Does anyone else cringe when they start putting out the school supplies for the following year in June. I feel like saying, “Hey now! Put those things away for at least another 10 weeks” School just barely finished and they are already getting ready for the next year.

It’s still hard to believe summer break is almost over. It always feels like it goes by way too fast. While walking through the store this past week, I’ve observed many parents dutifully poring over their supply lists trying to discern which set of dividers or markers they should get. As the bins slowly empty and the crowds get a little more hectic, I’m reminded that I need to head back to school soon too.

Are you ready to go back? I know I never am. This year my school was remodel, which meant that we had to pack everything up over the summer so they could move it into our new rooms.

I’m a little nervous to go back. I know there is a sea of boxes waiting for me… dun dun dun. At least I labeled them well, so hopefully setup won’t take too long.

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In anticipation of school starting again, I want to share 3 of my favorite back to school items on TPT:

1. The A-Z Classroom Guide

I love this guide, because it gives every parent access to all of my important classroom information on one sheet of paper. I print it back to back on bright paper and tell my parents to keep it on their refrigerator for easy access. What’s great about this is that once you put in the work of gathering all your information, you are good to go! You can use it over and over again, just tweaking things here and there every year.

2. Communication Log

This takes a little bit of time, but it’s well worth the effort. I have used this communication log in Kindergarten and 1st grade very successfully. It’s so important to partner with parents daily and I’ve found that this was one of the best ways to keep them informed about what went on at school.

In Kindergarten at the end of the day, I had every child put their communication log on their desk. They would mark down the color of their behavior for the day and then wait until I came by to stamp it. Once stamped, they could get ready to go home and then meet me on the carpet.

*In 1st grade I had a student helper stamp communication logs at the end of the day as one of our weekly jobs.

3. Punch Cards

These are wonderful. They are a great way for students to track their reading or anything you choose (a blank card is included) I am a Reading Specialist, and currently I use these to keep track of my student’s home reading. My favorite part about these, is that their goal is right on the back, because I print them back to back. Instead of punching them I use these stickers. Setting specific goals that can be measured, are attainable and timely is proven to help students meet their goals. It’s so much easy to know what you are working towards when you have it written right in front of you! With this, I have included a goal setting sheet to help students come up with SMART goals.