BEE Organized Breakout Session

1. BEE Organized Breakout Session Are you looking for a more creative way to note taking? Join a make and take workshop on Interactive notebooks, and foldables. Do you need help keeping your students organized? Learn to create a communication folder between home and school.

2. Today’s Agenda: • 1. Introduction of Speakers • 2. Explanation of the B.E.E Folder • 3. Explanation of the Interactive Notebook • 4. Make-and-take foldables

3. What is a B.E.E. folder? • A B.E.E. folder is a communication folder given to each student. It stands for • Bring Everything Everyday. • It is a 3-pronged folder that houses EVERYTHING students and parents need to keep-up-to-date with what is going on at school. • Gone are the days of wrinkled papers and lost notes, newsletters, or calendars. Parents do not have to deal with searching the house to find paper in order to write a note to school. Everything they need is in one folder!

4. Why Should I incorporate a communication folder in my classroom? • B.E.E. folders are important because they help students to establish good organizational skills--skills that can carry on throughout their time in school. • They benefit the teacher because students are no longer handing you paperwork in sometimes ‘chaotic’ mornings. • It is one central location for parents, students, and teachers to find all important paperwork, homework, notes, lunch money, and upcoming events.

5. My Inspiration: • My inspiration for the B.E.E. folder came from Mrs. Jessica Meacham. She is currently a first grade teacher in Wisconsin. • She has been an elementary school teacher for 13 years. • I came across her website and loved the idea of a communication folder! • Please visit her website at: • http://www.jmeacham.com/bee.book.htm

6. Contents of the B.E.E folder: • 1. Money and Notes Pouch-This pencil pouch will house notes “for the teacher” and notes “for parents” - - it is also an ideal place to put money for book orders, lunch, milk, and field trips.

7. Contents of the B.E.E folder: • 2. 2-pocket folder-Newsletters, school notes, field trip permission slips, homework, and monthly calendars, will be placed in the 2-pocket folder. The hands located on the folder’s pockets indicate if the paperwork is to be filled out and brought “RIGHT Back To School” or if it needs to be “LEFT At Home.”

8. Contents of the B.E.E folder: • 3. Contact label-Ways to contact me will be shared on the contacts label. Please keep the contact’s label in the Bee folder. It will be updated, if necessary, during the course of the year.

9. Contents of the B.E.E folder: • 4. Daily Reading log-Your child will be required to read daily. The monthly goal and record keeping sheet will be kept in a plastic sheet protector, in the BEE Folder. Please have your child fill out the minutes he/she reads at home. A nightly parent signature is also required. • 5. Class List and Schedule Forms-A class list and schedule will be attached in the Bee Folder for you to reference when needed. Our resources, lunch, and recess times are indicated on the schedule.

10. Contents of the B.E.E folder: • 6. Calendar- Each month a calendar will display important events in the school, and classroom. This calendar will also be used as a Behavior log. Every day a color of green-yellow-or red will indicate how your child ended his/her day. Please discuss inappropriate behavior, as well as give positive feedback on “green” days. Parents, please sign the log on yellow or red days. • 7. ABC’s of 3rd Grade- This is a guide for many things you and your child will need to know about 3rd grade. Please reference this guide. If something is still unfamiliar please contact the teacher.

11. Contents of the B.E.E folder: • 8. BEE folder contract-On the last page of the BEE folder, a contract as been inserted into a slip cover. This contract must be signed by both parent and student. It provides basic rules for each family • 9. Contract slip- Since the contract stays inside of the BEE folder for the entire school year to reference back to, a contract slip should be placed inside of the pocket of the folder. Parents and students sign the slip, agreeing to follow the BEE folder rules and return.

12. Materials Needed to make the B.E.E folder: • 2 pocket, pronged vinyl folder per student • Pencil case per student • Labels • Bee icon for cover • Slip covers • Clear packaging tape • $ Dollar Store education stickers for the inside covers of the folder.

13. How to use in your classroom: • I require students to bring their BEE folder to and from school everyday. • As soon as they enter the classroom in the morning, students turn in their BEE folder to a central location (in a large basket near student mailboxes). • Every morning I check their BEE folder for paperwork for me or to be sent to the office, homework, and that their Reading log was filled in and signed by a parent.

14. How to use in your classroom: • At the end of each day, I record the color the student ended his/her day on (green-yellow-red) on the calendar date. • At this time, students are writing their homework down. Once homework is record, they show it to me and retrieve papers from their mailbox, and put directly into their BEE folder.

15. Other versions of a communication folder: Use a binder instead of a folder. Use a different acronym. • ANTS- Absolutely Necessary Things for School • BEAR- Bring Everything Always Ready • BIRD- Being Incredibly Ready Daily • CHICK- Collection of Homework and Important Communication to Keep • DOG-Daily Organizational Guide • MOOSE- Managing Our Organizational Skills Everyday Please visit the following website for a larger list of communication folder acronyms: http://www.smithsroom.com/MOOSE_Acronyms.htm

16. Interactive Notebook/ Foldable • Introduction • Overview • Make-and-Take

17. Interactive Notebook/ Foldables: • Please visit www.dinah.com to purchase foldable books. • Subjects available: • Spelling & Vocabulary • U.S. History Academic Vocabulary • Reading, Writing and Vocabulary • Math • Science • Social Studies • Classroom Organization

18. THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING!