Orientation/Classroom Setup Week!

WHAT. A. WEEK!

This Monday kicked off "new teacher orientation" in my district. Four long days of information overload. While the days were long and my brain was fried at the end of each day, I learned some amazing things and was given access to some amazing resources.

In between orientation (which ran 9-3:30 Monday-Thursday) I have been setting up my classroom (with the help of my patient, kind sister! Thanks CMF!). It took about 8+ hours to get my room student ready, but I am sooooo happy with how it has turned out!

Here is a snapshot of some of the bulletin boards in my room:

I am hanging this sign on the outside of my door. Where I currently have "apply your 'self-ie' I am going to put a class picture that I will take on the first day of school. I got the idea from a colleague in my last school who used something similar with her fifth grade class. 

I am so looking forward to meeting my class next week. I have met some co-workers here and there while setting up my classroom and everyone has been extremely welcoming and friendly. I am looking forward to building professional and personal relationships with many of them.

I plan on spending every waking moment of this weekend at my beach club, swimming, going down the water slide, doing stand up paddle in the Long Island Sound, eating, drinking and soaking up one of the last weekends at the beach!

What are you doing for your first day of school? I have a few things on the burners and I have yet to narrow down exactly what I want to do, but I know I better decide soon!

Major Life Updates!

I can't remember the last time I blogged! Things have been very, very busy in my world! My husband and I moved from our little east side Manhattan apartment to a beautiful house in the suburbs! We are official Westchester residents, and it feels AMAZING! Below are some pictures from our moving day, and some of our adorable new house! 

All packed up & ready for the movers! 

We're going to miss our East River, Empire State Building & Chrysler Building views from the 29th floor & from our roof deck! 

Suburbia life! 

 Next week begins my "new teacher orientation" week at my new school. I am feeling more excited than I am nervous, which is new for me! I am usually a lot more nervous at this point in the summer. I am a warm weather lover, and I am always more sad for the school year to start because it means cold weather is around the corner than I am sad that I have to "go back to work." My girlfriend Jenn and I hit up Lakeshore Learning last week and got almost all the supplies I need to set up my room. Unfortunately for me, I can't get into my room until the same week I have orientation. I think I have some late afternoons and nights coming my way next week! I was really hoping to get into my room this week, but because of building construction I am unable to. So instead of setting up my room I am focusing this week on organizing our house and making sure I know where all of my work clothes are for the next month before our furniture arrives! Here's a snapshot from our morning at Lakeshore. The place was a ZOO! 

 I have been speaking to my new instructional coach at my school, who also happens to be the head of the ELA curriculum for the district. We have been in touch the last few weeks and she hooked me up with the fifth grade scope and sequence for the year as well as the units for the first five weeks of school. This curriculum goes back to a previous blog post I wrote a few months ago regarding published programs versus teacher/curriculum coordinator generated units (click here to read it!). My district uses a custom made ELA curriculum created by none other than my instructional coach. I am so excited to familiarize myself with the units and start planning my first week with the kiddos around it!

What do you do during the first week of school? Do you go back before or after labor day? I start with orientation and personal development August 24th, and the kiddos come September 2nd. So excited to meet my new class!