Five For Friday Linky + a freebie

Ah....I can't believe it's already Sunday!  I seriously hoped to get my Five for Friday post up on Friday this last week, but that didn't happen.  I was EXHAUSTED on Friday after a busy, emotional week.  I did A LOT of reflection this weekend thinking about the past school year.  Right now I think I could write my own version of the book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.  It would start like this....If you give me a job *do my Five for Friday Post* I am going to think back to the week.  I will think about the tragedy that happened in Oklahoma this week which will make me think of the field trip tragedy in MN this week and the Sandy Hook shooting on December 14th.  It will make me think about this group of kids that I had in my class this year and how I have never before felt this emotionally connected to a group of students.  Don't get me wrong, I always feel connected to my classes, but seeing the pictures of all the children lost this year through tragedies connected to schools (shooting, tornadoes, freak field trip accidents) I have looked deeper into my students eyes and have put myself in these other teachers places.  This group will always be in my heart as I have thought over and over about what I would do if something like this happened in our school and how I would protect the babies in my class so that they would go home safely to their parents.  After reflecting upon the year, I thought about making some cards for my kiddos to tell them how special they are.  In doing that, I went to upload my cards onto TPT and saw a posting from someone asking for a specific item.  I decided on Friday night, that I would see if I could create that item....and I ended up spending all of Saturday on it.  I still hoped to get my FFF post up but after completing the packet I was making, I wondered if any other graded might be interested in the same thing...so I started one for kindergarten. 

So here goes, my Five For Friday on Sunday.  You can link up with Doodle Bugs Teaching to do the same. 

Here are my 5 random things from the week....
1.  Tuesday is Swim and Read Day at school.  On Thursday I got my classroom ready for when my students return on Tuesday.  They will be reading stories or poems in our pool throughout the day.

 

2.  I purchased a cute necklace from Sassy Steals.  It was 1/2 price and I was not intending on purchasing it, but my 9 year old was sitting next to me by the computer and saw it.  He said I had to have it because that's what I always say to him and his brother when they go to bed at night.  You can still get it here...Love-you-to-the-moon-back necklace.

 

 

3.  Track and Field was cancelled again for our first graders!   We are going to try again this week on Thursday, but the weather forecast isn't looking very promising.  Crossing our fingers.  My son was fortunate enough to have his in one of the days that I couldn't see it because we were at the zoo.  Here he is taking first place in the 100 M dash.  My hubby said no one else was even near him. It was a proud moment for me even though I wasn't there to see it. 

 

4.  Author's Tea is this week and we have been busy getting ready.  It's a red carpet theme, so our room will look like Hollywood. 

We have red curtains hanging.

And lots of things hanging from the ceilings...it's taken awhile but we are getting there.

 

5.  These past few weeks I have been frantically looking through everything I have collected from my students all year.  I always hope that I taught all my standards well enough so that my students are well prepared for 2nd grade.  This weekend I made a checklist for next year. Every page has a common core standard for math or reading on it.  Underneath the standard is a place for me to record all the activities that I taught throughout the year to cover the standards.  I am hoping that this will help me stay organized and not have to doubt myself at the end of the year next year.  I also did one for kindergarten and am working on other grade levels too.

 

 

You can find them here.  Common-Core-Standards-Record-of-Activities-Taught-First-Grade-708647

and Common-Core-Standards-Record-of-Activities-Taught-Kindergarten-708658.

 

I also added a freebie...Cards-for-End-of-the-Year-and-Beginning-of-the-Year.

 You can print them off, cut them in half, fold them and write a message to your kiddos inside them.  I am going to make a bunch of them for the school year.  I want to get better and sending my kids mail throughout the school year.

 

I hope you are having a great Memorial Day Weekend.  I am preparing myself for hearing this over and over during the next 6 days as I finish the school year.  :)

Sara