Back to School Postcards

Postcards are ready to be mailed this coming week.  I'm aiming for Wednesday - so the kiddos will get them by Friday, in time for school to start the next Monday.  I just need to pick up enough stamps.  

This morning I sat down and wrote the addresses on the backs for all 32 of my new students.  

Since the printed back has a bunch of my personal information, I figure I'll just write the gist of it.

"Dear Families,

I'm looking forward to working with you this year.  Please check out our class website at ______ for our supply list and information about our year.  I look forward to seeing you on the first day of school and at Back to School Night.

Sincerely,

Mrs. S"

I posted the above picture over on Instagram this morning, and had a few questions regarding where I got them from... so wanted to share it was an old favorite - Vistaprint!  

I learned about Vistaprint 4 years ago.  Over the years I have picked up quite a few items from them - magnets, business cards (used for many different reasons), postcards, pens, stamps, etc. - I've written about them in the past as well.  Everything I buy from them is in the "free" section - they change up their free products every so often.  I just pay shipping.  I'm cheap.  

They aren't telling me to share about them, and I'm not being reimbursed for my shout out - they are just awesome at making life easy.  

I mentioned business cards too... well before a couple of years ago I didn't think I needed business cards.  I didn't know of any teacher that had them, but then I realized that it's so easy to stick a business card up on the fridge.  So I paper clip one onto each Back to School Night packet.  

The business cards come in sets of 250, the postcards came in sets of 100.  This was my second year using these postcards, I have one more use of them.

Just an idea if you are looking for some help in the paper department.  

Vistaprint Revisited

The other day I mentioned Vistaprint and then heard through the grapevine about Diane's Vistaprint linky.  I just wanted to share the things I have created over the past couple of years.  I mainly do their freebies and just pay shipping.  I'm cheap.
I send out postcards in August with my class website information on the back.  It helps my students know where to look for FAQ about my class, my supply list, and what to expect.
Library Check Out cards - these are business card size.
This is on a small car magnet and I stick it on my whiteboard with the specific things we are learning underneath.
Just basic address labels - I have similar ones that go on my books.
Plain stickers since I love my apples - same thing - it's address labels.
Blank invitations that I used as thank you notes.
More business cards that I turned into encouragement notes.  
Homework Pass - It's a business card.
Special Birthday Homework Passes
Another small car door magnet - I stick this up during tests.
I stick this on the outside of my metal door to hopefully keep visitors from opening the door during tests (it causes so many distractions).
More thank you notes for my parent volunteers - these were invitations.
More thank you notes - these were either postcards or invitations.
More encouragement notes - this time with a little note from me already printed on them.
I've also made stamps and personalized pens from Vistaprint.  They are a great company to work with.
Hope these give you some ideas!
This linky is making me want to go shopping... going to go log on and see what deals I can get. :)

Monday Made It - Vistaprint, Ink Garden, Tool Kit, and Comprehension Sticks

It's Monday, so I'm linking up with Tara at 4th Grade Frolics to share some projects from this past week.  I love seeing all the projects!

Vistaprint!!!

I just got a box in the mail the other day with my new business cards, birthday homework passes, homework passes, encouragement notes, and a door magnet with the typical night's homework on it ...

... then I checked again today and there was the postcard deal that I have been waiting on all summer.  So I had to order more things since they were sitting in my cart just waiting for it to go on sale.  

Postcards (100 free)

Business cards (250 free)

Car door magnet - free

140 address labels free

140 address labels free 

(this was the option they had at check out to add - shipping went up a little)

10 flat invitations that I changed into thank you notes - free

I really love Vistaprint!

Business Card Magnets through Ink Garden

There is a sale going on at Ink Garden to order Business Card Magnets - 50 for $2 (plus $4.99 shipping).  This was the design I created. I'm going to use some of these on the whiteboard to have the kids make their Daily 5 choices.  In the past they moved a dicut to the different pocket chart, now they will just move their own little magnet.  I just have to write the class numbers on them when they come.  Supposedly the sale goes through August 15th, and there is a code on the website to put in to lower the price to $2. 

My Tool Kit

I've been inspired by all the teaching tool kits that have been made on Monday Made It.  In past years I used a smaller one that has held mainly just paperclips, pushpins, and staples.  With the smaller drawers I found I had to use many drawers to fit everything in.  

Last night I was trying to fit all my summer projects back into my garage (trying to clear off the dining room table), when I saw this large container tucked up with the Christmas decorations.  I used this when I taught 2nd grade and only had 20 students.  Back in those days I provided supplies for my students and each drawer was the perfect size to hold their crayon box, scissors, and glue stick.  I kept this on the counter, and students just grabbed out their drawer when they needed it.  

But I don't teach 2nd grade anymore, and there are way more than 20 students in my classroom...

