Donor's Choose (a little secret)

Yes! I have my first week down and we are about to start our second week! My kiddos are sweeties! Which is a ripe change because last year I could barely get a hug from anyone! This year they are getting their hug on the way out and then getting back in line to get a second! I love that!

Even though I was completely worn out last week, I took the time to write a Donor's Choose grant for some new class sets of books. I was shocked when in the same day I got approved, I got funded! Thanks to some wonderful friends and family AND The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation! They have actually helped fund some of my other grants, as well. Now I have some great news to share with my kiddos about new books that they will get to use! That big old reading book with all our basal readers in it is a pain to lug around! Ugh! If you haven't tried Donor's Choose, go for it! If you utilize all your social media, you can easily get your grant funded. And... Check this out:

1. Log into your Donor's Choose account.
2. Click on where it says Hi, ________ and then click Account.

3. Click on Resources

4. Click Partner funding Opportunities

5. Click on your state.

Then, you can check out all the different promotions and funding going on right now that can get you a little extra help in your classroom! 

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This week we are reading on Henry and Mudge, The First Book. This always ends up being a favorite (and I just so happened to get some sets of these for my class through Donor's Choose :) ) I am so excited to use Amy Lemons A Boy and His Dog Unit! It is so versatile, too and I can use it for pretty much any Henry and Mudge book we do this year! Check it out! 

I will try to post pictures later this week of some of the cute stuff! Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

ISchool Initiative and Some Classroom Pictures!

Hoot, Hoot, Hooray! You're in 2nd Grade!! 

Our district took on a wonderful initiative called Seven Ignites. It is a one-to-one technology initiative where every student will receive their own personal computing device, an Apple iPad for grades 3-5 and a MacBook Air laptop for grades 6-12. I am so excited for this year because my classroom will now be 1:1! It is so amazing to have this opportunity to help prepare kids for their futures! 

So, at this year's district "welcome back" seminar, we had Travis Allen as our speaker.

For those of you who don't know who that is... Google him!! He is amazing! He is the president and CEO of the ISchool Initative. The company's goal is to revolutionize education through technology. And get this... He is only 23 YEARS OLD!! 

I have been working super hard this week in my classroom making it perfect for my new babies! 

Homework club is awesome! Kids have to return fully completed homework to me every morning. If they do, they get a sticker for their card. At the end of the month, (depending on the month) they have to have 12/16 stickers on their chart to be a part of our Homework Party. This is the first year I am doing this, so I am really excited about it!! 

And obviously, I have my Writing Board that I got from the wonderful Teri at A Cupcake for the Teacher. You can grab yours HERE. My writing process is a little bit blurry, but you can grab it from HERE for FREE from The Teacher Wears Prada. 

Come see me tomorrow, I will be sharing some of my back to school activities and plans! 

Sale!!!

Only 11 hours left in the Back to School Sale at TPT! Head over to check out the sweet deals!! Don't forget to enter code BTS14 for extra savings!! 

Back to School Scavenger Hunt and a Freebie!

I created a little scavenger hunt game for my kiddos on the first day of school. I am pretty excited about it, because I love scavenger hunts and so do the kids! It has ten different cards that list an attribute that the kids have to find in another classmate. It's a great ice breaker! Check it out HERE and get it for $2! Plus, you get the end of unit freebie... All About Me posters!

But since I love to share, I have a copy of my All About Me posters. All I ask is that you follow my blog if you download :) Click on either image below to download your free copy! 

I have to give a huge shout out to TeachesThirdinGeorgia. She makes some awesome fonts that I used in this packet! Anyway, I'm off to visit my parents for the weekend with the little man (and do some tax-free shopping). Have a great Friday!