Organize A Year of Editable Positive Notes with Color
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Home-School communication is KEY in our classrooms. My own classroom doesn’t start with report cards for our kindergarten friends until after the first of the year. Because of that, I try to make it a point to send off a quick, positive note each month to my parents just to give them a little insight on their child’s progress.
This post contains affiliate links that help support the maintenance of this blog by providing me with a small commission when products are purchased by readers. ASTROBRIGHTS® Papers is partnering with me on today’s post. I have received payment, trade, and/or products from Astrobrights in exchange for promoting their products. That being said, these opinions are my own, and I only promote and support brands and products that I actually use in my classroom.
I always have good intentions of sending a note off for each of my students every month, but, quite honestly, I can never remember which students I’ve sent to and I’m horrible about keeping track on any kind of record-keeping device. However, I came up with a great idea to solve this problem using Astrobrights and their amazing array of colored cardstock and papers.
Each month I have a different themed note card . . . one that is personalized with each students’ name. And I print each month on a different colored Astrobrights cardstock. Not only does the beautiful colors make the notes appealing and fun, but the color helps with organizing and keeping track of which notes I have already sent and which ones I still need to complete.
I keep all of my notes in a little tin like the one below. I found mine at Target.
It is super easy to see all the separate months when they are in the canister. So for instance, in September I printed my cards on Terrestrial Teal™ cardstock. When I took a look in my canister in late September, I could see that I still had a few Terrestrial Teal™ colored cards still in there.
When I pulled them out, there were the names of the student who I still had left to complete.
The color made distinguishing each month a breeze and personalizing each card meant I didn’t have to keep a log of who had been sent a card and who had not. I knew that as long as there weren’t any cards left in that month’s color, I had made all my communication notes for that month. It’s SO easy!
Of course, I want to share this colorful idea with you all. So all you have to do is sign up below and the free EDITABLE file can be yours. A note will be sent to your email confirming your email address and then the file will automatically download to your computer’s ‘download file.
With nearly 20 years of experience as a full-time kindergarten teacher, I’m committed to creating a classroom where learning is joyful, engaging, challenging, and fun. Each day, I work to ensure that my students feel successful through instruction that considers their unique interests, learning profiles, and readiness levels. I believe that students should be excited to come to class and enjoy a myriad of hands-on activities that encourage exploration and discovery.
While I continue to teach full-time, I find so much joy in connecting and building friendships with teachers worldwide. It’s why I started this blog back in 2012. My hope has become a reality as I have been able to forge relationships with teachers, sharing ideas and building friendships beyond my little neck of the woods through professional development sessions and this blog.
So by all means, take some time to look around and explore A Differentiated Kindergarten. Gather some new ideas, fun tips, and most importantly, don’t forget to reach out and say, ‘Hi!’
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