Top 10 Last Day of School Dos and Don'ts

The last day of school is one of the most emotional times of year.  Of course you're eager to have several weeks off.  But you're going to miss your kids.  Not all of them, but at least a couple AmIright?

Here's How I Facilitate a Great Last Day

1.  Reminisce.  I'll admit, I didn't do this on the last day this year (but I did it over the course of the last week in a variety of ways) and it's my one regret.  Sometimes I collect these ahead of time to share on the last day.  This year it was a quick freewrite for students to write their favorite thing from June.  

2.  Reflect on what they've learned.  I do portfolios of students' work that they have a hand in assembling.  These portfolios are easy so assemble after hole punching (affiliate link)  I also print a few photos to stick on the front cover (I used to do more all over the inside, but nowadays we have classroom websites with "all the photos" so I am more selective and just choose a few).  These are usually completed the last week of school, but I like to make them leave them at school until the last day in case we have time to highlight parts of them. 

3.  Keep a small part of the routine.  A little normalcy on the most hectic day helps them feel safe.  Of course you're not going to teach math and science and reading and spelling.  But if you do morning meeting, you probably want to pick this routine to do on the last day.  We'd been practicing the "electricity greeting" for the past 5 days.  We all hold hands in a circle.  I initiate the "electric pulse" by giving a squeeze to the person's hand on my right, and click the stopwatch with my left.  Then I hold the person's hand on my left as the "pulse" travels around back to me.  The 23 of us made it to 12 seconds today! 

If you have calendar time, of course they want to see their countdown to the last day of school come to a conclusion.  We also sing for summer birthdays, so I wanted to include this in our last day.  We didn't do the WHOLE calendar routine, but enough of it to create a sense of a school day. 

4.  The opposite:  Make time for "loose" time if your students can handle it.  I had such a lovely, cooperative class this year.  So for morning work I had them autograph each other's portfolios.  They loved it, and they could handle walking around without being micromanaged in terms of how many people at one desk at a time.  Do what makes sense for your students, but try out "loose time" in a safe way. 

5.  Dismantle.  Not only does it help me to have help cleaning, packing, and taking down things around the room, it also helps provide some closure for kids.  It helps them see the process involved in permanently leaving a space to prepare it for new people.  I feel like learning to cope with letting go of a physical place is a life skill.  This year the kids helped hand out papers that were hanging up on the penultimate and final day of school.  They cleared out their desks and ripped off their nametags.  Some even helped me sort classroom supplies (others needed extra time shelving their library books.  One young darling said to me when I opened his desk and gave him a tired look before helping him, "I'm not good at cleaning."  Yeah...I noticed.  All.  Year.  I'm going to miss that one the most). 

6.  Awards.  I give a different award to every student (occasionally two will get the same award, but I try to differentiate my delivery of the award).  I explain, "I know what it feels like to see someone else get the award for great artist and think, but I wanted that award.  And guess what?  You're probably a great artist too!  It's just that I thought of this other award for you.  And my opinion is just one person's opinion of you.  In your life, other people will notice other great things about you and that's okay too."  Although I don't say so in my speech, I try to avoid awards with "best" because again, I might think Katie is the best artist who is also my best math student.  And Kevin might struggle with SO many things, but art is his strength so I give him the art award. 

Although I actually give out my awards a few days before the last day (with parents present) our school does a whole school assembly for awards on the last day.  It's a half hour long during a 3 hour half day, so it helps us with a little down time (I can stuff report card envelopes). 

7.  Celebrate.  We play music as a whole school and dance in the cafeteria after the awards.  Then we dance to music again 10 minutes before dismissal (and the class "moving on" to middle school parades through and high fives us). 

This year for the first time I served ice cream for breakfast.  It was unplanned, (I had it left over from an event that fell through) but they LOVED it. 

8.  Debrief with your colleagues after.  We have our staff party on the last day of school, which I love.  But if you don't, at least spend some time debriefing with a bunch or even just one.  We have a lot of "movement" this year in terms of retirements, layoffs and people being "bumped" to other schools in the district.  Not only did I want to spend time with those who I knew were leaving, I also learned about a couple that people kept secret until the last day!  And I heard a little more about probably newcomers for next year and who has their eye on which classrooms in the future.  It was a VERY informative party. 

