Organization Part 2: How to Organize Data and Important papers

Welcome back friends! I hope you are having a fantastic week so far! I know most of you must be very busy trying to get your classroom organized and decorated for this upcoming school year. I also know most of you are finding new stuff to add as you keep scrolling down on Instagram or Facebook!! lol I know! I am one of you, too!

This post will be short, but I wanted to share with you the last part of my Organization Blog posts! This time I would like to talk to you about Organizing Data and important papers. Very important post so you can stay organized and keep your sanity! (Whooppp!!)

Reading Groups Binder

I know there are hundreds of different TPT products you can find that has to do with small reading groups. I have seen them and most of them have so many sheets and so much information you can keep on your binder, and I LOVE IT! However, I will be honest with you. I know I would never been able to keep up with the forms. They are all so helpful, but the more overwhelmed I felt. So I decided to simplify my life! Something simple and yet highly important that I will be able to keep doing throughout the school year.

So I created my own simple Reading Groups Binder!

Inside this product you will find:
1. the Guided Reading Groups Sheet - This will be helpful for you to keep organize your groups. It is designed to use with post-its so you can keep writing and changing students to different groups. Note on the picture, I use tabs to separate my groups. This is just a suggestion to keep your papers organize, but if you have a different method, go for it! :)

2. Guided Reading and Running Records Schedule Chart - On this sheet you can plan what groups you'll see for the week and how many running records you need to schedule for the week as well.
3. Guided Reading Group Books - On this sheet you will write down the book you'll be reading with a specific group and other information about the book. You can keep track of how many fiction or Non-fiction books you are reading to mix up the genre in the group. It is also helpful so you don't bring a book that you have already given them.
*After the Group Tabs, I have an Avery Index Table of Contents dividers. I use the following sheets and place them under the first letter of my student's last name.*
4. Student's Personal Note sheet - On this sheet I keep all my notes about my student. All my students have one or more throughout the school year. Things my students need to improve and things they are successfull.
5. Reading level progress sheet - This sheet contains the levels of beginning, Middle, and End of the Year. This are great to see the student as a whole. To remember how they came, how much they have improved, and how much they have accomplished by the end of the school year. This sheet is great to use during Parent-Teacher Conferences!
6. Running Records Progress - All the running records results I have given to my student.

I think this is a great binder that will help you and will help ME for this upcoming school year! I have included the link above (above of th first picture shows), but if you missed it, please click HERE to take you to my store!

Parent Conversation Log

This is another important thing to do in order to stay organized! Create a Parent Conversation Log binder! Mine is very simple! I bought some Avery Index Table of Contents dividers and put some blank writing paper inside of each divider. Every time I had a conversation over the phone with a parent, I would write down the important things we said or agreed during our conversation! Maybe you are wondering why I do this. Well maybe, just maybe, one day there is a missunderstanding and misscommunication with a parent. You will have your log to remember and show what was said and what was agreed. I have learned the hard way, that we can't remember it all and that you need to have a proof of something. This log is a life saver to keep information! I would also use this for important information during Parent-Teacher conferences. My parents used to like it when I wrote important things they were saying about their child. We all need to establish good communication with parents from the beginning!

File Hanging Folders

Last, but not least! Where do you keep important tests, forms, letters, etc.? I have a simple way to do this! Many teachers loveee binders and I do too! But I have so many binders for other things that I really want to make this as simple as possible. The answer is "Manila folders in hanging folders!!." My school kind of makes you have a teacher desk (like the old ones), so I take advantage of my heavy-old friend by using its drawers. In there I keep a hanging folder for each of my students. I keep al important information there. Something that I can just pull when having a Parent-Teacher conference or having to meet with someone regarding that student.
Maybe you don't have a file cabinet. Crates are perfect for hanging folders as well! Remember these folder contain personal information for each of your students. So if I had a crate, then I would keep it under my desk so my students or any other person would not get the attention of the folders.

My friends this is all for today! I hope you have learned something new and something important! Hope you are very motivated to try new things so you can be more organized! Stay tuned become up next will be all about classroom management and rewards!!!

Parent-Teacher Conferences Letters and Tips

Hello everyone and welcome back!!
I hope your days in school are becoming smoother and your students are falling into a some kind of routine by now! :)
Today I want to share with you a simple, but very helpful product with you! I know parent-teacher conferences are coming up so I am sure you started working on those letters to send home.

