Parent Odds and Ends--FREEBIE!!

Hi, friends!

It seems like lots of people are getting ready to go back to school; DC doesn't start until August 24th, but I know that if I was going back this year I'd be getting ready.  Instead, I'm trying to bring you helpful and relevant back to school content.  (Hopefully, it's working.)  This is the last post in my parent communication series.  It's a mix of odds and ends, and I'm hoping it will be helpful.  I tried to post this yesterday, but the littles had different ideas.

So this last post is just a mix of other quick ways I communicate with parents.  The first way I want to share with you is Remind (it used to be called Remind101, so you might know it that way as well).  This should link to their website with directions on how to sign-up.  I used Remind every year I was in the classroom, and I LOVED it!  It's so easy to use; you give your parents a code to sign up and then you can easily text reminders to every parent who signed up.  You can also create groups within your Remind, so maybe you need to text just your chaperones, or just your parent volunteers.  You can do that, too!  Remind definitely saved me time every year, and it takes about 1 minute to set up.  Definitely worth the time.

Last, but not least, I added a freebie to my TpT store today of forms that I use to send quick notes home.  There are 3 stock notes included--a NUT note, a volunteer reminnder, and a number change form.  You can grab this freebie here.  I always taught in a uniform school, so when students came out of uniform I would say home a NUT note.  NUT stands for No Uniform Today.  Parents would sign it and send it back and I would keep track of them.  If students accumulated a certain number of NUT notes there would generally be some other consequence, but nothing too serious.  My personal opinion is that most kindergarten and first grade students aren't doing their own laundry or dressing themselves so they shouldn't have super stiff consequences for uniforms.  I also included my "oops" form; I used this when I tried to reach parents and couldn't because their number changed.  I think it's pretty straightforward.  Lastly, I included my parent volunteer reminder.  I would just fill this out and send it home with parents the night before they were set to volunteer.  With all of these forms, I would copy a ton of them on brightly colored paper at the beginning of the school year (each on different colored paper so it was easy to tell them apart) and just have them available to my in file folders that I mounted on the wall or on my bulletin board.  When I needed one of them, I would just pull it out and fill it out.  Generally, I would staple it to their student's homework for the night so that they were likely to see it.

I hope these forms save you some time!  Happy back to school!
xoxo

Positive Pictures

Hi, loves

Twice blogging in under a week!  Can you believe it?!  (Don't get used to it; I don't think the boys will always be this cooperative.)  This has been a great weekend; I went to a concert on Friday with my mom, the boys, and some friends, and then we picked the hubs up from the airport.  Saturday we took a family trip to some breweries down in VA, and this morning I had to take my mama to Dulles to fly home.  Whomp, whomp.  I told my mom the last time she was here that if I could afford her salary I would hire her full time to help me out.  #ishouldputmoreproductsontpt

Enough small talk.  My #backtoschool idea for you today is called Positive Pictures.  Part of my parent forms that I collect on the first day of school is asking them if they are able to (and would like to) receive pictures messages from me.  I track all the parents who say yes and send them Positive Pictures.  I try to really hit Positive Pictures hard early in the school year, especially the first month, but it's an incredibly useful strategy all year long.

The way Positive Pictures work is this:  basically, you see their child doing something positive and you snap a picture and send it to them with a quick caption.  "Look how neatly A wrote their name!"  "Wow, D is sharing so nicely with friends today!"  "T got an A on our math test!"  These captions always go with a picture showing the aforementioned activity, so if I write about neat handwriting I'll snap a picture of the work with the neat handwriting.  If they're sharing I'll snap a picture of them working with a classmate.  Positive Pictures has always been really well received by parents, and they're a great way to bank up positive communication so that if you do have to have a difficult conversation with parents they're generally more receptive.

I hope you all can use Positive Pictures in your classroom this year to set up for a great year with your parents!
xoxox

Fantastic Fridays

Hi, friends

I hope everyone is having a great week!  My mom is visiting while the hubs is on a business trip, and the weather finally broke here in DC and today was beautiful!  We saddled up the pup and the boys and walked all over the Hill today.  The weather was way too lovely to be inside working today.

