Flash Mob 2011

So... I guess I can cross "be in a flash mob" off of my bucket list! (Except I don't have a bucket list... but if I ever make one, I'll write that on there simply so I can cross it off...)

About 40 of us from the district were asked to secretly be a part of a flash mob on our first day of reporting back to work this past week. We always meet for breakfast before the Convocation and speaker begin, and our mob was the segue from breakfast into the auditorium! Check out the following pics of myself and a few co-workers. Some are blurry - but we were a movin'! :)

(I apologize in advance for the AWFUL face I'm making in the last picture - it was snapped in the middle of my, "Come on, guys, get moving already!" face... oops!!)

We were the first group to start the mob... no one really noticed yet!

Starting to get the idea here... all the dancers were forming a circle around the room.

Finally - jackets OFF! It was darn hot in there!

We moved our way to the middle of the room and now faced out towards everyone else.

Check out our shirts! It says MOB: Making Ourselves Better. This was the theme of all of the speakers in the best Convocation I've ever attended. It ended with our football coach coming out as Tina Turner singing "Simply the Best!" with 3 of our Board Office ladies in neon wigs as his backup dancers! HI-LAR-IOUS!

How did your district kick off the year??

First Day Read Aloud

Tomorrow night I meet my kiddos and parents... and we begin class on Tuesday! Ahh!! So much left to do, so little time to do it... just breathe, just breathe... :-)

Every year I read Mrs. Watson Wants Your Teeth by Allison McGhee on the first day of school. It's a great story for the kiddos who are nervous about first grade!

Click the book to visit The Clever School Teacher site to purchase! :)

Here is a listener's response sheet I'll use this year to get their creativity going... along with being our first paper for Our Best wall! The kids will write my name in the blank on the bottom. Use if you choose... just lemme know you liked it :)

Mrs. Watson Wants Your Teeth

Click the pic to find some more great back-to-school read alouds!!

I'm moving to Alaska.

Ok, not really. But after these temps today here in Kansas City, I want to!! :)

Due to these Ca-RAZY high temps, our school's AC wasn't at it's best... so for the 3 or so hours I was there, I was sweating up a storm, and it was out of control!! To top it all off, I don't have a ton finished in my room, so I'm kind of stressing. Don't believe me? Check it out:


Here's looking to the right when you walk in the door. Check out the BOXES on the table yet to be unpacked!! The red paper will hold my new calendar area, and above that will be our student work frames.

 

Turn a little to the left, and you see stacks of stuff and a shelf FULL of junk!

Here you see the bones of my new interactive word wall! The black paper will soon be bordered and covered with colorful pages, one for each letter! The rug will be leaving that area and will be replaced by my small group table.



Here we have my new "Be In Control" area... I've had the posters, but made it cuter with yellow paper! Also, I'll need to put my new StoryTown sound/spelling cards up above my whiteboard.



Here is the view to the left when you enter my door. My cubbies will be moving, and that black area will be bordered and turn into my new Focus Wall!

So, you see?!? Lots of work to do still before August 15th for Meet the Teacher night... at least I have lots of time still to get it perfect! Thanks to you guys, I am insipired to do it better than EVER this year!

Another Sports Freebie Printable!

I saw this great idea/poem on Pinterest the other night, and I knew I had to make one to fit our school's sports theme for this year! 

Use if you choose... just leave me some love if you choose! :-)

Welome to Our Team!
{Baseball kids from Scrappin' Doodles}
{Background paper from Just So Scrappy}

I've Been B-U-S-Y!!

Here's a quick rundown of my past couple of days... I know you all will appreciate my "hard work"!! :)

First - after checking out Little Priorities' post, I knew I had to make my own personalized binder. Check out the cuteness that is on it's way to me!! Click on the picture to get started on your own... a bit pricey, yes, but you can't beat a planner that just SCREAMS you!!

Today, I woke up with my hubby while he was getting ready for work. I decided to just stay up and get to cleanin'! In a matter of 3 hours, I had dusted, swept, mopped, vacuumed, and cleaned our 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, living room, kitchen, dining room, stairs, and family room! Whew! Why do 2 people need so much space, again...???

After a much deserved rest and free cupcake from a local bakery, I hit up Office Depot for some Teacher Appreciation Week deals at 20% off! (Sign up for a teacher rewards card while you're there for the 20% discount.) I didn't buy too many fabulous things, but here are some highlights:

A pencil pouch, but in pretty purple, to go in my new binder! You know that when you have your collab meetings and whatnot, you're always needing a post-it or someone needs a pen :)

 

Basic and Neon colored Poster Markers!! Yay for pretty, bold, thick markers!

A new USB drive to store all of my TpT purchases, fonts, and cute graphics!!

A pack of colorful pens... just because :)

So... what did you do today? Anything fun??

Don't forget that all my TpT stuff is 20% off, and if you type in the code B1T1S at checkout, you'll get an additional 10% off!!

Back to School Sale!

Random Freebie Downloads

So, while I'm recovering from a long day of antique shopping yesterday, followed by a store chock-full of Fiesta Ware dishes (I was in HEAVEN!) and a wonderful game night with the family... here are some easy downloads for you guys as you prepare to head back to school!

Let me know if you choose to use them, and become a follower while you're at it! :-)

Here's what I'm going to be using to grace the cover of  my missed work folders this year: Simply glue onthe front of a folder, laminate, and fill with all the activities your students miss while absent! I've seen this floating around a few blogs and decided to make one of my own to fit my room:
We Missed You Folder


Another wonderful idea I've seen out there is making motivational privacy folders! This has been on my To Do list since May, but I kept forgetting to type up what I want on everyone's folders. Here are the sheets I'll cut up and glue onto the folders... use if you choose! (Here is my inspiration and a pic of how the final product can/should look! Thanks Natalie for a great idea!)

I will put their names on the cover page and glue that sheet on what will be the outside of the privacy folder when it's compiled. I'll copy the phrases on colored paper and glue them on the inside, as well as the stars and squiggles, just to give it some flair! :)

Motivational Privacy Folder
{Graphics from Just So Scrappy}