The Most WONDERful Time of Year!

Santa came early, Peeps!

I am so excited to reveal the name of the early learning school I am designing + building here in Austin, Texas! Click on our (brand new, BEAUTIFUL) logo or building rendering below to watch the video reveal! And...check out our architect's (Cornerstone Architects here in Austin, Texas) first rendering of WonderWell. We love our dedicated, gifted, accepts-nothing-but-the-best team! We will have the safest, most beautiful playground in our courtyard. In addition to our toddler and preschool programs, we will have two private Pre-Kindergartens and two private Kindergartens. We are currently in the site plan approval process and hope to begin building in 2017!

My friends and I have been playing a pretty fun (wink wink) guessing game on my personal Facebook page this past month...and, even though I was loving it (and all of the awesome names the "guessers" were coming up with!), Santa decided it was time to reveal the WONDERful news! And, in other news, I have asked The 3am Teacher to redesign my blog for the new year! I am so excited! She does incredible work (think Deanna Jump and Dr. Jean)! I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Cheers from a very happy girl in Austin, Texas :)

It's HAPPENING!

Peeps: IT'S OFFICIAL! 

We closed on the land in September! My school will be on beautiful Southwest Parkway here in Austin, Texas! Thank you to our commercial broker, Tony Gulla, for being so patient with us, and thank you, Dad, for doing the most thorough research and due diligence on the property! The engineers are now gearing up for the site plan permitting process! And, there was a beautiful rainbow over central Austin the day we closed…it was incredible! Next up: a name reveal!  Stay tuned! 

SURVEY for Parents of Early Learners!

Parents of early learners! We want to hear from YOU!

As you know, we are starting an early learning school here in Austin, Texas! And...we want to hear from YOU! What do YOU desire for your child's early learning experience? Head on over to our Kinder Peeps Facebook page and take our survey for a chance to win a $50 Starbucks gift card!

Thank you, thank you for your time! Your responses help us inform our design and practice so we can empower our students, parents, and teachers!

From Dream to Concrete!

Happy Back to School Week, Peeps!

I loved the Back to School pictures on Facebook this morning!  Loved hearing from my former students' parents and seeing their smiling faces in their new classrooms. Can't believe my very first class of Kindergarteners (Miss Ivey's 2008-2009 Kindergarten Class) started 7th GRADE today in Houston!  Wow!  Time flies.

So, I have been MIA to say the least! Where to begin? Our sweet, precious Jet is almost TWO (getting ready for his Paw Patrol birthday party this weekend).  Every new word melts my heart.  "Ladda" for "ladder" is his newest word! Jet loves to pretend he is talking on the phone and when he hangs up, his "bye-bye" is just about the cutest thing I have ever heard. 

At the beginning of July, we moved a few minutes from where we have been living since we moved to Austin in 2011. We found our home at the beginning of the spring and it is truly beautiful...definitely love at first sight! We knew it was the one. It is hard to find a home with a flat backyard here in Austin…and this backyard sold us completely! We also decided to remodel the house and make it our own (and decided to do so before/during/after our move-in, ha!) It was/is exciting, stressful, fun, hectic, and...never-ending ;-)

We repainted the house (accessible biege is my new favorite color) and completely overhauled the kitchen! We painted it white and it instantly updated the entire house. It looks so fresh and clean...I just LOVE it! While painting, we had the stairway torn out and redone so it would be safe for Jet Man. We also had to have the windows replaced and sealed, the pool drained and replastered (so we basically  had an empty hole in our backyard for about a month - fun times!), hardware on cabinets replaced, and the list goes on and on...for miles! Needless to say, I have learned so much about remodeling and choosing contractors (this list gets longer each day)!

Here are a few before pics (yikes!):

Which brings me to my SUPER exciting news: I am designing, creating, and building an early learning school here in Austin, Texas! Think 21st Century teaching AND learning. Think NEW learning. Think multiliteracies. Think one. of. a. kind. We are going to empower children AND teachers!  This plan has been in forward motion since early spring and I am so thrilled to finally make it official! 

