Wednesday Wisdom Linky Party (June 19)

Welcome to Wednesday Wisdom!!  This will be the first of several in this summer series.  Everyone is welcome to contribute at the linky at the bottom of this post.  We were discussing how we needed a little motivation to post about educational related topics this summer and came up with some topics for each Wednesday.  As teachers, we know how valuable your time is in the summer to get some things organized and planned for the coming year.  We want this blog to be a resource in your teacher's bag of tricks.  We are focusing our topics a lot on tips and tricks of the teaching trade for the classroom.

Organization

This week the topic is ORGANIZATION.  What is your best tip for organizing your classroom?  Share a tip or two of what you wished you would have known from the start.

To get us started, I will share my favorite organizational tip.  At the beginning of each school year, I have parents purchase a folder of their choice for their child.  This folder is called the child's take-home folder.  Students use this folder for homework and notes from home.  Students bring this folder to school daily.  There are times when this folder is empty for a few days and that is okay.  We do not always have homework in kindergarten; however, I do check take-home folders each day.

Students also have another folder that I purchase at the beginning of the school year.  This is the "organizational tip" that I would like to share.  This folder is called a Work Collection Folder and I only use for graded work.  I only send home graded or completed work on Mondays.  This helps me stay organized, as well as keep parents informed.  Below is a picture and link to the folders I use.

The neat part about this folder is the cover.  I use it to store my signature sheet.  My signature sheet reads: "After reviewing your child’s work collection with your child, please keep completed work at home and return any information that needs to be returned in the “return” section of the folder.  I am confident that going through this work with your child each week will allow you to see the tremendous growth your child is making, as well as help in any areas he/she is struggling in.  If you have any questions regarding your child’s work, please contact your child’s teacher.  Sign and date the form and return to school the next school day."  I use this sheet when a parent comes to me and says, "I didn't know he was doing poorly in math."  I also use this sheet for parents who want to send lunch money to school.  They write the amount and stick it in the front of the folder.  It serves as a "pocket".  This sheet is also good for when a parent wants to write a little note about their child's behavior or communicate a special event or early pick-up time.  Remember, I only send this home once a week.  This is a "special" folder.  I tell parents at Meet Your Teacher Night that this is a time when you need to sit down with your child and go through each completed paper and activity.  Discuss strengths and weaknesses with him or her.  I usually do not send homework home on the night of the Work Collection folder.

They come in many colors.  I usually get blue, just because it's my favorite color.  The kids refer to these folders as their "work collection folders".  I send these folders home on Mondays.  I include a weekly newsletter in the "work collection".  The newsletter includes word wall words for the week, skills, math facts, as well as birthdays and special events for the week.

I am including a link for your free copy of the signature page. 

Link up below with your classroom organization tips!