2008-2009 to 2012-2013 Classroom Evolution

Phew!  We are one week into our school year, Orientation is over and went off without a hitch (worth mentioning, anyway), and the students have paid 4 of their 180 days' debt to society as fifth graders in my classroom *giggle*.  I've made quite a few changes this year and they really were more a product of the past four years' experiences.

I initially planned on doing my reveal today, but I have a few things that I finished up this weekend that I was going to take to school and hang first, so that will have to be my next post.

Obviously (based solely on the title of my blog), I have had a beach theme in the past.  That hasn't so much changed as it has evolved into more than just a beach theme.  It's also opening the door for me to transition into potentially changing the theme one day.  You know, if I win the lotto, get a wild hair, AND decide that I have nothing but time to dedicate to the cause.  I don't anticipate that happening ANY. TIME. SOON.

So, the evolution was caused by the team-teaching-turned-six-partner-switch that has occurred over the five years we've been working at OVE.  There have been a lot of changes, some good and others not-so-much, as far as the fifth grade team goes.  From the first year that we opened, out of a team of 8 (9 if you count our ESE Teachers, and I always do), only three of us remain.  *FROWN*  However, we've gotten the opportunity to make a lot more friends that way.

Short story EVEN LONGER, our grade level has been color coded since the first year we opened.  I was chose pink because red was already taken by the teacher who brought the idea from her former school--not being too big a fan of pink at the time, I have adapted MARVELOUSLY *patting myself on the back in an over-the-top-kinda-way*!  The first two years, I worked with Mrs. Teal (one of the originals ;)) and her color was...wait for it...TEAL!  For obvious reasons--though her favorite color was purple and happens to be my LEAST liked color (I detest purple and have no idea why)--and I am glad she went with her last name for the coding.  After that, my principal split us up to put two (what she called) seasoned teachers with two teachers who needed seasoning.  Hehehe, that part I rephrased.  My new partner, Mrs. Devine, was fairly new to teaching and I was excited because I conned convinced asked her to come to OVE when she was surplussed from GPE our first year of opening (she is the only other teacher that remains with us from the first year on our grade level).  Maureen (Devine)'s color choice was LIME GREEN.

NOW, we are split up in the grade level.  One partnership has the inclusion class and one mixed ability class (heterogeneous, if you will).  We remaining six have our homerooms, to whom we teach social studies, and then two homogeneous groups in our departmentalized subject areas.  For those who are new (and honestly, I'm not sure if I've even mentioned it yet), I teach language arts and reading to two blocks a day.

Last year was the first year that we did this and I really think that it went well.  I got the opportunity to work with five other teachers rather than just one, and also got the chance to know even more students rather than just the 44 I would have taught.

The color coding within my group began at that time with the three colors, as I was only using two in the previous years.  I had all of these left over teal and lime green storage  bins and areas, so it was just a natural color selection.  It wasn't all that obvious last year, but this year (and largely due to Pinterest and my constantly expanding blog reading/following) it took on a whole new dimension.  When former students returned to my room during Orientation to say hi--which I get VERY excited about because my babies leave the school after fifth so I don't get to see them in the hallways like other grade levels get to--they were oohing and aahing over the changes.  One student in particular, who I ADORE and taught the first year, said to her mom, "Mrs. Van Kampen has upgraded since I was in her class."   :D We had quite the giggle over that.

Well there you have it--I started using a beach theme, and it grew and grew for a few years and then this year I abruptly added a LOT of lime green and teal to my already pink accents and storage areas.  I am including a link to last year's sneak peek so that you can see the "before" from just a year ago.  My next post will have this year's updated (or upgraded, hehehe) look.

2011 Sneak Peek

Organizational OCD

I am sure this is a common ailment for many teachers, but I suffer from a bad case of Organizational OCD.  I'm not naturally organized, I have to work very hard at it, so I've become obsessed with baskets and bins to assist me in my endeavor to become organized.

That being said, I'm sure many of you have seen the rolling carts with the primary colors for storage, but if not, they look like this:

I bought them at Sam's Club for the lowest price I'd ever seen them.  Normally they are around $80 but Sam's had them for $25 so I bought two for my classroom.

 Now, unfortunately, they do not really go with the color scheme in my classroom, so I busted out the scrapbook paper and modpodge and VOILA:

Well, I decided that I'd really wished that I'd gotten some for home in my craft room/office so I went back with my fingers crossed they'd still have some and thankfully they did!  YAY! 