But first, a little background before I tell all ;-)

When I was little, my mom bought me an overhead projector and I taught my dolls, Susie and Julie, how to read…oh yes.  She and my Dad told me that when they would walk by my room, they could hear me "teaching." My mom, who is now retired after teaching and impacting our community for 30 years, was always an inspiration to me. I loved bringing her "teacher books" home and pretending. So it's definitely safe to say, teaching is in my DNA! :)

Fast forward to 2008: I graduated from Texas Tech University in Lubbock with a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education. There, I student taught in Kindergarten with the A-MAZING Susan Bridges. She changed the game for me.  Her teaching style focuses on relationship building. Not only does she have a great rapport with her students' parents, but her organization and management are incredible. Children feel safe, supported, and excited to be in her presence. The experience she provides for children is like no other. I remember feeling so happy each day...not only did we have fun together, but I realized, more than ever, that I was in my element. I always tell my student teachers that Ms. Bridges can be seen in my classroom each day. Just ask my student teachers about the oval rug and asking students to sit around the perimeter to create a sense of community ;-) (my student teachers know I am very passionate about that sense of community)!

I got my first teaching job a few months before graduation (I flew down to Houston for a job fair in Spring Branch ISD where I met my wonderful principal who loved instructional technology as much I did!) at Nottingham Elementary. Some of the best 3 years of my life! My principal cared greatly about academics as well as his teachers. He is undoubtedly one of the most professional people I have ever met. His observations of my teaching and the students' learning were so detailed and enthusiastic. He was a true educator himself. I recently had the privilege of seeing him and my Nottingham family at his secretary's retirement party in Houston in July! SO much fun! He is now teaching student teachers at the University of Houston…blessed future teachers!

During my time in Spring Branch ISD, I worked closely with the Educational Technology team led by Sheri Alford and Angela McNeil, who I have continued to stay in touch with. These two women redefined professional development for our district. They organized a huge (I mean, HUGE!) gathering of educators at Memorial High School each January to share, collaborate, and learn more about the ActivClassroom (we had Promethean ActivBoards in Spring Branch) called the ActivEducator Symposium.  I was afforded the opportunity to teach at this event and facilitate elementary teacher user groups back on my campus. So, in other words, we kept our professional development ALIVE! It did not stop when we walked out of the Symposium that Saturday afternoon. I met so many teachers and administrators there who I still collaborate with…amazing. And, we made a great case for integrating ActivBoards into the Kindergarten curriculum in Spring Branch! Good times, good-hearted people, engaged and excited learners!

During my third year of teaching, I started thinking hard about graduate school. I loved teaching teachers how to integrate technology into their curriculum and knew it was time to take my passion to a new level. I was accepted to The Graduate School at The University of Texas at Austin and started my graduate coursework in the Learning Technologies program (in the Curriculum and Instruction Department) in the fall of 2011. It was grueling. It was difficult. It was liberating. It was everything I needed. I learned so much from the people in my program as they shared their journeys over the course of our program. The learning was...off the charts!  Don't know how else to capture it ;-) I also facilitated two cohorts of student teachers in their second and third semesters (student teaching semester) and met so many amazing, enthusiastic future teachers who continue to change their slice of the world as I type! Again, blessed students - their students are getting some of the most talented, dedicated teachers! More than anything, I enjoyed the relationships I built with them as well as interfacing with/learning from their cooperating teachers.

And then fast forward to this past school year: THE catalyst for my lane change! I realized, more than ever, our current "system" needs to change MORE than just how our children are taught…our "system" should be striving to make our schools a great place for both children AND teachers! Notice "AND" has been used several times now.

We must empower teachers. Each day.

Every single experience I had this year ignited another flame in my fire and increased my passion to change the world of teaching AND learning. I have always dreamed of building my own early learning school, and this year did it for me. It was the push I needed.  I am so thankful.  God knew what He was doing in my life and I am...in love (I can't think of any other way to describe it) with how His plans continue to unfold. My husband has always been a huge supporter of my career and is so excited about this new journey…and same with my sweet family. With this kind of support, anything is possible. I feel so blessed to be in this position today.

So…here is what I can share with you today:

Thought about the franchise route for a while

We (my family is partnering with me to achieve this dream) are starting from scratch. Literally. And this might be my favorite part. The school can be anything I want it to be. No "big box curriculum" (no, no, no)!

The experiences and challenges I have had over the past 7 years are invaluable…and now, as a mother, they are magnified! These experiences + becoming Jet's Mommy have all made me the educator I am today. They will help me design my school and inform positive change for teaching AND learning. We are going to start with the "end" in mind (a little Backward Design for you)! What is the "end" you might ask? Enthusiastic, excited learners who will go out and change the world! The learners = our children AND our teachers!

