Five for Friday

I'm going to join in on the 5 for Friday fun for the first time. On Saturday....better late than never! :)

1.  I'm loving all the linky parties all you blogging teachers are offering.  They have really helped me to connect with some fantastic bloggers which always provides me with FANTASTIC ideas for my own classroom.

2.  Lemonade to Lemons
I LOVE to watch Modern Family while I'm doing all of my random school work.  It's just enough of a story line to keep me a little bit interesting, but it's also the type of show that you don't have to keep your eyes on the screen to know what's going on.  One of the episodes I was "watching" on Hulu ended with the oh so funny "Phil"osphy that had me laughing out loud....

Oh how I needed to hear that on that particular day because....

3. No Set Up for You

My school is short on custodians this summer thanks to the ever continuous budget cuts.  Therefore, our rooms are not ready to go into yet.  We still have a whole week of summer left, but I'm of the crazy breed that likes to go in early and get things all set up.  Sooooooo I need to hear Phils words of wisdom and pretty much suck it up.  It is what it is and everything will get done in due time. (My hyper organization side is still throwing a little temper tantrum though.)

4.  Making Lemons

Instead of spending my time at school (LAME!) I went to the $12 sushi buffet and on a mini shopping spree with my teacher buds.  Oh how I LOVE having teacher friends.  People who actually understand when you HAVE to buy 6 (never 5) of the cute little $1 bins at Michael's.  These bins are good for sooooooooo many things. I especially use mine to put my dry erase markers in and it sits perfectly on the ledge on the board.  I also have a few for lunch count.  I use popsicle sticks with the kid's names on them then they put them in the designated lunch choice.  I'm a big fan of anything that hides clutter.

5. Summer's end...

I have one more week of summer left and I am finally staying up late and sleeping in.  Staying up till 3 am!  What!!!!  I never even did that in college.  Well maybe every once in a while.  Hope I can get back on schedule before school officially starts.  If not...oh well!!! YOLO!!!

PBIS Stars

We are a PBIS school as many of you are also.  Our classroom rules follow our school rules, which can be modified to fit each teacher’s needs.  Today as I’m going through my files making another file for things I will need to print and copy for that first week of school I came upon my rules contract.

Each year I talk with the students about classroom expectations and allow them to “create” the rules.  “Magically” we always end up with the same set of rules.  Our school rules are very simple and go along with our school mascot (more like a school icon) the Linton Springs Star.

S – Be Safe

T – Take Responsibility

A – Active Learning (I like to add active listening to this as well)

R – Respect

After creating our rules, students take home a student behavior contract sharing what we agreed upon as a class.  You can download a free copy of my letter at my Teachers Pay Teachers store.  Just click below.

SIDE NOTE:  This year I added the whole brain classroom rules.  I'm learning alllll about whole brain and can't wait to try it out in the classroom.

With PBIS the idea is to focus on the positive behaviors.  So when Susie Q is sitting criss cross with eyes on me I will say …  “Susie you’re doing a great job listening.  Please go get a STARbuck.”

STARbucks are our school wide tickets. 

Students simply write their name on the front or back of their STARbuck then place in their teacher’s bucket.  The tickets collect throughout the week when we do our weekly drawings.  Each teacher draws a STARbuck from their stash making that child the classroom winner of the week. Wahoooo!!! This means different things in different classrooms.  In my classroom it means that you will earn bonus tickets for our ticket exchange.  I’ll share more about this tomorrow.

The winning STARbucks are sent to the team level PBIS rep who will “draw” a grade level winner.  Grade level winners go to the media center to have a group picture taken to hang on the “Wall of Fame”.  We have a winner picture every week thanks to the reminders from our media specialist.  She’s the best!  The kids LOVE  to see their picture hanging in the hallway and on our weekly TV show.

It is quite the system and it’s taken us a few years to get it to this point.  It feels like a well oiled machine at this point.  The kids are so excited to win a STARbuck.  It’s something that they get to share with their parents so that hopefully, positive behaviors are shared more often than negative behaviors.

Does your school use PBIS?

What is the kids favorite part?

Prep Through Prayer

Summer mornings are the best! I can wake up when I want and sit in my PJ's as long as I want!  I even have time to read some of the blogs that I've been following.  

As I’ve been blog hopping this morning I came across one that I thought I should share.  My new friend Cait from Always Sunny in a Windowless Classroom shared a link about praying for your child’s teacher.

With all of the planning and creating and printing and laminating I’ve left out the most important part of the prep work…praying.  Lord knows that I don’t make a difference on my own accord but only by the grace of God. 

On my own I’m a scatter-brained worrier.  By the grace of God I’m an organized collected teacher.

