Shop Til You Drop!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends!  It was nice to take some time away from the computer, but now I’m back preparing for the big TpT sale!  

 

Not that I didn’t shop far too much over the holiday weekend already…definitely did that too.  In my family, it’s a tradition for the women – mom, sister, niece, aunt, cousins, and I – to do MAJOR Black Friday shopping.  We’re not so much out to spend money, but more to spend time together.  We visit a huge amount of stores, consume a huge amount of coffee and McDonald's breakfast items (it’s really the only time I eat that, I swear!), and laugh like crazy all day long.  It’s one of my FAVORITE days of the year, and it kicks off the Holiday season for me.  It's my official start to the Christmas music, the gift shopping, and the decorating!  This year, I only lasted about six hours, because we went overnight instead of actually on Friday morning.   I crashed into bed around 5 am, and the others kept going until 10:00!  Yikes!  I suppose I better come more prepared next year. J

Anyway, I’m sure you know by now that TpT is hosting a BIG Cyber Monday Plus Tuesday sale!  I’ve been preparing in two ways – both adding some new items to my store and filling my cart with my wish list items from you guys.  I’m super excited!  My entire store will be 20% off, plus an additional 10% from TpT, which bring s the discount to a wonderful 28% off!   Click the image below to visit my store and shop til you drop!

Image created by Ashley at The School Supply Addict.

My newest addition that you may want to check out is a Seasonal Newsletter Pack.  This is the first year I have changed my newsletter template each month to give it some Holiday sparkle, and I’m so glad I did.  I put together all 12 newsletters – one for each month – in a pack for you.  The download also includes the writing prompt that I copy onto the back of my newsletter.  Each Friday afternoon, the kids write to their families telling about their week.  Click the picture below to get your newsletter pack!  Happy shopping! J

It's....Conference Time!!

Well, it’s safe to say that school is in full swing!  After 35 days, we are pretty awesome at four out of five Daily 5 activities (although Listen to Reading is a total headache with the ancient cassette players we’re using, but that’s another story.)  We are writing “how-to” books that are super cute and creative.  We are rapping our doubles facts (4 + 4 = 8, that’s great!).  We are Math Workstation pros.  And, we are pumpkin experts!  And us teachers?  We are assessing, assessing, and assessing…. at least, that’s how I feel..  One problem our team is facing right now is we are teaching the new Common Core Standards, yet our first grade report card lists completely different skills, related to the old standards!  Ahh!  So frustrating, but the administration is aware and promising a solution soon.  

Anyway, report card time means parent-teacher conference time.  I cannot believe it’s already here!  I know we say this every year, but time is just FLYING by!  Just when it seems that my little ones are getting rolling in reading groups and such, it’s already time to communicate their progress to parents! 

After 3 years of conferences, I’ve finally got a handle on what works best for me, as far as scheduling and making the 15 minute meetings worthwhile.  A typical conference looks like this…

*I review the child’s current report card, note weak areas that can be supported at home, and answer any questions about the report.

*I share some kind of material for the parents to use in supporting those weak areas, or at least a few home activities for mixing up the regular reading routine. One of my favorites is Reado from Two Can Do It. 

*I inform the parents of their child’s current reading level and give them a handout about Scholastic Book Wizard – a GREAT resource for finding book lists matched to any level.  Some parents really appreciate this to guide them when picking out library books or books to add to their home libraries.

*I share a few recent assessments, writing samples, fun activities done in class, etc., all of which I have in my GIGANTIC data binder.

*I address any other questions or concerns that the parent shared on their pre-conference questionnaire.

Can you believe all that is accomplished in 15 minutes?!  Sheesh!  As I’m sure you know, an evening packed with conferences is quite a whirlwind.  I’ve compiled (and spruced up) the set of tools that I use at conference time, and it’s now available on TpT.   Click the picture below to check it out – I hope you can use it too!