First Week of the Year done!

Highlights/Low-lights:

• ESL has been going really well, and I'm happy that I'm able to work with my new team really well.  It helps to have two teachers with the first grade because their levels are very different.
• Math crackers for teacher more or less/fewer-- funny how food can motivate kids so much (I am the same way. :))
• trouble with fitting in kindergarten songs with the afternoon...

Biggest Concerns:

• kindergarten assessments for report cards
• kindergarten math and progress for unit test next week and quarterly in February
• Phonemic awareness assessment
• ESL MTEL
• category trainings
• My "I have a dream" bulletin board

Wednesday

Highlights/Low-lights:

• The new Wed/Thurs/Fri schedule went well today.  I think I like the Mon/Tues one best, though, because getting all that work done in the morning allows us to slack off a little bit in the afternoon or play catchup. :)
• trying to keep the upper hand on certain things, but it's really difficult to keep my composure sometimes...
• Math was interesting today because different students from the usual shown, and we also focused on really grasping our teen numbers...shaving cream numbers soon? hmmm...
• I was happy to go to CPT today so that I can see what the other grades are doing-- don't want to be left in the dust!  They were also discussing running records, which I really need help with!

Biggest concerns:

• Kindergarten report cards
• keeping up with data and assessments
• losing prep time two days out of the week
• upcoming math PD work along with my grad work...oh boy

First Teaching Day of 2012

First day back-- happy new year to all my confused students!  So happy to be back with their friends, but also so tired by the end of the day.  I think the day flew by, even with our new schedule flipping our world upside down.  My kids are flexible though...and try to transition/adapt as quickly as they can. :]

Highlights/Low-lights:

• Pumpkin soup from my aide for Haiti's Independence Day...yummmy
• 3/14 students brought back "extra credit" work from vacation...hmm
• trying to make up for the lack of resources I have to teach my Kindergarten kids from "their" curriculum

Biggest Concerns:

• worried about how to write my language objectives for ESL/ELA
• worried about the upcoming quarterly assessments
• kindergarten report cards are when...?
• assessments at the right time and ones that assess the right skills (or at least the skills taught!)
• another grad class starting again in 3 weeks...

vacation is over

No school today in honor of New Year's.  HOLY SMOKES, vacation flew by...and I can't wait for February break.  Is that bad?  Ugh, 5am is not going to be pretty tomorrow!!

>:[

Half Day before Vaca

Highlights/ Low-lights:

• The kids were so cute singing during the Poetry Slam-- so what if they sang the songs out of order and were shaking-scared?...
• Photo shoot with the majority of the class after snack time
• Some of the kids didn't understand why we had vacation or why we wouldn't be coming back to school for 10 days...so sweet
• My principal says that I am not allowed to go in during vacation :)
• Passed another MTEL! :) *secret*

Biggest Concerns:

• how to enjoy every minute of my vacation before going back to the grind =)

'Twas the Night before Christmas Vaca

Highlights/ Low-lights:

• Today was my little L's last day. :( A day earlier than expected!!! Freaked out; made my para run out to pick up my prints from Walgreens b/c I wanted to give her 10 pictures before she moves away...So sad...obvi almost cried and got so emotional.
• PJ party with the DLC...very cute, and my kids loved having snacks and hanging out with other kids, just relaxing...AND they loved wearing pajamas. (Wore my sweatpants too!)
• Gave out our gift bags today ...crayon rings, memo pads, glitter pencils, class picture, and monogrammed gloves :)
• Gave out gifts to other teachers--- stressful shopping, but it's always worth it. :)
• videotaped the kids while they were rehearsing this morning-- teaching about "reflection" ;-)

Biggest Concerns:

• Our Poetry Slam performance and costumes tomorrow
• new schedule in January

Photos:

"F" is for frog!

Monogrammed gloves sewn by me :]

1.5 more days!

COUNTING DOWN THE HOURS UNTIL VACATION!!

Highlights/ Low-lights today:

• The kids L-O-V-E-D gingerbread houses today!  Thank goodness my para is more organized than me and it was controlled chaos in our room this afternoon.
• Our Poetry Slam rehearsal went well, and the kids are actually learning the songs. :)
• Gingerbread voting was cute today
• Finally finished shopping for everyone at school!
• AP lost a write-up for one of my students...now we have to write it again (waste of 40 minutes the first time...)

Biggest Concerns:

• fitting in everything in before holiday vacation!
• assessing my first graders
• running records
• surviving the next 11 hours of school before vacation

Photos: