Phew! Just a Moment...

Wow! Can it be more than two weeks since my last blog post? What in the world? Oh yeah! School has started.

First week down, albeit a short one but a GREAT one! My sixers are fantastic and my fifth and seventh graders as well. I had probably the best first day EVER in three dozen years. Here are a few sights from the week. I am off and running back to school for a WELCOME BACK picnic! It has definitely begun.

FIRST ever First Day gifts... the teachery nutcracker is supposed to look like me. LOVE!

First Science activity of the year, first STEAM activity my sixers ever did.

Teacher Faves

I'm excited to join with Ramona from Ramona Recommends, Layla from Fancy Free in 4th, and Jamie from a Not so Wimpy Teacher for this month's linky party:  Back to School in a Flash! 

Here are my TOP THREE BTS FAVES!

Do you have BTS Teacher Favorites? Why not join in and link up, too!

Fve for Friday... evening!

I've used this excuse before, but I did NOT realize that it was Friday! If I don't check my phone or computer I have no idea what day of the week it is. In this one aspect, I will be glad to get back on school time. Anyway, it's time to link up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for...

This week's Five for Friday is the teacher supply shopping edition. I saw several Periscopes this past week made by The 360 Degree Teacher. She was so cute doing live Periscope broadcasts as she was shopping for teacher supply bargains. She motivated me so much that I actually got dressed, did my hair and went to Target and The Dollar Tree... this was a major event, bloggy teachers. I normally stuff my hair in a bandana and remain in my muumuu all day, seldom venturing out.

Here are five fun teacher shopping bargains, each of them just a BUCK!

From Target

Even though all of our records (lesson plans and grades) are digitized online, I still need like a hard copy of everything. I have lost grades and lesson plans after keying them in online. Nothing worse than double work! Spending a buck for a grade book is awesome.

From The Dollar Tree

Soooo lovin' these 3D puzzles! One activity my sixers and I will use these for is a mini-research on the elements during the first week of school. Each student will be assigned a common element to research, locate an important fact about, a graphic, and its symbol. The information will go on a piece of the puzzle, and we will assemble all of the pieces to form the shape. I have twenty students so the icosohedron puzzle will be perfect!

Also from the Dollar Tree

As a school we have decided to focus on the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy. These are actions that we as Catholics are to perform to demonstrate our love for each other. We are emphasizing this because of the instances of bullying we are seeing in society and among our students. These anti-bullying pledge cards will be a perfect addition.

From Target

Aren't these the cutest? I'm thinking of using them in Literature Circles as discussion sticks. There is always one or two students who want to monopolize the circle discussions and interrupt others. In order to speak, a student will need to hold the stick so she/he can add his point.

Also from Target

I had already purchased my border and charts (Scrabble theme), but when I saw these I knew that they were even more of a perfect match for all of the Bright Tweens items I've been making for my new classroom. What do  you think?

You can read more about my Bright Tweens items HERE. If you are interested in this bright theme, I have a set of Whole Brain Teaching rules that I have modified for my classroom in the same colorful theme. 

They will be a forever freebie that you can download HERE. Here's a little preview of what one of the posters looks like.

Be sure to stop back tomorrow for the start of Christmas in July here at The Teacher's Desk 6.

Wordless Wednesday: B2S Shopping

The weeks just keep passing... sigh! Summer is fast ending... double sigh! On a brighter note, it is Wednesday which means it's time to join Miss DeCarbo for...

Let's be honest... How many of you have already started this?

I found some really good deals on some cool items at Target, Dollar Tree, and Wal-mart. I'll be blogging about them in upcoming posts.

Speaking of school supplies, would anyone like to earn a little cash toward school supply purchases? Click the pic to learn more.

Don't forget that tomorrow is Thursday. I'll be sharing a post about composition notebooks, one of the supplies I purchased this week, for Throwback Thursday. What will you be sharing this week? I can't wait to read all your throwback posts. See you tomorrow!

