April 2016 Currently

Oh dear...it has been a while since I've been on here...Thank goodness I got an e-mail reminding me about Farley's Currently this month at Oh' Boy 4th Grade!

 

I am sure that everyone is feeling the same way...wanting some extra time for themselves, but needing as many days as possible in your classroom to get everything done!

 

Oh well...enjoy the next part of your school year! I'm sure it will go by just as fast as the past seven months...

 

Take care,

 

Tammy

A New Year...and January Currently!

Happy New Year, everyone! 2015 has been interesting, but I am definitely looking forward to 2016! Who doesn't love a fresh start, a new beginning, more work, no breaks for awhile, kids that haven't been in a routine for two weeks...well, you get the idea...

Anyway, it's that time again...to join up with Farley's Currently at Oh' Boy 4th Grade.

 



I don't think that I need to explain much of this...but that one little word, HOPE, has been my word for a long time...for surviving the things that we have gone through, and the hope of better things to come...for the loss of people missing from our lives, and the hope that they will find their way home...for the desire to spend as much time as possible with our wonderful family, and the hope that they continue to be healthy and happy as the new year begins!

I HOPE that 2016 brings you peace and joy, and a great second half of your school year!

Take care,

Tammy

December 2015 Currently

Yikes! Sorry that I am so slow this month...I forgot all about it being a new month, and that it would be time to do a new Currently...what was I thinking? I know...report card marks and comments had to be in by November 26th...then we spent the past week waiting to fix all the typos/spelling mistakes/etc. Plus, it is busy with Christmas concert practices and such. Being the music teacher (as well as being the classroom teacher), somehow this all comes onto me now, even though the music part is only a teeny, tiny part of my job.

So, finally, today, I am joining up with Farley's Currently at  Oh' Boy 4th Grade.

 

Anyway, it is time for me to go get some "Christmasy" kind of work done around home...life has kind of revolved around school lately, so I'd better think about some home stuff this weekend!

 

Take care!,

 

Tammy

November Currently - Where is the Time Going?

I can't believe that it is already November 1st! The first two months of school have flown by...with all of the fun, back-to-school activities, weeks of initial assessments, restitution training, Thanksgiving, Progress Conversations, Halloween activities...throw in a bit of teaching, some staff meetings...it's been crazy!

Today, I am once again joining up with Farley's Currently at  Oh' Boy 4th Grade.

 

Not much to explain here...

 

I hope that your school year has had a great start! Appreciate the little things, deal with the tough stuff, and love those around you! That's the joy of our job...every day is an adventure!

 

Take care,

 

Tammy

Hi Ho, Hi Ho...It's Off to Work We Go!

Well, tomorrow (Tuesday) is the first official day to be back to work! Of course, we get to "ease" into things by having a training workshop on Restitution for our entire school division. It will be great to see colleagues and catch up, but I'm sure that many people would rather have the time in their classrooms. Oh well...one of the nice things about doing this kind of training as a whole school/division is that everyone starts to use the same vocabulary and expressions, so it becomes so much more consistent for the kids! Maybe I will be able to find some time in the near future to talk a little bit more about this training.

On Wednesday, we will begin our day with a staff meeting, and then we can use the rest of the day to do whatever we need in our own classrooms...and Thursday, bring on the kids!

I have spent a lot of this summer planning for this next school year. I know that we are fortunate at our school to be able to go in pretty much any time throughout the summer, to either clean up from the previous year, set up for the next one, or even just to get a head start on the photocopying. Some times, I just like to go in on a Tuesday evening, when I know that no one else will be around, and I can be as anti-social focused as I want!

Today, I thought I would share a few pictures of my finished(?) space...I think I am ready for the challenges and adventure of a new year. There are so many changes in our school this year and hopefully with having everything in my own room ready to go, it will help me have the strength to deal with those other things!

This is the bulletin board just outside our classroom.
My kids will be making their own potato heads to add to it on their first day back!

One of our school division's goals involves Sustainable Development. I keep this bulletin board in the hallway up all year long, adding to it as we do things throughout the year!

I'm not sure how long my kids will keep this area so organized, but it looks good for now!

These cubbies let my kids store those bulky binders and portfolios out of the way.

I love how this space turned out! This summer I re-did my entire library...changing from the traditional, on the shelf, just sitting there system to labelled baskets based on themes. This is just one of my library shelves...there are two more here...Have I mentioned that I have a "slight" addiction to books? lol

This is my reading area. It also contains lots of non-fiction books and a variety of magazines.

