I CANNOT believe it is May already. This year flew by. I feel like I was just reviewing my classroom rules and procedures, and now here I am prepping my classroom for next school year.
I get asked often how I prepare for the next school year, at the end of the current school year. My school year runs from August until May. As I wrap up this 2018-2019 school year, I’ve decided to let you in on how I begin to prepare for the 2019-2020 school year.
If you’re new here, I’m wrapping up my 12th year teaching special education. I am currently a high school learning support teacher, I teach in both the pull-out classroom and in inclusion classes. Before teaching high school, I taught elementary learning support and middle school learning support. This is how I have been preparing for years, in my elementary, middle school, and high school learning support classrooms.
The resources I use can be found in my Teacher’s Pay Teachers shop. If you’re interested, I have provided links:)
Now, there isn’t a ton I can get ready in May – I am unfortunately not 100% sure what my caseload/class rosters will be and I am not sure of my schedule. However, there is a good bit of paperwork and first day of school planning I can get accomplished.
I’ll first start with prepping my for my caseload.
Like I just said… well… typed, I’m not 100% sure of the students who will be on my caseload, but there are definitely small things I can plan and prep for my caseload regardless.
I like to start with making IEP Student Flip Books. I like to have these prepped and ready to go. I create these for all of my current caseload students. This way, if some caseload students remain with me, I will have all of their information at the beginning of next school year. Also, if some of my students are added to a different teacher’s caseload, I can provide the new caseload teacher with information on the students at the beginning of the school year. IEP Student Flip Books come in options for those students in lower grades and for those students in the upper grades. It takes a little time to make and complete each students’ IEP flip book, but once it’s completed I know it will be a huge help to me come August when I return to my classroom. There’s something satisfying in knowing that – haha. 
Along with these flip book, I will also get my IEP Meeting Binder ready – well… as ready as I can without knowing my caseload. I start by printing all the pages in my binder that need replaced. These pages do not involve any IEP/student information. I will print extra student profile sheets, meeting notes pages, contact log pages, and all new blank calendar pages. That’s it. Since I like to type into my binder pages before printing, I don’t print every page. I don’t like to waste paper/color ink. I guess if I wanted to, I could print the entire binder and then just hand write the information in to it. If I wanted to change the theme of my binder I would still only print these pages at first, but I would also print the binder cover page. This binder that I am currently using is the 90’s Themed Binder.
I also make a few copies of IEP Sticky Note Reminders to keep in my binder to have on hand to send to teachers as meeting reminders, as well as a few copies of input questionnaire forms to have on hand. I send my input forms digitally, but I also like to have paper copies just in case.
Sadly, I cannot prepare my Progress Monitoring Binder or my Co-Teaching/Inclusion Binder. I leave my progress monitoring binder as it is now. If my caseload stays fairly the same, it will almost be ready to go. I would just have to add in the new students that have been added to my caseload. I will also continue to keep all co-taught information (notes, worksheets, tests, etc.) that was handed out during class in my co-teaching binder. However, I won’t be able to update my schedule, student roster, etc. though, until the beginning of next school year.
Next up is getting parent information ready to be sent home. I print copies of my IEP Parent Portfolios. Although I don’t know my new caseload students coming form the middle school to me, I still print copies now so that it is one less thing I need to do when I get my caseload roster in August. I just store the parent portfolios in a classroom closet all summer. Parents of any current students of mine already have these, but I will keep additional copies on hand in the even a new student moves into the district.
I also print my Transition Tips and Tricks hand out. These will be for the 8th graders who will be transitioning up to me next year in the high school. Since I don’t know these students yet, I store these hand outs with the IEP Parent Portfolios. I will find out my caseload sometime in August and then shortly send both the IEP Parent Portfolio and Transition Tips and Tricks hand out to the parents of my new 9th graders. I have also created and used Transition Tips and Tricks hand outs for those students leaving the elementary and transitioning to the middle/ junior high school.
Lastly, I prepare all things that I will need (and don’t want to forget to do – haha) for the first few days of school. Knowing in May that I have the first few days, of the new school year in August, planned is one of the best teacher feelings. Last year around this time, I created my own little “first week back” binder. Everything I need for the first day of the upcoming school year (in August) I print out now (in May). I keep it all in my first week back binder that is stored in my desk. In this binder I keep my Classroom Contracts, Welcome Letters/Syllabus, my Student Tracker Sheets, my Resource Room Check-In sheets, my Take 5 Back to School Activity, and my Create Your Own Binder Covers.
I review my welcome letter, class syllabus, and classroom contracts on the first day. The student tracker sheets and resource room check in sheets are part of my classroom procedures, so I have these ready to go for day one. With any remaining time, I like to have back to school activities nearby. I keep my Take 5 activity and Create your Own Covers close at hand.
Aside from all the prepping, I also like to prepare by going through old files/papers I have kept over the past year and eliminating anything I won’t need for the next school year. I’ll recycle duplicates of worksheets/tests and will shred any confidential work I will no longer need – typically SDIs from other case managers. All student work and information I plan on saving, I will file in a locked filing cabinet.
I will also Marie Kondo my desk and the closets I have in my classroom. It feels SO good to return to an organized room in August, even if it takes up some of my time in May.
If you have any further questions on how I prepare for the next school year – please feel free to e-mail me. If you have any ways you’d like to share on how you plan for the next school year, leave them in the comments below!