Five for Friday

This week was CA-RA-ZY!!!!! We, like most of the eastern region, had an extended holiday break thanks to the snow. With three snow days followed by a two hour delay, Friday just didn't feel like a Friday. Not that I am complaining, but it left me struggling to find my mojo the last two days. So..here is a sneak peak into my "almost" no school week! Thanks to Doodle Bugs Teaching for hosting another awesome linky. 

I may or may not have acted like a five year old. It took me a whole day to recover. Glow sticks, foam pits, indoor dodgeball, trampolines EVERYWHERE. It was awesome. 

I am still on a technology junkie high. Right before Christmas, I got a Smarboard, Elmo, and wireless installed in the portable. I am in teacher heaven. I didn't realize how much I used it until it was gone, and we are OWNING learning in the classroom now that our technology is back. 

I have no idea what it is about the avatars with Class Dojo, but my kiddos LOVE those little monsters. I implemented the behavior program for the first time last year, and was shocked and relieved by what a difference it made in my classroom. Now that the wireless and Smartboard are back, I love that I can leave the screen up on my board while walking around the room giving feedback. I even take my iPad with me when we leave the portable and head into the big school because those transition times are when my friends like to push boundaries the most!  I introduced this year's class to the cute little monsters yesterday, and they are in love. It was the first thing they asked about when we started our morning share time. I started REALLY strong on feedback, and after two days we had 75% positive behavior. Here is to a happier classroom!

As a class, we have a lot of work to do between now and May to get ready for the big-o 3rd grade. A LOT of work. I am SO excited. Really, I am! I love to see the growth of learning that occurs throughout the year. But, my kiddos know it is crunch time. As a class "New Year" resolution, we made a list of things that we promise to do each day to help us become better learners. Our class promise is chanted each morning at the end of morning announcements. We even hold up the peace sign with our right hand in honor of second grade! Adorable. Anyways, I am sometimes never proud of my handwriting and decided to turn our class promise anchor chart into a picture that I could project on the board. 

Ta-dah!

Another thing that is soooo 2013 is Ms. Young hunting down missing work. I usually have the students put work that they owe me on a clipboard, but that is just not cutting it this year. So, I told this kids "Not finished? It's homework!". Shocker...I know, but I hadn't done that to my kiddos this year. And, I knew that if I didn't keep a paper trail of what papers needed to be taken home to be completed then this plan would never work. So, I thew together these little reminders. Just staple and GO! Let's hope this works! I will try to make this a freebie asap. 

Have a great weekend!