Archives for July 2012

Better Late Than Never!

July 22, 2012 by Sarah Plum(itallo) 9 Comments

I finally finished putting together my planner pack for 2012-2013! This project started out as just a personal project, but then I realized that it might be useful to other teachers, and so I kept going!

While I love my rainbow theme, I also know that it’s a bit ink heavy — which is why I ended up doing a blackline version of the planner pack to be printed on bright paper (this is what delayed it a bit).

I’ve already printed it out and set it up in my organizer for the year, and I am so so pleased with it! I’m a wee-bit of a post-it note hoarder, so this agenda (which is laminated for durability) is going to be very useful for me this year!

I’ve already started adding things to my August calendar because August is less than two weeks away! I cannot believe how quickly this summer has gone by, and really need to kick it into high gear because my to-do list keeps growing! I have my orientation on the second of August, and then my first day of new teacher orientation is August 22nd. (I just realized that’s a month from today. Wow.)

Despite how overwhelming my to-do list is, I couldn’t be more excited to see everything coming together. I worked so hard for so long to make this (my own classroom) a reality, that the late nights and sleepy eyes when my little guy is calling “Mommmmmmmmmmyyyyyyyy!” in the morning is just another part of this joyful process.

While I’ve listed this planner pack in my TPT store (it’s only $3.00!), it is the much-promised freebie for all of those that entered my giveaway! ~~I’m going to go-through the Rafflecopter entries tonight and tomorrow and e-mail it out in batches.~~ Check your e-mail if you entered the giveaway — I have officially sent them all out! I hope that it will be useful to those of you that entered!

Sometimes There’s Just Nothing to Say

July 20, 2012 by Sarah Plum(itallo) 4 Comments

I was up late last night working, since our days have been consumed by potty-training our little guy, and as I laid down in bed to go to sleep, I checked my “Breaking News” app as I always do — just one last time. It was then that the news about the mass shooting in Aurora, Colorado broke, and I just laid there, horrified.

Needless to say, I didn’t even take a brief nap until about 7:30 this morning. I’ve been glued to the coverage. I’m not sure why — I don’t live in Colorado or have any family in Colorado. It’s just one of those things that touches you beyond belief and shakes you to your core.

I’ll be back tomorrow with the promised freebie for giveaway entrants, and some progress updates. For now, I hug my husband and my little guy a little tighter and send positive and healing thoughts to the Aurora community and all of those touched by this unspeakable tragedy.

The Post With the Most Bullet Points

July 20, 2012 by Sarah Plum(itallo) 1 Comment

I need to buy stock in:

printer ink
lamination pouches
cardstock
and raisinets (seriously, why are they so delicious?!)

I’ve been a busy-bee around these parts! I’m juggling about a dozen different projects all at once, including one that will be the freebie for all of those that entered my giveaway, as well as my Monday Made It for next week (what? you know you’re doing it too!).

Some of the decor-related items I’m working on:

cutting out all of the laminated bulletin board trim (It is taking f-o-r-e-v-e-r!)
mock-ups of bulletin boards (I’m using my empty classroom photos + photoshop!)
nameplates, labels, and other misc. organizational items

Some of the curriculum/management-related items I’m working on:

my teacher organizer (I opted to make my own, even though I *really* wanted an Erin Condren planner!)
long-rage thematic calendar (Themes! Oh, the themes!)
first day of school activities (I’m already nervous!)
classroom procedures + implementation w/modeling
positive behavior rewards
rough-planning of the first three weeks

Some of the books/websites I’m wading through:

Daily Five
CAFE
The Next Step in Guided Reading
Whole Brain Teaching

Whew. I’m totally beat just listing all of that! I’ve totally been neglecting Pinterest too, so I have to catch-up on all of my pinning and figure out what my next project is going to be!

I do have a few areas where I could use some support and advice, so:

If anyone could share some good morning meeting resources, or talk about their experience with morning meeting, I would love that! Same goes for experiences with whole brain teaching and how you began implementing that in your classroom!

I’ll leave you with the graduation portrait that just came in of Mr. Plum and I! This was taken within a minute after we were handed our (empty) diplomas; I’m still a bit in shock this moment happened!

Did you win?

July 17, 2012 by Sarah Plum(itallo) 3 Comments

Many thanks to everyone that entered, followed my FB page/TPT store/Twitter account — the feedback from all of you has been so amazing that I’m cooking up an exclusive freebie for all of those that entered (that will end up as a paid item on my TPT store). I hope to have it finished by the end of the week, so check your inboxes!

As for these lovely women:

Brooke from Teachable Moments
Lynn from Inside the Book
Tammy from Mrs. Flickinger’s Butterfly Oasis
Lisa from Spectacular Adventures in 2nd Grade
Chantelle from The Teaching Bug

Check your inboxes (registered to your FB/Rafflecopter account) for an e-mail from me asking for your preferred method of delivery for all current and future paid items in my TPT store! Congratulations, and I hope you will be able to make use of all of my products!

It’s Monday (So Of Course I Made It)

July 16, 2012 by Sarah Plum(itallo) 39 Comments

… and I’ve been dying all weekend to show you. Really. I’ve been working on these off and on since I decided on my classroom theme. They’ve gone through a few different iterations, but I’m settled. Finally.

When I chose the Wizard of Oz as my theme, I did so because I felt like I could really use it to my advantage when it comes to classroom management — and starting off the year. I plan to read (an appropriate version of) the book to my kiddos on day one, and do some community-building and foundational activities surrounding it.

So, then, the first thing I have to do is decide what I want my kiddos to focus on. In Room 108, what are the most important things? This was the answer:

I want my students to embody the journey through Oz — I want them to use their hearts, their brains, and their courage each and every day, and I want them to do it together.

While I’m still working on more in-depth “first week” activities, I did fashion-up the anchor charts to go along with these “rules to live by” and vision statements. I’m going to project the color version on my SmartBoard to discuss and write about as a class, and distribute a reproducible version to each table group to complete together prior to our whole-group discussion.

Because I want these “rules to live by” to really stick with my students throughout the year, I also made some bookmarks that they can utilize during Daily 5 or at home, and plan on making sticker versions that they can put on their journals or whatever my team ends up utilizing.

If you think you could utilize my Oz-Inspired “Rules to Live By” in your classroom, head on over to my TPT store (or click the preview below) — it’s on sale for $2.50 until I remember to put it back to non-sale price sometime on Wednesday!

And don’t forget to enter my giveaway — it ends tonight, a minute after midnight! If you win (remember, FIVE winners!!!), you’ll not only get my Oz-Inspired Binder Set and “Rules to Live By,” but ALL future products in my TPT store! I’m excited to find out who I’ll be e-mailing attachments to until the end of my teaching career (and then some)!