The Teacher Keeper

After many requests, I have tweaked and updated my personal organizational teacher binder to post on TPT!  It is on sale for 3 days only!  Check it out here:

Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend!

--Mrs. Pollard

Counting Down & End of the Year Gift

Oh, my darling blog, how neglected you must feel.  :(

The end of the school year is in full swing!  I'm rushing to squeeze in all of my final assessments and finish the joyous paperwork that we teachers are so lucky to have.  The official countdown is 8 1/2 days!  Woohoo!  Don't get me wrong... I'll definitely miss my babies, but the summer is much deserved.

As an end of the year gift for my students I am giving them a personalized picture frame with a class picture in it.  I'm half done with my project and I'm really liking them!  I hate to spend too much money right at the end of the school year because a summer of no paychecks is painful, so this is a simple and inexpensive way to say, "It's been a great year together."

Here's what you'll need:
1 4x6 acrylic picture frame for each student (97 cents at Walmart)
multiple colors of puffy paint
1 picture for each frame

Sorry I couldn't keep the picture in there to better show you the end results... gotta love district policies!

Next week I'm looking forward to our end of the year awards ceremony.  We're trying something a little different this year and having them as a grade level in the gym instead of in individual classrooms.  We've planned a Hollywood theme with a red carpet and all!  It'll be so much fun!

Well, that's about it for now.  I just felt so bad for neglecting the bloggy world in recent weeks so thought I'd pop in for a quick update!

What are you doing in your classrooms for the end of the school year?!

-Mrs. Pollard

TPT Loves You

It's time to show some appreciation!  TPT is celebrating teachers by offering a coupon code to save 10% off your purchase for three days {May 6-8}.  In addition to this discount, I will be offering 20% off every item in my TPT store for these three days {Sunday-Tuesday}.  Click the image below to go to my TPT store and be sure to enter the promo code TAD12 at checkout.

I've recently added a few new items to my store:

{I am also offering 20% off every item in my Teachers Notebook store if you prefer shopping there.}

-Mrs. Pollard



Congratulations to....

Congrats to Mrs. McKown who won the Secret Stories classroom kit!

{Included: teacher's book, audio CD, and color classroom posters}

Thank you to everyone who participated in my giveaway!  If you weren't the lucky winner, you can still take advantage of this amazing program by following them on Facebook, watching the videos on their YouTube Channel, or purchasing the program for your classroom.

Also, a huge thank you to Katie Garner, the brilliant creator of Secret Stories, for making this giveaway possible!  :)

--Mrs. Pollard

Don't forget to enter my Secret Stories giveaway! ~~~CLOSED~~~

I just wanted to remind everyone to enter my giveaway for a Secret Stories kit, which includes a book, cd, and color posters!  The giveaway will run through Friday night.  Don't miss your chance to enter {on the previous post}!

Secret Stories is a great program and the creator, Katie Garner, has some really great resources available online.  If you 'LIKE' the Secret Stories Facebook page you can leave a comment on my previous post to enter the giveaway. This will keep you up-to-date on new ideas, research, and workshops related to Secret Stories.

I also just discovered the Secret Stories YouTube channel.  Oh.My.Word.  It is so cool to watch the stories being implemented in a classroom by the creator herself.  I just subscribed to the channel so I can stay updated on any new videos.  You have got to check it out!

-Mrs. Pollard

Secret Stories Giveaway!! ~~~CLOSED~~~

This is for real y'all... I am giving away a Secret Stories kit!  This is a $90 value and I'm giving it away to one lucky winner.  It will change the way you teach spelling patterns to your students F.O.R.E.V.E.R.

I was first introduced to Secret Stories a few years back by a team member of mine.  A light bulb went off in my head when I saw this program.  The creator of this program, Katie Garner, is AMAZING!  Secret Stories are ingenious.  "What is Secret Stories?" you ask.  Let me take the explanation straight from their site since I get so excited when I think about it I don't want to miss anything!

"The SECRET STORIES is a multi-modal, brain-based, teacher ‘bag-of-tricks’ that transforms reading and writing abilities of primary and struggling, intermediate grade learners. Through visual, auditory, and kinesthetic means, the SECRET STORIES activates every learning channel within the learner, and personally connects them to the skills."
{http://www.thesecretstories.com/}

This kit includes everything you'll need to effectfively teach Secret Stories to your students.
{Included: teacher's book, audio CD, and color classroom posters}

Secret Stories are a part of everyday life in my classroom.  My students constantly use their Secret Stories to read and write words.  The little stories with the pictures truly stick in their heads and they really think it's a secret!  When I introduce a new story to them, we close our classroom door and whisper.  I hold my book like it is TOP SECRET information.  This whole program really grabs their attention and makes learning possible!  I cannot tell you enough how this has changed the way I teach words to my kids.

So, here's how this amazing classroom kit can be YOURS....

There are 4 chances to enter the giveaway.  You can do 1, 2, 3, or all 4!  Please read the directions carefully.

1. Follow the Secret Stories Facebook page by 'liking' it.  Leave a comment with your email address on this post saying you did so.

2. Follow my blog.  Leave a comment with your email address on this post saying you do.

3. Follow my TPT store.  Leave a comment with your email address on this post saying you do.
4. Blog about this giveaway on your blog.  Leave a comment with the link to the post and your email address on this post saying you did so.

This is one secret you will not want to keep to yourself!  The giveaway will run through midnight (EST) on Friday, May 4.  {No late entries will be accepted.}  The lucky winner will be announced on Saturday.

--Mrs. Pollard

Old Pipes+Water=Flood

I've been having a water leak problem under the sink in my classroom so today the county maintenance men came out to fix it.  They had told me they'd be pulling the cabinets off the wall and replacing all of the old pipes that were causing the leak so I planned for my students to spend the day in another classroom in the building.  It was also Fun Day so we'd be outside most of the day anyways.  Well, I had to run back to my classroom to grab the Fun Day schedule before the day got started and there it was... water.  I don't mean a little puddle.  I'm talking about some serious water.  ALL.  OVER.  MY.  CLASSROOM.  Flowing water.  Are you picturing this in your mind?  My shelves and carpet were already soaked, storage drawers sitting in water, and it was creeping across my floor just inches away from reading books and library books.  I walked in just in time to start saving my stuff and thank goodness for two of my amazing teamies being nearby and rushing to my rescue.  Now, everything in my room is up on tables.  It's quite a sight.  The whole situation was just too much for me to handle so then I added to the flood with my tears!  I'm sure those maintenance men thought I was crazy-- I was just standing in water and crying.  I'm sure you can all understand these emotions since we all put so much time, money, and energy into making a classrooms what they are-- a home away from home.  Oh, and did I mention that it went through the wall into my neighbor's classroom.  Yup, it sure did.  Soaked her carpet and some books.  Poor thing.  She didn't even see it coming!

I think today might top the charts as one of my worst days of school ever.  Now, I'm looking forward to a new week and being able to use the sink in my classroom without a leak.... or flood.  Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Have you ever had something like this happen in your classroom?

--Mrs. Pollard