Back To School Wardrobe

Aloha friends! Here we are again and another new school year is looming in front of us. As the beginning of the year approaches I'm looking at my closet and feel like I have nothing to wear.  A closet full of clothes and nothing to wear!

I want to start the year off right and not have to spend anytime in the mornings wondering what to wear. Such a time sucker.  Well I found a little something that has been very helpful for me to get my closet prepped for the school year.

This Back To School Mini Capsule Wardrobe by Outfit Formulas was an awesome way to reorganize my closet and see what items I already had or what I might need.

I used the shopping list they provide to help me get started.

I realized I already had most of these items.  I was missing the bright colored shirt, gray pants, printed pants and leopard shoes. So I just added a pair of black sandals, some camo pants and some striped pants.

The download includes outfit combos that you can easily put together and add your own twist on favorite colors and styles. The download includes 10 different outfit combos.

I laid everything out and put together a few outfits. 

Who knew how simple it could be to get together so many outfits so easily? Such a great timesaver for me.  Don't get me wrong, I love to shop, but now I can shop more purposefully and save money.

I realize I need a few bright colored tops and maybe a fun pair of shoes.  No need to go out and buy things I don't need.

I can use that extra time and money to enjoy more me time.

Are you a focused shopper or have you ever used a capsule template? If not and you feel this may be helpful click here to grab your free Mini Capsule download.

Let me know if this was helpful in saving you time and money.

Good luck and have an amazing school year!

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Back To School On A Budget

Aloha! It's that time of year again. The Back To School shopping frenzy! Sales along with social media can fuel us into a buying craze.

Are you like me buying ALL the things that could be useful for your classroom?  Sometimes I feel like I just buy because I may need it someday or it's really cute.  I need to wear blinders when I walk into Target!!

However if you are like me, then you need to be on a Budget. I have my own kids that I have to buy for and their supplies, on top of mine, add up quickly!

Here are a few quick tips to help get you organized so that you are only purchasing what you need for your classroom and yourself.

Set Your Budget

I think this is the most important thing you can do to keep on track when your shopping begins. Know exactly how much you can spend. If you do this then you won't suddenly be scrambling and wonder where all your money went.

It's an even better idea to have your budget in cash. When the cash is gone, then you are done shopping!

Make A List

This is a simple one. Just make a list of what you absolutely need for your classroom this year. Is it folders for writing, glue sticks or composition books?  How many do you need just for this year?

Take your list with you and stick to it!!  I know it's hard and can be tempting to throw more in your cart, but if you stick to your budget then you might not have sticker shock later. If you find that you need more of an item you can always go back or ask for a donation later.

It can be hard though when you find bargains and can't decide if you need it or not.  I had a tough time at Walmart the other day when I saw these!!

Such a great price, but I wanted 5 sets for my classroom library.   Do I really need new bins? My old bins aren't as colorful and these would brighten up my room! In the end I decided that I would pursue other avenues to see if I could get the funding through my school or a grant. That saved me $50 of my own money that I could put towards my own kiddos.

Shop Online

I love going into the stores to pick out certain items, but if you can find a deal online grab it!
There are tons of bargains out there if you know where to look.  Amazon, Walmart, Target and even Dollar Tree have great bargains online and will even price match!  You can even order online and pick it up for free at the store.

I found this online deal on Glue Sticks and did buy them! They came to about $0.30 a stick.

Write A Grant

This one takes some time, but it is a great way to get classroom supplies without you spending all of your own money.  

Donor's Choose has funded many grants for my classroom from headphones, iPads, books and even art supplies.  I also found that many of my grants were funded quickly when they were for items under $100.  

Write Down Your Purchases

Here is what I do to really keep me in check.  I save my receipts and then write down everything I bought and add it up.

This really puts your spending into perspective! Plus when I save my receipts, it helps to return items I decided I didn't need.  I created the Supply List and Budget Tracker and they have been great to keep me accountable.  You can download them for free in my TpT Shop.

Teachers have the biggest hearts, but one of the smallest paychecks!  I know you want to make that classroom gorgeous and buy ALL THE THINGS, but you still have to take care of your own expenses without going into debt.  

Hopefully following a few of these tips will help you have a more budget friendly Back To School. How do you stick to your Budget? 

I'd love to hear your thoughts with a comment below.

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Five Simple Ways To Improve Parent Teacher Communication

There are so many important components of running your classroom such as organization, management and building relationships.  One of the most important relationships we can build is that of our home/school connection.  We need those families helping us to bridge our learning from  school to home.

Most parents are so grateful for all that we do, and  can be great partners in our classrooms.  Often times we notify parents only when something is amiss in the classroom or to remind them to turn in their permission slips. With everything we are juggling it can be hard to find the time to communicate with parents in positive ways.

Here are 5 easy ways that you can keep parents in the loop and maintain positive relationships throughout the year.

1. Email

One of the easiest ways to let parents know what's happening is through a weekly email blast. I set up a gmail account specifically for this.  You can add in all of your parent emails and make a group. You can then send out the email highlighting the details for the week.  Here is a link to the google tutorial on how to set it all up and keep your parent emails private. Gmail Tutorial

2. Weekly/Monthly Newsletter

Another easy way to keep parents up to date is with a weekly or monthly newsletter. I have had years where I needed to send weekly letters and others where monthly was ideal. You can use a simple template and update it as you see fit.  This particular template I created in Powerpoint and I just change the text monthly. I use bright colored paper so it is more noticeable in Homework folders.

