Ah, the end of the year is upon us! It seems like just yesterday we were talking about the start of the year and now it’s time to wrap everything up. Find out how some of our Really Good Teachers get ready, celebrate with their classes, and pack up for the summer. Remember, to
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Idea by Sara, Kindergarten Teacher, Hialeah, FL To prepare for our end-of-the-year commencement celebration, I shop for fabric ribbon printed with a school motif such as alphabet letters or numbers. One year I even found ribbon printed with rulers! I use this ribbon to wrap each student’s set of workbooks they completed in my class.
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Idea by Julie, 4th Grade Teacher, Akron, OH We like to celebrate the end of our year together in writing. I have my students write letters introducing themselves to their next year’s teachers. Students also write welcoming letters to the incoming 4th graders to put them at ease and let them know what to expect.
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Idea by Melissa, 1st Grade Teacher, Spanish Fork, UT  Each year we plan an end-of-the-year-activity we call “Camp Learned-a-Lot.” Each teacher is responsible for helping students review a topic in reading and in math. We plan fun activities and games to help students review each topic. Then, classes rotate to all of the teachers for
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Idea by Robin, Kindergarten Teacher, Ellenton, FL My students and I end our Kindergarten school year with a special unit on Monarch butterflies. We raise the caterpillars during our last month (or so) of school. We make predictions, observe, record our findings and keep a journal of the caterpillars’ metamorphosis. We then release the butterflies
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Idea by Christine, Grades K-8 Teacher, Bridgeport, CT I’m a computer and technology teacher, and for graduation, I have my 8th graders create their own designs in Microsoft Paint. They then print their designs on transfer paper and I iron them onto T-shirts. I distribute the shirts for graduation and provide fabric pens so students
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Idea by Kim, Pre-K Teacher, Port Orange, FL For our graduation, we invite all our families to attend a potluck meal at a local park. Each family brings a covered dish and the school provides the meat item. It gives all the families time to mingle with one another and celebrate the special day with
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Idea by Adrienne, Kindergarten Teacher, East Helena, MT For graduation I read Oh, The Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss. It is so appropriate and the parents love to hear it during the celebration. I insert the kids’ names at the end of the book too, which always makes them smile. It’s a great way
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Idea by Shelly, 2nd Grade Teacher, Parachute, CO As I’m closing up my classroom for the year, I create a “first of the year” box that contains everything I want and need for those first few days. This box is a lifesaver for me. In it I stash labels, files, folders, name cards, tongue depressors,
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  Technology can be a great tool to keep students writing during the summer months.  Sandy, a 3rd –5th Grade Teacher in Bolivia, North Carolina, encourages students to write and edit through email all summer long.  Find out how!