We have a location (the best and most beautiful location possible in my opinion) and are currently working with our engineers as we move through the long oh so long site plan approval process.  Must disclose: I am so thankful to be mentored by my Dad. His success in business was achieved through GRIT, hard work, long hours, and problem-solving. He is helping me secure the best of the best as we move through the planning phase. I would not be able to do this without his guidance, love, and support…along with many, many others!

While we are waiting on our site plan approval, we are going to be designing the school alongside our wonderful architect, Mark. We have met with him several times this summer. I cannot not think of anyone more qualified for this project. Building design? Think natural light. Think lots and lots of windows. Think fun + sophistication.

My promise: the school will be the first of its kind. Professional development is going to be a fun, HUGE, integral part of our plan. It is not going to look like "normal" professional development. Stay tuned…much, much more to come soon. Follow #austinearlylearningstartup and #fromdreamtoconcrete on Facebook!

Off to finish planning Jet Man's SECOND birthday party!  I will leave you with his sweet smile...

TOTAL toddler, Spring Break, THIRTY, and TEXAS!

Happy April, Kinder Peeps!

I hope you all had a nice Spring Break and enjoyed time with your families! We traveled to the Bahamas to celebrate my 30th a few weeks early! We gave in and tried the Atlantis…loved it! While we were there, we learned about the new rival MEGA resort, Baha Mar! Definitely want to get down there again soon and try it out…looks absolutely amazing!

My mother-in-law came to Austin and watched Jet, who is now the TOTAL toddler, for the week…so sweet of her to keep him during her Spring Break! He is talking, talking, and talking and just loving his preschool. I never thought the day would come when we would drop him off and he would wave "bye-bye" to us…and it has. This melts my heart and also reassures me that he is right where he needs to be. His teachers love him so and he feels the same way. No greater feeling than that!  Below is an updated picture of this TOTAL toddler…who is TOTALLY awesome!  And those lips and cheeks TOTALLY get his Mommy every single time!

We missed Jet so, so much (and talked about him every other minute) but also enjoyed sleeping past 7 am, haha! We went deep sea fishing (thanks to Reel Dreams!) and tried some A-MAZING restaurants on Paradise Island (I think I need to start a food blog…). Below is a picture of the Mahi Mahi we caught (I do have to mention that we did try it out a few minutes after this picture was taken…so tasty)! 

And…my students and parents made my 30th birthday even more special…I walked in and found this hanging outside of my classroom!  They are so special to me and I will never forget them!  Wonderful, wonderful students and parents!  I feel so blessed!

I will leave you with this piece of RAD writing (below). I just had to post this…and yes, I'm biased! ;-) We made a class book and also made our own non-fiction books about Texas to conclude our Texas unit in social studies and this student's class book page made me smile…Hook 'Em! Check out Kinder Peeps' Facebook page for a look at one of my student's non-fiction books about Texas…she knocked it out of the park! I L-O-V-E my students!

Summer is around the corner!  Can you believe it?

Happy Valentine's Day!

Update time, Peeps!

I must first start with a recent picture of the love of my life in downtown Austin by the iconic "I Love You So Much" wall outside of Jo's Coffee!  Thank you to Alissa at Little Dreamers Photography for capturing these precious moments with our little sweetheart!

I have been so busy with teaching and my (now) TODDLER (!!!) who is just growing and growing and surprising us each day! 

Update:  Jet started at a new early learning school here in Austin in January and his two teachers are the absolute BEST!  We feel like we hit the jackpot with them and we know they feel the same way about our Jet Man!  He has his first school party this afternoon and I am so excited about my first school party as a parent!  Can't wait!

Speaking of parties…my Kindergarten class had such a fun Valentine's party!  I am so thankful for my students and their amazing, gracious parents!  Below is a picture of some of the sweet moms of the students in my class…they are simply the BEST!

We are also in the process of buying a new home.  If all goes as planned, we should be moving in this summer! Updates to come ;-)

Enjoy the THREE day weekend and Valentine's Day!

Much, much love to all of you!

Literacy Station LOVE - Part Two!

Welcome back, Peeps!

Can you say LIME GREEN?  Seems to be our color this year :)  I keep all of the literacy station materials we will be using for the week in these lime green tubs.  I get them down at the end of the day and place them in their location so they are all ready to go in the morning when we start our rotation:

And, as promised:  here are some pictures of my students in action during our literacy station rotation:

These students are rolling Play-Doh to practice correct letter formation using letter formation mats that are specific to the letters in their names (this is great fine motor practice):

The station you see below is the letter sound matching station; station teams work together to find pictures of objects that start with the given letter(s) (I bought these Learning Journey stations at Home Goods this summer; check out The Learning Journey website - the games are inexpensive, visual, and effective):

At the SMART Board, station teams are dragging pictures of the given letter to the barrel you see in the picture - we are focusing on the different toolbar options and practicing "page reset" to reset the SMART Notebook for our teammates; they love learning about "troubleshooting!"

