Room Arranging Has Begun!

Oh, the joys of organization.  Right.  I was in the building this past week arranging my room.  Painfully so.  Here's the deal:  temps were in the high 80s/low 90s, my building has no air conditioning, my room faces the bus loop (which is on the sunny side of the building--of course!), and air flow is not the best.  Needless to say, I was a sweaty, stinky, tired mess at the end of the day each day.  And I have more this week.  Joy.

With all that said, however, I did make some progress.  I cleaned out two of the four drawers of my filing cabinet.  They all looked like this:

Overflowing. 
This is my Language Arts drawer.  I have stories, writing projects, journals, and daily language practice in here.  Sadly, this was not one of the two drawers I made it through on Friday.  I just didn't have the energy to do it after the other two.  However,  Monday is a different story.

But then, about an hour and a half later...

Progress! 
This is the first half of my math program, Units 1-6.  Units 7-12 are in the drawer underneath.  I literally could not get any more papers in this drawer before cleaning it out.  Doesn't it look purty? 

Aside from the filing cabinet, I also managed to arrange my desks, get some posters up, and clean out my desk.  I still need to reorganize my class library, and finish my last two file drawers.  Really looking forward to that.   (You can hear the sarcasm, right?) 

On a brighter note, I did come up with more ideas to help make life a little easier.  Grab a pencil or hit "Print"; here they are!

• Keep two copies of all worksheets.  One for sending away to copy; one to have as a backup.
• File according to math lesson, social studies lesson, language arts story, etc.  All sheets, models, overheads, and patterns go in the file folder.  I also file writing, daily language practice, holidays, etc. by themselves.  I'm a fan of color coding by subject, too. 
• Keep a list of reference books written in the inside cover.  For example, in my Black History Month folder, I've listed all of the books and stories I have in my library so I can pull them when needed.   
• Keep duplicate overheads.  When you have the same overhead to reference across several lessons, you won't have to hunt around or try to remember which story/lesson to file it with.
• Before sending out your family welcome letters, check your roster against the nurse's roster for food allergies.  You can put the information in your letter so parents are aware before school even starts.  Useful for snack time and class parties.  
• If your materials come in shrink wrap, use an envelope opener.  You will save time and your scissors can take a break.
• Use painter's tape to put up decorations.  It's less messy than Sticky Clips and comes off better than regular masking tape.  Your custodians will thank you.
• When putting your items together for students, make at least one extra set.  (This means books, folders, journals, parent info sent during the first week, etc.)  If you get a new student during the year, you don't have to hunt around for the materials.  A set is already there. See below. 

Ready for a new student.  Paperwork is in a separate folder in my desk.

Hope this helps.  More to come; stay tuned!  

Planning

Okay.  Today was spent going through my beginning-of-the-year checklist.  You know, the list that reminds me of what needs to be done to prepare for the school year and what to get finished.  I've begun gathering things for this school year.  I've gathered plastic twin-pocket folders to use for take-home folders. (I like these better than laminated folders because they are extremely durable.  Got them on sale at Target this week for 35 cents each.)

I also purchased my personal planner.  I use a Mead student planner because I prefer the layout to other planners I've used--and I'll admit, I like the funky patterns.  

Past that, I've been taking inventory of extras.  You know, the things you wish you had when something happens, but didn't really think of getting until something happens.  My classroom "extras" list is comprised of:

• Band-Aids
• Kleenex
• Select-a-size paper towels (Just the right size for little hands.)
• Hand sanitizer (If your school permits it.)
• Ziploc baggies in snack and sandwich sizes (SO many uses!)
• Baby wipes (If you use them for the overhead or wiping small hands, you can usually get away with cutting them in half before use. They last twice as long.)
• Hand soap refills (I find that foaming hand soap is easier to rinse and lasts much longer than regular liquid soap.) 

I usually display little cards with the name of an item from the list above during Parent Night.  That way, parents can choose what item(s) to donate.  I also display them during conference days so I can be stocked throughout the year. 

My personal "extras" list consists of:

• Deodorant (No A/C in my building!)
• Safety pins
• Extra body spray (See note about deodorant!)
• Mints
• Lip gloss
• Personal hand sanitizer (For use after sneezing, coughing, touching student papers and folders, etc.)
• Excedrin
• Personal sewing kit (For those little mishaps.) 

I keep these locked in my class closet.  (Except the mints, lip gloss, and personal hand sanitizer; those stay at my desk for quick access.) 

Other things you may want to keep (locked away) in your room are:

• Extra batteries (For games and gadgets that need them.)
• Screwdriver  (For getting backs off of said games and gadgets.)
• Disinfectant like Lysol
• All-purpose cleaner
• Sponges 

I've also been gleaning through my worksheets and organization papers for centers, rules, etc.  I've found that I have quite a few saved on my computer at school, and need to get them off.  Hopefully I can get into my room Monday.  I found my sheets for centers, test folders, behavior tracking grid, desk fairy, and student background.  Now if you're not familiar with some of these, don't fret.  All explanations will accompany the sheets when posted.

It's Begun

Well, it's a few days past my "official" beginning of back-to-school planning, but I did get some things done. Last night I took an inventory of things I need to purchase or make for next year.

I try to be as frugal as possible in my selection of where to buy school-related items. Sites/companies I order from are: Classroom Direct, a division of School Specialty, Really Good Stuff, and Carson Dellosa.  The stuff  I order online is usually nametags, bulletin board sets, games, and indoor recess activities.  Stores I peruse are Target, Dollar Tree, Five Below, and Big Lots.  I purchase baskets, books, wipes, desk supplies, post-its, thank-you cards, my personal planner, computer paper, etc.  The trick is to buy what you need when things are on sale (except Dollar Tree because the prices are the same all the time).  Check the fliers in your weekly Sunday paper or bookmark the sites to follow the ads online. 

Other places to consider when getting things for your room:

• Library book sales (books, videos, books on tape, child-friendly music)
• Yard sales (One of my colleagues has gotten everything from videos to storage furniture from her weekly yard sale trips!)
• Flea markets
• Goodwill/Salvation Army (I have gotten some neat baskets and pristine books for next to nothing!)
• Freecycle (Check for availability in your area.  Last year I was given three Leap Pad learning systems, a carrying case, and nearly 20 game cartridges for my class.  ABSOLUTELY FREE!)
• Neighbors, relatives, your church or place of worship (Don't be afraid to ask for things that may otherwise go to Goodwill or Salvation Army anyway.)

Another way to save a few dollars is to think outside the box for what you need.  For example, I use mailboxes to keep track of student papers and things to go home.  When I priced the mailboxes in the teacher catalogs, they were very pricey--up to $80 or more for cardboard!  I found a 25-cube shoe organizer at Target for about $30 on sale.  It's heavy and sturdy and has held on for the past few years.  I also use a wicker utensil caddy to organize pencils, pens, scissors, etc. on my desk.  (Sorry, couldn't find a pic of this one!) 

A final way to save money is to make things yourself.  There are many fonts and clip art images out there just waiting to be used to make signs or posters.  This can be extended further for classroom decorations.  Last year I changed to a safari theme and wanted curtains for my windows.  (My windows face the bus loop and playgrounds.  Needless to say, I wanted to cut down on distractions!)  The panels I wanted to cover my windows would have been close to $45, so I made my own.  I found some 84-inch beige-colored panels at Big Lots.  I cut them in half, hemmed them, and trimmed them in a giraffe-print ribbon I found at Jo Ann Fabrics.  Total cost: $20.

How about you?  Any money-saving tips to share?