Miss Ahrens' Class: July 2014

When is Your Birthday?

School begins in 18 days and I excited to fill in our birthday chart with your birthday!

See you soon!

This summer has just flown by. School begins in less than 3 weeks and I have been busily prepping signs, name plates, charts, organizing new purchases, and most importantly getting lesson plans all ready for you.

If you have not done so already, this would be an ideal time for you to prepare also. Use this back-to-school checklist to make sure you're ready when the big day arrives. After all, there's a lot to accomplish before school begins! If you start early, you can easily tackle this list in just a few weeks, and the payoff will be a much easier back-to-school season for your entire family.

Purchase School Supplies

You can get a list of the specific school supplies your child will need from the school secretary or teacher. Items you will need to pick up are on the Supply List.

Purchase an Alarm Clock

If your children are reluctant to get up in the morning, consider using an alarm clock with gradually increasing the volume of the buzzer or radio, or use a timer to make their nightstand lamp turn on just before you want them to wake up.

Plan Lunches

Do you need to purchase a new lunchbox? That is one of the first considerations. If you do need a new on make certain that you look for the words "lead-free" on the label. Some plastic or vinyl lunch boxes give off residue which you don't want to come in contact with your child's food. Also you may consider stocking up on lunchtime staples like fruit cups and granola bars as they come on sale.

Set up a Homework Basket

Get a basket or plastic container and fill it with homework essentials: pencils, crayons, markers, stapler and staples, ruler, scissors, sharpener, glue sticks, tape, etc. Place the basket in a location that is close to your designated homework area and check it regularly for items that need to be replenished, replaced, or refilled. Never again will you hear, "I can't find a pencil!"

Get Ready for Paper

On the first day of school, students will come home with paper--all kinds of paper. These papers will need to be read and signed and reviewed and kept for future reference. You will want to have space in your home where papers will be filed and stored and a place for things that need to go back and forth to school on a daily basis.

Early to Bed, Early to Rise

You will want to make sure your child gets plenty of sleep and after staying up later and getting up later, during the summer months this can be one of the most difficult transition once school begins. Gradually making this change will nearly flawless for everyone. As the school year grows nearer, move bedtimes up by 10 or 15 minutes each night and move wake up times by the same amount. This change will be less "painful" and will relieve some back-to-school nerves and insomnia.

See you in 19 days! :-)

School Supply Sales!

Target and I are reminding you to

"Shop Tax Free" August 1st-3rd!

Check out Target's sale on all the essentials!

Your Name Here!

There are only 30 days until the first day of school and I am busy planning!

Name plates are a little thing, in the grand scheme of things, but having them on the tables on the first day of school makes the students feel like they belong and more comfortable.

Creating my own name plates is fun and I am able to make the name plates match a time of year, a theme, or even a special day during the year. Most of the commercially produced name plates are too cluttered with information that is never used. I like to create my own so that they fit my classroom needs and I can change them any time I feel the desire to do so (and not to mention that making my own nameplates saves me money for other classroom items).

Here is a sample of the name plates that will adorn the tables on the first day of school.

Plan Ahead for Tax-Free Weekend!

Just in time for Back to School purchases and sales, the State of Florida will once again be participating in the Sales Tax Holiday Weekend.

The 2014 Tax Free shopping days are August 1 through August 3rd. For 3 days Florida stores will offer discounts to all shoppers.

The Sales Tax Holiday is designed to help out with the cost of school supplies and clothing, but is not limited to purchases for children. Items that are eligible for the Tax Free status include: