It’s that time! The kids are coming and you have about 12 million things spinning around in your head before they get there. This year, our team met a few weeks prior to all of the back to school craziness. We got our plans typed out and our copies made. By the time school started back this year, we all have been so much more relaxed because we all feel prepared for the actual teaching part of the week.
Logistics and all of that fun back to school mess is another story 🙂 But it always is, so we just roll with it.
I’ve had so many people ask me what the beginning of school looks like, so I thought I would just go ahead and tell you a little bit about our assessment process and also about the first few couple of days.
Assessment days are two full jam packed days filled with new kiddos. We assess letters and sounds, math skills and reading level. We really just want to get to know the kids and let them get to know us.
After we complete assessments, half of the students come for a half day and the other half come for another half day. Then, we have two half days where all of the students come. We want kids to be comfortable at school and it helps to work out all of the kinks right from the beginning. I know many of you are just thrown in day 1 so I am very grateful that we are able to have a “soft start”.
If you still are needing a way to assess your Kindergartners, you can snag my assessment pack and that should help you get rolling!
For the first half days, this is what our schedule looks like.
*Note* A-B Days are the same because we have A group one day and B group the following day so we do that same thing 🙂
Here is a better visual of the books we will read this week.
Most all of the activities can be found in my K Back Pack unit.
The only activities you won’t really find are the Mouse activities because it is specific to our school. We just make up our own “If You Take a Mouse to (fill in your school’s name here) and create a powerpoint to go with it. The students come in and color the mouse and glue it on a popsicle stick. Then, we walk around the school and put the powerpoint in a binder and read as we go.
The first day is always a bit of a blur but you get the idea 🙂
The most important thing you will do at the beginning of the year is set up your routines and procedures. Routines are more important that rules because if kids are doing what you want them to do, then usually rules comes second. Of course, it’s important to talk about rules and set your expectations for the year, but you want kids to know what they are supposed to do. The last thing you want is for a bunch of kids running around and making you feel like your head is spinning…because that’s what my first year felt like.
I am so excited to get to know my kids this week and I am hoping that your first few days are filled with excitement and passion for learning! Those kiddos are going to love you!
I’d love to hear some of your favorite activities that you do with your kids on your first few days!
I have the parents stay to hear “The Kissing Hand” with their child next to them. When we’re done, I explain that mom and dad and have jobs to do and that they have a job to do too-learn! So, mom unfolds the child’s hand and places a kiss in the middle, then the kids do the same. We say our good byes and I immediately play a circle game with the kids. Because we’ve had a Meet-n-Greet ahead of time (and they know me from preschool, which is next door and I am the only kindergarten teacher in our town and taught most of their parents), the kids are familiar and comfortable. We don’t have trouble with the kids crying, it’s the moms who need an extra hug! No drama and we’re on our way!
Love THAT!!!