Below, you see one of my Kinders practicing penmanship on the "Write and Wipe" mat (purchased these "Write and Wipe" mats from Lakeshore Learning):

We have our word work/name work station on the carpet this week (see below) as we have a lot to choose from and seem to add more each day :) The giant, transparent letters you see in this picture come in the Letter Construction Activity Set I purchased. The students read the picture card that "tells" them how to construct each letter, gather the parts needed to make each one, and construct it. They LOVE "constructing" with the giant letters and I love it because it really helps them focus on letter formation and directionality. We will also be using them to "construct" sight words…and then sentences!

This student is lacing a classmate's name using the letter necklaces. I also have name puzzles in this station.  Lots of FUN, relevant activities!

And…our library station for read to self or read to a partner; I have a variety of familiar fiction and non-fiction out right now while we are building stamina and becoming familiar with our literacy station rotation:

And…our writing station!  They are encouraged to make cards, letters, stories, lists, recipes…and the list goes on!  The "Write the Room" chart/clipboards "live" here, as well as the magazines they can find/cut pictures out of and label by "stretching" their words using their letter sounds (we will eventually make this into a GIANT alphabet book):

Stay tuned for more pics and MORE stations!

Have a great week!

Literacy Station LOVE - Part One!

Hi, Peeps!

We had Jet's FIRST birthday party and my Granny's 93rd birthday on Labor Day weekend (weekend after the first week of Kindergarten - whoa!) at my mom and dad's lake house in Marble Falls and it was so much fun!  I still can't believe he is ONE!  What?  When did this happen?!

Here is a picture from his birthday party!  This is my sweet, beautiful friend, Lindsay, who I went to college with at Texas Tech and lived with when we both taught in Houston/Katy! She just had her little boy in March and he is PRECIOUS!

I am so glad I stayed at home with him last year and decided to work part-time at UT this spring as he stayed so incredibly healthy and we really bonded!  My pediatrician told me he is the healthiest little boy he has ever seen. I don't think he ever really got sick ONCE!  Such a blessing! 

So...I have gotten several e-mails and messages on Kinder Peeps' Facebook page asking how I start work stations/how I set them up…so, here it goes:

I like to have a lot of choices/several stations so that the station groups are smaller.  This year, I have 9 stations (the SMART Board is a station and the Chromebooks/computer table are a station) and 18 students…so, I have two students in each group.  This has worked out nicely!  Before I introduce the actual stations and how the rotation works, I observe my students' interactions/personalities/strengths throughout the first week and make anecdotal records based on these observations.  I then assign my students to a partner based on these observations and put them in their station groups on paper:

I then have these partner teams spread out around the room and brainstorm/come up with a team name.  They LOVE this!  They then share their team name with the class and I record it and add their team names to the station charts.  I am going to change their station partners each nine weeks (we have four nine week grading periods so they will have the chance to be with 4 different people in literacy stations).  See our team names below (hehe):

We then practice our rotation by role playing and listening for start/stop/clean up signals. My station rotation is clockwise and makes a big circle around my classroom. I print station signs and hang them accordingly. During our morning meeting on Monday, I introduce all literacy stations in whole group and what they will be doing in each one (I schedule my literacy work stations for first thing in the morning after morning message/morning meeting; I set their station tubs out before I go home the day before…this way, their station tubs are ready to go in the morning). I revisit the station activities during morning meeting the rest of the week if I feel like they need any reminders of what they will be doing in certain stations, etc.  

My students go to three stations each day.  Each station lasts roughly 12-15 minutes depending on the time my guided reading groups need that day. You will notice on the chart below that the station rotation doesn't repeat until Thursday…this keeps these stations "fresh" and fun! I try to change them each week based on what my students need more practice with, etc.  I read from the chart during the first two weeks and tell the teams where they will start. Once they become familiar with the process, I have a station helper come up and announce daily station starts.

Tomorrow evening, I will post pictures of different stations I have in the rotation this week.  We are doing a lot of work with names and beginning letters/sounds right now! You may have seen the name puzzles I posted on Kinder Peeps' Facebook last week.  My students really like those and I plan to do them with sight words, too.

Among the blank books, cards, and letters I have out for my students in the writing station, I have clipboards with copies of the Write the Room chart (see below) on it. I print them on colored paper and put 10-15 on each clipboard for the week.  Students are encouraged to walk around our classroom and find words that start with each letter. This not only increases print awareness, but also helps them practice tracking words from the wall, etc. to their paper. You can download this for FREE from my TPT store:

Be sure to check back tomorrow evening for pictures of my literacy work stations!

Have a Marvelous Monday!

Organize with Tumbler Cups, Sight Words, and Color!

Hi, Peeps!

Jet and I had a lunch date today and ventured on over to The Container Store after our date :) Can you say teacher heaven? :)  I just posted these pics on Kinder Peeps' Facebook page and wanted to make sure and blog about it, too!

I learned about this whole cup thing from my cooperating teacher in Lubbock while I was student teaching at Texas Tech! She is the most organized/brilliant [now Pre-K] teacher on the planet and I LOVE HER and everything she does...because it WORKS! And she is a great friend and makes me laugh like no other, ha! Just had to throw that in there ;-)

Having a good supply "system" for your students is key; each student has a short tumbler cup (I buy the short ones because they are less likely to tip over) with a glue stick, pencil, scissors, and crayons. When they are done with their work, the cup goes back in the box that corresponds to their table (I name tables using sight words to increase their exposure to them...in addition to table colors to help them stay organized at the beginning).

When students are not finished with their work and we have to transition to specials or lunch, etc., they place their cup on top of their work. This way, I can quickly see who needs extra time and who has started on their finished menu choices.

Side note: if they need their cup during a work station in the morning when I am pulling my guided reading groups, they go and get it from their table's container. This way, student supplies don't get sorted and misplaced during literacy stations because all cups are in their containers unless they need them as I described above.

Once I have my final roster, I print student names on Avery labels and secure them to the top of their cups. So…go get your short tumblers at the Dollar Store…and if you have a Container Store near you, I suggest checking these out (they were on sale today):

http://www.containerstore.com/shop/storage/smartStore?productId=10037014&green=7AA3A848-D595-5321-9B70-981F739CA67F

5,100+ Followers!

Good evening, Peeps!

I just want to thank you all for your support this summer! I have been blown away! I am having so much fun networking with all of you on Facebook and Teachers Pay Teachers and love that the Internet makes it possible for us to all connect!

If you follow Kinder Peeps on Facebook, you have probably seen me use the hashtag #readysetclassroom in an effort to start getting my classroom together/hold myself accountable via social media, haha! I want to invite YOU to join the conversation and post any "fun findings" or anything you're doing to get your classroom ready! Post pictures, activities, rugs (I found some super fun rugs at Garden Ridge here in Austin earlier this week) or anything you can think of that will help other Kindergarten teachers get their classrooms ready!

Until then…enjoy the rest of your summer break!  I can't believe it's almost August! What?!!!  Which also means my sweet Jet is going to be ONE on September 3rd!  We are having his party on Labor Day weekend at the lake house and I am SO excited to celebrate him!  What a blessing he has been!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Full-Sized Alphabet Cards for Your Word Wall

Hi, Peeps!

My blog designer, Dreamlike Magic, added Kinder Peeps' Facebook button and my TPT store button…and we centered it at the top…I really like it!  The social media icons are much easier to access!  :)

I am working on about a million different things right now (for the first few weeks of Kindergarten) but wanted to share these word wall cards with you if you haven't already seen them.  We are constantly playing games with our word wall and refer to it at least 234853405 times during the day.  My kids love to play "Swat the Word" which is basically a version of "I Spy" with sight words…we just jazz it up a little bit with a fly swatter, haha!

Below are the images/links to my full-sized (the size of a regular piece of paper; 8.5 x 11) alphabet cards (I would suggest printing them on glossy photo paper…this will save you time, they will look great, and you won't have to laminate)!  I have created them in 8 different colors and the letters feature numbered strokes. Each image is linked to that color on TPT:

And here is an image/link to the ten frame packet I created for my math word wall (1-20):

I hope you're all having a great summer!  I should have the next round of new resources posted by next week (I work when my sweet Jet naps)!  And…be sure to Like Kinder Peeps on Facebook if you haven't already!  I enjoy our conversations and know you will, too!

#TCEAtots

Hi from Galveston, Peeps!