I want to share with you the way I sent my conferences letters. I basically sent this letter with a time and date already set up for my student's parents and an answer slip so they could tell me whether they could make it or not. Easy peasy right? RIGHT! Well, let me tell you... I always had at least three parents that misunderstood the answer slip and they would send those back with confusing answers, like both answers marked off: "yes I can make it" and "No, I cannot make it, let's schedule for another day." (sigh)
Sooooo I decided to make some changes on my letters and I even added a reminder bracelet (you could also staple it to the student's backpack). I made these letters cuter and I added a color version for those that have access to a color printer. But remember that you could always just use the black and white and use pretty color paper!

As always, it comes in both English and Spanish :) On this case, the two languages come in one product! So if you have parents that might need this letter in Spanish, there you have it! :) But that's not all! I included a blank form if you want to do these by hand OR if you would like to edit the text, I also made it editable!! Click HERE to take you to my TPT :)

Now, if you are a new teacher (or not) and would like some tips on what to say to your parents, these were things that I used to do and it helped me in a great way for my conferences to go a little bit more smoother! These are 5 simple, but important tips! :)

1. Keep your grade book handy during these conferences: At my school you could hold on to your student's report cards so parents could come and pick them up at the conference. Regardless of this, it is a good idea to show parents why "Pepito" got a 70 in Reading, but a 90 in Math. I liked showing parents the different grades that their child received to give them an idea of how much daily work and tests are given throughout the week. I also showed "Pepito's" parents that he was doing great with daily work, but when he took that comprehension test, he got a 40. Therefore, his grade average went down. That was a great opportunity to discuss ways to help him and to point out that "Pepito" needed to work on comprehension skills or/and maybe talk to him about the importance of taking his time while taking a test.

2. Show parents the main activities that are done in class and your expectations: I always pointed out to parents the importance of reading groups, math facts, and interactive notebooks in class. I showed them the kind and level of books that were given to their child and that it was expected to take those home to read. In addition, I mentioned the importance of practicing their math facts and what they were expected to master based on their grade level (add/sub OR multiplication). Lastly, I showed them the interactive notebooks. I showed parents how we used them in class and why they were so important. I reminded them (or for some, this was the first time they heard of it) that I let my students take their Math Interactive Notebook home. In that way, they could refresh their minds of what was learned in class so they could do their homework. It also helped parents to see what was done in class so they could help them as well. Yes, this was tricky move because they could lose their interactive notebook! Fortunately, I only had one student who lost his whole backpack so he lost his notebook, but it happened at the end of the school year.

3.It’s always a good idea to have some kind of sign-in sheet to prove that you met with the parents: At my school we were required to have a log-in sheet. Even if your school doesn’t require it, it is good idea to have a copy for your own reference. Not because parents would lie about meeting with you, but just to have a proof that you met and discuss with them about their child's academic and behavior status.

4. Always say something positive along with a struggle/negative comment: I am sure you all have heard this before, but it's true! Even when "little Johnny" seems not to get anything in class, can't focus, he's below grade level, etc. there must be something good and positive about him! As a parent now I think about these conferences, that statement can't be any truer. As a parent (even when my baby doesn't go to school yet) I would like to hear good things about my child besides the negative. I understand that these are the beginning of school conferences, so you might not know your students very well yet... but that makes it even better, because they will bloom with your help! Think about this, would you like to be told by your principal all your deficiencies or all the things you need help with and no positive feedback? EXACTLY! It is the same for parents; they always want to hear at least something positive about "their babies”!

5 Always end your conference with a positive and encouraging thought about the student's academic level: I always liked to end my conferences with an encouragement for parents to work with their son/daughter at home regardless of their academic level (because things get much, much harder throughout the school year).  Along with that statement, I reassure them that I would do the same on my side. I pointed out that it was the beginning of the school year, so there was time for them to improve, but that improvement will happen with hard work and dedication starting NOW. I always felt that parents left our meeting very optimistic, no matter if they received good or bad news. They all left with positive thoughts and felt encouraged about working hard TOGETHER.

That’s it for me my friends! I hope you find my letters to be a good addition to your class and my tips helpful in some kind of way! Thank you so much for stopping by today.. I hope you have just a minute to leave me a comment below, I ALWAYS love to hear from my readers!