back to school!

School is in full swing again! I have a new bunch of cuties and a renewed enthusiasm for teaching after a fun, relaxing summer. I have loved seeing my sweet students from last year looking all grown up in third grade. They've been coming to visit me and they are taller, have braces and just look smarter :) But I am excited to have my new class and don't feel quite as overwhelmed this year!

I wanted to share something that we did on the first day (and practiced the second and third days) that the kids loved. It was really cute and built some "team unity" among our class. We learned a "secret handshake" that only our class knows! And this is the best part... it's the handshake from Parent Trap! It seems complicated but they actually picked it up faster than I thought they would. Here's a clip I showed the kids.

And here is a step by step tutorial on how to do it!  I got the idea from The Techy Teacher.
It was so fun!

I also made a few things that I will share in honor of back to school. {Click the picture to get them!}
No homework pass students can earn

Some fun and handy Attention Signal Cards

 

Yay for Back to School!