9.  Give.  I give cards or gifts to support people at school as well as my students.  I don't know how many others do this, but I feel like showing your gratitude keeps things warm and collegial.  No one expects a lot, but small thank yous go a long way. 

For the kids, I gave them bubbles, which I do every year.  If I have time, I look for them at Target when they are 3 for a dollar.  If I'm short on time, I order them on Amazon (here's an affiliate link for some bubbles).  I like gifts that will amuse them but are still disposable enough (I am a bit of a recovering hoarder so I understand the struggle).  Sentimental kids/parents can keep the gift tags I personalize. 

10.  Thank them.  Often students will give you gifts on the last day, so have your note cards ready to write out thank you notes! 

3 Point Bonus: 

Here's What I Do NOT Do on the Last Day of School

1.  Take time to share what we're doing over the summer.  We have a very diverse population in terms of socio-economic status.  Some kids travel across the Atlantic and others run around their trailer parks.  It started to feel divisive to share our plans, and we have so many other things I prefer to do so I just don't bother with this.

2. Wash desks.  Washing can be messy if you're being thorough, and honestly I feel like time is better spent taking things down or packing things away because it makes a better visual impact that the space is finished with its purpose (educating the outgoing kids).  I feel like if I wash a desk I'd like to be around to enjoy it tomorrow so that sends a backwards message to them.  I wash them after the custodians do the floors and set them out for the next class. 

3.  Party.  I like to have parents in for a party a few days before the last day.  For the last day, I want the kids all to myself one last time.  So although I do celebrate in a small way on the last day, it's not an hour long party. 

What are your biggest Dos and Don't for the last day of school? 

End of the Year Fun: From Current to Future Students

The last day of school is rapidly approaching, woo hoo!  In the past I talked about some tried and true activities that I do every year and how they went.  However, in this post I want to share a couple new activities for the last week of school that I'll be piloting very soon. 

Last year I tried having the kids write letters to the incoming class, but I was underwhelmed with the results.  Had I given them more time and more direction I'm sure it could have been a really worthwhile thing.  However since I do scrapbook/portfolios which are a HUGE project, I felt like another big project would be overkill.  So this year I've given each child their own individual, specific, manageable piece of the "letter" to do.  They'll each get just  a half sheet of paper with a short prompt, and I'll compile them into a booklet.  It will either become part of our classroom library or I'll make copies for each student.  Here are 4 sample prompts:

On the back, EVERY student will have the same second prompt, "And here's something else you should know about Mrs. Thomas's class!"  I'm hoping to get some funny and heartwarming stuff there!  :D 

Finally, before we're all stuck in a 90 minute "closing ceremony" with the rest of the school in the cafeteria, for our final Morning Meeting share, we'll be reading "Memory Strips," which we've been writing all week in secret as part of their Morning Work.  The prompt was simply, "Write a memory you have from this year.  We'll share them on the last day of school."  I have a handful that I wrote myself that I'm certain will get laughs and tears from my group.  I can't wait!

What are your favorite end of the year activities? 

Today is the Last Day of School!

Today is my last day of school, woo hoo!

I think the last week is always a lot of fun.  I feel like at this point I can truly relax with the kids and enjoy them.  No pressure to adhere to standards; testing is well over.  No pressure to adhere to routine; their routines will change next year anyway.  No pressure to mold these children into better citizens; they already know.  A knowing look or a good-natured joke as a gentle reminder is all they need.  My job is basically done, and I know the wonderful 5th grade teachers will pick up where I left off so that I can pick up where the third grade teachers left off in a couple months.  It feels so great to end this chapter, have a break (buy myself an end of the year present) and look forward to next year!

So what do we do to wrap up the year when there are no more standards to teach and test?  Oh sure, we collect textbooks (checking book numbers and collecting them in reverse alphabetical order so they're easier to redistribute next year).  And I have the kids empty their desks and bring their notebooks home (they were more excited about that than anything else).  I even brought my Dust Buster so they could vacuum inside (of course they loved that)!  And I enlist the kids' help with clean up (I even have end of the year task cards I've used for the past 2 years).  But my favorite part of the week is our portfolio/scrapbooks.

