Future's so BRIGHT

Setting up my classroom for next year already! I am making a big jump from first grade to fifth, but the nervousness is gone and now I'm just excited!  I tried to stick with my sports theme from last year, especially since I bought all kinds of stuff (don't tell Mr.Marshall o_o) buuut after a few days in summer school it was just feeling too primary. ... side note,  I have a TON of sports themed classroom stuff to get rid of now.... 

We - the fifth grade team, Ilean and I - decided on a neon color scheme, love it! That led to the BRIGHT idea - see what I did there? 

I'm planning Bright ideas boards,  our future's so BRIGHT we have to wear shades - for goal setting,  basically I'm getting very Laura with it ♡ Here's a peek of what's going down so far! Neon every where! 

SIDE NOTE #2 - I'm even changing the ol' blog to go NEON too ... though it's a work in progress, I'm making my own headers and blog buttons since I'm too poor to pay to have it done right now aaaaand let's just say I'm not a computer scientist

Firstly, I learned my lesson after printing my life away last year,  no more color ink for me!  I've spent way too much money on ink cartridges, sigh. I'm printing everything on bright paper instead :D

The classroom economy:

Classroom Jobs Board:

Headquarters - right by the door - this is still a work in progress, 

I can't wait to post a FULL ON tour of the class! 

Calendar Math is also up! I was sad to give up my daily morning math review until I found Stephanie Moorman's post about Calendar Math in the upper grades! Check out her post HERE

Her blog is amazing! 

close up!

That's where I'm at so far! I have trainings all next week and then I should have lots more time to spend setting up - I'll get an awesome tour posted. I'm thinking I'll make a video happen :) Even though I hate the sound of my own voice lol

Summer School aka Dress Rehersal... The Classroom Economy in full force

Today was our second week of summer school already (and there is only 4!)

I am LOVING the fact that I am having the opportunity to not only meet some of my future students (I am teaching 4th grade summer school and 5th grade next year) but I am getting a sneak peek at what works with these guys.

I am still in primary mode and I was super nervous that I would either be too cheesy for them, or that all my smilies and saddies and the coupon store wouldn't work out for them. Lucky for me, kids (at any age) will do ANYTHING for extra recess :)

I am also getting to work out all the kinks as far as our classroom economy goes! With help from my absolute FAVORITE teacher blog Teaching in Room 6 I set up the basic Earnings and Fines (with a little tweaking.) What I wasn't sure of was how to keep track of everything -without having a student do it, because summer school is only 4 weeks long and we just don't have time to 'train' a merchant.

So I came up with The List:

At the end of the day, I input the list onto a spread sheet which, HALLELUJAH, does all the math for me reaaal quick. I then copy/paste the day's pay onto the weekly payroll spreadsheet, another one that adds everything up for me, and on Friday Payday I am ready for payroll.

I also created a mail merge with Microsoft Word to create paychecks! I will have them practicing writing numbers in word form before they can 'cash' their paychecks with our bankers.

Please stop by my TPT store and support all of my hard work :) I just uploaded the CLASSROOM ECONOMY SUPER PACK - it includes all of my spreadsheets, the blank check books for a mail merge AND 11 different colorful coupons <3

Thank you!!!!