5 for Friday & a GRITTY Giveaway!

Happpppppy Friiiiiday!

Oh, this is a wonderful day!

We have a full day of Professional Development today and our students have the day off! On our agenda: more STEP training, setting up Power Hour (reading intervention) groups, extended team meetings, and a few other things I'm forgetting.
Definitely a day for a venti Pumpkin Spice!

I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching
for an exciting Five for Friday!

5. Gratitude!

This week was a tough one. This year has already been a tough one! Some years are like that. Last year was absolutely wonderful...I would say to my students "it's time for fact fluency!" and they would cheer and be SO excited! This year, I'm reminding students that we sit in our chairs, with our fingers safely out of our mouth, nose, ears...and that's okay. It's just a different type of year :)

It's always easier though when you have incredible support from your teammates, especially in the form of a surprise in your inbox. Here's two separate items I received this week:

Seriously, how wonderful is that note? 

Especially when my students are noisily moving throughout the building (we're working on it!)...I appreciate the kind words!

And you may have seen this on my Instagram:

This just makes me so happy :)

People are so kind and this treat came from one of the most incredible special educators I've ever met!

4. Check out these readers!

We don't officially start Power Hour for another two weeks, but I've been pulling small groups of below-level readers. We have no time to waste! This week we read The Very Busy Hen from Leveled Literacy Instruction and compared it to a read aloud of The Little Red Hen by Paul Galdone. They rocked it!

3. Brain Breaks: Self-Selected!

Who needs technology? This is how my student celebrates hard work...he's rapping his math facts for a brain break!
Watch out American Idol!

2. It's time!!! The Fall Style Me Challenge opens today! Have you signed up? I. Cannot. WAIT! Here's yesterday's outfit:

I wasn't sure about it...I love the WHBM burgundy pants...except they are the type that "grow" throughout the day :(  By the end of the day, they are falling off! So I paired it with a larger shirt from the Work Your Wear Challenge list. Completely out of my comfort zone & a much more casual look for work than I'm used to. But no worries, because when I arrived at school, I realized my co-teacher chose almost the exact same outfit!

I guess this means I "have to" go purchase the same pair of Toms (hers are SO cute!).

1. Positive Feedback

I try to share little moments of happiness (and sometimes desperation) from my teaching week here on my blog. I also try very hard not to focus solely on marketing and tooting my own horn. Nobody wants to read that! But I did want to share this feedback I received this week because it literally made me cry
(I had an emotional week)!

Seriously?!?

I've reread it maybe 50 times! I may have also snapped a photo and emailed to a few people ;) It took me more than two years to complete my GRIT Trackers packet and I put everything I've got into it! I also presented on it this past summer at the KIPP School Summit in Houston. I'm so excited about this feedback and decided to throw a giveaway! You can read more about this packet and my presentation here. 

Hurry! the giveaway is a quick one! It's opens right now and ends at midnight this Sunday. I can't wait to hear how you will incorporate GRIT trackers with your students!

Please sign up below to win this 215 page resource! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you very much! 

For sticking with this l-o-n-g post, I'm also linking up with Teaching Blog Addicts for a festive Freebie Friday!

Halloween Spill It!

It's an easy & effective addition to Daily 5 and/or Guided Reading block. I also have a collection to last the entire year here:

Spill It Through the Year!

It's on sale 50% off through Sunday - only $2.25!

Have a fantastic Friday!