April 1, 2015
New Sponsor and Autism Awareness Bundle!
Everyone please welcome my first sponsored post for Sliding Into Second Grade!! Meet Melanie from Teacher’s Lounge. She offers wonderful teaching resources that aim towards specific demographics that you may find in your classroom.
Today I wanted to share out her Autism Awareness Bundle in which you can find at her TpT store. Melanie was able to put this amazing bundle together by collaborating with a few TpT sellers and will donate 100% of all the proceeds to benefit AUTISM SPEAKS. Isn’t that amazing?!
My cousin’s daughter was diagnosed with Autism and I know thousands of other children and adults benefit from the hard work of Autism Speaks. So, please consider supporting the cause.
Today I wanted to share out her Autism Awareness Bundle in which you can find at her TpT store. Melanie was able to put this amazing bundle together by collaborating with a few TpT sellers and will donate 100% of all the proceeds to benefit AUTISM SPEAKS. Isn’t that amazing?!
My cousin’s daughter was diagnosed with Autism and I know thousands of other children and adults benefit from the hard work of Autism Speaks. So, please consider supporting the cause.
See what you can get with this bundle pack:
Be sure to follow Melanie here:
Interested in having your blog or product advertised here? Find more information on how to sponsor with me here!
February 4, 2015
Parent/Teacher Conferences: Round 2
It’s that time of year again when many teachers are gearing up for their second round of parent/teacher conferences. I remember it being a bit of a stressful time because there were mid-year assessments that need to be completed, report cards gearing up to be sent out at the end of the quarter, and scheduling and preparing for these conferences.
Here are some tips (and even a download) to help you get prepared for these meetings!
1. Be organized. Organization is key to having a successful and meaningful discussion with parents about their child. Have a way to keep track of your scheduling of conferences, stay connected with parents by sending reminder slips, and of course have documentation ready.
Tip: After your conference always send a ‘thank you’ email. Parents love the connection and the thoughtfulness that goes into taking that moment to thank them for their time in meeting with you about their child.
2. Keep it short and sweet. Discussion about their child’s academics and behavior can quickly become diluted with everyday conversation or be directed elsewhere. Be respectful of your time and the time of the parents coming to school by keeping the conversation on point. I like to keep my conferences between 15-20 minutes each.
3. Have other specialists sit in on your conference. If you’re dealing with a difficult parent or are meeting to discuss a child that meets with other teachers throughout their day, suggest to have them sit in on the meeting. This way communication is open between the school and parents and everyone is clued in to what is being talked about.
Tip: I’ve had my assistant principal sit in on a meeting before with two divorced parents that tended to not get along so well with each other. This helped keep the discussion moving and gave me peace of mind that I wasn’t going to get stuck in an awkward situation.
Here’s a download that has helped me in the past in getting organized and prepared to meet with parents. I hope you find it just as helpful!
Keep organized by having all of your child’s info right there in one place. Being prepared with scores and notes about behaviors or benchmarks is super helpful when relaying that info to parents. This download includes forms for 1-4 quarters **and now trimesters!
This is super helpful in keeping track of all of those conferences! Mark the date, to whom you met with, and the nature of the meeting. This keeps a nice paper trail of when you met and can be used with your administration.
My favorite way to keep in touch with parents are these reminder forms. Send these home a week out from beginning conferences and your sure to stay organized and keep parents on track.
Enter my giveaway to receive this amazing resource for free below!
January 9, 2015
Five for Friday {Jan 9th}
This marks the first week since I’ve returned to school and by Tuesday I was already exhausted, haha! Here’s my five randoms from this week!
#1: Revamped my Ancient China resource packet!
I was so happy to get this done! Last year I had made this student workbook and my kids loved it! Not to mention it was a snap to get prepared and the best part is that it cuts down on papers lost and becomes a nice review packet once completed. Be sure to read my post (here) that gives you a little more detail about this download :)
#2: Trivia is back for 2015!
One of our favorite date nights is the weekly trivia hosted at a local brewery down the street from our house. We’ve been going since we moved in September and this past Wednesday we got 3rd place! We earned the pint glasses you see here...but this is the third time we’ve won the glasses so at this point we just give them away to our friends :)
#3: My Pinterest WIN
I was so happy to have completed this project and very satisfied with the results. For years I’d wanted to paint this in my living room and I got it done!
#4 Missing 'Snow Days’
As we get back into the swing of things at school here on the west coast, I can’t help but be jealous of all my friends who got snow days and delays due to the cold back in VA. Oh the days of snow are gone for me but as much as I love having those days off I can’t help but love the 75 degree weather and sunshine here in CA. It’s also weird for me to say that and know it’s January.
#stilladapting #whereswinter #howdoyouteachsnowtokidsinca
#5 New Years Craftivity & Think Sheet BUNDLE!
