Room 6 Rocks!

Wow,  I have just finished my first full week of teaching my year one and twos.  What a great week.  But I am exhausted.  I did have a 12 hour day where I taught for the day and then had a school wide meet the parents/welcome back picnic.  What an awesome community out here and such great kids!
I love this job and I feel very blessed to be doing it!

In room 6 we have 18 children, our newest just started this Tuesday.  I have been teaching Spelling, handwriting, reading, maths swimming and classroom and behaviour routines.  I have really enjoyed it.  Next week I start integrating our topic: Floating and Sinking with Maths and possibly swimming.

This is a very short and exhausted post but I have been dying to find any time to do it.

This what rom 6 looks like.  Feb 2014

It's all on like Donkey Kong

So officially I start on Monday as Mr West the Teacher!  This is very exciting.  The children don't come start until the week after so I have a lot of planning and organising to do.

As I am typing this I'm about to embark on my draft version of my children's reading and maths groups.  I have their assessment data here from last year and I have looked at all their portfolios, tests and samples of work.  I can't wait to be able to teach them all.  All up I have 22 children from 5-6.

I am using Sparklebox for the group names which also come along with great print-outs.

Check the link for this resource.  http://www.pinterest.com/pin/379850549792990305/

I am also going to try and arrange my classroom (digitally) for the start of the year.  I have been told a few times by educators that I will change my classroom over 10 times throughout the year.  So I will keep tally of how many times and update my layout on this blog.  You can also keep posted by liking my facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/Mrwestrocks.   I will be using this online classroom planner and hopefully make it possible.  It is up on my pins on Pinterest  http://www.pinterest.com/pin/379850549790871215/  but also a selection of awesome classroom layouts from teachers from the USA.  Use this here or the selection of 5 different websites that let you design your classroom layout.  http://classroom.4teachers.org/



Well this post is short, sharp and sweet.  The sweet part is that you can pay old school Donkey Kong online here.  But finish your work first.

http://www.freekong.org/


Blessings,

Mr West

Organising my planner

So today I am at Sarah's (my beautiful wife) workplace where I am organising, planning and scheduling in important dates for myself, my classroom and our little family.

I also have many tabs open on my browser (Google Chrome is my preferred choice) most of which are Pinterest tabs looking at ideas for the first days and weeks of school.

I have my teachers planner in front of me with a bright orange highlighter and a tasty and strong cup of coffee.  This look like it will be a very productive day.

One of my open tabs is an awesome blog I have come across, thanks to pinterest, that focuses of First Grader's which is my level or which will help some ability levels in my class at least.  It has resources and even features some of the bloggers/teachers planning.  Erica's blog is right there.  An amazing layout that is pleaseing to the eyes and well set out.  I really do like a good blog.  Makes me want to update my blogging skills.  You can also check my Boards on pinterest for some of her items that she features on her blog.  http://www.pinterest.com/mrwestrocks/

On another side note I have set up my own facebook page for Mr West Rocks blog so everyone can easily follow me.  It seems that fb is still a winner when it comes to easy access to things.
Please like it and leave me a comment.  I really appreciate the feedback.


http://www.facebook.com/Mrwestrocks

Blessings,

Mr West.

Happy New Year!

Greetings 2014!

2013 was a challenging, rewarding and exciting year for myself and my wife.  I am enthralled to begin 2014 with new plans personally and professionally.  Very soon Sarah and I move to Pukekohe!  We move into a neat little bungalow which I'm sure you may see some pictures on this blog.  In late March 2014 we expect Emerson to be born and I cannot tell everyone how stoked I am about becoming a father to our son.  Already you can tell it will be quite a year.  Truly blessed!


As well as that I begin setting up my classroom in a couple of weeks!  After unpacking and settling in our new place I can gather my teaching/classroom resources, books and activities I have been collecting for a few years and bring them into my new classroom (and figure out when and how I can use them).
I also am ambitious to set up an exciting, fun and engaging classroom but I am unsure as to what theme I may choose to implement.  This may come down to the resources available at the school.

But here is some inspiration for classroom themes for those who may be interested.

Sports Theme


Beach Theme

My Wife's new blog

My wife is a terrific writer and I love to see her work.  I definitely love that she is such a creative an intelligent woman whom I have so much respect for.
I love this lady a whole heap - I tell her this each day.

At the moment she is doing the most wonderful and horrendous task of carrying our son: Emerson Jacob West.  That's him below

I'm so very excited about being a dad for the first time and being a parent with my gorgeous wife Sarah.


This post is about her.  She has written a terrific blog call "Me as a Mother"

You can see it here:

http://measmother.blogspot.co.nz/








If you want to know more about us or our baby, myself or her you can see her amazing website she made for us here:

http://thewests.weebly.com/

Terrific Tongue Twisters To Tell

A random post about tongue twisters to try in the classroom for a warm-up, literacy starters, a link into poetry, handwriting,  a link into alliteration or base a lesson around one or some of these. 

I have found these on http://www.factmonster.com
There are some absolute classics featured here:

Please peel this peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked.

Surely Shirley shall sell Sheila's seashells by the seashore.

Which witch wishes to switch a witch wristwatch for a Swiss wristwatch?

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

Knapsack strap snap.

The skunk sat on a stump and thunk the stump stunk, but the stump thunk the skunk stunk.

The butter Betty Botter bought could make her batter bitter, so she thought she'd better buy some better butter!

Not many an anemone is enamored of an enemy anemone.

Five fine Florida florists fried fresh flat flounder fish fillet.

A three-toed tree toad loved a two-toed he-toad that lived in a too-tall tree.

Red rubber baby buggy bumpers bounce.

You like unique New York.

The sick sixth Sheik's sixth sheep's sick.

The instinct of an extinct insect stinks.

Growing gray goats graze great green grassy groves.

Green Greek grapes.

Imagine managing the manger at an imaginary menagerie.

Mix a box of mixed biscuits with a boxed biscuit mixer.

A cuckoo cookie cook called Cooper could cook cuckoo cookies.

If a noisy noise annoys an onion, an annoying noisy noise annoys an onion more!

I Hope these are helpful as they are fun!

Blessings,

Mr West

All praise to the nation's schools

Teaching and teachers nowadays according to David Hill (A Taranaki author).  Speaking about NCEA and the time struggles with that, "Paper Trail", IT, fees, parents and more.  A great read from a respected New Zealand author's perspective on how great NZ teachers are.

"Teachers are human and therefore imperfect. They're grossly overworked and modestly paid. The ones I've met are committed, diligent and do admirable things for your kids."   David Hill.

 Here is the article featured in The New Zealand Herald:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11167070

Here's a bit of information behind the writer who has written some exceptional children's literature. There is a list about David Hill's books and awards he has won.

Feel free to share your experiences or comments.

Blessings,


Mr West