I think that warming up my craft muscles on the first two sets was a good idea because my set for home turned out just a tad different. Hehehe

As you can see, this time I gave them a COMPLETE overhaul using spray paint (creme and chalkboard) as well as some stencil and paint on the top.   I wanted to match them to these ADORABLE storage bins I found at Michael's last year.  

FYI: I thought that in the past I had seen these for around $70-80 but got curious and looked at a couple of teacher supply sites to see if I remembered correctly.  I did...kinda: School Aids has them for $99.99.  Now, I mean no disrespect towards School Aids, but WHOOT WHOOT!  I FINALLY got a deal when I thought I was getting a deal!  Now, that being said, I TOTALLY fell for a sales pitch on some carpet cleaner while I was there the second time, but that was only $40 and it DOES clean...just not NEARLY as well as this knucklehead told me it would.  Oh well.  I STILL SAVED MONEY!  

Curious again, after hearing that one of my colleagues went to our local Sam's Club to get some after seeing mine last week and they were sold out, I looked online at their website to see if you could order them and have them delivered to the store.  To what will likely be her dismay, but to my relief that I was not wasting a rare opportunity to get these so cheap,  they are selling them online at Sam's for $66.83.  To their credit (yeah, not-so-much), that does include shipping. ;)

Well, I need to my classroom so have a SPECTACULAR Sunday!

OHMYGOODNESSGRACIOUS This Site is AMAZING!

I just stumbled on the biggest timesaver for classroom library management.  It's a website that works with my iPhone and iPad to scan in the ISBN codes of my books and then, after entering my students names and numbers, the children can check my classroom library books out and then back in with the classroom libraries.  It.  Is. AMAZING!  Check it out here:  Classroom Booksource, sign up for a free account, download the free app, and SCAN ON!  I am in love!  ♥♥♥

New Lunch Board

This is going to be brief, as I'm about to swallow my head with my own yawns and have more papers to grade.  However, I found this BEAUT on Pinterest and wanted to share the sheer genius of it:

<<Source>>

Ironically I was already using cookie sheets for my lunch/attendance magnets, so I thought it would be great fun to dress up those drab ol' silver guys.  Here is mine:

Along the lines of "live and learn" I had to fix it twice that first day as it fell off of the bookshelf.  So it's already had a face lift.  I thought I had a picture of the changes, but I guess I'll have to take another tomorrow because I can't find it now.

Have a great evening!

- Posted by kvk using BlogPress from my iPhone

Applying My Theme

WOW!  What a bunch of work to recreate and apply my theme to things I'm already using.  I don't even know if it's overkill or just a bunch of things that only I appreciate.  Truly, I am not concerned if only I appreciate them.  The fact of the matter is that I spend a bulk of my life for over 200 days a year in this classroom and if it looks pretty to me and I appreciate it, it makes me happier...thereby making the lives of my itty- bitties (the ten year olds) and my loved ones better by default.  A happy teacher makes a happy learning environment. 
**Stepping down from my soap box.**

I made a sign (stay tuned, I'll post it below) for my classroom because even my principal stopped by during preplanning to ask me for a favor and stopped dead short in her tracks to say, "Oh, I was going to ask you to make something for me, but seeing this, perhaps I should ask someone else."  To which I replied, "Nonsense...what do you need?"  She is my boss after all, and I absolutely adore her. 

Now, what she was referring to is no surprise to my teammates.  These lovely ladies have come to expect what my principal saw every time we have an extended break.  It's a combination of my self-diagnosed ADD/OCD (or ACDDDO, in alphabetical order, like it should be).  Basically I pull everything out of my closet, shelves, drawers, bins, etc. and re-organize it. I don't know why.  It makes no sense and I wish I had complete mind control over my OWN brain to stop it. 

And THAT is what brings me to my current dilemma...why is it that I'm trying to apply my beach theme to everything this year?  Is it because I've already reorganized and need something to occupy my OCD part of my brain?  HAH!  I assure you, that is not the case.  It is because the school year is when my ADD takes complete control.  Grade papers?  But, but, but, I haven't typed that cute sign (found on Pinterest) up on the new beach backgrounds I've bought and downloaded:

Feel free to click on the poster to download it.  I won't embarrass myself by telling you how long something so simple took me to recreate.  *blush*

Have a great Sunday...I'm off to grade papers!  

Seastars, Sand Dollars, and Love,

Krystal

Organization for Group Supplies

I just LOVE this idea and how thrifty (ahem, CHEAP) it can be.  It can also be modified for individual themes in your classrooms, and should I ever change mine (HAH), I can change these too:

Isn't this just fabulous?  And if you click HERE you can see different ideas for the handle.

Thank you, Sew Many Ways for such a great idea!