This is part of our Writing area. It has some of the extra things that my kids can tackle in writing, while they are waiting for a conference with me, or for someone to help edit their other work.

Here is our Listening centre/charging station. I have lots of books on iPods (we have 6) and iPads (I have 3).

We have four computers in our classroom, as well as 2 laptops. We use them for some of our Listening to Reading, word processing, keyboard practice, researching, Math with Technology, and whatever else we can manage!

This is our schedule/calendar area. The pocket chart shows our daily schedule (which seems to get changed around a lot) with word and picture cues. The calendar keeps us informed with what is happening throughout the month.
(Don't mind the mess below it...lol...that is our Home Reading books, in plastic eavestroughs, hanging on the wall.)

Well, I suppose I should get this post published so that I can get to bed, and then get this year started! For those colleagues that are starting tomorrow too, good luck and I hope that everything goes smoothly for you as well! Have a great year!

Take care,

Tammy

September Currently...and Ready to Go to Work!

Yes, it's that time of year...and as I said with my last Currently, I never really did get out of school mode. I was either at school...or sitting in the family room with piles of school papers surrounding me. But that's okay...I am feeling very positive about walking into my classroom for next week, ready to take on a new class!

So here I am, linking up to Farley's Currently over at Oh' Boy 4th Grade.

 

I think that most of these are pretty self-explanatory...

 



I am a reality show junkie...lol...but not everything...these were usually the shows I watched with my son (Big Brother, American Ninja Warrior, America's Got Talent...). He moved out this summer, into his own house that he has been building over the past two years (can you tell that I'm a proud mom for my 27 year old "kid"? ), so it's a little harder to watch them all on my own, but they are good for when I'm working on those piles of school papers...lol

Although I have been working hard, and am pretty much ready for the beginning of a school year, it is still nice knowing that I have some time yet.

Haircut is booked! My hairdresser sounded just as excited to hear from me when I called...lol

Who doesn't want baby time? My granddaughter is 17 months, and is just the sweetest, most adorable thing in my life! I love every moment I can get with her. And my nephew is an absolute cutie! He is 5 months old (although he arrived 3 months early, and gave us a few worries at first) and I adore him!

I know, I know...all the sleep studies tell me how important sleep is...but my brain has a really hard time shutting off when I lay down at night...I don't know if I just worry too much about forgetting something, or if I just have too many things on the go...but sometimes I have to get up and add to that huge "To Do List" before I try to go back and sleep.

I think my goals speak for themselves...and I'm sure I could easily add way more...lol...but that's okay...at least they give me a start for the new school year!

Well, that's it for me tonight. Hopefully I will be back here soon, to share some pictures of my classroom. Good luck to everyone as you start the new year as well!

Take care,

Tammy

Back to School...Where Do I Start?

Wow...I know that I am not officially back to school until September 8th, but I headed over to my classroom today. I walked in...saw what it looked like...and considered turning around and going back home! The one good thing is that the floor was shiny and clean, and ready for me to "work my magic" and start arranging!

I suppose it really isn't so bad...it's just that I like to move everything up off the floor at the end of June so that our caretaker doesn't have to move all of my stuff while trying to clean the floors.

Of course, setting up my room was not my intention today...instead, I decided to start some intense cleaning. It is time to start de-cluttering. You know what I mean...maybe actually throwing out some of those games that have been missing pieces for a few years and still haven't shown up...or that stuffed cupboard of art supplies that were such a good buy (time to figure out a use for them this year or pass them on to someone else)...perhaps weeding out my classroom library (then I might have some room for the new books I will more than likely buy this year)...and then there's the filing cabinet...and the cupboards of teacher resource books that no longer match who or what I am teaching.

 

 

Wow...although it doesn't look like I made much progress, I really did do a lot of sorting and cleaning! A few more days of reorganizing and I will feel much better about my space...and I will be ready to start setting up for the new school year! That will actually be the easy part, as I have spent lots of my summer break getting things ready...fresh labels, new signs, sorted papers...planning for a few new curriculums.

 

Stay tuned for the next set of pictures...once things are all in place!  I hope that you are getting everything ready for your own space, but are still able to enjoy whatever time you still have left of your summer break!

 

Take care,

Tammy