Need a Reminder? Remind 101

Please tell me I'm not the only one.......

Notes go home. Newsletters go home. Still several parents "didn't know about.........picture day was yesterday....field trip permission slips were due 4 days ago....it's library day today & library books are due....."

I'm NOT the only one, right?! Please say it isn't so! Some kiddos' backpacks are like a blackhole...notes go in, but they never come out. Somehow, notes and newsletters just never make it home. Hey- I'm not passing any blame or judgments here. 50% of my own children had that very same issue. It's frustrating both as a teacher AND as a parent. This year, my teamie and I tested out Remind 101. LOVE it! Have you heard of it?

It's a super handy FREE little online program that lets you send text messages to parents. The cool thing? There's NO exchanging of phone numbers! Parents don't get your number, you don't get the parents' numbers, & the numbers aren't visible on a list for any of the other parents to see, either. We really appreciated the features that made it a safe way for us to communicate with families via text.

So - how does it work? It was super easy. You are given a class code (mine was @mrsfrady), and those who want to sign up just have to text that code to a certain phone number that Remind 101 will give you. Once they send that text, they're on your subscriber list & will receive all the messages you send via text.

To send a reminder message, you log into your account, type in your message, click send, & you're done! You can also schedule messages to go out at a later time. I actually set mine up to message parents each week the evening before our library day to remind everyone to get those books back in their backpacks!

We loved the convenience of being able to text families notes & reminders:

• Library is tomorrow - Remember your books!
• Permission slips for the museum trip are due Friday.
• Gym day tomorrow--- Don't forget to wear sneakers!
• Field trip to the farm tomorrow. Dress for the weather & remember no sandals.
• Remember reading logs are due Friday!
• Don't forget our Poetry Coffeehouse is next Tuesday. Hope to see you there!
• Our class is collecting paper towel rolls. We'd appreciate any that you can send in for us!
• Picture day is Wednesday. Look for order forms to come home. Get ready to smile!

I'd love to hear any other ideas you have for ways you could use Remind 101. Please share in the comments below!

Summer Suggestions and Bookmarks

I am SO close to summer! This is my last week at school with students. It's always a little bittersweet for me. On one hand, it's hard to say goodbye to students. On the other hand, summertime means no stress and fun with my boys. This wins out for sure! As excited as I am to start making summer plans, I need to give all my attention to school for one more week. On the last day of school, I'll be giving my students a little summer packet that (I'm hoping) they will work on to keep their skills sharp. I'll also be giving them these bookmarks. For some reason, bookmarks can be extra special to some kids. My son is one of them. He is all about the bookmarks! I made a few options and a black and white option.

You can download these for free here.

A couple years ago I blogged about this:

 I made this little "summer suggestions" sheet that I sent home on the last day of school. I had my students fill out one and I filled out one. I chose one or two things that I felt that student really needs to focus on this summer (handwriting, reading fluency, long vowels, etc.) You can download this freebie here.

If you are looking for summer work for your kiddos, come by and visit my blog:

Cause and Effect Throwback

Hi! It's Mary from Pitner's Potpourri again. Checking my stats on my blog, I found some of my most popular posts were on cause and effect activities.

One of my favorites is my Cause and Effect Treasure. Click on the pic below to get the freebie!

Have a great weekend!

Throwback Friday....End of Year Gifts for Students

Each year I look for something special to give my students.  For some reason I seem to like to give pens, pencils, or school supplies.  I guess since I love them so much, I think my students will too.  I also hope they use them next fall!  I found Bic 4 colour pens at Costco for less than a dollar a piece.  I snatched up several packages.  They come in a variety of different colours and I hope the students like them.

This year I found these at Dollar Tree.  I love that they are tassels like the ones you find on mortar boards.  They are actually key chains.  The kids might just want to attach them to their backpacks.  I think they are adorable.

If you would like to see more ideas of what I have given students for gifts in the past and snag a great FREEBIE...hop over to this post from last year by clicking on the image below.

Throwback: First Week of School

Hi everyone!  Today's throwback post is all about the first week of school.  It's a throwback to this past school year, before I was a member of Class*y.  You may have missed seeing my post!  It's full of photographs, activities and ideas to get you through the first week.  Enjoy!  As of 3:10 today, I am officially on SUMMER BREAK!  See ya later, gigantic school bag that hurts my back!  Click HERE to see the post!

xo

Megan 

Super Hero Writing Throwback

Mary from Pitner's Potpourri...

I've got another Throwback for you.

Instead of Math, this one is all about writing.

If you use Writing notebooks or folders with your kiddos, this post is for you!

Click on the pic above or my logo below to see the freebie!

Setting Goals! Throwback

Research shows that when kids (& people in general), set goals and create action plans, they are able to perform at a higher level. I really took that to heart this year, and one of my goals in my classroom was to look for ways that I could implement that for my kiddos.

Frankly, before this year, I never really took the time to do much with goal setting (I mean, who has the TIME! We have SO MUCH to get in). But I am SO glad I did. I have got to tell you that setting goals has made a HUGE difference for my kiddos. There's just something so empowering about being aware of where you are, where you want to go, and setting a plan to help you get there.

I created a goal setting and tracking sheet to use this year, and my kiddos and I worked together to
create an anchor chart/poster that listed all of the things they could do to help them get to their goal.

I hope you'll stop by and check them out (they're freebies over there!). Just click one of the pics or my button to head over!