I'm coming back at you today with the second part of my series on parent communication.  I think that we can all agree parents are a hugely important part of the classroom, even though they're likely only there for specific events.  Having parents on your team can make a huge difference in your school year.  Previously, I blogged about the parent forms and parent communication binder I use each year.  You can find that post here.  Today, I'm going to share a tip with you that I call Fantastic Fridays, but really you can use it any day of the week--Marvelous Mondays, Terrific Tuesdays, Wonderful Wednesdays...you get the point.

The way this works is that during Morning Meeting I would pick 3-5 student sticks from my jar (read:  old Crystal Light container that I had fancied up and repurposed as a fancy jar).  These student sticks went right into my clipboard, but they could really go anywhere that students can't see.  Their names would remain a secret all day long.  If your name was on a stick, your parent got called at the end of the day.  I called it Fantastic Fridays because the idea was for it to be a positive phone call (although there were definitely a few times where it wasn't so).  The greatest kickback of Fantastic Fridays is that students don't know whose name was selected, so everyone works harder so that if their name is on the stick there is definitely something fantastic to say to their parents.  Examples of things that I've noted on Fantastic Fridays are:  high quality work, intelligent answers/contributions to class discussions, showing respect to a friend, being a friend, taking care of our classroom, solving a problem, or helping a friend solve a problem, and standing up to a bully.  These certainly aren't the only things that you can note to parents on Fantastic Fridays; just some food for thought.

I hope you're able to use Fantastic Fridays this year to share some positive communication with parents!
xoxo

Reeling in Parents, Part 1

Howdy, y'all

It feels so weird to not be planning for back to school this year.  I'm not going back to school this fall; I'm going to spend at least half the school year home with our tiny nuggets.  But just because I'm not going back myself doesn't mean I don't have lots of ideas and feelings for you.  Last night, I shared my gigantic parent contact form that I always send home the first day of school.  If you missed the post last night, you can find the forms here in my TpT store for a paltry $2.  Basically, I'm going to blog about how I used these forms to hit the ground running with parent communication and track said communication throughout the year.  Even though I'm focusing on how I use one specific product, I anticipate that this will be kind of a long post.  You might want to grab some coffee/Diet Coke/wine now and settle in.  Whatever floats your boat.

The first thing you should know about me is that I love to organize.  Specifically, I love to organize in binders.  Few things make me happier than putting projects into binders with post-it tabs.  I'm feeling happy just thinking about it.  So after I get these forms back throughout the first week of school, I put them into a parent contact binder that will stay close to my teacher table for the entire school year.  Generally, I print out some type of cover sheet to look something like this.

Don't you worry, my pretties.  There's a page like this in the pack of forms on TpT, so that you too can obsessively label your binders.  Okay, so once I label the outside of my binder, I get to work on the inside.  Something else you should know about me (and something I'll talk more about later) is that I number my students every year.  They use this number all the time; it's in their cubby, on their folders, pencils, erasers, and it's also how they line up.  They get a number on the first day of school and it stays the same until they leave my classroom.  So the next thing I do with this binder is put forms in by number.  As students return their form, I hole punch them and stick a post-it label with their number on it at the edge, so that when all the forms have been turned in my binder looks something like this--full of returned parent forms, and numbered tabs.

What you can also see in this picture is the pages I use to track communication I have with parents.  Unfortunately, that's not something I made so I don't have that available yet, but I can make something to share.  Before I had this handy tracker, I used to just put a few blank pages of printer paper behind each parent communication form to track our interactions.  I kept really close track of parent interaction for several reasons.  First, I like to make sure I have a balance of positive communication and constructive communication.  Tracking parent communication can also help me notice trends in behavior that I might not have noticed otherwise.  It's a little hard to see, but basically the way I tracked communication was by tracking the date, the way I talked to the parent (in person, via phone or text, sending a note home, etc.), and what we discussed.  If we were discussing a particular behavior, I tried to note our outcome so that I could follow up with them again.  It sounds a little aggressive, but it probably took me about 2 minutes to track, and I could do most of it while waiting for parents to answer the phone.

The last thing I keep in my parent communication binder is this schedule/calendar that I keep at the front.  It's just a quick overview of parents who are willing to come in and volunteer in our classroom.  I split it by AM and PM, and just put in parents who are willing to come in on each day and what they're willing to do.  Some parents say they'll do anything I need, so I don't mark tasks for them.  I only note if there are parents who have said they'll do specific things, like prep work stations or make copies.  I also make sure to put their phone number on the schedule so that I can quickly contact them without having to go back into the whole binder.  After I make it, I slide it into a page protector and keep it at the front of my binder for the year.  

