Winter break will soon be here and you're probably counting the minutes until you can run out that door! Believe me, I understand that feeling. One of the best things you can do before you leave school for your holiday break is to prepare for your first week back in January.
The last thing any teacher wants is chaos and confusion when you return to school after the holidays. Here are 11 tips to help you get your classroom ready for a successful transition back to school in January:
Take Down Your Holiday Decorations
Many elementary teachers like to decorate their classrooms with Christmas or other holiday decorations in December. Although most schools will be out on winter break before the holidays even begin, the last thing you want to do is leave all those decorations up until January.
Holiday decorations can get students excited and off track no matter what time of year. It's not a good idea to have students come back into class In January with remnants of your holiday party, forgotten Santa cams, or classroom elves still on the shelf. Give your classroom a quick refresh by removing any holiday decorations or bulletin boards before you leave school for your winter break.
While you're at it give your white board a cleaning, straighten your classroom library, and replenish art supplies if needed at your art center. Just do an all around quick clean up so that you can come back to a well-organized classroom. Students will come into class with wonderful memories of the holidays but ready to get back to business in January.
Change Your Classroom Calendar
That first day back from winter break can sometimes be a little hectic and confusing. Students are excited to tell you all about their holidays, parents are sending important notes and reminders and chances are you'll have an inbox full of emails.
Make sure to change your classroom calendar to January of the next year before you leave school for winter break. When you call your class to the carpet for your morning meeting your calendar will be all ready for your first day back. We use this digital calendar so it makes it super quick and easy to change to the new month! While you're at it prep your morning message to your students before you leave for your winter break too. Simple tips like this can save you a lot of time and aggravation and be a game changer when it comes to organization and classroom management. Your January self will thank you!
Prepare Your Lesson Plans
Nobody wants to spend their holidays writing lesson plans. I'd really like to write that in all capital letters but I don't want to shout at you. 😉 You deserve a relaxing winter break. You deserve to enjoy your family, watch movies, take a trip, or whatever makes you happy during your time. off.
One of the best decisions you can make is to write your first week of January lesson plans before you leave for winter break. Use one of your planning periods during your last week of school to write your lesson plans for both whole and small groups. The last thing you want to do when you come back to school is to be scrambling around trying to figure out what to teach. Making sure your lesson plans are ready to go is the perfect way to assure a smooth start in January.
When teachers are unorganized that's when students become out of control. Take the time to have your lesson plans all prepared so that you can feel ready to go on the first day of school after winter break.
Prepare Your Materials
After you write your lesson plans for that first week in January, make sure you prep all your materials too. Run all your copies for the entire week. If you're planning any kind of special crafts get your construction paper, patterns, and anything else you need ready to go.
Will you need any books or mentor texts for your lessons during your first week back to school in January? Gather your books so that you have everything you need at your fingertips when you return. If you'll be using any anchor charts in your activities get them ready so you can grab them as needed.
If your materials are prepped and ready it will make you feel more prepared. A good organization system is a must for your daily materials. Some teachers like to keep their daily papers on a rolling cart or in letter trays that are labeled for each day of the week. These are just a couple of easy classroom organization ideas that can go a long way in helping you feel more prepared. And when you're prepared it will lead to students feeling calm and your classroom management will be on point for your return from winter break.
Prepare Your January Learning Centers
Now is the time to get your January math and literacy centers ready to go. You'll probably want to begin small group instruction right away and so having your math and literacy centers ready will be a must.
Decide what activities you'll have at each of your January learning centers and prepare any needed materials. I kept all of my monthly math and literacy centers in labeled Rubbermaid plastic containers and storage boxes that I kept in my cupboard. Each month I could quickly and easily change out the new materials and put away any leftover activities from the prior month.
This was one of my favorite storage solutions because it helped speed up the process of changing out games and activities. It also helps in planning because I always know exactly what I'll need for my math and literacy centers each month. Click here to grab these free monthly labels.
If you prefer, another great place to store learning centers and other classroom materials is in different color file folders in your file cabinets. This gives you easy access to everything you need and can help you stay organized for easy setup and clean up of math and literacy centers.
Clean Your Desk
Chances are by the last day before winter break your desk is piled high with gifts, cards, leftover candy, and party treats. Take a few minutes to straighten up your teacher's desk or work area before you leave for winter break because nobody wants to come back to a messy desk. Lay your lesson plans out on your desk and any reminders you might need for that first day back.
If you're like me and always forget to send your lunch count or attendance to the office, write a few quick reminders or to-do lists on some sticky notes and place them on your desk for when you return. Throw away any small items or papers that are cluttering up your desk.
It's little things like this that can really help you feel prepared in January. In the rush of excitement when you return to school you'll be happy to have a clean desk with friendly reminders of important tasks you don't want to forget.
Unplug And Shut Down
Take a few minutes before you shut out the lights and head out the door for winter break to turn everything off. Shut down all computers and unplug them if that's your school policy. Plug your tablets in so they'll be charged up and ready for your return. Lock up any valuables for safety over winter break.
Rearrange Furniture
It's not completely necessary to rearrange furniture in your entire classroom before leaving for your Christmas break. However, if you have certain students that are on your radar that need to be moved, take a minute to move their desk or table before you leave.
When students come back to school in January they'll be excited to see who will be their new tablemates and it can give your classroom management a refresh if needed. Another great idea is to have a fresh box of crayons and new pencils ready for each child. This is a great way to welcome students back to school and get them excited about the new activities they'll be doing in class.
Bulletin Boards
Some teachers like to have a welcome to the new year bulletin board up when students come back to school in January. This is a nice touch but if you don't have time or are simply too exhausted at the end of the school day, leave your bulletin board empty. Then plan some fun winter writing activities and crafts for your first week back to school and use that to cover your board with student work.
Throw Out Old Food
Make sure to clean out the fridge and empty cupboards of any old food or party leftovers before you leave for winter break. Nobody wants to come back to a classroom that smells like sour milk or find out that rodents have invaded your cupboards!
Hug Your Students
Finally, make sure to hug your students or give them a high five as you send them on their way to begin their winter break. Many students are excited about their Christmas break but there may be some who feel sad or anxious and have a hard time leaving at the end of the day. School can be a safe harbor for many kids so let them know you'll miss them and be there when they return.
If you're ready to get organized for your return in January, here are a few resources that will help you get started!
SAVE THESE IDEAS
Take a minute to save these tips to your favorite classroom organization Pinterest board so you can remember them later!
