a rep at Oriental Trading who quoted my recent post where I mentioned that I was disappointed in some of the items that I purchased there and encouraged me to provide some feedback because customer satisfaction is important to them. One the one hand, I was thinking...that's creepy and totally random...how did they come across my post..yet, they sure are on top of their customer service if one of their reps is actively seeking out websites/blogs that mention their products and takes the initiative to contact customers who are not satisfied. I feel bad now like I hurt Oriental Trading's feelings! I will say that some of the things I ordered from there are great.

The balloon lanterns are absolutely adorable and I think they are one of the cutest decorations in the entire classroom. I have not yet figured out how to assemble the beach ball lights, but they look pretty cute as well.

The took a risk on the stampers I got because some of the reviews were iffy, but I was happy with the size, bright colors, and easy to grasp handles on the stampers. I will see how they hold up once the kids start using them, but so far I am happy. Now that I was contacted, I feel like I should return what I was not happy with or at least provide feedback rather than just saying something negative on my blog space. Although, it is my blog and I can say what I want. hehe. But seriously, go OT for being interested in customer satisfaction. Bonus points have been awarded!

Have you ever been randomly contacted through your blog?

Another Bag of Loot

I started out the day with a nice run through a local park with Jill and then we enjoyed some coffee and a trip to Lakeshore.

I heart Lakeshore.

I could spend my entire teacher salary there in a heartbeat and I definitely found some great things today! I am officially over my allotted spending money from my district, but I am okay with that. I appreciate every penny that doesn't come from my personal funds, but I recognize that teachers do end up spending a lot of their money on materials for the kids and the classroom.

These will be great for literacy stations!

I printed a smaller version of these, but purchased the big ones for name tags on the tables. Since I printed on regular paper, even after laminating, the small ones were too thin. I don't think the kiddos will be able to grasp them to move for the attendance daily check in. I want to try reprinting on card stock if my printer will take it.

SO excited about this Letter of the Day chart and accessories. We will do a letter of the week, so this is a great way to get extra exposure to words that start with the letter, how to write the letter etc. I think this will be prominently displayed on my huge blue wall.

I'm not sure where I want to hang these number cards yet, but I love how they go with the beachy theme and include the numeral, written word, picture, and tally marks for each number!

I adore all of the "Kid Drawn" items and I was excited to come across these nursery rhyme posters. I definitely want to incorporate rhymes into our day and these will be great!

I already have alphabet cards that go along with the Fast Track Phonics program that I will be teaching, but these were too cute to pass on and it's always good to have the alphabet posted in more than one location.

I wasn't planning to go work at school today, but I was so excited about my purchases that Jill and I decided to head over and get some stuff done. Unfortunately, I set off the school's alarm! How awful! I was told when the principal and secretary left on Friday afternoon that the alarm was not on and that I could swipe my badge to gain access. Unfortunately, the badge was not linked correctly to my new school and when I tried my key, it worked, but that set the alarm off. Luckily, the number for the alarm company is printed right on the badge, but they were not too helpful. They told me they could not shut the alarm off and I would have to call my administrator or someone in maintenance, yet I did not have any of those contact numbers. The guy told me would try to call the head of maintenance and would call me right back. After waiting 30 minutes without anyone coming or anyone calling, we decided to just leave, but by that time the alarm had gone off.  So, I didn't get to do any work and I am so embarrassed! When I got home I emailed the principal and she was understanding, but that is not exactly the impression I wanted to make! We were always allowed into my other building on the weekends and our ID badge gave us access. We only had to swipe once to turn the alarm off and then swipe once again upon leaving to turn it on again. I guess each school is different!

So, Jill and I are going back in tomorrow to put in a full day and hopefully we can finish the rest of the projects on my list. I've got some laminating to do, some letters to hang, a train to make, a number line to find a home for and lots more! Hopefully the alarm incident will not be the running joke of the school because I really don't want to be "that person." I realized that because of all the budget issues, I will be the only new teacher at my school this year. Both last year when I joined the international school and my first year of teaching I had other new teachers to bond with. Hopefully it will be okay!

So excited to continue arranging, organizing, and creating in my home away from home tomorrow!! Stay tuned for more pictures :0)

Finally!

I finally spent a good amount of time in my classroom today with the help of my good friend Jill (thanks Jill, you rock!) and I am very pleased with how it looks so far. I still have lots to do, but I am feeling much better than I was when I first saw the room. Yes, it's big and there is a lot of empty wall space that needs to look inviting for the little kiddos who are getting their first taste of school, but it now looks pretty fun and inviting! If I were 5, I would feel right at home! The beach theme is not totally evident everywhere you look. In fact, if you didn't know that I intended to have a beach theme, you might not even catch it, but there are cute little touches here and there that give it a little pizazz! I don't think my room looks like the other Kinder rooms, but I am really happy with what I have chosen to do and I know I will feel happy and at home in my space. A classroom is a home away from home--in fact, we spend more time in our classrooms each day than we do in our homes--so it needs to feel just right!

