Five for Friday...Well, The Whole Summer Really...

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Hi everyone! I know, what's up? I haven't blogged since Mother's Day! Sooooo, I guess it's about time!!

I'm linking up today for Five for Friday with Doodle Bugs Teaching, but it's a post not for just one week. It's for the WHOLE summer!
                                             

First up, I was honored with being named my school's Teacher of the Year! It was such an honor! We have some amazing teachers at my school so I was so surprised! My principal actually called my husband and told him and then surprised me during my end of the year celebration!  He and the boys even kept it a secret!!

Next up, I had applied for a new job as a system-wide technology coach.  I found out that I was one of six finalists for an interview.  I had not interviewed for a new job in over 11 years!  I was a bit rusty!  In fact, my interview started out horribly!  I had to do a 5 minute introduction about myself and then a 10 minute demonstration of a Google App since we are a GAFE school.  In the first 5 minutes, I tried to put my flash drive in the wrong port and then, I CRASHED the computer!  Really?!?!  The interview could only go up, right???  Thankfully, it did.  During the demo, I taught the interview committee something they didn't know about the Gmail!  The IT director knew, but the others didn't so I felt really good about that!  However, the first part of the interview still loomed over me.  Stayed tuned till the end of the post to find out the results...

A very sad part of my summer was that my husband's dad passed away.  He had been off and on sick for about 2 years and my husband's mom has been taking care of him.  In June, he was hospitalized, went to a nursing home for rehab, relapsed, and  passed away in the span of 3 weeks.   It was the first loss of a parent for either my husband or me so it has been quite an adjustment for all of us, but everyone's doing okay for the most part.

We have also been on vacation already this summer.  We had a great time. We had lots of beautiful weather, sun, sand, and time with family and friends.  

And finally, the results of my interview...

I got the job!!!!  Even after the horrible start to my interview!  When I called my husband, he said, "Sooooo, everyone else did worse than you???"  My response was, "I guess so!"  Another lady and I were hired to split the schools in our county and as we have been talking about the job, we also have discussed our interviews.  She went home and cried because she felt hers went horribly too.  We have laughed that we are the best of the worst!!  I am so excited about this new challenge, but I have a HUGE learning curve to get through! 

I haven't really decided what to do with this lil old blog, but I would like to continue it with commentary on how our school system is implementing GAFE (Google Apps for Education) and how to effectively use it impact instruction.  

Stay tuned!

Till next time...

Five for Friday: Snowmageddon 2014

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Hi everyone!  I know, I know, it's been a while!  A LOONNGG while!!!  I'm here to do a quick Five for Friday post ---the Snowmageddon 2014 edition!

Here in Georgia, it has been absolutely cray-cray!  I'm sure you've seen the news!  People were stuck on the interstates, kids stuck in buses and at school...  But, out of all the horrible things, there have been lots of stories of heroes!  This picture says it all though:

We went to school on Monday and planned for an early release day on Tuesday ahead of the storm.  We waited all day for the storm to arrive.  Well, not really.  We waited until about 12:30.  We had a little wintry mix, but by the time we dismissed just 30 minutes later we had full-blown SNOW!  We hadn't seen snow for about 2 years so excitement was abounding!!  All of our school system's students made it home in plenty of time before it got really bad in our county!  Thank goodness!

We were really down in attendance on Tuesday however.  We really couldn't do a whole lot so we did all things snow-related.  We wrote about snow, made snowflakes, measured the temperature, etc...  Here is a little picture of our 3D snowflakes that we made.  

Mainly because of ice, we did not have students Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday.  I don't remember ever being out this many days for snow/ice!!  In the meantime, we got to go sledding!  I absolutely LOVE to sled!  I met up with one of my kiddos at the local park for some sledding on the golf course!  (Her mom is also our media specialist.)  

That's ME going head first!  And, my son trying snow-boarding!

 


Today, staff had to go in at 11.  I got a good bit done!  I think I'm caught up!  Haha!!!!! Said, no teacher EVER!!!

Super Bowl Sunday is coming up!  In honor of the event, I'm having a Super Bowl sale on Saturday and Sunday!  Everything is 20% off!

