Education Station Newsletter
Vol. 1 #6 August 2002
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Welcome to the Education Station monthly newsletter! Here we take a look at
great teacher tips, useful teaching links to great sites and helpful ideas and
activities for celebrating holidays, seasons and special days in your classroom.
Our great specials section will help you save money and we have also included
articles that look at the latest practices in education. We hope our newsletter
will help inspire you to be the best teacher you can be! This newsletter is
produced by the Education Station web site, which is located:
http://www.educationstation.ca
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In This Issue
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1. Quote of the Month
2. Teacher Tips
3. Great Links
4. Current Specials
5. Celebrate!
Back to School
6. What's New!
7. Article
What to do on the first day of school
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1. Quote -
Teach a child how to think, not what to think." - Sidney Sugarman
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2. Teacher Tips
Here is a list of Great Books to Read Aloud during the first week of school
Starting School by Janet Ahlberg
Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten by Joseph Slate
The Night Before Kindergarten (Reading Railroad Books) by Natasha Wing
The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn
Annabelle Swift, Kindergartner by Amy Schwartz
Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come! (Picture Books) by Nancy L. Carlson
When You Go to Kindergarten by James Howe
My Teacher Sleeps in School (Picture Puffins) by Leatie Weiss
Will I Have a Friend? by Miriam Cohen
Froggy Goes to School by Jonathan London
Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes
First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg
If You Take a Mouse to School by Laura Joffe Numeroff,
Meet the Barkers by Tomie De Paola
'Never Spit on Your Shoes (Orchard Paperbacks) by Denys Cazet
How I Spent My Summer Vacation by Mark Teague
I Don't Want to Go Back to School by Marisabina Russo
Nobody's Mother Is in Second Grade by Robin Pulver
First Day, Hooray! by Nancy Poydar
Back to School for Rotten Ralph by Jack Gantos
Owen by Kevin Henkes
Mouse Views by Bruce McMillan
The Day the Teacher Went Bananas by James Howe
Billy and the Big New School by Laurence Anholt
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3. Great Links
KINDERGARTEN FOCUS
As some of you may be aware, I am changing job assignments this year and moving
to Kindergarten. I am ecstatic about entering the world of Kindergarten and
want to share some of the fabulous sites I have stumbled upon on-line while
preparing for my new Kinders!
Diane
Here are some links to fabulous Kindergarten Educational Sites filled with oodles
of ideas, activities, lessons and themes to help you create a stimulating, fun,
learning environment!
http://www.kinderkorner.com
http://www.thevirtualvine.com
http://www.canteach.ca/elementary/songspoems.html
http://www.kinderthemes.com
Education Station is committed to providing Kindergarten Teachers with the resources
they need to create the best classrooms for their students. You can check out
our Early Learning Resources available for purchase by clicking on this link
http://www.educationstation.ca/kindergarten.php
At the beginning of the year attach this poem to a kleenex pack and give to
the parents
This is a special day in the life of your child,
So please be happy and put on a smile.
As you send them to school you're both happy and sad.
This is a new challenge and it’s not really bad.
The day is filled with both joy and fears.
Celebrate it with gladness, please dry your tears.
This day will soon pass as we move into fall
Along with the work, we are going to have a ball.
Welcome to Kindergarten!
NEW BULLETIN BOARD IDEAS
Looking for some new bulletin board ideas for the new year?
Check out some creative bulletin board ideas with these links
http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/bulletin/index.html
http://www.perryelementaryk4.net/Bboards.htm
http://www.thevirtualvine.com/displays.html
http://www.kinderhive.net/bb.html
http://www.risd41.org/ri/news/1999/dec11/doors1.html
http://www.teachnet.com/how-to/decor/fallbbs070699.html
http://gardenofpraise.com/bul28.htm
<------ 3-D and CUTE!
