Wow. Can you believe we are at the end of another year?? As we finish this year out, you might be feeling different emotions—relief, nostalgia, and perhaps a tinge of bittersweetness. The closing of one school year signals the beginning of another, giving us the opportunity to reflect on our journey, celebrate achievements, and prepare for the adventures that lies ahead. In this blog post, let's explore some meaningful ways to wind down the school year.
Reflecting on the Year
As we get close to the end of the school year, take some time to reflect on the moments and memories from the past school year.
Write is down: Take some notes about your year. What went well this year? What do you want to change for next year. I HIGHLY recommend writing it down because we all know our brains are all over the place at this time of the year. Do you really think you will remember what your thought about today in a couple months?
Classroom Discussions: Have some discussions with your students. Encourage them to share highlights, challenges, and experiences from the year. This can be so fun for students to recall moments from their year with you. Have fun with this!
Get some feedback: Gather feedback from students, parents, and colleagues to assess your teaching practices throughout the year. Talk with your principal about your year. Did they see any area where improvement was needed?
Celebrating Achievements
Celebrate the achievements, big and small, that have made the school year memorable for you and your students. Celebrate the little moments!
End of Year Ceremony: Host an end-of-year awards ceremony to honor your students. They will LOVE it. You can give out awards for artistry, mathematician, book worm, class encourager, historian, and much more!
Showcase Student Work: Create opportunities for students to show their work and accomplishments through presentations, exhibitions, or digital portfolios. You can bring in families for a day to show all that your students accomplished.
Say THANK YOU: Take time to say THANK YOU to students, parents, colleagues, and support staff who have helped you through the year.
Wrapping Up Loose Ends
As the school year comes to a close, take care of all the tasks and small details to ensure a smooth transition into the summer break.
Final Activities: Have som fun with those lat activities of the year! Try this "Surfin' into Summer" Collaborative Coloring activity. Have students work together to create an amazing display!
Final Assessments: Give and grade final assessments, providing students with feedback on their academic progress.
Cleanup: Organize classroom materials, return borrowed items, and tidy up the learning environment to prepare for the next school year. I know my students loved helping with this, so try having your students help clean and organize! I had bins all over the classroom and students went and put all the resources away.
So Long...Farewell: Say goodbye to students and teachers who are moving on.
Planning for the Future
Use the winding-down time as an opportunity to plan and get ready for the upcoming school year, setting goals and intentions for the new year.
Professional Development: Identify areas for professional development and growth, seeking out workshops, courses, and resources to enhance your teaching practice.
Curriculum Planning: Use those notes we talked about to help plan for the next year! What timeline worked or didn't work for your curriculum this year? What could be better next year?
Self-Care: Take care of yourself. Rest, relax, and rejuvenate yourself. Go to the beach, garden, go for hikes, etc. Do whatever helps you relax. This is YOUR time.
So long, farewell 2023-2024 school year!
Happy Teaching!
Alyssa
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