Hello!  I hope you are enjoying your summer vacation, because I sure am!

One thing I want to focus on this year in my classroom is building a better sense of community.  I want my students to feel as if they are part of a special team.  I'm imagining a classroom in which students are kind to each other, help each other without being asked, and lift each other up!  Although I have always expected this type of behavior from my students, it has never been something I did with much intention.  I told them to be kind to one another, I noticed and gave praise when they helped each other, but I wasn't doing much to actively improve and maintain our classroom culture throughout the year.

This year I am going to start a closing circle procedure at the end of the day.  The end of the day can be a little chaotic with packing up, passing out papers, and last minute reminders.  My goal is to end the school day on a CALM and POSITIVE note each day.

After students pack up, they will head to the carpet for our closing circle.  One student will choose a closing circle question stick from the can, and then students will take turns answering the question!  This will be a time for students to reflect on the school day and set goals for tomorrow!

There are so many different ways that these sticks can be used.  Some days I may just have all students answer the same question around the circle.  Other days I may have each student choose a different question to answer.

You can purchase this product in my Teachers Pay Teachers store by clicking the picture below!

I am giving away one digital copy of my Closing Circle Reflection Questions!  All you have to do is enter the contest using the Rafflecopter and comment on this blog post with the date you have to return to school!  Contest ends on 7/9/2015 at 12:00am Mountain Time.  Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blogger Meet Up GIVEAWAY!

On Thursday I attended The Creative Classroom's Arizona Blogger Brunch and Bubbly with seventeen super talented bloggers/TPTers from around the state!  Ashlyn did an amazing job organizing the event.  We had so much fun chatting, sharing ideas, doing a Google Hangout with Amy Borrell Berner from Teachers Pay Teachers, and of course....eating!  Head over to her blog to read more about it, see the pictures, and admire her gorgeous decorating skills!

On our way out the door she gave us these fabulous swag bags that contained all kinds of teaching goodies from various sponsors.  

The best part is that we have decided to give away THREE swag bags to our readers and followers!  Use the Rafflecopter below to enter!  The more Arizona teachers you follow, the more chances you have to win!  The winners will be announced on Sunday July 5th!  GOOD LUCK! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Classroom Bunting

When I first saw my classroom, I knew I had to do something with those gorgeous windows.  Every classroom I had been in up until this point had ZERO windows.  I knew that curtains would just collect dust and block the beautiful sunshine from coming through, so I decided to make some triangle bunting!  I went to Joann's and picked out 4 fabrics - yellow, pink, blue, and orange.

Next, I used a cutting mat and rotary cutter to cut out as many triangles as I could.  I used a paper template to make sure that all of my triangles were the same size.  

After that I used fabric glue to glue the triangles to sturdy green ribbon!  Here is the final product!

I had so much left over that I was able to fill the blank space above my classroom cabinets.  I added a few posters from my local teaching store, and there you have it!  A simple and inexpensive way to add some character to your classroom.  

First Blog Post!

I graduated with my teaching degree in October 2013, and much to my surprise, landed a job by December 2013!  I took over for a 2nd grade teacher who was retiring mid-year.  I had two weeks during Christmas break to plan and get ready to take over the class.  Decorating the classroom and "making it mine" were the last things on my mind.  I had to focus on learning the curriculum, finding out where the students were academically, and learning the routines and procedures the previous teacher had in place so I would not disrupt the students' existing routine...too much.  It was a whirlwind of a year, but I survived and the kids did too!  Now I'm half way through my first full year of teaching.  I am excited to share how I refreshed the classroom and replaced the decorations that had been there since at least the early 90's (pictures to come)!  Some of you may know me from Instagram or Teachers Pay Teachers.  I have been a part of the on-line teaching community for a while now, but was not brave enough to venture into the world of blogging until now.  Thanks for joining me on this journey!