Last Day of School, and a Bittersweet Goodbye!

Our End of Year All School Gathering!

Today was our last day of school with students for the year! It's hard to believe that this year is already up! My first year teaching a 3rd and 4th grade multi-age was full of fun, surprises, challenges, and learning opportunities. I like to think that we did a pretty good job with our kiddos this year! 

Ending the year was a little different this time around. For the last two years it was really bittersweet because I was sending fifth graders off to middle school. This year, half of my kids will be with me again (looping up to be my fourth graders) so while I'll still miss them this summer, I know that it won't be long before I see them again. The other half will just be a few doors down in their new 5th grade room. And I'm almost certain to run into a few in the neighborhood over the summer! 

Chelsea, with her Thank You Gift Basket from the
kids and I!

One person that won't be coming back is my intern, Chelsea. She's officially graduated and completed her internship, and will hopefully be offered a classroom of her own somewhere very soon! A smart principal will snatch her up right away, because she will be an amazing teacher! This year wouldn't have been the same without all of her help, for me or the kids. I'll really miss her help, perspective, and ideas...but mostly I'll miss her friendship. But I know it's time for her to continue her teaching journey (and to finally get paid to do it!) She did an amazing job this year, and I'm super proud of her. I'm hoping for only the best for her and her future. I love knowing that by mentoring her this year I'll be touching the lives of all her future students. Those students will be lucky to have her!

On a happier news front, before the kids left for the year, I was able to unveil a new addition to our school grounds that I'm super proud of! Teacherspayteachers has been such a blessing to me, that I wanted to do something to give back to the students in my school (who always serve as unknowing guinea pigs for my products). I'm a BIG reader, often reading a few hours every night, and I know that reading in the summer is one of the best things kids can do to avoid summer slide. So I decided to donate this Little Free Library to my school! It was installed and presented to the kids today! It's already been stocked with books, and I'm looking forward to seeing those books disappear into kids' hands when they visit the playground, the local pool just down the hill, or even if they just drive right up to grab one! If you're interested in putting a LFL in your neighborhood or on your school grounds, check out the link!  

So now I've just got two more days of professional development and meetings and paperwork to go before finally kicking up my heels and binging on Netflix shows! I've got lots of home improvement plans, like the basement flood-proofing that is going on right now! And of course, I'll also be popping in to update throughout the summer! Have a great one!