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Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Neglected!

So like many of you I have been completely overwhelmed with the end of the school year chaos, that I have neglected my little ole blog! I have taken a TON of pictures and when I get a project I am correctly working on completed, I intend to post all my end of the year activities we did! Worms, kindergarten kickball, butterfly release, class photos, and my little one's prek Graduation pics. I can't wait to share. 

So now off to finish my plans for a county kindergarten workshop I was asked to present for. Yay! me don't you love presented in front of your peers from other schools. Yeah well not me! But when you get a professional development hours for it why not. Plus it's a challenge and it is making me create things for my classroom that I have wanted to, but haven't slowed down to do. So I get to knock out a few birds with one stone! 

The big question now is 

go to bed.....or........work on another project? 

Saturday, May 12, 2012

May Currently ~ A Little Late

So I am just now finding time to link up with Farley for her monthly currently! A the pageant title was very difficult for me, not really sure why, but it was. So here it is......


So just to elaborate on a few of these.

Loving: I just found out I get to teach summer school, which tickles me to death. Last year did not have a good experience due to the fact that a retiring teacher was able to teach at my school and I had to teach at a different school. Was very excited this year, because my oldest will be going to my school next year and since we live in a different county, was wanting to teach at my school, so she could go and meet new friends prior to school starting in August!

Wanting: 2 weeks I have way too many things to do, and just knowing that in 2 weeks this years group is gone on and I can refocus on the things that didn't work this year and begin to prepare for next year. Another biggie with this one is that it will be the last daycare payment that is equivalent to a house payment!!!!! Now I will just have the youngest in daycare and it will be equivalent to a car payment. It's sad how high daycare is:(

Pageant Title: I was wanting something unique that I hadn't seen on the Currently's I have already viewed, but didn't have a clue what it would be. So I am a go with it type personality and I think sometimes it gets too complicated trying to worry over things that you can't do anything about. I sometimes wish I wasn't so carefree, but most of the time I am fine with it!

Well there's my currently a little late, but I won't miss one! At least I intend not to miss it. If you thought this was fun head on over to Farley's page and check out the other 137 who have already joined the May Currently Linky

I have a ton of things I am wanting to post that we have been doing in class, but haven't had time. 
Look for it soon! 

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Math ~ Make and Take

So I have been asked by my district math person to help teach a math workshop to fellow kindergarten teachers in the county. I have an hour to show addition and subtraction strategies. My thinking is to try to get a book that links to either the addition or subtraction or both and do a mini lesson with it. Then split up into stations and go around and do some make and take activities that the teachers can physically take back to class with them to use in their classrooms.  A biggie I plan on incorporating is having I can sheets available to take with what they make. In my room I know I HAVE to start making some I CAN sheets, so the students will stop constantly asking me what they are suppose to do!

The county is trying to get the teachers who have not yet implemented math stations to come to this workshop. I plan on creating some sheets to go with the activities and I will be sharing them after the class. 

So if you had to attend a math workshop that was a make and take type format, what kind of addition and subtraction activities would you like to make so that you could take them back to your room to use! I would love to hear your thoughts. 

Update: Here is my 1st attempt at an I CAN Chart. Let me know what you think. This one is for a domino math station. I have two different addition activities: 1 vertical and 1 horizontal! 


I will be making these available in Google Docs as soon as I finish them,
and will do a freebie post when I do:)

 Thanks!

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

What a week!

So this week is state testing in my school. I am fortunate to teach K and don't have to take them. ALL other grades take them and this year the student's scores account for 25% of the students grade! I am not at all a big fan of that. Some kids are not good test takers and for a standardized test to be that big of a deal on the report card, I personally think it's wrong! So I feel for everyone in my school taking the test. And of all days, we have had the power go out during the test not once but twice! The power has not went off much at all this year, and the weather is BEAUTIFUL, so no real reason for it to go off! Anyways it goes off and I cringe thinking of the teachers and students who begin to panic due to this circumstance.

I am again thankful NOT to have to do state testing, but I dislike this week very, very, very much. Our schedule is completely different. We go outside in the morning prior to lunch, so we don't have to fight big kids for outside time in the afternoon when they are not testing. Then we only get 30 min planning instead of our usual 52. That time FLIES by! Then I have my kids from 12:30 to 3:15 by myself. I haven't seen my assistant at all except the little break she gives herself from proctoring the test and cleaning the bubble sheets of the little kids who test. Luckily my classroom shares a bathroom with another K teacher, so when you realize it's 1:00 and you haven't been to the bathroom ALL day, we open the doors, watch each other's room and go.

And trying to keep 19 kindergartens silent in the hallway is just near impossible!!!!!! But they have done super well with it. One more day and we can move on to less stressful activities to finish the year.

On the bright side we are down to 11 1/2 days! Now out of those I have a field trip on one day, three afternoons of musical play practice, AdvancED Team coming to my school and I have to TALK to them ( yeah  kinda nervous about that part and I am typically a very calm person, but when it is something this BIG and they have me on the group to talk, it worries me) And forgot to mention I talk to them just before I leave to go on my field trip! YAY me! Thankfully though it will be over and I can enjoy the farm! Now back to the crazy schedule..... three inservice days without kids, kindergarten end of the year program and picnic, our annual kindergarten pancake breakfast the last full day of school, and 2 hours the final day to pick up report cards and send them to summer and first grade! I am sure I probably left something out, but I am sure your list is just as long or longer.

And none of that had anything to do with end of the year paperwork to make sure is complete!

I am looking forward to posting this weekend about our week in the classroom this week. We studied worms and the kids have LOVED it! I even remembered to take some pics, so can't wait to share. Enjoy the rest of your week. I have tomorrow and a personal day on Friday when me and the hubby are going to Dollywood!

Well I am off to bed.