As the school year comes to an end, it is so easy to just push everything away from our brains and toss it into the closet! As educators, we have done so much work and now it’s time to rest and rejuvenate.
I know September is the last on your mind but doing a little planning now will make a big difference later.
Here are some suggestions things I plan out for September
Reflect on your routines and classroom layout. Think about what worked well and what you may need to refine next year. I personally like to take pictures of anchor charts, layouts, bulletin boards, so I can refer to it in the fall.
Organize with intention. I like to create a bin full of activities that I typically use at the beginning of the year such as collaborative tasks, welcome newsletters, class calendars and read alouds). Grouping activities by subjects/units and labelling it clearly helps to ensure I am not scrambling in my drive for ideas later. I also take time to think about key literacy and math assessments I will likely need.
Below are items in my own “September” Box, that work for any division and range of abilities
- First Week Activities: Read Alouds, Low prep collaborative tasks
- Newsletters/Class Calendar from previous year I can refer to, reuse or adjust
- Assessments materials for math and literacy
- A checklist of routines I explicitly taught
- Daybook basics to help me get started right away
Taking just a little bit of time now can help you start September feeling calm, prepared, and ready to focus on what matters most, your wellbeing!
Is this something you like to do? Or do you prefer to leave it for a bit later?
