Back to School Parent Packet

It is done!!  I am so excited!  My sister, Sarah, and I have spent hours making a new Back to School Parent Packet.  Don't you just love how fresh everything is for back to school.  The smell of new crayons, and clean desks.  Awwww.....it makes this teacher's heart happy.

This year, I decided to do a complete overhaul on my Back to School Parent Packet.  I wanted something that included all those necessary little tidbits of information we teachers need at the beginning of the year, and had that crisp back to school feeling.  Well, here it is:

See, happy smiling faces for Back to School :).

I put all the important questions I need about my students in one place.  

I also made a contact information sheet that I am going to put directly in my teacher binder.  That way, if I need to contact a parent, I will have all the information I need easily accessible.  

Keeping volunteer information organized is very important to me.  I made a detailed parent volunteer form for the back to school packet, and a cute chevron parent volunteer list to be kept in my parent binder!  So excited to have names, phone numbers and email addresses ready to use when I need volunteers for activities, field trips, parties or someone to read with a student.

Because transportation can be confusing at times, I also made a transportation form so I know how my students are getting home each day.  This is especially helpful for the little kiddos who sometimes get confused about how they get home everyday.   

This may be my favorite part of the packet.  Every year I send home a parent packet, and every year I get about half the packets back and have to BEG, barrow and bribe to get  the rest of the students to turn in their packets.  This year I decided to include a raffle ticket.  The students who bring back the packet filled out, get to enter a drawing for a prize.  A little motivation for getting everything back quickly!

Hope things are going well in your back to school preparations and MOST importantly you are enjoying a little R & R.  If you're interested in the Back to School Parent Packet, it is available on TPT HERE. 

Have a great one!

Ribbit Roos

In my classroom Ribbit Roos are all the rage.  What is a Ribbit Roo you are wondering?  Well, it is our classroom money system.  When I first started teaching 3rd grade I made some basic Ribbit Roos.  For 5 years I have wanted to make some new Ribbit Roos and this week with the help of my amazing sister Sarah, I finally did!!!

Students earn whole Ribbit Roos for good behavior.  Expectations are set and students know how they can earn classroom money.  I use the clip chart system.  If a student makes it to the top of the chart they earn 3 Ribbit Roos.  Students can also earn Ribbit Roos by doing classroom jobs.

I use 1/2 Ribbit Roos (tadpole) to pass out for other things like answering questions and being caught doing something extra special.  I love the 1/2 Ribbit Roo because it is a great way to start teaching fractions at the beginning of the year.

These are available on my Teachers Pay Teachers website 

When students earn 10 Ribbit Roos they can trade it in for a classroom incentive.  In my room I have a classroom incentive menu:

You can download this incentive menu and definitions of each item for free by clicking on the photo.  

My students love the teacher chair option because they get my chair with rollers and I sit in their short little chair for the day.  Anything to keep the kiddos happy, right?

I also charge 10 Ribbit Roos to buy a new pencil.  Ohhh!  This was the best decision of my life.  Pencils were my worst nightmare!  I felt I spent half my day sharpening pencils and listening to students complain they couldn't find a pencil.  Now, the sun has come out again in my life as a teacher, and they take more responsibility for their things and know just what to do if they don't have a pencil.

Yay for Ribbit Roos!