Another download I was excited about finishing was my NYE Craftivity packet! See my post here to check it out and see how you can get your kids back into writing with this fun craft. It’s also fun to talk about resolutions and how we can set goals for ourselves.
And the other download I was able to blog about was my Think Sheet Bundle pack! See my original post here and get yourself a copy that now includes think sheets for grades K-6!
Also...
I will be having a storewide sale on my entire TpT store this weekend!
Kick off 2015 with 20% off each of my products!
Be sure to visit my shop here!
Happy Friday everyone and I hope you have a great weekend!
January 4, 2015
Slim Down Saturdays {2015 edition}
One of my favorite linkups from last year was Gina’s Slim Down Saturdays from Teaching With a Touch of Pixie Dust. This time last year I was beginning my journey through Weight Watchers and training for a half-marathon all in preparations for my wedding that summer. See my original posts here. 2015 is a bit different seeing as though I have no major life event to prepare for, however, overall health and fitness is my goal.
So here’s my first checkin for Slim Down Saturdays!
Ultimate goal: Although I don’t have a specific weight loss goal in terms of pounds, I do have a goal of getting down to a size 10 in jeans. With my athletic and curvy body type I know I’ll never get below a double digit so a reasonable goal for me is a size 10 and I’ll be proud of that.
Gain/loss this week: I have none to speak of this week because I’m just starting ;)
Total since starting: N/A
Positives from the week: One of the biggest struggles I have in regards to sticking with a diet or fitness plan is the food/drink choices when we eat out or socialize with friends. It’s the true test! So, one of my positives from this week (and if you count my entire holiday break) I’ve been good about making healthy food choices. For example, this morning we went to Cajun Kitchen Cafe and instead of going with the full on breakfast platter I opted for my veggie egg-white omelet with a side of fruit. Look at me ;)
Something to do better: A goal I have for myself going into this next week is cutting back on sugars. From coffee to sweet treats I’d like to cut back and intake more water. The holidays have been fun with all the cookies but it’s time to get back into the groove of healthy eating and treating myself every once in a while.
Goal for next week: Gym. Gym. Gym...that’s the goal as I head back to work. I tell myself 3x a week to give me some wiggle room because I know after a long day the last thing I want to do is go run or lift weights. I just need to get back into my routine.
One word, song, or quote: This quote came from my husband this morning when we woke up and gave me a hug. He always calls me beautiful and that’s one of the best qualities about him. But, when he acknowledged the work I’ve been putting into the gym lately by muttering those simple words...it made my day and has given me the motivation I needed to keep up the good work :)
Be sure to link up too and share your 2015 health goals!! I love reading about everyones progress and it’s become a fun little community to share our ups and downs. Thanks Gina for hosting this wonderful linkup again! See you next week!
December 18, 2014
Christmas Questionnaire 2014
Linking up with Fabulous in First for her annual linky!
In a normal holiday season the husband is very adamant about not decorating for Christmas until after Thanksgiving. However, if it were up to me, decorations would be going up in early November. This year, though, I got lucky and was able to decorate because we were going out of town and celebrating Thanksgiving with friends. I explained that, “wouldn’t it be nice to return home and it already feels like Christmas?” *wink*
Elf or no Elf?
Elf on the Shelf seems creepy to me (am I the only one?!) and since we don’t have kids yet we don’t put up the Elf. However, I do look forward to one day taking the time to come up with different mischievous things for him to do. The kids seem to really enjoy this tradition.
Christmas cookies or no baking for you?
Of COURSE Christmas cookies! It’s one of our favorite traditions and usually we go to TX and do cookies with his mom and sister. But, now that we’re staying home we are doing as much holiday stuff together as possible.
Favorite holiday tradition?
We are beginning to develop our own traditions now that we’re newlyweds. See my post here with all my holiday date nights/ traditions. A couple in particular that were really fun was decorating a gingerbread house and going ice skating :)
Favorite Christmas movie?
If it were up to my husband the answer would be Jingle All the Way...but mine is A Christmas Vacation. It’s not Christmas without the Griswolds. Also Home Alone is a definite go-to!
Snow or no snow?
I’ve never had the chance to see snow on or around Christmas but I love the snow. Of course, not so much being in it but I love the ambiance it gives. Just makes you want to cozy up and relax by the tree.
Favorite Christmas song?
Anything Michael Buble! I love his Christmas album and his deep voice...so Sinatra....can never get enough.
Favorite gifts to give and get?
I will always be a fan of gift cards, even if they seem impersonal. It gives me the chance to really get what I want versus the hassle of trying to return or exchange things on the chance I wanted something different. Plus there’s super cute ways to gift, gift cards to others via Pinterest, so there’s a little more thought in it than you’d expect.
A few gift cards I’d love to give and get are:
Stitch Fix
Birchbox
Teachers Pay Teachers
Etsy
VISA gift cards
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