Okay, friends.  Thanks for sticking with me to the end!  I'll be back 3 more times over the next week or so with more parent communication ideas.  

xoxo

Five for Friday--I'm back at it!

Hey, y'all!  Two blog posts in just under 12 hours!  I'm practically patting myself on the back over here.  The things that I can accomplish when the hubs has the day off and the twins are down for their morning nap.  So, here are my five random things from this previous week.

Are y'all following any teachers in Vegas?  I've never been to the conference in Vegas; it hasn't worked out for a variety of reasons.  This year, it's obviously the twinnies.  I'm hoping that next year I'll be able to make it, but I'm having major Vegas FOMO.  I mean, I get FOMO pretty bad anyway, but now that my IG feed is blowing up with pictures and people are using Periscope all the time it's some pretty aggressive FOMO.  Which brings me to number 2.

Are y'all doing this Periscope thing?!  It's so cool!  I haven't done any broadcasts myself yet; I kind of feel like I'm not sure what to say, but I'm really into checking out the broadcasts that others are doing.  Shroeder's Shenanignas in Second and Lucky Little Learners are doing AWESOME broadcasts.  If you aren't on Periscope you can learn about it here, but basically you download the app to your phone and then you can use it to broadcast yourself.  The broadcast is stored for 24 hours and then deleted.  It's owned by Twitter, but I'm pretty sure you don't have to have the twitters to use Periscope.  Like I said, I haven't 'scoped myself yet, but I'm so into the broadcasts I've seen.  I think my personal goal is to do a broadcast before next Friday.  I can update y'all next week in the Five for Friday.  =)  

                                                       

This is totally gratuitous, but here's a picture of how I've been spending my days lately.  With these two gentlemen.  

Next up in the TpT store is more Fundations units.  It's all very slow going, because as lovely as these gentlemen are, they don't really care so much about Mama's plans.  They just want to eat, sleep, and play.  Mostly eat and sleep.  

Next up on the blog, I'm thinking a series on organizing.  Parent form and communication, lesson/unit plans, calendars and to-do lists.  Is this something potentially helpful, or redundant?  Is there something else you'd like to see here?  I aim to please.  =)  

Okay, team.  That's it for me.  Nap time is almost over, and I can hear the gents starting to wake, so that's my cue.  Have a great weekend!

xoxo

Taming the Wild

Okay, y'all, I'm attempting my first link-up here, so in anticipation I request your patience.  =)  I'm linking up with Blog Hoppin for their Teacher Week soiree.

Today's theme is all about taming the wild.  Or classroom management.  Now, I want to be 100% real with you--if I did not have an excellent classroom management system I wouldn't even make it through the first day.  I absolutely LOVE my school, but it can definitely be a little rough around the edges at times.  So every summer I spend a fair amount of time thinking about how I will manage the behavior of my incoming little love nuggets.

The first 2 years I taught I did more a token economy system, where kids were earning classroom dollars and then cashing them in for prizes worth different amounts.  I liked it, and it was okay, but the first year I was in first grade I really didn't love it.  So I figured why stick with something I don't love.  Last year I tried something brand new--well, not really brand new, but brand new to me.  The clip chart.  Y'all.  I canNOT tell you how much I LOVE a good clip chart.  And if we're being totally honest, I was a big time clip chart doubter.  I thought there was no way it would ever work, and it was such a crazy idea, and it would never manage the behavior in my classroom.  But seriously.  I. LOVE. IT.  It's one of the best classroom decisions I've ever made.  (If the idea of a clip chart is new to you, you can read about it here.  Or you can just google "clip chart" and do your own research.)