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4. Current Specials
The following products are currently on sale at Education. Check back often
as the sale products change every week.http://www.educationstation.ca/index.php
We have a new clearance section on our site! Check it out at http://www.educationstation.ca/clearance.php
Also, don’t forget about our Annual Trade-In-A-Trimmer Event! Simply bring
a small piece of old, ugly trimmer to Education Station (12237 Fort Road, Edmonton)
from August 15-31, 2002 and trade it in for a Brand New Package of Trimmer for
FREE!
Argus Motivational Posters are on sale in the store from August 15 September
15, 2002.
Buy one Argus poster and get the next one FREE!
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5. Celebrate!
Celebrate Back to School
http://www.ed.gov/pubs/survivalguide
http://teacher.scholastic.com/professional/backtoschool/index.htm
http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/themes/backtoschool.shtml
http://www.education-world.com/a_curr/curr152.shtml
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6. What's New
We have added 200 great new products to our site to add new life to your resource
collection! Just in time for back to school. Check them out at
http://www.educationstation.ca/viewnew.php
We have a new Four-Blocks Literacy section on our site. Check it out at
http://www.educationstation.ca/four_blocks_intro.php
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7. Article
What To Do On The First Day of School
by Harry and Rosemary Wong
· Use an opening assignment
· Establish routines
· Teach organizational skills
· Learn students' names
· Plan your first day down to the minute
The most important thing a teacher can provide a classroom the first week of
school is security or consistency. Students do not want nor do they learn well
in a disorganized environment.
A well-organized, uncluttered, and attractive room gives a professional and
authoritative image that students respect. It is essential that you have your
room ready and inviting before the students come on the first day of school.
Have a bulletin board ready with schedules, rules, procedures, preview of what
is to come, a bulletin board area with pictures and information about you, and
a big welcome sign that says you are glad they are here in school.
We're a class who
Enjoys working and
Learning together. We
Care for
One another and
Make sure
Everyone feels important.
Stand when you speak. Speak in short, clear sentences or phrases. The most effective
teachers have a firm, but soft voice. When you speak softly, the class responds
by speaking softly to hear you.
On the first days of school, do not be afraid to begin many of your sentences
with, "You will...."The first days of school are critical. Your mission
on the first few days is to establish student routines and classroom procedures.
If you have very young students, place their name on their coat hooks, desks,
and cubbyholes. This is a message that you are organized and that you expect
them to use the same hook, desk, or cubbyhole every day. Many students like
the security of this routine, because many have a great deal of chaos at home.
Set up your own seating plan beforehand, as this helps you to get to know your
students fast. Address your students by name as fast as possible. This is not
only a friendly gesture, but prevents misbehaving when the students believe,
"Oh, oh, I better behave. She knows who I am."
Have your first "bellwork" assignment ready. Make it doable because
you want your students to have a sense of accomplishment. Students who fail
early will create problems in the classroom by sending out a message of frustrations.
Go to school earlier than normal, even an hour will go by quickly. Use the extra
time to double-check everything, making sure that your first day's script is
ready. Then, spend a few minutes relaxing, smiling, and self-talking yourself
into high expectations for the year. Tell yourself:
1. I will establish classroom management procedures from the beginning.
2. I will convey that this class will be business-like, with a firm, competent,
and warm teacher.
3. I will establish work habits in my students first and worry about content
later. "You seemingly waste time at the beginning to gain time at the end"
Be just outside the door when the students arrive. This establishes authority
and also conveys that you consider them important enough to be waiting to greet
them.
Set High Standards For Yourself
Set high standards for yourself if you want a highly productive environment.
There is nothing more damaging than a teacher with low expectations, sloppy
dress, disorganized assignments and lessons, and the lack of classroom procedures
or routines. You must set high standards for yourself if you expect students
to meet high expectations of achievement.
Best wishes as you set forth to make a difference, which is what teaching is
all about.
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** If you find the Education Station newsletter to be a useful tool for your
classroom experiences, please forward it to a friend or two. Thanks! **
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The above newsletter is copyright 2002 by Education Station Inc.
All rights reserved. Feel free to forward this newsletter
to others as long as you forward it in its entirety and
leave this notice. This newsletter may not be included in
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commercial endeavor without written permission.
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