Donors Choose

Just $175 to go on our Donors Choose project.  Please donate to our project so that we can get our chairpockets by Christmas.   It would be the most amazing Christmas present for my little ones ;-)

http://www.donorschoose.org/project/chair-pockets-for-a-unique-kindergarten/1092115?utm_source=dc&utm_medium=proposal&utm_campaign=copyURL&rf=copyURL_dccontent_2013_12_teacherid_1887482

Donors Choose

Please help!!!! My first Donors Choose Project is up, visit the link below to help my little ones.

http://www.donorschoose.org/project/chair-pockets-for-a-unique-kindergarten/1092115

School

Check out this year classroom pics!!!! Click on "My Classroom" tab.

Classroom Digs Linky Party @ blog hoppin

Just to think 24 hours ago I did not think I would have you ;-(

I thought planning my wedding was stressful . . . but nothing will ever compare to the past two weeks of my life.  Here is the timeline

July 22nd: Our local school board let our school know that they might not approve our second building at their next official meeting.  (I work at a charter school and everything needs to be approved by the local school board).

July 25th:  Our principal asked my BFF and I to come in for a meeting (did not disclose any info). 

This is how my room looked at the end of this day

 

July 29th: Came in for a meeting . . . not very good news ;-(.  If the board votes against our school's request there will be no space for the upcoming kindergarteners.   ;-(  We were told not to continue working on our rooms which were already 80% complete.  We were also told not to worry about loosing our jobs . . . but were warned that we might not be working together or in a classroom.

July 29th to Aug. 12th: The waiting game .......................................................................................... ..............................................................................................................................................................
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Aug. 12th: Broke my new sandals coming out of my car in the morning (it really was an indicator). They voted no. I was asked to come in early the next day to meet with admin. Went straight to Target after the meeting to buy tubs, crates and boxes to pack up.  Non-stop tears and anxiety did not let me sleep (My hubby woke up and made me my favorite smoothie . . . he had also taken me out shopping during the waiting game.   I really love him so much!!!!! He was the best support system during this very difficult time).

Aug. 13th: Was up before the alarm rang ;-(, it was thunder storming outside ;-(
                   7:30am Arrive at school under the rain (my belt brakes . . . wonder what will break tomorrow)
                   7:40am Principal's Office . . . YIKES!!!!!!  I was told my new position would be 6th and 7th grade Science and Spanish.  Feeling blessed.  I love the big kids and will stay in my own classroom which was a plus but . . . it's going to be hard to detach from my tiny chairs (sigh).
                   8:30am-11:30am:  Reporting Child Abuse training (just to add to my already heavy heart)
                   11:30am:  Started packing
                   11:50am: Principal walks in with envelopes and asked to speak to us privately (freaking out!!!!).  She says "Don't get your hopes up, but we are trying to work something out to keep Kindergarten in the building".  Tears again, a lot of hugging.  Everyone keeps popping in to ask if we are ok . . . . every time they ask I cry. 
                   1:30pm: Principal walks in with COO, they say "We figured it out!".  The option is Kindergarten half-day instead of full day (while we wait for the appeal to come through).   My BFF will teach English and Math and I will teach Spanish, Science and Social Studies (nothing new).  Catch . . . My BFF is loosing her room ;-(.  We will teach our subjects on alternate days to alternate sessions (AM will have BFF Day 1 and me Day 2, PM will have me Day 1 and BFF Day 2).  During the time we are not teaching we will be helping around the building with RTII.   Tears of joy this time I guess.  People came to our room to do happy dances . . . I really appreciated that.  We packed our butts off.  It's hard to fit all of our favorite things in one room lol. 

This is how our rooms looked at the end of the day

 Let's see what today brings.   
               
                  

Meet the Teacher Linky Party @blog hoppin

Hi there . . . Here are a few things about me . . .

My name is Janirca: It's the initials of all of my aunts and uncles

I have been in this world for 26 blessed years
 

I graduated from Kutztown University

 

I have been teaching Kindergarten at a Dual Language School for the past 3 years.

 

I rewatch EVERY episode of EVERY season of Grey's Anatomy EVERY summer

 

My favorite movie is Black Hawk Dawn (if you knew me . . . this wouldn't make sense but it's true)

 

Everyone loves my lasagna (just realized I've never taken a pic!!!!!! had to borrow this one)

 

I am a Boston Celtics fan . . . my hubby is a Knicks fan . . .NBA season brings a lot of tension

 

Some of my hobbies are party planning and anything that involves hot glue and mod podge

Bright Concepts 4 Teachers: Lesson Plans and Teaching Strategies: B2S Wise Decor Giveaway and Review!

Absolutely love Giveaways!!!

Bright Concepts 4 Teachers: Lesson Plans and Teaching Strategies: B2S Wise Decor Giveaway and Review!: Do you LOVE to decorate you classoom and home? Do you love HELP to decorate? Do you love EASY to decorate ideas? If you answered yes to any...