Thanks to Ideas by Jivey for this graphic!

                                       
Wipe some of those things off your Wish List!

Till next time...                                      

Five for Fraturday

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      I'm a day late linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching because I fell asleep...and slept for 12 HOURS - make that a little over 12 hours!!! Can you say T-I-R-E-D?!?!

                                         

      We had a great third week of school. Lots of stuff going on!

We practiced Read to Someone and they did an amazing job!! I was so proud to see them reading to each other in the correct way! It does a teacher's heart good to see!

                               

                               

      We also got to celebrate our first birthday of the year with this little cutie!!  To read more about how I use the Birthday Box, you can go HERE. 

                              

                              

       We also had an all day training on Scholastic's new program called iRead. It really looks amazing and I cannot wait to get started!! It is computer based, but also has a whole group and small group component.  It will look at what your kids have done on the computer and group them for you in order for you to do small group instruction with them.  That little item is called The Groupinator.  I cannot wait to use that bit of awesomeness!!  There are some technical issuers that have to be worked out before we begin so we are supposed to get started at the end of September.  Can't wait!!

                                     

      While I was out my poor kiddos ended up with the sub from CrazyTown!!  Apparently, he threatened to hit them with a stick, a paddle, or a belt?!?!  What?!?!  Is he crazy?  He also left them alone to go up to the office.  Now, my kiddos were no angels while I was away, but seriously ---- What was he thinking?!?!

      On Friday, we had an almost all-day celebration of PBIS.  The morning was filled with rotations to different areas of the building where someone was there to discuss the expectations for that area.  For instance, we went to the cafeteria to discuss cafeteria expectations, then rotated to the hallway to talk about hallway expectations, etc., etc.  At the end of the day, we had a pep rally with the local high school cheerleaders coming to pump them up!  We also had a cup stacking demonstration from most of the grade levels.  

      

                                        

This is one of my kiddos competing.

      And to end the day, we did a little Adventure to Fitness.  If you haven't tried this website, you can read about it HERE.    The kids love it.  It is great for indoor recess or if you have some time at the end of a crazy day! 

                             

      I hope you enjoy your Labor Day with rest and relaxation.

Till next time...

      

Five for Friday and a TpT Sale!

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I MADE IT THROUGH WEEK 1!!

       I just finished my first week back to school!  It has been rough!  My kiddos are great --talkative, but great!  The only snafu has been transportation!  When it takes almost an hour to get the kids finally out of the building, that's a problem!  On the first day of school, one bus didn't even show up!!!  They finally had to call the kids' parents to come and get them.  CRAY CRAY!!!!!! And, the worst part, it wasn't just our school involved in the bus debacle of 2013!  It was the WHOLE county!!  Talk about frustrated parents! ( Not to mention the teachers!)  It even made the Atlanta news!  

    But, it's Friday, Friday, Friday!!!!  And that means it's time to link up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for Five for Friday!  I'm so excited to get to link up!  This is the first one I have done since they started back in August!
                                      

      Since I haven't been able to blog for the past couple of weeks, I'm going to give you an overview of getting my room ready and a peak at my classroom and our first week.

This is a mess, but it is starting to take shape at this time!  Also, a little panic was taking shape too!!!

                                     

Still working...

This is right before open house for Meet Your Teacher Night.  The top left shows the wreath I made for Monday Made-It over the summer.  The top right shows my wish list.  We put things on it like glitter, brown and white paper bags, popsicle sticks, etc.  

                                        

      

      The kiddos have arrived!  This is one of my sweeties with the frame I made for the first day!  I don't think I ever posted about it, but I got the super-cute frame from Michael's and painted it and added the tag.  

      And, here are some of them working on our first "real" math task from our math frameworks.  They did a fabulous job and I already know they are going to be great mathematicians.  I can hardly wait to dive head-first into our math talk!

      Also, this Teachers Pay Teachers is having a little sale.  Stop on over and pick up all those things on your wish list!  My whole store is 20% off from August 18th - August 19th.  Enter the code BTS13.  Hop on over and check out this huge sale!!

