Five for...Saturday!

Hey there! I hope you're enjoying this beautiful Saturday...it is a wonderful 52 degrees and climbing here. I love it! I am definitely a warm weather and sunshine girl.

Here's some TOTAL randomness from my week for Doodlebugs Five for Friday linky.

1

Sunshine, sunshine! I took off Tuesday for a follow-up on my shoulder injury (since September). I'm afraid surgery is in my future. :-(

 

Photo while I waited...what can I say? I was excited about seeing the SUN!

Being the teacher I am, I went ahead and scheduled as many appointments as I could that day. It was a beautiful day to be out running errands. 

2

I left these notes on the board for my absence--which turned into two days because I had a funeral on Wednesday. 

It didn't work. My notes from the subs were not all that flattering toward my class. They are quite a group!

3

I still love that our STAR homework turns into a math exercise at the end of the week. The kids are getting AWESOME at spotting friendly numbers and adding all our stars together.

4

February! Really?

 

 5

I've been worked up over this all week...

I don't want to bore you with Kansas politics, but basically this map represents a proposal to force consolidation onto the schools of Kansas--absorbing small districts (like mine) into nearby larger districts--with the idea of saving money. I have a lot to say about how ridiculous this plan is, but I'll spare you!

Have a great weekend!

Parent Communication #2GETHERWEAREBETTER

Happy Friday!

I'm linking up with Angie and Ashley for their #2GETHERWEAREBETTER linky this month.

I love this linky idea and missed getting in on the first one. I pinned it though so I can go back and read all about schedules, schedules, schedules. I'm kind of a schedule nerd...always curious how others fit it everything in so it is the perfect resource for me!

Okay, back to the present linky theme - parent communication.

My main tool of communication is my weekly newsletter, so that is what I'll focus on. I also use e-mails, phone calls, and if needed behavior notes.

This year I changed to a different type of newsletter and homework system which I absolutely love. It was inspired by Amanda Madden. 

I used to feel like my weekly newsletter was a waste of time. It seemed the parents rarely read it...or at least it seemed like it based on the questions I received.

When I stumbled on Amanda's homework mini-series, it solved two of my "problems." Homework and a newsletter that went home and most likely got tossed in the trash right away.

I love my new style of homework and so do my parents. It is absolutely the BEST change I made in my classroom for this year. If you want more details about my new homework system, click here. 

Every Monday, the newsletter is put in the front of their homework folder (Nicky's Parent Communicators are the best). Students keep it there all week and pull it out to track their STAR homework. That means it is constantly in front of parents and students.

Okay, now I'm off to the Avengers: Age of Ultron with my daughter for an early birthday present.