Why Florida Teachers Are The Best...

*This post contains affiliate links*
 

Okay, Okay, so we are not the best. But we are pretty darn close! Can you tell I'm biased to Florida? Florida teachers have been put through the ringer this year. Yet we still have a smile on our faces!   

  On October 11, this fabulous group of Florida Teacher Bloggers met up at Sea World.  Our goal was to meet and greet and have TONS of fun. Mission accomplished.  This was our 2nd Florida Teacher Blogger Meet-Up. The first was back in March.  I had the pleasure of co-hosting these 2 events with these wonderful ladies.

Amy from Learning Lessons with Mrs. Labrasciano  (right) Me Melissa from More Time 2 Teach(middle)  Bridget from Hardcore Teacher Resources Lisa from Learning is Something to Treasure Tammy from The Space Coast Teacher (left)   We have been planning this meet up since April! Yes April. We wanted to make this meet up special and meaningful AND we wanted everyone to go home with LOTS of goodies    First up on the goodies list. Free shirts from teachershirts.com (click the link below). Their shirts are gorgeous. Check them out!  

 

Next up....BLING baby. Every teacher went home with a gorgeous bracelet, necklace, or earrings from Paper Virgo. 

What teacher doesn't drink coffee or tea? I've never come across anyone who hasn't. We were graciously donated these adorable coffee mugs from TREAT. They are the BEST way to start the day. Thanks TREAT. 

 

(Thanks Melissa for the wonderful pictures!)

This last giveaway that everyone received gave me warm teacher vibes. Everyone received a FREE year subscription to Planbook.com. Haven't heard of them? You need to go check them out. I've been using them this whole school year and they have made lesson planning SOOO easy. 

(Thank you Melissa for the picture)

Last, but not least, gourmet cupcakes. The best cupcakes I've ever eaten. Seriously people THE.BEST.EVER!

BlueBird Bake Shop donated enough cupcakes for each person to have at least 2. I may of had more...shhh. If you are ever in Orlando, stop by their bakery.

There were a few extra goodies that we raffled off.

One was from Teacher Tees.

 

And the other from our very own talented Bridget.

 She hand paints her jewelry. Visit her store by clicking here.

  

(Thanks Amy for the picture)

 After the meet up, a bunch of us stayed in the park to have some more fun and get to know each other better. It was a magical fay filled with amazing people! Here are some pics below.

 

I'm celebrating today!

One year ago TODAY, I embarked on a blogging journey. I didn't know if I would fail or succeed. However, I was determined to try. 
I can't say that it has been an easy journey. In fact, it has been excruciatingly hard at some points. There were many time I just wanted to give up. Mainly because of time constraints. 
However, like any relationship, I put my all into this blog and I wasn't about to let it slip away easily. 
I'm glad I did because I've met some amazing people.  My followers are so loyal, kind, and reassure me that I'm doing the right thing everyday. 
To thank all of my loyal followers, I'm throwing a SALE! 

Week 2 of "Fall"ing Prices Linky Party

 

It is Fall Y'all!   I've linked up with the fabulous ladies from Primary Peeps.  Every Tuesday in October we are bringing you two products that are marked down to $2.    First up on sale this week:

This is a top seller. It is the perfect way to keep track of the kiddos' AR or Reading Counts Points. My students work so hard to get their clip to the next level and receive their certificate.  You can find my engaging product here. Next Up:  

Centers are made easy with this pack. Wow your administration by having the centers already differentiated.  Click here to get this pack! Want to join the linky fun?  

  

 

    
 

An InLinkz Link-up

The Sunday Scoop...

 
    I've linked up with The Teaching Trio. This is an adorable and FUN linky party!  

  Happy Sunday!   Smiles!

Sale Time Baby!

I've linked up with my talented friends from Primary Peeps. 

  
 
    
 

Who doesn't love sale? For real people, there hasn't been a big sale on TPT since August. It is time to change that and start saving some serious $$$$.

 

Every Tuesday in October, I will have two items for sale. Each of them will only be $2! Say Whaaaat?

Here are my items on sale this week:

 

This is the perfect Halloween writing activity, close reading activity, and craftivity! Check it out!

This is my number 1 seller! Great for reenforcing reading strategies!

Just click on the pictures and it will take you to the items. You can also see what else is in my store by clicking here.

Want to join the fun?

An InLinkz Link-up

Hosting A Successful Curriculum Night

   Hi all. This is 5 for Friday with a twist. Hosting A Successful Curriculum Night   Here in Florida, we are not following Common Core. Our state voted against it. We have our own standards now.  We also have a brand new test. The test is called Florida State Assessment (FSA).  Third grade is a mandatory retention year in our state. The kids don't pass the test, they don't go on to 4th grade. PERIOD.  With that being said, parents needed to be informed of all the changes. There are MAJOR changes to the curriculum AND the test. Our 3rd grade team decided to host a curriculum night. We desperately wanted to get out all this information to them as soon as possible.  With some strategic planning and a lot of finger crossing, we were able to pull it off. It went GREAT. I'm sharing with you how to have the same successful night. 

FREE FOOD! Have food and they will come! Promise. I teach at a Title I school and parent involvement is super low. Not on this night.  We kept it simple. Hot dogs and drinks.       Offer free child care. Parents can't use the excuse, I have no one to watch the kids.   Do a mock run through. Step by step. We did it at least twice. Make adjustments right then and there. I'm telling you, this was the biggest help. You are less likely to leave anything out AND you aren't nervous about now knowing what to say.      Offer a raffle. Everyone loves to win something. Advertise that there will be prizes and they will come. We had backpacks full of school supplies and gift cards.     Offer a variety of times for parents. Parents work different hours. Having a meeting at 5 will work for some, but not others. We hosted two sessions. One from 5-6 and one from 6-7. This also help to limit the excuses of not being able to make it.  Are you in Florida? If so, here is a PowerPoint for your very own curriculum night!It compares the FCAT to FSA. It explains to the parents what is expected of the students. It also gives helpful tips on how the parents can help their child succeed.  https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3jZjgei-QObTHlfSGs5Nm1MQmc/view?usp=sharing