Here's why I love the clip chart:  it moves the responsibility of tracking behavior from me to my kids.  (This is also why I love the book Have You Filled a Bucket Today?)  The basic tenet is that good/positive actions clip you up, and negative actions clip you down.  I definitely add extra incentives into my clip chart, like class-wide bonuses if no one has their clip below the morning starting point--Ready to Learn.  I also clip my kids "off the chart" if they're having a great day.  "Off the chart" means that you were on the top chunk of the chart, and you were asked to clip up again.  Those students get their clips, give them to me, and I wear them on my lanyard for the rest of the day.  If students continue to clip up even after they are off the chart they get stars on their clip and when their clip is full of stars I paint it after school.  It starts red, and they can move through every color of the rainbow until they get the coveted (and extremely rare) rainbow glitter clip.  The first time someone gets a red clip it's a huge deal!  They all marvel about it when they come in and see it on the clip chart in the morning.  It's generally a pretty adorable moment.

In addition to the clip chart, I use LOTS of really specific positive praise for small groups, whole group, and individual students.  I always joke with the hubs that he probably hates the first 6 weeks of school because I come home and give him the same type of praise that I give my students--"Wow, honey.  It was so helpful of you to empty the dishwasher.  I really appreciate that you did that and now I don't have to."  Oops.  We also start a compliment chain every year to help with hallway/out of the classroom behavior.  The way the compliment chain works is that every time another adult in the building gives the class a compliment we get to add a link to the chain.  When the chain touches the floor we get to have a compliment party.  The compliment party is a HUGE deal.  You can really make it whatever you want; last year, I asked my kids what they wanted and they wanted to paint, have a dance party, make posters to hang in the hallway so other kids could get compliments, too, and have milk and cookies with the principal and AP.  Are you kidding?!  Done and done.

Just as I have really specific procedures in place for praising positive behavior, I also am very clear with my students about potential negative consequences that could arise from their choices.  I always tell my students that I can only give them good ideas; they will ultimately make their own decisions.  You're the boss of you, if what I tell them all the time.  And frequently what I ask them when we're having a conversation and they say that someone else told them to do something.  As soon as they say that I always say "who's the boss of you?"  The first consequence, obviously, is for students to clip down.  If they've already clipped down and they're still acting out then I'll ask them to sit in our naughty seat.  This is a seat that's generally away from the rest of the class.  They're usually going to be there 6-8 minutes.  After that, I'm either going to have a quick conversation with them and invite them back to class, or if they're still being disruptive I'm going to ask them to either take a few books or their work with them and go to another classroom, again for probably 6-10 minutes.

I blogged earlier this week about Responsive Classroom, and one aspect of RC is logical consequences.  Basically, logical consequences means that you're matching the consequence to the action.  So if a kid colors on the table you're going to have them clean up the table, not miss recess.  I do like the idea of logical consequences, but I'll be honest:  it's one of the RC structures that I have the hardest time with because I feel like sometimes there isn't necessarily a logical consequence.

I hope I haven't bored y'all to tears.  If you're still with me I'll end with this:  I think the bottom line of any classroom management system is creating a community where students know that you value them and you'll listen to them.  If kids know you care they'll do almost anything for you.

Home Visits & Parent Volunteers

I canNOT believe that there is only one more week of summer break!  In DC, teachers go back on August 19th, and our new little loves come to us on August 26th.  Literally two weeks from Monday I will be greeting 27 brand new first graders.  Yikes!  I don't know if it's been how busy my personal life has been this summer, or if the space/time continuum has really started to move forward at a faster pace, but this summer has really flown by.  Really, it feels like I just packed up my classroom last week.

Over the past few years, my school has tried out several different parent engagement initiatives.  One of the ones that has been pushed the most intensely is the home visit program.  (If you're interested you can check out their website here.)  We partner with the Flamboyan Foundation to support this initiative, but the basic idea is this:  before the school year, or early in the school year, teachers go to visit the homes of all their students to build a relationship with the family.  There's obviously more nuances involved than that (you're supposed to take a partner with you; you schedule the visit, and call to confirm, etc.), but that's the basic core.  It's a very interesting program, and I feel like sometimes it really pays off and sometimes it doesn't as much.  I usually do my home visits with my grade level special ed teacher, since she's in my classroom often and all of my students will interact with her on some level.  I will say the one thing I like the most about the program is that it's really nice to already know and recognize kids before the school year starts.

One thing that I'm really working on this year is to have a small base of parents who will volunteer/support our classroom throughout the year.  I'm thinking that I'll start them out with preparation tasks, like prepping materials and work stations, maybe organizing the library?  But what I'm wondering is:  how do you get parents into your classroom?  What do you ask them to do?