Teaching Character Traits {TBT}

It's time for Throwback Thursday!

As I was sitting here reflecting on this past school year I was thinking about one thing I really liked this year.  That was my Character Trait posters.  I hung my posters on my calendar wall and focused on one trait per week during each marking period.  So, by the end of the year we had focused on each of the nine traits for a total of four weeks.  My kids knew the words and what they meant... and worked to act them out in what they did.  I really liked adding this element into our daily routine.

{Last summer I posted about my posters here.}

TODAY ONLY {6/12/14} you can get the posters for 20% off!

Check it out in my TPT store!

 

UPDATE 8/16/15:  This product is no longer available.  Sorry for any inconvenience.

Top 10 Things I Want to Do This Summer

I am linking up with Deanna Jump to share how I plan to spend my summer.

10 Things I Want to Do This Summer {in no particular order}:

1.  I want to start {and finish} my nursery.  I don't think I've mentioned it yet, but Mr.P and I are expecting our first baby!  I'm 18 weeks along and anxiously awaiting our next appointment to find out if Baby P is a boy or girl.  Either way, we're going with gray and yellow in the nursery so I'm excited to have lots of time to get this going.

Thanks to my friend, Chelsea, for taking our pictures!

2.  CLEAN!  I know this doesn't sound like a fun thing to do this summer, but I want to get the house in order.  You know all of those little tasks that always get pushed off during the school year?!  We've also only been in our house for 6 months so there's many projects we haven't had time to tackle.

3.  Watch Season 2 of "Orange is the New Black".  June 6 cannot arrive soon enough!  I had been wanting to watch Season 1, but just hadn't gotten around to it.  Then, my librarian brother informed me that it's actually based on a book.  I ran right to my library and got the audio book.  It's a good read {or listen in my case}!  I definitely recommend it.  After finishing the book I binge watched the first season.  So excited for Season 2 to be released on Netflix!

4.  I want to spend lots of time with my family.  Having spent 4 years living in North Carolina I didn't get to see my family in Michigan as often as I'd like.  Mr.P and I are loving being closer to home now so I want to make sure I use every opportunity to be with family.

5. Catch up on my TPT items.  I've got some items that I made and used this year in my kindergarten classroom, but didn't have time to make them 'TPT ready'.  I plan to work on those items and get back into more blogging.

6.  Read up on all of the mommy and parenting books.  I'm currently browsing "What to Expect When You're Expecting".  I also re-watched the movie-- it's much funnier when you're actually pregnant!  My brother and sister-in-law also gave us a copy of "Baby 411".  They said it has a lot of useful information.  What books have you read?

7.  Organize all of my teaching materials.  My teaching stuff consumes a huge amount of space in our basement.  And, to make matters worse, I'm leaving the classroom to move into a Title 1 position next year so the entire contents of my classroom has to move back home.  After 6 years in the classroom I think I have a good idea of what can be tossed, sold, or kept so I need to tackle that job this summer.  I've avoided it for a long time because {as I think many of you can relate with} you never know when you might need that little scrap of yarn!

...and now I'm bringing it all back home!

8.  Prepare for my new job {at the same school}.  The past couple of years I've been pondering the idea of moving out of the classroom into a coaching-type position.  The opportunity has arisen.  Next year, I'll be the Title 1 Program Coordinator and Academic Coach at my school.  My time will be split between working with kindergarten and first grade students in the classroom and small groups and observing, modeling, and mentoring teachers.  I'm very excited about this new position!  I want to find some good resources that will help me develop strong interventions and data tracking methods.  Any suggestions?

9.  I want to become more familiar with cooking.  I am a lucky woman to have married a man who loves cooking.  During the summer, though, I feel like I should do more cooking since I'm not working.  It's not like I can't cook-- I'm just not really good at it.  I enjoy watching Rachael Ray and have occasionally picked up ideas from her.  What's your favorite meal to cook for your family?

10.  RELAX!  I want to be sure that I make plenty of time to relax and enjoy the freedom of summer.  This will be my last summer before becoming a mommy.  I want to appreciate each moment in anticipation of the busy months {and years} ahead of me.

Wow, this list makes my summer look jam-packed!  Don't worry, I'll be sure to take #10 very seriously!!  Now it's your turn.  Link up with Deanna and share what's on your summer to-do list.

Another school year comes to an end....

Here I am on my first official day of summer.  I have big plans for the months ahead, but first here's a little recap of my last couple weeks of school.

A few weeks ago my team hosted a kindergarten prom.  Cutest thing ever!  The night included music, dancing, bubbles, cookies, juice, and lots of memories.

Did I mention there was also some impromptu "Let it Go" karaoke?!  It was a hoot!

Then, this past Thursday night we had our kindergarten graduation.  We ordered caps with tassels and they dressed their best for the night.  It was a packed house-- standing room only.  My kiddos were so proud of themselves and the families loved the event.  On Saturday I attended one student's graduation party complete with pony rides, potato sack races, and water balloons!

What end of year festivities do you do for your kids?