What we did today:

• retrieved all my teaching stuff from our storage unit
• rearranged furniture to create distinct areas
• put up paper and borders for main focus wall/calendar wall and word wall
• hung balloon lanterns and beach banner
• laminated
• sorted through all the stuff that was left in the room and organized it

Some photos:

I didn't think all the stuff was going to fit in my new Yaris, but it did!

This will be the whole group instruction area. Obviously there will be some learning aids on the blue paper, but we didn't get that far today..I am thinking of dividing the large wall into a few different sections for Fast Track Phonics, Calendar, and my attendance check in pails. 

Word Wall

Close up of the pops

Storage shelves to the right of the carpet area. The rainbow buckets are empty still, but I just set them out to see how it looks. There is so much room to store things, I can't possibly fill it all up! We have TVs to go along with our Fast Track Phonics program because there is a video element.

Free choice/Play area. There are shelves on both sides of this mat with bins of materials the kids can use during choice time. I am not planning on too much choice time, but kids may get 10 minutes while I work with another small group on literacy activities and then they will switch.

I put away the containers that were in the room and sorted through the materials, getting rid of stuff I don't want. I want the kids to be able to have smaller quantities of materials to take out and to understand that they can use one box at a time. I will label both sides with a picture of what kind of material is inside. I prefer to have everything look uniform rather than in all different containers that are old and gross looking.

Kitchen area. This is on the other side of the alphabet puzzle carpet. I want to use a lot of labeling in this area and environmental print by including empty food containers/boxes. Again, they won't have a ton of time to play here, but it will be a choice when I am rotating groups and kiddos are not working with me. 

View from the alphabet puzzle mat.

I still want to make a large train that goes all along the wall to the right of where I was standing when I took this photo (ala Jessica Meacham's idea to go along with the book Freight Train), but we worked all day and just couldn't get to everything. I am really excited to get that done and I think it will be super cute. I just wish I had an overhead so I didn't have to free draw the train. I found some great pictures online that I want to copy and hopefully that will be a success.

Still to come:

• Focus Wall/Calendar setup
• Welcome to Kindergarten banner above whiteboard
• Rainbow Train
• Attendance beach pails with starfish and shells
• Figure out beach ball lanterns (another sketchy item from Oriental Trading, yet the order was worth it just for the balloon lanterns which I LOVE)
• Purchase a pocket chart for my daily schedule cards
• Come Hang With Us in Kindergarten bulletin board with bathing suits and swim trunks
• Get some type of stand for big books
• Convince someone to give me a kidney table to replace my round table
• And then there's trying to figure out how to teach Kindergartners as well!!!

And now, I am heading to my bed to watch Project Runway--if I don't fall asleep!

boxes of disappointment

Today I got my boxes from Oriental Trading and Amazon. I have to say, I am a little underwhelmed with the stuff from OT. Items that looked big and plentiful in their website photos come in very small packages and are a lot smaller than I imagined. I got a package of magnetic letters that cost $8.99 and there are not a lot of letters at all! I also got some foam letter beads that looked like they would be the size of quarters and they are closer to the size of very small buttons. And, I got glitter sticker letters that said they were a certain size and either they sent the wrong item or I messed up in ordering because they are really small as well. I thought there would be a lot more of those too, but no such luck! I recall seeing buckets of letters at stores like Michaels that come with LOTS of letters but these just don't seem to cut it.

I have to look up their return policy because I feel like I may have wasted some money which is not cool. I am at least happy that the beachy stuff I ordered came today because tomorrow Jill and I are heading to my storage unit first thing to pick up my boxes and then we are spending the day in my classroom and getting stuff done! I am excited to start making some progress in there.

I got some plastic shoe box size storage boxes today and I am hoping to put some materials like small blocks, shapes, and other items for play time in them so that I can have a shelf dedicated to things the kids can use during their free play time. I will probably store math manipulatives somewhere else (although I found out the district adopted a new math program but did not purchase the hands on manipulative!!!!! why???). I am thinking of putting one of my shelves in front of the foam alphabet mat to create a free play area. I would like to have some small group time during which some kids will have 10 minutes of play time while others work with me and then switch out the groups.

Hopefully tomorrow I will have some good pictures to post so stay tuned!!