Another One Bites the Dust

I'm joining Amber at Adventures of a Third GradeTeacher for her very first linky party.  This linky party is all about reflecting on your year.  Click on the link below to join this reflective Linky Party.

What went well:
1.  Parent Communication- I am pretty good about updating my classroom website and posting a newsletter weekly but this year I took parent communication to another level. I  sent out text reminders using REMIND 101. You must check out this awesome site. I had parents either sign up using their phone number or email address at the very beginning of the year. Anytime I had an important event, reminder or assignment due, I sent a quick text. The best part about Remind 101 is parents never have your cell number. Check it out if you want a really cool way of keeping in touch with your parents. Your parents will thank you!

2. Classroom Design- I found Melanie at Schoolgirl Style around October. I learned some great tips about sticking with a few colors, doubling up borders and finding a focal point in your room. I decided to go with the yellow and black /white polka dots. I spray painted most of my bookshelves and ditched containers that were various colors. My new and improved classroom décor is clean, bright and cheery. I love the way it looks and feels. Thanks Melanie!

inspiration

3. Organizing my files thanks to Pinterest, TPT, and blogging- This year I decided to get really organized. Anytime I found a cute worksheet or idea I put it in a page protector. I managed to fill huge 3-ring binders for every month. I am so excited to have my filing cabinet all organized instead of in folders getting wrinkled. This system has worked out perfectly. I am a very visual learner so this fits my learning style much better than shoved into a cabinet that I  never opened. I will actually be able to use these fun lessons that I’ve found from other fabulous teachers. Thanks guys!

The Not so Great:

1. Not having enough time for Math-Our district stresses a 90 minute reading block so sometimes other subjects get brushed aside. Next year I want to devote at least an hour a day in math. Especially since we have 2 more chapters in our math series and only 2 weeks left of school. I want to be consistent with math stations just as I am with guided reading. I have a plan but I just need to be consistent.

2. Grading: I am such a procrastinator when it comes to grading papers and averaging grades. I want to utilize our online gradebook next year. I would like to have my grades in at least a couple days before they are due instead of staying up til midnight the night before they are due. Does anyone hate report cards as much as me?

3. RTI: My R.T.I. progress monitoring needs a little work. I had many students in tier II and tier III. I sometimes would forget to graph their latest DIBELS oral reading fluency or nonsense word fluency. I am serving on our RTI committee next year so hopefully this will keep me on top of my game. Don’t get me wrong, I did provide the interventions every day- I just have a hard time recording their progress and attendance.