                                         

Till next time...

Five for Friday...Wait! What? It's Seriously Friday?!?!

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      The last Friday of June is among us!  I can't even believe that!  I have always felt that once we get to the 4th of July, summer is almost over...and July 4th is NEXT week!!!!   This year, we don't go back until the middle of August so we get a little more time for sweet summa time!

      Friday also means it's time to link up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for Five for Friday!  Whoo-hoo!

                                               

      One of the places that is a must visit place {{many times}} is Crystal Springs Recreation.  It is about 35 minutes away and it is a pool that is spring fed.  The water is a constant 66 degrees all year long!  On our H-O-T Georgia days, that feels heavenly!!  Crystal Springs originally opened in 1859!!!  Of course, from the pic, you can tell they have made many improvements over the years!

      

      On Wednesday, my son had his last double header of the school summer league.  He got to show off his talent in several positions!  In the first game, he got to play 2nd base, pitch, and catch!  In the 2nd game, he just caught.  That's his normal position and I love to see him do his thing behind the plate!

                          

      On Thursday, Mac and I, and my bestie went to the Atlanta Apparel Mart!  This is where all the boutiques get most of their merchandise.  My bestie owned a little children's boutique and we are still considered buyers!  Whoo-hoo!  It's just not summer if we don't make a couple of trips to the mart!!!!!  I hardly EVER pay retail for any type of jewelry!  The JCrew bubble necklaces that sell for $150, I got for $5.99.  That's right - less that 6 bucks!  They have costume jewelry and fine jewelry.  You can see some of the costume jewelry on Mac!  He had to put a little BLING BLING on!

      We also had to have a little lunch while in the ATL so we stopped by Hard Rock Cafe.  It was the first time I had ever been to this Hard Rock!  It's way bigger than it looks and we decided we'd like to live in one of the apartments above it!

      I also have been wanting to dabble in creating QR code activities for Teachers Pay Teachers.  I created this I Spy QR Codes Addition for addition within 100 (no regrouping).  I cannot wait to let my kiddos use it!  The first 3 people to comment with their email addresses will get it free!  Yippey!!!

      Our washer has been acting a little wonky.  The repairman came today and look what he found in the drain hose!  Yuck!  About 4-5 dollars, an earring, paper clips, and the torn off section of an Under Armour shirt!  That's why the washer was acting wonky!  Then, when I went to wash after the repairman left, my washer leaked all over the floor!  Thank goodness I was watching it and caught it before it was horrible!  Needless to say, the repairman is coming back tomorrow!

Sorry for the blurriness! You can still see how yucky!!

      And last, but not least is coming this weekend is...DUH, DUH, DUHMMMMM...the end of Google Reader!  If you haven't followed me over on Bloglovin, please do that before the end of Google Reader as we know it!  You can push that button over on the right OR click on the picture below!  Easy-Peasy!!

      Have a GREAT weekend!!

Till next time...

Robin

   

Friday Flashback & Five for Friday!

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      Whew!  This has been a week and I'm so glad that it's Friday!!!  I only worked four days this week, but WOW, it felt long!!  Anywho, since it's Friday, you know what that means!  It's Five for Friday and Flashback time!!  I love being able to look at everyone's week in review!  It's just plain neato to see everyone's ideas and classrooms!
                                 

      I didn't get to participate last week because I was sick, sick, sick with strep!  Ugh!  I had forgotten how terrible it makes you feel!  Since I didn't get to post from that week, I'm going to go ahead and kind of combine the past two weeks and hit some of the highlights.  :)

1.  Our school has really been focusing on science and social studies this year with an emphasis on completing STEM projects.  Our project that we decided to complete for our unit on matter was to create a hot air balloon.  The information can be found here:  Children's Engineering.  This is a great site to get you started on having your students complete STEM projects.  They had an amazing time creating their hot air balloons.  I didn't get any pictures of us actually testing the balloons as I had to be in charge of heating the air with the hair dryer!!

