Headed Home :(

Kinda sad today, we're on our way home from the beach.  I LOVE the beach!  Would move here in a skinny minute if hubby would...ahhh, but neither of us are keen on trying to sell our house, find new jobs, move with the kiddos in tow.  So, for now I will dream beachy dreams for retirement!  :)

Having some time to rest and recharge has me pumped up to get started on some plans for this year!  I am most excited about the dice games I mentioned in my last post and I've come up with some other ideas I can't wait to share!

One thing I am super pumped about is using "Mallet Madness" with our kinders and firsties from the get-go.  Not using barred instruments, but tambourines, triangles, rhythm sticks and hand drums.  If you haven't used Mallet Madness before, it is really fun and I highly recommend it!  I used a few bits at both schools last year and am looking forward to impelmenting more!

Look for more to come in the next few weeks!

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Inspired!

While looking through some files I downloaded during Teacher Appreciation week, I was struck by inspiration!  Lacey at Wild About Teaching had her dice games pack as a free download so I snagged it!  :)  Here's the link to the pack in her store on TpT.  Her games for using dice in math are AWESOME!  And I thought, hey, why not do some music games using music dice.  So, I will be working on that project soon.  I'll let you know when it's ready to go.  Do you have music dice in your classroom?  I don't but will be looking for some blank wooden cubes to use.

Anyone else finding it hard to believe that it's almost the end of July?!?  Really. Can't. Believe. It!!!  As I work through items on the to-do list, I think of more items that need to be added to the list!  Grrr!!  But, I want to get it all taken care of now and not right when school starts!

Happy Friday!  Enjoy you're weekend!

1st Quarter Assessments Ready!

I just uploaded today's project to TpT!!  Here's the LINK - please check it out!  I created assessments for each grade level K-5th to use at the beginning and end of the first quarter.  I pulled out 4 standards for each grade to focus on this quarter and built the assessments around them.

As North Carolina moves toward an EOG type assessment for the arts, I want to start getting prepared and ensuring that my students are prepared.  Haven't heard anything lately about the progress of said assessments, but I'd rather be safe than sorry!

I hope that you find the assessments useful.  I am getting the hang of creating fun stuff and can't wait to do more things!!  :-)

Sunday randomness

Hi all!!  First of all, I can't not even begin to tell you, I sold my first item on TpT!!!!  So stinkin' excited it's all I can do to not be jumping up and down!!!  Woohooooo!!!!  So, whoever you are that bought my seating chart - THANK YOU!!!!!  You have literally made my day and I was having a fantastic day already!  *BIG SMILES!!!*

I've had family here since Friday and I have loved every second of it!  Really, I was sad to see my sis-in-law and my nieces leave today.  :(  Can you believe how fast the summer is going?!?  It really boggles my mind!  We're going to the beach this week at some point, and I'm hoping to meet with my new principal.  Plus, I really should get to the doctor...I've seriously had a headache since June 1, except for the 12 days I was in Florida...hubby said we should just move down there!?!  Okay by me - NOT!  LOL!

So, since it is Sunday and all, I thought I would start trying to get my brain in gear to thinking about school and the Sunday evenings to come.  What does your Sunday evening routine look like?  For me, I blog stalk a bit and then make sure I'm set for the week.  Laundry, grocery shopping, making lunches and all that jazz.

This week my goal is to create my pre-assessments for each grade level for the first quarter.  To do so, I must cement what I want them to know by the end of the quarter.  I've got some good ideas for my younger grades, but really need to reflect some more for my upper grades.

Thanks if you've stuck through the brain mess/random thinking this far!  I'm excited with a headache and 2 children playing Hungry, Hungry Hippos...time for them to go to bed!

New Item Posted!!

So excited!  Got a new item posted to my TpT store.  TpT = Teachers Pay Teachers, in case you were wondering.  So here's the LINK so you can check it out.  I've worked on it today - it's a seating chart with places for behavior tracking and assessment data.  Think I'm going to LOVE it!

On a personal note, I still feel so exhausted from my vacation!  Totally can't get back into a groove of getting some work done.  I had interviewed at 2 schools back in June, but sadly, I didn't get either job.  :(  BUT, I'm going to look at the bright side ~ I still get to return to 1 of my schools in the fall, so I will get to continue building relationships with my co-workers.  Now, I'll just have to get to know staff and students at 1 different school.

Got to hang out with my "co-teacher" at the school I'm staying at yesterday, and we got our kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade lessons planned for first semester!  YAY!  Today I've been looking for a holiday program for our 2nd graders to do...any suggestions?!?  One idea we're bouncing around is not doing a full blown musical, just have a few students highlight points of Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Christmas and doing songs from those holidays.  Also, add in some songs from around the world...I don't know might get too busy.

Okay, off to the grocery store - yay!  Hope full brain functions return soon - lol!!