Our view from our room here at TCEA's Tots and Technology Conference isn't too shabby :) We ate dinner earlier at Landry's on the Seawall and had some GIANT gulf oysters!

I am really looking forward to presenting tomorrow (and some much-needed R&R by the pool)! If you haven't already, Like Kinder Peeps on Facebook to join the conversation...or, tweet to me @kinderpeeps on Twitter and use #TCEAtots!

Peace...love...beach....technology...and TOTS!

Do You Dojo?

Happy First Week of Summer, Peeps!

And...Happy 9 MONTHS to my incredibly healthy, precious baby boy, Jet!  How cute is he in our new Kinder Peeps t-shirts?  Thanks to my lifelong friends who own All Out Graphics in Bryan, Texas for our new, super cute t-shirts!  I can't wait to wear mine at the conference!

I am getting really excited about presenting Do You Dojo at TCEA's Tots and Technology Conference in Galveston next week on June 16th!  If you're attending, please let me know!  I would love to meet you!  Like Kinder Peeps on Facebook to join the conversation!

As you know, I am extremely passionate about classroom management and positive reinforcement in the primary classroom.  In order for our students to thrive and really blossom, we must foster a safe, collaborative learning community that consistently directs attention to positive behaviors.  I have found Class Dojo to be so effective in increasing positive behaviors in so many different learning environments.

So...Do I Dojo?  YES!  And here's what I LOVE, how I use it:

Why do I like Class Dojo so much?  It is POSITIVE and SPECIFIC!  I can award points to students for exhibiting desired behaviors. Moreover, I can customize the categories/expectations/class "rules" to meet the needs of my students. If there is a particular expectation I want my students to focus on (ex: raising a "quiet hand"), I can add that to the expectations and award points for students who are raising a "quiet hand."  Along these lines, I am also going to use iMovie on my iPad to record students exhibiting these behaviors on the first day of kindergarten!  We are going to read No, David! and record the opposite of what they should be doing...and then we will record them exhibiting the positive expectations below.  I think the kids are going to love the role playing (and seeing themselves on the SMART Board when we play the videos)!  I think this will really increase their engagement!

Another reason I Dojo?  It is SEAMLESS!  What do I mean by "seamless?"  I can award points for students who are using "helping hands" or kind gestures on the playground at recess with my smart phone or tablet...and, the same goes for transitions to/from lunch and specials.  Because it is web-based, it knows NO boundaries.

Oh...and another reason?  It automatically logs data!  This is useful for parent conferences, report cards, analyzing different times of the day, and informing change, etc.  Once you sign up, Class Dojo gives you the option for automated e-mails to parents informing them of their child's progress, etc.

In the past, I have only used Class Dojo to reinforce individual student behaviors; however, I think I am going to switch things up this year and try using it to reinforce positive behaviors in my literacy station groups while I am reading with my guided reading groups as well (I think my guided reading groups will really benefit from this; this will minimize distractions and I can look up and award points to groups on my tablet from my guided reading table).  I like to have 10 station groups if I can (I like my partner groups to be smaller in literacy work stations so I can really customize what they are learning in each station), and I will have each group create an avatar and team name for their group.  In the examples below, you will see avatars that groups have named and also color groups (I am going to try to jazz it up this year and get away from the color groupings, haha)!

So...what incentives do I use with Class Dojo?  I decided to create these for my groups this year.  Also included is an editable version so you can customize the incentives and the amount of points you are awarding accordingly. I will be changing these pretty frequently to keep things fresh and fun.  I didn't customize them in increments of 5 points because I think increments of 10 points = a bit more challenging.  I also think the key to these incentives is keeping them "alive" and referring to them throughout the day!  I am going to enlarge these at an office supply store and have them displayed around the SMART Board and around the center of instruction.  Be sure to check them out!  I think you will really like these.

Products/resources:  I created parent letters introducing Class Dojo to my students' parents...and, included an editable version.  There are 3 letters total in this download.  This is one thing that my students and their parents will definitely see at our Meet the Teacher night!  After I print this letter to place at each student's desk on Meet the Teacher night, I will print the Class Dojo parent codes for each child and attached them to the letter; once they get home, parents can enter their e-mail addresses and sign up (this way, they can receive their child's progress in their inbox)...and just like that, we're ready to go on the first day of school!

I would love to hear more about how YOU Dojo!  Like Kinder Peeps on Facebook!

Hope to see you in Galveston!