Five for Friday: August Already

Today I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for Five for Friday!  I can't believe it's August already.  I've been busy getting things ready for Back to School 2015... I'm so excited to start a new school year!  

Here's a bit of what I've been up to!

ONE: New Classroom Carpet

At the end of this past school year I spent about 4 hours trying to get duck tape off the carpet I have in my classroom.  I'm a firm believer in designated spots on the carpet and the shag carpet the school provided for me did not take well to the duck tape lines I created for individual spots. So, I've been searching all summer for a new carpet that's not gonna break the bank.  The carpets in the school supply catalogs are extremely expensive and my supply budget for the next two or three years would be spent if I purchased one of these carpets.

While walking through an Ollie's store a few weeks ago I found these carpet squares.  I wasn't able to find 24 of one color or even 12 of two colors, but I did find enough of a few patterns to make a nice carpet design.  While it's not the prettiest carpet I've seen, it will give each kid their own spot.  I also like how dark the squares are so stains will not be as noticeable.  Probably the best part, it only cost me $50.  Only thing I have to do now is tape the squares together on the back side!  I'm excited about how it's gonna look in my room!  

TWO: Back to School Paperwork
I've been working all week on Back to School paperwork and this has really put me in the Back to School spirit... I'm excited about the upcoming year.  We don't get to see our kiddos before the first day so the paperwork we send home in their folders that first night is the first impression we make.  More importantly the paperwork allows me to get to know the families and my students better.   

I like to send home a questionnaire so my parents have a chance to tell me a little bit about their child, including interests outside of school and their child's attitude towards school and learning.  I also like to send home a handbook with information about our classroom.  It's my hope that this handbook answers questions parents may have. 

  THREE: Teacher Planner

I've been fiddling with some pages for my teacher planner this week.  Each year my schedule is a bit different and I'm always trying to change things a bit to make planning easier.  I think I'm set with these pages for now... I'm sure I'll do some tweaking once school begins and I've used these pages for a few weeks!

FOUR: Back to School Preparations
I'm excited that this is the month we go back to school.  Technically kids don't come back until September 8th, but teachers begin on August 31st for professional development days as well as a few meetings.  

The excitement is also coupled with the stress of knowing there's a ton that has to be done over the next few weeks.  It's hard to balance school work with trying to enjoy the last few weeks of summer!  To help me stay organized during this crazy month, I created this To Do list.  As you can see I've been adding things by the minute! 

Five: TPT Sale

As you can see by my clip art list, I might have a clip art addiction!!  During the TPT sale at the beginning of the week I picked up some more great clip art sets.  I can't wait to get started creating... just add that to my to do list as well!  

Have a great weekend.  Don't forget to visit Doodle Bugs Teaching!