These have taken many forms over the years, but they always involve:

* Artifacts

* Reflection sheets

* Sheet protectors (so pages can be "double sided")

* Decorative borders

* Photos from class parties, field trips, and other special events

* Binders to keep it all in

The decorative borders are a lot of fun to make; each child makes a paste paper, I chop them into strips, and they get to share with each other.

The scrapbooks are of course going to be a treasured keepsake to look back on.  For a few of them.  I've learned that craft projects are not for every kid, and these books are no exception.  And reflecting (in writing) is just as painful for some kids as any other writing assignment.  But looking at those photos brings back happy memories for EVERY kid.  They start wonderful conversations, "Hey, remember when...."  They give the kids the time and space to look at their fourth grade experience with rose colored lenses.  And when those kids who don't like writing or crafts need a break, I hand them a task card to help me clean up for a little while.

We also had fun this year since the kids earned their marble jar reward (they voted for a movie, and that movie was "Flushed Away.")  I split my time between enjoying it with them and leaving them with an aide so I could watch my kiddos from last year at their "Moving On Ceremony."  I surprised them with ice cream sandwiches before I left since it was well over 90 degrees in our classroom.  It was kind of perfect, because as kids in the other fourth grade class finished their work, the substitute allowed them to come over and watch the movie with us, so by the time I got back there were nearly 40 kids, content and relaxed after a tiring day of cleaning, organizing, and reflecting.

I promise I'll go back and upload pictures of those scrapbooks and paste papers for this post another day, but for now you can pop over to All Things Upper Elementary for a quick post about my last day of school (or at least, what I have planned for it). 

End of the School Year to do List

With the school year coming to an end more rapidly than ever (not just because it always feels that way, but also because we've never gotten out before June 12 before) I've had to dig out the old "End of the School Year to do List."  It's been a big help over the past few years to keep this list and simply update it from year to year.

There are 2 types of lists when it comes to the End of the School Year for me.  One is bringing closure for my students and I, as I say "good bye and good luck in 5th grade."  That's a list for another blog post.  This End of the School Year list is about getting things organized for my principal's and custodians' expectations over the summer, as well as preparing for the next school year.

June: Ending One School Year, Preparing for the Next
1.    Sort numbered textbooks into closet before kids leave
2.    Clear counters and tables 
3.    Enlist the kids’ help packing up:

a.    Shelf all teacher's manuals
b.    Bag materials on and in desk into desk
c.    Stack bins onto bookshelves
d.    Line up books on other bookshelf
e.    Bag kids’ materials on their shelf
f.    Bag top half of metal cabinet and put on bottom half  

4.    Remove posters from fabric covered bulletin boards, bring fabric home to wash
5.    Cover posters with spelling list chart paper
6.    Sort all papers into unit files in file cabinet and document boxes
7.    Bring home:

a.    Curricula
b.    Next year’s roster
c.    Poster board, poster markers, and posters to redo
d.    Popsicle sticks for lunch count
e.    Blank report card
f.    New grade book
g.    New lesson plan book
h.    Reader’s workshop conference binder with tabs

8.    Clean if there’s time
9.    Hang up classroom map so the custodians can put the furniture back after waxing the floors

July:  Preparing for the New School Year
1.    Start my “Create” and “Print” lists at home
2.    Start my “Copy” and “Laminate” lists at school
3.    Start my “Organize” list at school
4.    Start my “Buy” list

August:  The Week (or 2) Before School Starts
1.    Wash counters, sink, tables, cabinets, shelves, students’ desks (have sponge, vinegar, spray bottle)
2.    Set up shelves
3.    Hang fabric on bulletin boards
4.    Hang trim on bulletin boards
5.    Hang posters (calendar, buddy study, alphabet, rules, stoplight)
6.    Organize desk and back cabinet
7.    Finish making all photocopies
8.    Distribute Student Books into desks

August:  Teachers Officially Start
1.    Complete my “Ask my Principal” list
2.    Complete the “Schedule” list
3.    Complete the “Fill Out” list
4.    Update the “Remember” list based on new school wide objectives and routines

The lists mentioned within this list need updating every year, but a lot of it stays the same.  I have this list in a more printable, editable form with even more specifics for free in my TPT store.  I hope it helps you stay organized this year too!