2.  Pokemon had taken over my classroom!  My oldest son loved these when he was smaller, but for some reason, they have made a comeback!  I let my class bring little toys and such that they can take outside for recess.  They know that if I see them at an inappropriate time, I will put them in my "May Bag," meaning 'They won't get them back until May!'  I never have any problem with them being out at inappropriate times! During recess, I have this little huddle of students (boys and girls!) who are comparing their cards!  They love it!!  

Do your students have anything they are obsessed with?

                                                    

3.  Even though it is now springtime, we have hit a bit of a cold spell.  Nevertheless, I have been in search this week for some cute sandals.  When the warm weather comes, I want to be ready!  I LOVE sandals!   I have had NO luck though in finding them so the search continues...  Wish me luck!

4.  I feel like this week, I was finally able to get back to a normal schedule.  With having to give our benchmark assessments and doing the make-ups, our schedule has been all out of whack!  Even though I was out Monday, the week seemed to fall right back into place.  Ahhhh...a schedule!  It's amazing how just a few days off schedule can make the normal sweeties into little not-so-sweeties!  Are your students like that too?

5.  March is Music in Our Schools month and our fabulous music teacher has all sorts of great activities set up for the students.  She has song-writing contests, art contests, musical guests, and so much more!  Today, we had one of our school board members come in and play the saxophone!  It was sooooo good!  I had no idea he played and as the music drifted down the hall, I thought it was a recording!  The kiddos had already written thank you letters to our board members this week because it's also School Board Appreciation Week!  (Did you know that existed??) Anyway, they were so excited when they found out that they had just written a letter to him!
                                    

      That's it for tonight, but I'll be revealing my LIE from LaToya's linky over at Flying into First in my next post!  You can read about that HERE:

Now, head over to link up with Amanda for Friday Flashback and with Doodle Bugs Teaching for Five for Friday!

Till next time...

Five for Friday time!!!

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Happy Friday y'all!! I'm soooo glad to see the weekend!! We have had a great week, but -WOW! - I need some down time! And, since it's Friday, I am linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for her great Five for Friday! It is such fun seeing everyone's week in review!

So, here's mine!

1.  Last Saturday, our school participated in a Math Madness competition.  It's the first time we have participated  so we weren't really sure what to expect, but I think all who participated really enjoyed it!  Ten students were chosen from each grade level (1st-5th).  They were coached using questions from the common core.  On Saturday, each grade level had 70 kids per grade level!  Students were seated two to a table with a white board, given 5 tickets, and were read the question twice.  If they missed a question, a ticket was removed.  Competition continued until just 5 students were left.  I'm so proud to say that one of my 2nd graders was one of the top 5!!  He was so excited, and so was I!!!!

This is how is was set up on the high school gym floor.
There were only 7 left at this time.  Some are not pictured.
(Notice those gray shirts?  Those are my sweeties!)

I wish you could see his little face!  He was SO excited!!

2.  Here's my baby catching for his high school 9th grade team!  I'm so proud of him!  We've spent lots of time at the field this week!  And tonight, he got the call to move up to the JV team, so he is super stoked!

  

3.  We've been studying author's purpose so we used this cute little PIE to help.  I found this on a blog a couple of years ago and I have no idea where so if you know, let me know so that I can give proper credit!  

           

4.  This week, I linked up with Denise at Fifth in the Middle.  She has an awesome linky where you can link up with bloggers from your state.  That is great because I have so often wondered where my blogging buddies were from.  It's also great because you can find others in your state and connect with them!  Once you link up, you can grab the blogger button for your state!  Easy-peasy!!

                                                           

5.  I have been seriously wanting some snow here in middle Georgia, but with no such luck... And, since we haven't had any snow, I decided to create a little myself!  I had my students write math story problems, four to a page, cut them apart, and wad them up.  I didn't tell them what we were doing at first so you can imagine their surprise when I told them we would have a snowball fight!  We would snowball fight and then they would have to go and solve one of the problems thrown.  We played several rounds and they loved it!  That may be the only snow we get this year so I hope they did!

(I did take pictures, but completely forgot to bring the camera home!)

That all for now!  Head over to link up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for all the Five for Friday posts!

Till next time!