Preparing for the First Day of School Part 1

During the summer I spend a lot of time planning and preparing for that First Day of School. There are so many behind the scenes preparations that need take place before I unlock that door to greet my new class.

To make all of my prep work quick and easy, there are a few essential items I need.  I don't mind spending the money, if it makes things easier and saves time.

First on the list is Name Tags
I use name tags on everything, their cubbies, coat hooks, tables, book boxes, and probably most important of all on that first day, the students.  We have 5 kindergarten classrooms that is potentially 120 brand new 4 and 5 year olds running about.  Each of us have our own system for labeling our students.  All involve some sort of name tag that either clips onto the shirt or hangs from the neck of each child.  Here is what I use.

The lanyards might be a bit long, but I just double knot at one end to shorten them.

However, if you prefer the clip style, you might try these.

I also use the clear name tag holders for my student book boxes.

Next up is Magnetic Tape

I have a very large magnetic white board that due to its location works better to sever as a bulletin board rather than a white board.  I use magnetic tape to keep my items in place.  i also use it to keep my word wall cards in place.

I use a ton of Laminating Pouches during the school year so you can bet I use a lot during the summer as I'm prepping. I prefer the thick 5mil. but the 3mil. work great too.

Of course if you don't already own this Scotch Laminator- you should.  I LOVE mine.

I also use a lot of labels.  I buy small ones at the Dollar Tree-you can read about that here and here, but I buy these for the covers of my homework folders and for the insides.

Last is Adhesive.  I love these little dot rollers.  I used to scrapbook a ton.  I have a huge adhesive roller tape gun that I use for large projects, but these little rollers are fantastic for using in the classroom and sticking down small items.

So now that I have all the supplies I need to start prepping, you might be wondering what am I will be doing.

The name tags are a given. I laminate my printed name tags before placing them in the badge holders.  You would be amazed at how many times those name tags go into their mouths.  YUCK!!!  I make sure our room number is on the tag.  This helps other teachers know who the teacher is, especially if a child gets lost on the first few days- believe me it happens.

I use the adhesive roller to stick down my library pockets while I am placing them onto my poster board. I use just a few dots to keep the library pockets in place before I send it through the school laminator.  They are moveable which make it great if you need to adjust them a bit.

The Avery labels as I mentioned above, are used for labeling our homework binders.

Several years ago a created a homework binder product that can be found on TpT.  

Well, that is it for now as this post is already too long.  I will be back soon to show you what I have created as the summer progresses.