Its that time again...

The school year begins in less than 48 hours, and I feel pretty good starting off this year.

Friday was "Meet the Teacher" night.  Here is how I set up my table of information while I spoke with my guests.

My welcome letter, supply list, parent questionnaire, and a bowl of mints with a poem I found on Pinterest.

I had quite a few student come to my classroom and I got the opportunity to meet with them and their parents and chat about my expectations for my students this coming year.  I had my information table all set up with the Cafeteria Menu, Parent Communitation sign in log, Welcome letter to the parents (a letter with clear expectations of the students in my classroom - asking the parents to read & talk w/their student to be clear of what I wan to see), my syllabus along with my colleague's syllabus, and a parent questionnaire.  I put a copy of my questionnaire under my Templates & Printables tab.  I also was greeted by many of my past students, both when I student taught in the 6th grade the year before & my kiddos from last year.  It was fun to see how much they had grown and changed over the summer.  You could see the apprehension in their eyes and uncertainty in their voices.  I just reminded them to breathe and enjoy this time.  Because this event took place I can finally exclaim my classroom is finally finished.  Here are some pictures of the final product.

                                                

My classroom from the outside.  My bulletin board includes all the names of the 6th grade students,

                                                                   

This is a closer look of my bulletin board.  The heading states "Welcome 6th Grade Math & Science Superstars!"

Here is the final result of the inside to my classroom...

This is the front of my classroom.  My tables are in an E shape, all the chair facing forward.  This allows the opportunity for Socratic style discussion.

This is the back of my classroom.  I kept my classroom library I accumulated last year through Scholastic book sales and various 2nd hand stores.  Some of my students last year donated some of their books to my collection.  Even though my content focus is Math & Science I will always encourage reading in my classroom.

This is my desk / office area.  I have my SmartBoard & DocCam on a work table next to me so if I need to pull couple of student for reinforcement, I can keep a ready eye on the rest of the class.  There have been a few colleagues tell me I need to come & set up/decorate their classroom for them as well.

So, with all this in place let the 2014-2015 school year begin.  My first days are filled with procedures & expectations.  Then on Tuesday of next week we have our first Benchmark test (the Pre-test) which will give us the baseline for skill leveling and student placement during our OCR/Math Intervention classes which take place the last 1 hr & 30 mins of the school day.  Its going to be a very eventful year and I am ready to go on this adventure full force.

Also, be sure to check out my Printables & Templates tab.  I added some great resources like the Engagement Wheel, Hess' Matrix, and Critical Thinking Skills which I plan on using in my classroom & I thought it might be beneficial to many of my teaching friends.

The best is yet to come....I will keep you all posted....

On a holding pattern...

Grrr...a week ago my computer went on the fritz & the hard drive crashed.  Luckily one of my past employers dealt in computer repair & I was able to get it repaired relatively quickly.  The tasking part was to re-install all my programs & goodies I already had set up from when it was running wonderfully.  I still don't think it is back to where it was, which is aggravating, but I soldier on because I have a school year curriculum to plan.
Now here is my dilemma, I had to take a temporary full-time job until my contract began & I have to report to school.  I enjoy my co-workers, but it doesn't give me any spare time to plan.  I was able to get a blueprint created for the first quarter, but where to go from there I am unsure.  I really need to collaborate with the other 6th grade teacher who is teaching Math & Science, because my intention is to integrate some cross-curriculum into my lessons.  I want my students to have the opportunity to be fully engaged and get the opportunity to learn almost every subject multiple ways every chance they get. In order to do this I would like to know the schedule my cooperating teacher will be using and what topic she is teaching and when.  So, needless to say I am in a holding pattern for now.

Right now I am trying to get some personal reading in, trying to focus on some YA books so I have a better understanding of the books I want to include in my classroom library.  Currently I am finishing City of Bones, it seems quite interesting, but I am wondering if it is appropriate for 6th graders...does anyone who is teaching 6th grade have any suggestions on some great books?  I am especially looking for input from those who have actually read the books as well.  I love knowing the story line and content so I can ask thinking questions to the students to help them gain a better understanding and appreciation of reading.  Is there anyone else out there that has the same feelings about reading the classroom library books as I do?  I would love to hear your thoughts, comments, & suggestions.  So, there it is the progression of my summer vacation.  Then to end the summer, my husband springs on me he wants to intern in a local museum for a couple of years to get experience so he can pursue his interest/desire as well as utilize his Bachelor's Degree.  Now I am scrambling to reformulate my budget so we can make this wish a reality.  I feel it is necessary since he whole heartily supported me while I sought my Master's degree so I can fulfill my dream of becoming a teacher.  Now, it is my turn to do the same for him.  Wish me luck!!