A Sunny Day in First Grade: 100 Fabulous Follower Giveaway!!!

I just entered this giveaway.  I would really love to win that sharpener!!!!


A Sunny Day in First Grade: 100 Fabulous Follower Giveaway!!!: This is SO exciting!  First of all, thank you to all of my amazing blogger followers and friends!  This community of teacher bloggers is abs...

*Teaching Maddeness*: $100 Dream Classroom Giveaway!!!

*Teaching Maddeness*: $100 Dream Classroom Giveaway!!!:   I'm just like you.  I'm spending my summer thinking of how I can turn my room into the "DREAM CLASSROOM." Some might...

Bulletin Boards

Furniture is set (for now) . . . Phase II of classroom prep has begun . . .

 

Today I worked on my Bulletin Boards . . . well just the borders really.   Thanks to my BFF/teaching buddy, the bulletin board ordeal has become a simple task for me.  You see, for my first year of teaching I covered my bulletin boards up with paper, the norm right?   I really disliked my bulletin boards all year because being the OCD person that I am, I hated the wrinkles and then of course every time I would try to change something (which is like every month) the paper would rip and I would have to do the whole thing over again.  So my second year I decided to take my teaching buddy's idea of using fabric.  For the first year she had covered her bulletin boards with really pretty fabrics.   So I went to Joann's . . . after a couple of hours of "OMG" and "I want that”.  I stumbled upon the felt aisle.   Then it came to me . . . felt stories . . . Velcro . . . no wrinkles!!!!!!  Me and my purple felt . . . it was like love at first sight!  So, that day (two years ago) I bought enough felt to cover ALL of my bulletin boards.    I chose purple because I figured . . . it's my favorite color and any classroom theme or décor I would have in the future would include purple somehow, plus for me it’s like a neutral lol.  

  

So . . . every summer (actually just two) I cover my felt with garbage bags while they paint.  When my room is ready I take out the bags and voila!  Bulletin boards are done.   Except this year, this year I decided to step it up a bit, by Double Bordering!!!!!!  Don't they look cute!!!!!!! While completing my daily "Google-ling" and blog snooping summer routine, I stumbled upon schoolgirlstyle.com (LOVE), and was inspired by some of her themes and bulletin boards with double borders.  I really loved her Blue Bird Theme, but my summer budget has been significantly reduced due to the fact that I and the hubby are saving for a house.    So instead of a complete overhaul I opted for the more responsible choice . . . a little face-lift.  

 

I would post pics of my bulletin boards are completely done, not really sure what each one is going to have (Word Wall, rules, jobs etc. the possibilities are endless ;-). 

 

 

I need to remember this everyday

Not being able to give EVERY child the attention they need makes me sad ;-( . . . They sure deserve more . . .

Currently Working on . . .

I absolutely LOVE books!  My collection has gotten so big, I have run out of space.  I  used to have most of my books out on baskets around the room . . .but I learned the hard way that not everyone (meaning the little ones) appreciate books like I do.   So two years ago, I cleared my closet to make space for them, only taking them out by theme or season.  But of course being the forgetful busy person I am, weeks maybe months would pass by before I changed the library and still some of my favorite books were just being destroyed.  So I made it my goal to organize my library in a better way.   I am not done yet, but here is what I have so far . . . .

 This is how my closet looked

(I had already taken out that middle chunk before the pic)

 

It took me a while but I was able to sort ALL 300+ books by season and/or theme.  I just about covered every inch of my classroom floor with books!!!!!

Then I started to organize them.  First I looked at my seasons/months.  I picked out my favorite read a louds, the ones I would not want the little ones to touch and I filed them in the drawer I have organized by month.  The extra ones would be available for their little eyes to read and little hands to touch lol.   

 

* I believe I bought the file folders with Scholastic points*

 

I had used them to store monthly homework packets, and reproducibles. 

 

The read a louds that did not fit on the file folders, I placed in the back .  .  . there was more than enough space for them there. 

 I still have a lot of books to go through but just wanted to share my progress. . . .

Let's pretend last year didn't happen!!!!!

I was so excited to begin my blog last year.  I wanted to be able to share all of my ideas and experiences . . . but, I forgot one thing . . . I am a kindergarten teacher!  The first few weeks are always hard, with all the "I want my mommy!" tantrums, bathroom accidents and the totally not age appropriate milk cartons and ketchup packets.   It usually gets easier as the months pass by,  unfortunately that was not the case in 2013.   It felt like the first week of school all year round!!!! I enjoyed the little ones and learned a lot, but I was definitely super exhausted by the last day of school!  

I am really looking forward to the new year.  I have so many new ideas and projects to complete before my new group of little ones comes in.  

Visit throughout the summer to check out my progress.