Back to School

Well I'm off to school tomorrow for my first day back.  We have two superintendent's days before the students arrive on Thursday.  The days will be filled with workshops and mandatory regulations.  

There is not much time to get classrooms ready during these two days so, like myself, most teachers have been furiously hard at work over the last few weeks.

One of my favorite organizing projects from my classroom is my pencil station...or "pencil central"!

Now that we have decided to departmentalize in fifth grade, I will have three classes of science to teach. There is no time to run back to a homeroom for supplies...and there is certainly no chance of sharpening a pencil while I am teaching a lesson. My way to avoid such interruptions is by providing numbered pencils that I will keep sharpened for students to "borrow" during class time if needed. Each child will be given a number which corresponds to the pencil.  If a number is missing...I will know who to look for!

I also added some Washi tape at the top of the pencil so the kids will hopefully realize if they take it by mistake where to return it.  The black and white theme I've created in my classroom runs throughout most of the supplies.

I've also been trying new ways to make the classroom library more user-friendly.  The books are arranged into numbered baskets.  Each basket contains a books of a specific topic or genre.  The chart on the window next to the baskets displays the topics to make book browsing easier for the students.  

The reading area or "literacy lounge" is decorated with the black and white theme with some added red for color.  I'm hoping to get some bean bags and other comfortable seating for students to read independently when school gets rolling.  My daughter painted a mural on the back of the bookshelf that looks fantastic...pics will follow!

The start of a new school year is always exciting and somewhat challenging. Getting supplies and curriculum materials organized makes life as a teacher a lot easier.  The classroom theme actually helped when planning some organizing strategies. Here's to a fabulous 2013-2014 year! 

Cheers! 

I get much of my inspiration from one of my favorite blogs...

My Teacher Space

I love green!

When creating my new teacher cabinets at school (I dubbed these the "teacher cabinets" because they house my everyday items that I need at a moment's notice) I tried to incorporate some other colors to delineate the space.  I want the students to kind of see this space as "separate" from the rest of the room, which is fully theirs!

My black and white theme is going great throughout the whole room.  I added some splashes of red for the student areas.  My favorite color is green so I thought why not black, white, and some splashes of green...lime green to be exact.  

It came out so cute and functional.  Let's hope it's not wrecked by the second week of school...that's my luck! (haha)

The first item I incorporated was my Hang Up Room Organizer from Thirty-One.

I had my name embroidered on top for some extra flair.  It neatly holds mail coming in (office stuff) and mail that needs to go out.  Also, there is a great spot for folders at the bottom.  Two of the most important folders are class lists and building schedule.  I always need to grab those quickly!  The folders are from Staples.  They carry many black and white items that blend well with my theme. 

The other side of the cabinet houses a spot to keep the many tremendously overwhelming amount of papers that come my way.  The clerical paperwork is out of control lately! So, I need to keep it in control with a very organized system.  The paper holder is from Staples as well, specifically, The Martha Stewart Collection.  A district calendar is a must and a display of the class schedule.

Next to the bulletin board is a shelf that I purchased at Christmas Tree Shop for only $20!  It was quite easy to put together...well I guess I would have to ask my husband, since he put it together.  But, it was easy for me!

There are many uses for these great folder keepers and I love the green color.  Again...being organized and having everything in a home will help enormously throughout the school year.  Getting set up now is the key.  I don't want late nights at school when I could be with my own kids or creating quality lessons for my students.

This is the final project.  The bottom of the cabinet doors may change as office items start to roll in over the next few weeks.

The colors look amazing together and it's very user-friendly.  The time spent was very worth while.

Remember to check out on of my favorite blogs, 
A Bowl Full of Lemons.

Cheers!