*Five for Friday Linky Party!*

The most exciting start to my week was visiting my new school! I got to see my new classroom and I gathered up all of my materials so that I can learn the curriculum that my district uses for third grade. I still can not believe that I am going to be a third grade teacher! EEEK! I am partly excited/nervous/scared/anxious/curious. I definitely know that it will be completely different from kindergarten...which will be an adjustment for sure. I also know that I have never been one to turn down an adventure, so I am ready for it. I spent most of my day today revamping my classroom management system. After talking to a fellow teacher at the school and listening to her great ideas, I changed my system a little....it's still cute and still polka dots...and still birds...but it's a little bit more "grown up" (*tear) than my old one. It's very similar to several that I have found on Pinterest. I, of course, had to create my own.

Basically, the kiddos start on blue and can move up to the birdhouse or they can move down. Let's hope we do a lot more moving up! 

My husband and I are thrilled about signing the contract on our new build! We picked out a house plan, ordered the blueprints and have met with he contractor and signed a contract! We couldn't be more excited! In the meantime, we are living with my parents (oh, boy) and counting down the days...which will be a little more than we planned for. Our builder said it will take around eight months! Let's hope we can stand it for that long! Here is a picture of what our finished home will look like:

Having recently moved back home from one of my favorite cities, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the hurt that I've felt this week watching the coverage from Charleston. My heart aches for the families and friends of the victims and I will never understand the hatred that one person can have towards others. I'm glad I can't understand it, because to me, it is unfathomable and completely senseless. I found this beautiful picture and although it doesn't heal the hurt, it does remind me of the beautiful city I just left and of the strong community that remains there. 

With summer finally here, I have been lucky enough to have gone to the beach (North Myrtle) and have been able to soak up some rays. I did happen to get sunburnt, but who can complain about that when this was my view? The clouds look like cotton don't they?

My last Five for Friday share is a picture of my fur baby, Oliver. He is adjusting somewhat well to the move, but he has gotten himself into trouble lately. Just two days ago I was horrified to see that he peed (yes, peed) on the blueprints to our new house (the one you saw in #2). He is a spiteful little turd sometimes. Any time I leave him home and go somewhere with my mom or husband he gets so jealous. Keep in mind that he is completely potty-trained. He does it out of spite. I could create an entire list of things he has peed on out of jealousy...in fact, I think I will:

1.) My husband's couch when he moved into our first house after we got married.

2.) My husband's boxer shorts after he moved in.

3.) My favorite Anthropologie dish towel that he pulled off the oven handle and peed on when I left him to get my hair done one day after school. 

4.) My parent's golden retriever's food bowls.

5.) My parent's kitchen table one night when Ryan and I went on a date.

6.) My husband's side of the bed after he returned from a business trip and was no longer allowed to sleep with mommy.

7.) Our $800.00 house plans---that coincidentally were sitting in the middle of my parent's kitchen table. He did this after my parents and I left to go for ice cream one night after dinner. He is so bad. 

Can you believe this dog is so rotten?

If he weren't so damn cute and love me so much, we might have a problem. He is the most spoiled Yorkie that has walked the earth.

Well guys, I hope you enjoyed my Five for Friday. I didn't have many creative things to share, just a few things near and dear to me at the moment. If you want, share a few comments and don't forget to follow me! Thanks for reading and don't forget to LINK UP to the party. You can get there by clicking here or clicking the banner at the top: Five for Friday Linky Party!

*Chirp, Chirp!*

~Five for Friday~

Phew! What an exciting and exhausting first full week of kindergarten! I must say, having 25 little five year olds all day has worn me out! However, I am excited to link up with Doodle Bugs Teaching to share some cute ideas and tid bits for my Five for Friday! Let's not waste any time! Here we go!

1.) For my number one I am excited to share my Student at a Glance Assessment Checklist that I recently listed in my Teacher's Pay Teacher's store! It is a great little sheet that can be used to progress monitor and assess your students. I have used it for the past five years teaching kindergarten and just recently revamped it to include elements from the Common Core curriculum standards! It covers everything from letter naming and sounds to Common Core sight words to math skills involving addition, subtraction, number recognition, and 2D/3D shapes, just to name a few! Take a peek at it, it just might work for you, too!                            

Click Here

2.) For my number two I want to share with everyone my behavior plan that I am implementing this year. I have actually been using this for the past three years and it works great with my little ones and with my birdie/polka dot theme. Each child has a behavior nest. The ultimate goal of their day is to keep all of their eggs in their nests. As we all know with kindergarteners, they need lots of chances, which I readily give them. After 2 (or more) verbal warnings, the student loses an egg out of his or her nest. With each lost egg comes a consequence. If a student loses one egg, it counts as a warning. If a student loses 2 eggs, they miss 5 minutes of recess. If a student loses 3 eggs, they lose a portion of recess and a portion of center time. If a child loses all of their eggs, their parent is contacted. Luckily for me, this system works so great that I rarely have any children that lose more than 2 eggs. If they keep all of their eggs in their nest, they earn a special treat, which is usually a sticker or something yummy! They love getting their reward, so they usually keep all those eggs in their nests! I bought the little nests at a teacher store. I believe they are simply Carson-Dellosa cutouts. The eggs were made from laminated and cut out scrapbook paper. They are adhered to the nests with velcro! Perfect for removing and putting back!

3.) For my number three, I wanted to share one of the best center boards that I have ever used in my classroom. I work with an awesome team and they used this board before I began teaching kindergarten! It is perfect for rotating centers and calling small groups to my table to teach guided reading. These pictures aren't the best, but they at least show how the system works. By November, the children are pretty much able to understand the center board and where they are expected to go. And, of course, my teams are different colored...birds! Go figure!

4.) For my number four, I wanted to share with everyone a couple things that helped me to alleviate my stress with starting school...shopping and eating. Two of my favorite things! What is better than buying an adorable outfit for back to school? Not much! What is better to take the edge off of a stressful back to school week? A great dinner! So, here is my back to school dress that I wore for Open House and a picture of some yumminess that I treated myself to in celebration of back to school!

   Polka Dots...Go Figure!          Wasabi Sushi...Yummo!

5.) For my last Five for Friday, I want to add a celebration photo in honor of our "first day off" of the school year! I am excited about Labor Day Weekend and took this picture of Annie the Golden Retriever enjoying the view at North Myrtle Beach! Happy First Holiday of School, y'all!

Did you do something awesome this week at school? Head on over to Doodle Bugs Teaching and link up and share your stories or ideas! Click on the link below!

Here's to a relaxing, LONG weekend,