Open House & First Day of School

So, Last night we had Meet N Greet! It was amazing! It was probably the best one ever. I took a lot of the ideas about Open House Scavenger House that I saw on pinterest and put them all together. I started with the things I needed accomplished. Information sheets, transportation for the first day and all year long, treats for the students and for the parents. I also wanted to answer any questions the students might have and talk about goals we were setting for our third grade year.

These are the areas that I included in the scavenger hunt(pinterest idea 1):

1. Sign In sheet

2. Wish list items (Mr. Sketch makers, post-its, glitter crayons, highlighters, extra pencils)

3. Welcome Back Letter

4. Transportation Note

5. Goals for the year

6. Finding your hook, desk, bin and treat! (Baggie filled with Dubble Bubble and says We are going to have a 'Dubble-y' fun year in third grade)

7. Questions about the class

8. Check out the library

9. Meet a new friend!

10. Parents meeting the teacher (Microwave Popcorn with label "Thanks for popping in!" pinterest idea 2)

All of this was amazing in and of itself. The kicker is that is wasn't just a scavenger hunt with clues! The students had to use technology to decode the QR Codes!! I had two Ipod touches, two Ipad minis, and two smart phones being used at all times. It was wonderful! A room full of parents and students working together to read the codes and visit all the areas. The room was full of activity. The kids were engaged. I had time to talk to parents when they got to meet the teacher. Woo-Hoo!

 

First Day of School

What a great first day of school! The kids were excited. The teachers were excited. The parents were excited to send them off to school! Today, we did a variety of getting to know you activities and went over the classroom rules and all of the school procedures! We certainly practiced the 4-S line all day long. You know, Straight, Still, Silent, and Safe! We worked on bathroom procedures. We will get better at that I am sure. Our bare halls just echo so badly and the bathrooms are in the middle of the halls! Uh Oh!

The most exciting part of the day was when we got to lunch and they had run out of pizza.
Of course, half my class had ordered pizza! Hmm, regroup..pick a new lunch item...move on! My kids did great! We talked about rolling with the punches and embracing the shake! If you haven't heard about embracing the shake you need to visit Ted Talks! Powerful message that I shared with the kids in order to show them attitude is everything.

After School Dimissal was over an hour long today. We had car pool problems, bus problems, and daycare van issues. But you know what? I am so excited to get up tomorrow and do it all again. That is how great a day it was!

My kids learned the classroom rules! Then learned all of the whole brain teaching techniques and I can't wait until we are using them in more meaningful ways tomorrow. I hope everyone has a fantastic first day at school and a wonderful 2013 school year.