Busy Day

Today was the last day of summer VPK.  All the kids progressed from where they started - not all started in same place :)
1 week "off" and then on the 12th teachers go back for pre-school week - a week of mostly meetings, a little bit of worktime in classroom and open house on Thursday.

This past Monday, our school was rocked with shocking news. Due to another elementary school earning an F (first ever in our county), our principal, who I love on both a professional and personal  level - is being moved to "fix" the F.
Can she do it - well, if anyone can, she can.  I wish her all the best. She will have quite a challenge on her hands.
As for us - as of now, no principal named yet (next week, hopefully). I do worry for our direction/focus.  Our principal has such a clear vision - it helped keep us on track, always moving forward.
A bit nerve racking for me - one more thing to worry about as a new school year dawns.
My goal - keep teaching and carry on - guess it's time to print one of the signs of tpt :)

All about math

After a five year absence from kindergarten, I feel like I'm a brand new teacher - all over again!  When I left Kindergarten to go to prek, I thought I was close to the top of my game.  Now, its a climb.
I'm thinking a lot about math - specifically math centers. Math in my k class was mostly calendar activities (not just days/months, we did a lot!), math journals and the math lesson. Any math centers were an add-on for literacy centers. Fast forward to now. I am re-doing my math journals (found a great math journal set for our math series, Envision, on tpt) and a new common core and more "calendar" math (its so much more) - by Marta Almiron (tpt) - this is seriously amazing!!
That leaves my math centers - I was planning on having 5 main "areas" to practice, modeled after a conference presentation by Deanna Jump. Measurement, Number & Operations, Counting & Cardinality, Data & Sorting and Geometry.
Figured I'd start with "table" centers - exploring math manipulatives. 
How are you planning on doing math this year?

Thinking about Centers

Summer vacation is not exactly the same for me as it is for most people.  For the past 8 years I have taught summer VPK, an 8 week voluntary prek program offered through our state (FL).  This gives kids one last chance to "practice" school before entering kindergarten.

But, while I am there, I am also ALWAYS thinking about my regular class.  Right now, I am thinking about literacy centers.  After 5 years in prek inclusion, I am so excited to go back to kindergarten.  I have done centers lots of different ways in the past.  I am now thinking of changing them up (yet again) and having 9-10 "basic" centers - and then having a variety of activities within each one.   
My kids go to one literacy center a day, which means I can leave centers set up for 2 weeks.
I would love to hear what you do in your classes.
Here are my center ideas so far

Poetry-Pocket chart (Deedee monthly poetry, Alessia pocket chart stories, Jamie Mayas pocket charts all year)
Computers
Listening
Games
ABC/Word work 1 (magnet letters, ABC clip cards)
ABC/Word Work 2 (letter stamps, abc match-up)
Overhead
Writing
Play dough
Names (beg of year)

I want to have enough planned to change up what is available in the centers but keep the area the same.

Til next time!!

Thinking about August already!!

School ended yesterday for the kids. I have been thinking and semi preparing for my switch back to kindergarten.  Attended the Reading Street training today in my district for K teachers.  Wow - there is a lot to do everyday.  Will definitely need to pick and choose, could never fit it all in, not with everything else I still want to do during the ELA black.
Anyway - thinking about literacy centers  - Beginning of the Year literacy Centers.  My team mates and I were chatting about them today after the training.  I usually start on day 1 with a short center time.  Other teachers on my team discuss and unveil centers for about a week before the kids actually do them (going over rules, what to do there, etc)
Anyway - I am trying to get about 10 different centers for the first couple of weeks of school. I usually start with more "play" centers and gradually add more "work" centers.
So far I'm thinking...
playdough
beads and string
colors and shapes pocket chart
legos
mobilo (like legos  - rounded, lots of wheels)
drawing/coloring/writing
stamping (limited number of stamps)
computers

I'd love to hear what everyone else does - and to get a large selection of choices for my beginning of the year centers.  Thanks for chiming in!!

It's Official!!!!!!!!!!!

I am going back to Kindergarten!
I'm so excited - I have wanted to go back all year and was hoping the opportunity would be available. Today was the day all teachers were told of moves (or non-reappointments).  when my principal told me I literally jumped for joy - twice!!
I even got the double-bonus of my old room back.  I have spent 4 long years in tiny portables (boo-hoo), now I get to go back to the second largest room on the campus! (and boy do I need it, because I have a ton and a half of school stuff)

I am thrilled to rejoin the kindergarten team and can't wait for an awesome - (and tiring and paperwork filled) year.

I hope you all got your wish for the 2013-2014 school year :)

AMAZING!!!!!!

For the last 2 days I have had the utmost thrill of being in the presence of the fabulous Kim Adsit. I happily paid my own registration fee (I had been with her Jan 2012 for DI for the Little Guy) for her newest training Destination Common Core.  This training was superb!! The amount of info was enormous - I would've loved to spend a whole week  listening and learning with Kim.
If you ever have the opportunity to see Kim, RUN - do not walk, to register, you will not be disappointed!!

Update, kinda...

Wow - I haven't posted in a while.  
All in all things are good - kids are learning and are **almost** ready for kindergarten!!  
We have been practicing reading with our pointing fingers (I L-O-V-E the emergent readers made by Fran Kramer, kindergarten Crayons,  with the dots under each word for one to one pointing!!)
And seeing words all over the place has made them into readers!  Each day in our math journals they are finding words they know (and can read!).  Wow-zers!!

On a side note, I might have a pretty exciting (for me, anyway) announcement soon.