3. Parent Communication Apps

There are a few apps out there that help teachers communicate with parents.  The most popular are ClassTag, Remind and Class Dojo.  I recently shared a post about ClassTag and the many features it entails.  It is so simple to use, it's free and you can earn rewards for your classroom.
Check out my post HERE or head over to the site and sign up.

4. Classroom Facebook Page

Most of our parents are on Facebook and it makes sense to set up a private group where they can communicate with you, share pictures and reminders of upcoming events. It also makes it easy for them to private message you about any concerns they may have. Make sure to check with your school or district policy as to whether or not you are allowed to share on social media. Remember this is a private group and only parents you invite will have access to the group not your personal page.


5. Personal Phone Calls or Caught Being Good Notes

How often do we find ourselves contacting parents when something negative has happened in class. I think it is so important to make those positive calls or messages.  Take time to pick a few students each week to send home a Caught Being Good Note, phone call or email.  The smallest gestures can have a huge impact on not only your students, but parents.  They will appreciate hearing anything wonderful about their child.

*The above template is in my Free Back To School Communication Pack. Click on the link or picture above to take you to my TpT shop.

These are all simple ideas, that can make a huge impact impact in your classroom.  I hope you have at least gained one new idea. Do you currently use any of these things?  What else have you used that makes communication easy? Leave me a comment below, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

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Math Tools For Your 2nd Grade Classroom

Aloha friends!! I know many of you are off to a great start and your school year is in full swing! Many of you are returning to your previous position, but I know some of you may be new to 2nd grade this year.

It's so exciting to venture into a new grade and curriculum.  It definitely keeps us busy and always looking for new ways and ideas to keep our lessons flowing and kiddos engaged.

Last year I had two new colleagues who were brand new to 2nd grade.  It was fun to collaborate and share ideas.  They came to me quite often and asked how I was teaching a certain lesson and what materials I was using.  Quite often I realized they did not have any resources to draw from since they were new to the grade level.  We shared as much as we could between our classrooms.

After teaching 2nd grade for 21 years I had purchased, collected or created many of the resources that I was using in my classroom, especially in math. It can be overwhelming for a new teacher to see all that I had and not be able to purchase it or create it.  So I decided to put together a toolkit for them.

We went through many of the lessons in our math curriculum and I discussed with them what materials I used quite a bit of.  I then recreated them in a simple format so they could print and use them as needed.

When all was said and done there were close to 300 pages of manipulatives, templates and posters!!
The paper coins are set up so you can print double sided and have them with a front and back.  The red and yellow counters are the same.

All are easy to print and can be used immediately or can be laminated to use all year long. You can even print on Astrobright paper to add some color.

I think this is a great way to get started without breaking the bank.  If this is something you could use in your classroom, hop on over to my TpT shop and check it out!!

One last thing that I wanted to share.  I revamped a math freebie from a few years back. These poem posters have been great to use in my class for money recognition.

 Just click on any of the pictures to grab them in my TpT shop.

I hope these items will be helpful for your upcoming school year. If there is anything that you think I should add to this toolkit please let me know!

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Handwriting Practice

Aloha friends!! I hope the new year is progressing well for you and that you are on track with your New Year goals and aspirations!!  I can't say I have started all of mine yet, but I have a few that I am working on.  I also have some health goals in mind that I plan on sharing soon!

Today however, I wanted to share something that I have been meaning to create for a LONG time.

I don't know about the students in your class, but by the time mine come to me they seem to have forgotten all of their letter formations.  I am shocked by how many of my students struggle with showing me how to write their letters.

I have placed tags on their desks and reviewed with them, but many still can't seem to remember where to start certain letters and how to use their dotted lines to help them have a nice even script.

So instead of copying practice sheets for each letter I decided to create these little practice booklets to have my students review in a fun and simple way.

Each page has two letters on it with proper formation.  Students trace the letters and then practice on their own.  I followed the same sequence as most beginning handwriting programs. The lower case booklets have letters and words to trace.

Once they finish the lowercase booklet then you can give them the upper case.  This booklet uses capital letters to reinforce Proper Nouns.  I included a name, a place and sentences that begin with the particular letter they are working on.

The booklets are really easy to copy and put together.  Simply print out the 9 pages per booklet, fold in half and staple them.  I have also included posters with each letter formation to display in your class or to use in a center for extra practice.

I am really pleased with the way they came out and the kids are so excited to practice their letters along with neater handwriting.  Well, my kids are excited because this booklet is actually an incentive to get them moving on to cursive.

I have the same format for cursive writing as well.  My second graders have always loved learning cursive at the end of the year.  I previously used a handwritten booklet that I had created and it was finally time to update that one too!

So once my students complete their manuscript practice neatly and correctly, then they get to move on to cursive. I'd say it's a win win!

Since I was on a roll I also created a set of these booklets in D'Nealian handwriting.

D'Nealian is a great way to prep kids for cursive writing.  I am working on a D'Nealian cursive booklet and should have it listed soon. 

You can grab any or all of these in a bundle in my TpT shop.  Click here--->Handwriting Booklets

to check them out.

Mahalo for stopping by and I look forward to sharing more ideas and aspirations with you soon!

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