An Organized First Day of School

I know the feeling of working hard all summer long preparing for the first day of school.  All your hard work and preparations don't seem to ever seem to live up to what happens when the students arrive in your classroom. No matter what grade you teach, students come in your room thinking:

• Where do my supplies go?
• What do I do with my bookbag?
• Where do I put these books? 
• And the list goes on...

And you end up answering the same questions 25+ times...so here is how to fix it: 

This past year I dedicated my summer to thinking about a smooth transition on the first day of school for everyone (me included!) Although my method seemed to stress my OCD'ness out, it paid off in the long run for helping the students organize all of those things they bring and wonder about in the first 30 minutes of school. 

I laugh thinking about my first year in the classroom. Students came in with all their supplies, and I had no idea what to tell them to do. No joke: organizing supplies so they didn't have 100 pencils in their desk took 2 hours. I thought to myself...never again. As the years went on, I perfected this organization, but last year really went well and we wasted no time at all.

When students arrived, the following was on their desks:

• Books to put in their desks
• Gallon-sized baggie with their class # (you could do name)
• Small sheet of paper with their class # on it
• Foldable cardboard box (See class philanthropic project for more information)

Books were already set up for each student, so I was able to eliminate time during the school day for passing them out.  Thanks to a wonderful former mentor, she gave me the idea to use gallon-sized baggies to help organize. They are for students to put extra supplies in their bags. In younger grades, I have went through each step to put in their art box. I would tell students exactly what could/couldn't be in their art box. This eliminates having 25 pencils in their box or items that would sneak in and become toys during learning time. In the bag is all of the extra things for them to use when they run out of things in their art box. Students keep these under their cubbies in large totes. They must ask to get something extra out. For older grades, I put a list of items up on the projector or board for them to put in their art box and baggie. It works out nicely as they are able to follow those directions.

Visit my TPT Store or {Freebie} for the supply bin tags

The small sheet of paper with their class number on it is for them to know which cubby and mailbox belongs to them. With them knowing from Day #1, it allows them to put all of their items away and have a cleared off desk by the time the final bell rings.

Overall, these small little organizational tips help the start of the First Day of School go fairly smooth. We have all learned from our mistakes and you have a routine that works for you as well. Hopefully you'll find something new that will help you perfect it even more. First time teachers, this is a great start in helping your nerves and help eliminate unnecessary stress. Now onto the activities you can do on the first day!

If you're looking for some new ways to decorate for this upcoming year, check out:

 

Polka Dot Table Numbers (Multi-colored)

Polka Dot Table Numbers (Gray version)

Schedule Cards

Schedule Cards (With clocks)

Word Wall Letters (Multi-colored)

Have a great first day back & good luck!