So, I decided to put labels on the outside and I will stick this on my desk to help keep all the little stuff out of my desk (easy to find).  I did try scrapbook paper behind it, but with the larger drawers it isn't a flat surface (there is an angled plastic thing that sticks out), and it just looked weird.  Here's what I decided to do with the 24 larger sized drawers.  If you want the labels, here is the document.  They are just plain Avery labels, since I now have 6,000 of these labels thanks to the sale at Office Max (1 cent for a box of 3,000).  The font is Annoying Kettle.  As for all the stuff that goes inside - well that will be a project when I get into the classroom and unload my desk and cabinet.  

Highlighters		Small Binder Clips		Scotch Tape
Glue Sticks		Push Pins		Staples
Rubber Bands		Large Binder Clips		Small Paperclips
Large Paperclips		Small Post Its		Large Post Its
Dry Erase Markers		Birthday HW passes		Homework Passes
Sharpies		Batteries		Cardstock
Jumbo Push Pins		White Out		Velcro
Zip Ties		Magnets		Blue Tape

Comprehension Sticks

Here is another little thing that I did after seeing Precious Kinder Moments do it for her Monday Made It last week.  Instead of 2 colors, I just stuck with the same blue that I've used all over my classroom.  The blue side will be sticking up in my cup for students that have not had a turn, when they had a turn I will flip it to the number side showing.  Then I still have the option of calling that certain student again if needed by seeing their number.  Such a simple thing but it should work great in the classroom.  

I promise I have done more things this week, but they are basically all paperwork type things... nothing really fun to share that I haven't already on past posts.  Hope you have a great day!

Friday Finds - I Love Target and Vistaprint!

I'm linking up with Elizabeth at Fun in Room 4B 

to share this week's gotta have it.

 Target's Summer Clearance

Everything at my store is 70% off at the moment- so picked up this chair for $2, 2 huge metal tubs in this same print for $4 and $5, same print beach towel for $3, and plastic cups & beach pails for 50 cents each.  I'm still on the hunt for this print in a table cloth (and I've already gone to 5 Targets with no luck).  Perfect with the colors in my classroom.

I also found that Vistaprint is having a free shipping sale for all of July when you purchase $10 of materials.  So here is my $10 worth of stuff - one free box of business cards, and 2 other sets for $5 each.  There are 250 in each set.  I got the ideas for these from Stephanie at Teaching in Room 6.  She has an entire page of Vistaprint ideas.  

I know I'm supposed to be finding something for my home as well, but other then grocery shopping I'm not picking up anything for home at the moment.  Websites I do love when I am shopping are Personalization Mall (for special gifts) and Tiny Prints (for personalized cards that are perfect to give).  
Hope everyone has a great day!

I love Vistaprint!

My latest order from Vistaprint was delivered yesterday afternoon.  I thought it ironic because the testing sign magnet that I created was delivered the afternoon after our final reading test.  Hardy-har-har...

Anyhow, I could have an entire page devoted to all the Vistaprint projects that I have created this past year (but instead I'll just write up a blog post).  I'll type them up here, and add more pictures next week after I can get back in to the classroom to take pictures of it all.  Everything I have ordered from them this past year has been free, I only had to pay cheap shipping from them.  I didn't choose a more expensive design, though they have plenty - just what was offered for free.  I also made sure to choose the slowest shipping, since even the slowest one only takes about a week to be delivered.

My latest testing sign magnet - this one I will slap up on the whiteboard when it's test time.  I say these same things over and over, this is a visual reminder that I don't have to rewrite every time we take a test.  This is the small car magnet on their site.

My outside testing sign magnet - I put this on the door to ask visitors to please do not disturb us during a test.  It's amazing to me how testing seems to attract so many visitors from other classes.  This really has helped them to not open the door at that moment in time.  I'm all about less distractions and more focusing.  This is once again the small car magnet.  

My newest helper thank you notes - They have a set of 10 flat invitations that are free.  I have used them this year to create personalized thank you notes for Christmas.  They also had a free Christmas photo set that I used to create more free thank you notes.  Between the 2 sets, I had enough for all the gifts that I was blessed with.

My welcome postcard - another freebie.  I sent these out the week before school began, to invite parents to Back to School Night and to welcome students into my classroom.

My business cards - Before this year I never had business cards, but now I will never not have them.  They come in a free pack of 250.  I designed them to have my class website on them, and my contact information - name, phone number, email.  I attached them with a paper clip to the Back to School night packet of information.  If nothing else, I know the parents used it to check out the website and to email me when they had questions.


My personalized pen - I know, a silly thing, but my pen always goes missing in my school bag.  This way I remember that the pen needs to stay in my bag for those moments I tend to grade on the road.


Classroom Library labels - I had my information printed on a super cute address label.  It was free and came in a pretty big package.  At the beginning of the year I broke my order up into a couple of different shipments, so I was able to order more for free.  This was something that was one of those tasks that I asked my family members to do when they came to help me out setting up my classroom at the beginning of the year.


My personalized stamp - yes, they have these too.  Sometimes you don't feel like writing the same thing over and over again.


My encouragement notes - I did another order later on in the year and created another set of business cards.  These I used as encouragement notes to the kids.  I attached them to their Christmas gift bags from me.  It's amazing to me how many of them stuck it inside their binders to keep.

Sincerely,