Well, hello there, Saturday and Sunday and Monday which is called a THREE DAY WEEKEND. Hello, Hello, Hello!! 🙂
I started out my week with one-on-one testing. I am so so so lucky because my principal pays for us to have substitutes so that we can accomplish this task (especially since we have 30-32 kids each!). My previous two principals also did this for us.
I love one-on-one testing when I have a sub because I am not trying to keep the rest of the class away from me or each other or in their seats or on task or in centers or what-have-you. It is glorious!! Our librarian let me use her office (however, the picture above is in my classroom from a kiddo who was absent on my testing day — how dare she?! :)) and it is always so much fun to connect with the kids in a quiet environment. It’s just the two of us and I always start out with a couple of questions about their life, such as did you watch the Super Bowl or I love your shirt, do they make that in my size? or how is the sub doing? Is she doing things the way we do them? or What did you have for breakfast because it’s still all over your face.
I used to STRESS OUT about completing Running Records. I mean, I know where my kids are in reading. I do Running Records as I’m going along, for SST’s, for IEP’s, to re-group my kids, to be in the know, etc.
But our district requires Running Record Scores as data every trimester and we have to enter them into the computer and we can only use the books from our testing kit and they can only be used for testing and nothing else and we have these official packets that we send up to the next grade and and and and and and and
Well.
Anyways.
The district says each student should be at a Running Record Such and Such by the end of each trimester to be considered reading on grade level AND I WOULD STRESS OUT WHEN KIDS WERE BELOW GRADE LEVEL.
And, hello? Every year, I have kids below grade level because NEWS FLASH: Kids work at different paces.
So now, in my old age, I just see if they have made GROWTH.
And I celebrate the GROWTH.
If I could go back in time and slap myself up the head for all the wasted stress I felt, I would. I would slap myself up the head and give myself a bowl of ice cream immediately afterwards and tell myself to calm the heck down.
Any who — my kids just blew me away. I felt like crying happy tears a few different times.
We celebrated as much as you can whilst inside a librarian’s office.
Remember my contact lens story a few weeks ago?
Well, I have another one.
I almost wrote the whole story right here, as in I typed and typed and typed and then it was getting really long like it should be its own thing, so I decided it really did just need a post of its own.
So come back tomorrow.
It’s a doozy.
Because of my contact lens debacle this week, and the whole I’m on a cleanse detox sort of diet thing that is ruining my entire life and might possibly be the cause of my contact lens issues, I said NO MORE.
It was kind of over anyway on Friday (our month was up) so I said WHAT IS TWO DAYS GOING TO MATTER?
IT’S JUST COFFEE.
I haven’t had caffeine in almost a month.
And I think it’s drying out my contact lenses.
SO I HAD COFFEE.
WITH JUST A QUARTER CUP OF CREAMER AND THAT’S ALL.
It’s not like I drank that whole bottle of creamer in one day. Everything in moderation is what I always say.
And I DO NOT CARE THAT THE CREAMER HAS MORE THAN FOUR INGREDIENTS.
I love that creamer, and I missed that creamer, and if it didn’t need to be refrigerated, I would sleep with it at night.
I had coffee on Thursday AND Friday and guess what?
No contact lens problems, that’s what.
See?
I’m onto something.
Look how cute our Valentine Bags turned out this year!! These are from The Teacher Wife.
Our principal gave us the option on when to have our Valentine Celebrations this year. We are off this Monday (I think I said that already because I’m excited about it) and that means a Valentine’s Day party would have been on Tuesday, which would really be the first day of the week for us.
My team and I thought it would be better to end the week with a party, rather than start a week with a party. So that’s what we did! I was totally fine with it. Just like I wish Halloween was never ever ever on a Monday or Tuesday or Wednesday or Thursday or Friday or Sunday, I wish Valentine’s Day could always be on a Friday or a Saturday. It just makes my life easier and that’s what I like.
😉
Also, really and truly, if no one else in the world told my first graders that Tuesday was actually Valentine’s Day, I could tell them whatever I wanted and I could tell them that Valentine’s Day was Friday and that would be that.
Instead, I did tell them when it was really was, but then I swayed them over with Friday is sooner, Friday is coming right up, let’s just do it early, like opening a present before it’s really our birthday! And then they all cheered and thought we were getting away with something so there you go.
We read the book Love, Ruby Valentine on Thursday and she misses Valentine’s Day (she sleeps right through it) and then she realizes that she can say she loves her people ON ANY DAY OF THE YEAR.
So there.
Alright. Look at these AMAZING Valentine ideas to give to your students. These teachers are so creative and have seriously outdone themselves with the cuteness! We’ve got popcorn from Wild About Firsties, super cool straws from Sailing into Second, and awesome pencils from Cooties and Cuties.
They are ADORABLE.
They took their time.
They worked hard.
It makes me want to be in their class.
It makes me want to do it, too.
And it’s NOT candy (popcorn is fine!) which is even better.
So I made mine late late late on Thursday night.
I stayed up late in order to do it. And you know how much I like sleep.
Now.
Before you look at the picture of mine, I want to go over a few things.
This is not a competition.
I do not want you to look at my Valentines, and feel bad about yourself, or feel bad about whatever you may have come up with for your class.
This is just to give you another idea for your tool belt.
And if you’re celebrating Valentine’s Day on the actual day — well, you’ve still got time to replicate this.
But don’t feel any pressure from me.
I just felt the need to jump on the band wagon.
Here are the Valentines that I gave my kids this year:
I mean.
Pin that.
It is Pinterest worthy, don’t ya think?
I love Fun Dips. Who doesn’t love a Fun Dip?
{Insert crying tears of laughter emoji here}
I had BIG plans to do something cute, I really did, and I really didn’t want to give candy because all of the Valentines recently are candy (back when I was a kid, it was just a card and that was all, and you were lucky if it came with a cool graphic, and you were over the moon if it came with a tattoo) and as my kids brought theirs in this week in preparation for Friday, it was all Skittles and Fun Dips and Starbursts and Pixie Sticks and Sour Patch This and That types of Valentines so I did NOT want to give candy. Really. I didn’t. And I certainly didn’t want to do an Avery label, of all things!!!!!
But with testing and report cards and district assessments and Valentine parties on non-Valentine days and contact lens issues and detox cleanse food which is dis!gusting! and no caffeine for umpteen days, I think my Valentines turned out pretty darn good, if you ask me. Minus the label. Minus the candy.
But don’t stress out about it if you can’t make yours look like mine.
Like I said, it’s not a competition.
It’s just an idea in case you’re looking for one.
🙂
HAHA! I love the fun dip Valentines!! Can I trade you for a fancy straw? 😉 XOXO
YES!!! 🙂
Can’t stop laughing…4 and 5… hysterical!
Ha!
I went the Fun Dip way to this year. Sometimes you need to
So glad I’m not the only one! 🙂
I love reading your blog! I can’t wait until Saturday to get the weekly recap!
Just curious…and not sure if you can post, but where do want your firsties reading by the end of the year?
Enjoy your long weekend! So jealous!
Hi Brittany! Thank you!! 🙂
Our district wants first graders at a RR16 by the end of the year. Many, many, many do, and several make it to the 24 because once you’re at a 16, you really know how to read. I hope that helps!