Visual Schedules

With the help of the paraprofessionals and a wonderful donation of colored ink from Donors Chose, I am creating new visual schedules for the classroom. Often we think of visual schedules as simply telling us what we are doing next, but they are and can be so much more than that. Anyone who has visited my classroom knows we are the recycling crew for Frank Long. I am in the process of implementing a visual schedule for each step of the recycling process. We have a center set up with color coded containers and signs outside of the classroom. To this we owe huge thank-you to Keith our custodian, he ordered us the new cans complete with lids and wheel bases. This enables the students to sort paper, plastic, ink cartridges and cardboard, sorting is a job skill for my classroom. Other great and wonderful news includes approval of fundraisers for the class which include; Funding Factory, My Coke Rewards, and Labels for Education. The goal of these in class fundraisers are to purchase needed supplies within the classroom such as textured paper for beginning writers, expo markers, laminate sheets, and the continuing supply of colored ink for making PECS cards and cues for visual schedules. The class finished their collaborative media festival project with Mrs. Busby's class, it is amazing. I would like to thank Mrs. Busby for going above and beyond with this project. I am just a little biased, but I hope our project wins. I think this would be the ultimate if the SWAT team won on their initial year. We are planning to order t-shirts at no cost to parents for the students to wear in class on Wednesday. GAA is finished for this year for the children. I know they are as relieved as I am about this. They have each worked so hard and not complained when given assessments to complete or asked to leave their comfort zone to work in another classroom or with another teacher. I will post pictures of the recycling center at a later time on the blog for everyone to see and hopefully give comments about on the blog.