On my own I lose patience at the drop of a hat.  By the grace of God I smile and nod and a lot of times even laugh at the shinnanigans these littles pull.

On my own I can do most things.  Through God I can do all things.

I am positively going to need to have God’s strength when I’m figuring out the CCSS, Number Talks, and switching my brain from ELA to STEM.

Pray for your child’s teachers.  We need it now more than ever.

August Currently

Listening

I’m here with my bestie since 8^th grade (Regina).  We’ve both promised to try to keep our blogs up to date this go around.  She always does much better than I.  After publically challenging her last week she’s blogged every day.  I’ve blogged twice (womp womp womp).

Loving

SUMMER NAPS are the sweet spot of summer.  Along with the pool, reading the books that I want to read, staying up late and getting up late, and how could I forget…the lowest stress levels of the year.

Thinking

My little sister got married a few years ago and ever since they’ve been planning, saving, and working on their brand spankin’ new house.  I am soooooo proud of her and happy that we have a new little hang out spot.  That is until she goes back to nursing school in the fall.

Wanting

See “loving” for further explanation.

Needing

I need a whole extra month to get my life together before school starts.  I’ll be moving to a new grade (2^nd) and a new content in the fall (STEM).  I am beyond excited for this.  I’ve giggled to myself several times about how I will no longer have to report letter grades or give the oh so lovely state assessment.  Yippeeeeee!  Since I’ve been taking the summer to do what I want to do (brilliant idea!!!!) I haven’t even began to think about school and all that I will need for my new 2^nd Grade STEM classroom. So pretty pretty please can I have just one more month!?!?!

B2s must haves

I totally agree with Farly here.  B2s not B2S.  You’ll have to read her Currently to understand.

Flair pens - DUH! Only the best things in the world to write with!!!! So many colors to choose from.

Tooth Graphing Chart – Ok so it’s not something that is necessary for 2^nd but I think it would be so much fun AND graphing is a part of CCSS sooooo yes! It is totally necessary. Now where to find a cute one?!?!?

Zebra Print Number Line – Sarah Glover from Mrs. Glover’s class made this super cute and reasonably priced Zebra Print number line.  Of course I need a number line for my math classroom.  ELA didn’t really warrant a number line so when I switched to ELA 4 years ago, I gave away my number line knowing that I would prefer something cuter by the time I switch back.  Boy was I right and Sarah has just the right thing in her TpT store.  Luck me!!! And you too! I’m telling you it’s adorable!

Just another crafty Sunday...

…or really the first one since about high school.  I’ve decided to start making some of the things that I’ve pinned on Pinterest for my classroom.  The project I started with today was found on Miss Kindergarten’s blog spot.  I LOOOOOVE her DIY “Where are we?” board, and it is just what I need to save our secretaries from running all around the school to find me and my kiddos.  So here is my version…

Thanks to my dad for cutting a scrap piece of I don’t even know what kind of board for the sturdy base.  (Dad’s are the best aren’t they!)I used ribbon to smooth the not so smooth edges.  I will add my places cards when I can figure out how to share my googledocs folder.

Using the handy paper bag trick for painting the clothes pin, I went ahead and painted 10 more for my “All About Me” board.  Yet another amazing Pintrest trick (hot glueing a thumb tack to the back of the clothes pin) these will save me sooooo much time and annoyance with an at times noncompliant stapler.  I’m so excited to use my new crafty crafts.

Tomorrow will be my first day in the classroom.  I already feel behind.  Only 2 more stressless summer Sunday nights.  YIKES!!!!

 ~Adelle

Back to WHAT!?!?!

As I've been reading some of my favorite blogs I've learned that I'm one of the lucky ones who still has a few more weeks of summer left. Yesssss!!!

This is a very good thing because also, unlike others, I have not been motivated to create new materials. Or even look at any of my first week of school files.   I had lunch with my teacher friends today and one of them suggested meeting at school this week to start unpacking and decorating our classrooms.  All I could think is, "Ugh! Really!"  I would much more prefer to root on Team USA from my couch all day long.   (Not that I've done that or plan on doing that anytime soon. ::wink wink::  I can’t get enough of beach volleyball.)

The only time I begin thinking about my classroom is to escape thinking about packing.  When your apartment looks like this...

...all I want to do is procrastinate. This makes the perfect time for Pinning and the Olympics. Right!?!?

I did get a little back to school spark while at Target today when I found a million little things I just HAD to have from the dollar bins. One of my new additions this year will be my star student chair cap. Sooooo cute! I hope the kiddos are as pumped about them as I am. Unlikely, but it's the little things that bring a spark to the day.

Alright. I'm off to watch some more Olympics. I hope race walking is on.