My School... and a BRAND NEW LINKY: School Story!

Very recently a marketing video, the aim of which is seeking financial assistance from alumni and potential donors, was released that told a small part of the history of the school at which I teach. It's a rich and varied history, chronicling tremendous faith, support, and determination. We have undergone a LOT of change over the years, but always we have remained dedicated Heralds of Truth and Grace. I'd like to take the opportunity to share this history with you. Welcome to my school, St. John School.




Here's a small peek inside my newest classroom and the hallway nearby. There's even a snap of what it looked like before we moved in August 2012. If you were looking closely there was a quick clip of it in the video, complete with 32 lively sixth graders!

I love how in the video it says:

WE NEED TO TELL OUR STORY. IT'S WORTH TELLING!

I truly believe this. We all need to tell our stories. Therefore, I'm inviting you to share your School Story. I've  created a brand new linky party that will allow us to share the story of our school... where it's located, what makes it unique, what it looks like, all the things that ARE WORTH TELLING. Create a blog post that tells your School Story, add the School Story button below, then come back to this page and add your post's link. I can NOT wait to start reading about all the places where my bloggie friends and followers spend so much of their time.

Happy Storytelling,
Happy Teaching,
Angela
The Teacher's Desk 6

<div align="center"> <a href="http://teachersdesk6.blogspot.com/2013/05/schoolstory.html" title="The Teacher's Desk 6 School Story"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ8cy3hjgRYMuhNDXgmtUuwwSy8JxN2L-S-gnN2nHrM9U5_XjxxZjEZlfK2L7tLP8Q09n-UBrDHcz5Ir119dOZ7DIaYb6tyDShWKgU7dMN2SlNiP9Mcakwe6gcJ4Z1szzR9v55aMNzPgk/s1600/school_story_linky_pic.png" alt="The Teacher's Desk 6 School Story" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Budding Blog

Thanks to Jess over at I{heart}Recess for hosting the May Budding Blog Linky! Lovin' this one since I found a TON of newer blogs to peruse! In order to be part of this linky a blog has to have less than 200 followers.

1. Why did you start blogging?
I have actually been a webhost for MANY years, nearly twenty, in fact. I managed The Teacher's Desk, a website for 5/6th grade teachers. There I had posted 100's of lessons including the original Paragraph a Week program. I tell all about it in my very first ever blog post: The Teacher's Desk... Repurposed and Now Opened. I closed The Teacher's Desk (although you can still visit it via The Wayback Machine) a couple of years ago when I opened The Teacher's Desk 6, a FREE website for my students and parents. This blog is an offshoot of my new website.

2. What is your favorite subject to teach and why?
Probably Language Arts since I've been doing it continuously for 32 years, but my real love is Math. I have loved numbers since I was young. Math was my best subject in school yet I've only taught it for three years out of 33 years.

3. Describe your teaching style.
I have to laugh at this item. I have no particular style. I teach however it works for each class/student. Sometimes I am a lecturer, sometimes a facilitator, sometimes a coach... whatever it takes! I believe that I am a born teacher and am one of those fortunate people to have discovered what she/he was meant to do.

4. Give three interesting facts about you.
a. I am tenacious like a bulldog. I do not EVER give up and do NOT let my students give up.
b. I am a forever learner, a day does not go by that I don't try to consciously learn something new.
c. I have VERY eclectic taste in nearly everything, from music to favorite foods, from clothing style to what I read. I like it ALL!

5. Do you have a TpT store? Yes, I do
The Teacher's Desk 6 Store... http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/The-Teachers-Desk-6
And a Teacher's Notebook Shop...http://www.teachersnotebook.com/shop/teachersdesk6

And speaking of linkies.....

I'm hosting a BRAND NEW linky: School Story. Hop over to THIS BLOG POST to read all about it and join in.

Happy Blogging,
Happy Teaching,
Angela
The Teacher's Desk 6