First Day of School

Well...we all survived!  The first day is always the longest and hardest day of the year, but it's always so special at the same time.  First we spent our morning unpacking, practicing morning routines, and learning all about each other.

My favorite activity that we did (and the only one I managed to snap some pictures of) was our "First Day Jitters" activity.  We began the lesson by reading First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg. I always love watching the kids reactions when they realize at the end of the story that the main character is a teacher.  It's just one of those precious moments to watch a child realize that teachers are nervous the night before school too!  Below are some of the pictures that I managed to snap during all the chaos that is known as the first day of school.

 Oh...the jitter juice fun!

It was SO funny listening to them while they were drinking their jitter juice that was supposed to take care of those jitters in their tummies.  They were too exicted!  I think everybody was able to "feel the jitters going away." :)

It was a great first day and I'm excited for day 2! Now it's time for this tired teacher to get some sleep so I can do it all over again tomorrow!

WHEW, Finished! A Classroom Tour...

Well after lots and LOTS of work in my classroom, I think I can finally say I'm done!  All the desks are set-up, books leveled, and posters hung on the wall.  Scroll below for a tour of our NEW room!

This is the view from the door.  In 72 hours there will be lots of busy, energetic, and fun children ready to tave over!

These are their "Meet the Teacher" packets with lots and lots of information inside.

This is our reading corner.  In the colorful buckets are i-pod shuffle listening centers.  Kiddos can also grab a buddy (one of the stuffed animals) to listen to their awesome reading.

This is our back counter, please excuse the "Meet the Teacher" mess all over it.  This is where my sweet kids will choose their lunch each day.  There is also a "Data Center" that we will update throughout the year.

This spot is where we will post our Math Vocabulary and spend lots of time on the computers.  There are also fun math games in the colorful drawers.

This is the writing center.  Here my kiddos will have a chance to practice their writing skills each day.

(Again: excuse the "Meet the Teacher" mess!)

On this back wall I will showcase the students work and post reading word wall words.  There are also leveled book baskets that the kiddos will shop in each week to pick out their books.

This is my desk

Calendar, Schedule, and Daily Helper board

Our classroom rules so that we can play and learn safely

Our "Hollywood" themed clip chart.  I'm sure everyone will always be "On the Red Carpet" this year :)

So that's our classroom this year.  I just can't wait to meet my new "firsties" this afternoon!!!

Bye, Bye Summer...

Let's re-hash what Miss Waldrop has been up to this summer...

June: 

* Packed up and moved my classroom from my old school to my new school

* Celebrated another birthday and being another year wiser :)

* Had major sinus surgery <-- NO FUN!

* Started my Master's Degree in Classroom Leadership

July:

* Took 9 hours of summer school...bleh!

* Enjoyed some time at Hilton Head with my family

* Unpacked, reorganized, reorganized again, and finally set up my NEW classroom! :) :) :)

I don't know if my other teacher friends can relate, but at this time of the year I start to get really ANTSY! I spend way too much time in my classroom and when I'm not in my classroom I'm usually thinking about what I want to be doing in my classroom.  I also start to think about my new darlings that will be in my classroom within a couple of weeks! TALK ABOUT EXCITING!!! This year is especially exciting because not only will I get another group of fabulous firsties but I will be at a new school too! I wonder if they are as excited about coming back to school as I am?

Promise to post pictures of my new classroom soon! 15 days until the first day of school! EEEEEK!!! :-D