Hello everyone. Hard to believe, but the summer months are drawing to a close. September is right around the corner and a new school year is about to commence. For us, teachers, it is that time again – setting up, organizing, preparing and planning for the year ahead. As we get ready to open our doors and our hearts to the newest treasures, I would like to share a poem I wrote, welcoming everyone on this great journey together. Feel free to download a copy of the poem and use it in your classroom – just click on the image below.
One of the things I like to set up at this time of year is individual student portfolios. I designate a specific area in the classroom for showcasing each child’s work in a bulletin format. Throughout the year I make sure to add new writing pieces to each child’s portfolio, highlighting their growth and changes over the course of the year. It is always fascinating to see their progress, however big or small their steps may be.
As an extension to the poem, Please Stay Awhile, I prepared an initial portfolio assignment. Toward the end of the first week of school, students will be invited (in small groups) to sketch a picture of themselves and write their name. Please note that this is not an assessment piece. It merely gives me an indication of where my students are at – a point of reference for each child’s starting point. It is also a great way for me to see what my returning SK students retained from the previous year. Perhaps the best use of this task is that it allows me to plan my program in a way to address whole-group as well as individual needs. Feel free to download a copy of the template by clicking on the image below.
Happy Start-of-the-Year everyone. As always, your comments and feedback are most welcome.
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Thank you,
Lora
Please Stay Awhile by Lora Rozler is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Words On A Limb 
Such a refreshing outlook on the start of the school year! Best wishes for a good year.
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Thank you Jennifer 🙂
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Thank you so much for sharing this fun activity! May you feel supported and loved this school year.
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Thank you Diana!
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Lora, I love the poem! You must be a WONderful teacher 🙂
Also love the idea of the self-portraits! Suggestion (if you don’t already do this): to sketch in (maybe inside bubbles?) pictures of their favorite things. Maybe even things they don’t like, putting an “x” over them. I think it helps flesh out WHO they are more so than just their appearance, both for you and for their fellow students 🙂
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Awww, thank you Donna! I love your idea re: favourite things. I get into lessons and crafts like that once we begin the About Me unit. I also put up a gigantic world map and use string to connect each child’s picture to their country of origin. It looks really neat and helps children appreciate our differences yet how very connected we are. Love it! 🙂 Thanks for your wonderful feedback.
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Thank you for this lovely idea. I think I’m going to hand out the poem to my parents and students as they enter the room during our Meet and Greet (kindergarten), the day before school begins. Have a great year!
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Hi Andrea. That is a great compliment – Thank you!! Wishing you a wonderful year! 🙂
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Makes me wish I was back in school 🙂
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Sometimes I wish I was on the opposite end too – but shhhhhh, I never said that (lol)
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