We chat every Tuesday night at 8:30-9:30 pm CST. All are welcome, especially EarlyEd teachers, leaders & experts. Co-founded & moderated by @techwnancy @JessicaCabeen & @VealHeidi
Hey #ECEchat family! Katy checking in, #RISDprek Program Specialist in N. Texas. I love advocating for our youngest learners & their educators!
Who is ready for summer?!
Greetings #ECEchat tribe! Jessica-Principal of a Kindergarten Center in Austin, MN. I love leading and learning at the happiest place in Southeastern Minnesota!
Hi #ECEchat friends! Heidi here, Early Childhood Program Administrator in North Texas. I’m excited to chat about EOY celebrations with you all tonight!
Hi!! Colleen from Omaha, NE. Author, speaker, program evaluator. I subbed in a kdg room today and am happily EXHAUSTED. ALL HAIL ECE TEACHERS. #ECEchat
#ECEchat A1 we get the chance to reflect on where we started and how far we have come. I give parents the opportunity to dream for the future graduations to come.
A1: Students love celebrating the end of the school year with their classmates and teachers! It's a great time to celebrate all the learning, growth and relationship building that happened throughout the year! #ECEChat
A1 EOY celebrations allow Ss a time to have fun & celebrate all their learning from the year! Creating memories a lasting memory with all their friends! #ECEChat
A1: for my little ones (2/3 year olds) end of year celebrations help to mark a conclusion. The end of the year can be confusing with schedule changes, new nannies, and unexpected goodbyes. Celebrations can help them to understand the ending in positive and fun way. #ECEchat
A1: It is important to celebrate the year of learning and growth! It also helps to continue to build community and prepare them for the next school year. #ECEchat
A1: EOY celebrations are important because they instill pride and a sense of accomplishment, they make Ss feel special, and ours desperately need to feel that empowerment. #ECEchat#Lawsome
A1. End of the year celebrations are an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the classroom community that was built throughout the year and the students accomplishments. Also serve as a transition to the next year. #ECEChat
A2 this Friday my class #wolffden492 is being recognized for their combined 210+ volunteer hours with @AustinAspires to create K readiness kits for 3/4 year olds #ecechat
A2 I am beyond proud of all of my #RISDprek teachers! We have had a lot of new materials & program changes throughout the year & they all tackled the year with a positive attitude & passion S success! #ECEChat
A2: I am most proud of celebrating my students' growth in Reading and independence! Next year, they will no longer be primary students and I am very proud of them and know they are ready to tackle 3rd grade! #ECEChat
A2: I’m proud this year of one parent who has checked out almost 200 books this year to read with her daughter. Making it easier for our fams to access books can have lifelong effects. #ECEchat#Lawsome
#ECEchat A2 in addition to this year seeing my first group of PK Ss graduate elementary and having one ask me to come because I was his first teacher. Awww
A2 - the classroom community that has been formed throughout the year - the friendships, the support for one another, etc. Of course it hasn't been sunshine and roses all year, but they wouldn't be human (or 4 & 5yrs old) if it was! :) #ECEChat
A2: I’m proud this year of one parent who has checked out almost 200 books this year to read with her daughter. Making it easier for our fams to access books can have lifelong effects. #ECEchat#Lawsome
A2: I am most proud of my students growth in all areas, academically and emotionally. The relationships that have been built are truly amazing! I just earned my masters degree in teaching and learning and that was a huge accomplishment for me as a teacher. #ecechat
A2(cont.)
It would be interesting if Teachers could state what they feel they accomplished on a certificate and share that to the group. Ex: "This year I learned to use See Saw", etc #ecechat
A2: An accomplishment is that it has been about 19 months since I started learning about language development connected to children in the birth to three age range, and I continue to look for ways to support those children and their parents.
#ecechat
A2: I'm celebrating 23 district preschools who have committed to try new strategies and technology to include students who are non-speaking into their communities #ECEchat
A2: I'm very proud to be part of an early literacy initiative (birth-3) created through a district/community partnership. #ReadTalkPlayEveryDay#ECEChat
That is wonderful that your district is addressing birth to three! Is there a website that is connected to that program? It would be great to learn more about what you all are doing!
#ECEchat
A3: Our children will walk the halls holding flags with the names of the schools they will be attending next year to begin their elementary education. #ecechat#Lawsome
A3. We have started our Leadership - Students take turns being the leader for the outdoor learning time, choosing where we go to play & explore. We also have a family campfire & s'mores the last week of school, so families can go explore after if they wish. #ECEChat
We will be doing a 10 Day Balloon Countdown! Everyday we pop a balloon and there will be a fun activity for us to do as a class. Also, we will be having a grade-level award ceremony next Friday! #ECEChat
A3. We have started our Leadership Sticks - Students take turns being the leader for the outdoor learning time, choosing where we go to play & explore. We also have a family campfire & s'mores the last week of school, so families can go explore after if they wish. #ECEChat
A3: I'm all for celebrating student success, but I'm not a EOY countdown person. Summer is difficult for many of our little ones and ROY can be stressful for them. #ECEchat
A3: We are doing an ABC countdown to the last day of school with different fun activities to continue to build memories up until the last day. Looking forward to Woodson Fun Day! #ecechat
A3 trying my best to keep ‘normal’ until the last days with engineering challenges, outdoor classroom learning, and more opportunities to build relationships with games ... life gets crazy in Middle school 🤪#ecechat
A3: We are doing an ABC countdown to the last day of school with different fun activities to continue to build memories up until the last day. Looking forward to Woodson Fun Day! #ecechat
A3: To be honest, I'll be celebrating with a delicious cocktail and/or a glass of wine! Our support department worked a ton this year in supporting students academically and teachers with implementing best practice. #ecechat
#ECEChat I have an ice cream social for the Ss to celebrate reaching their goals, a big family gathering at the park and celebrate what everyone including the work the parent put into their Ss success. Pre-K grad we talk about how many more graduations are to come in the future.
A4 Can’t wait to hear everyone’s response to this question… I’ve never gone beyond inviting Ps in as volunteers or to simply partake in the fun! #ECEChat
A4. We have a celebration for families with the campfire & s'mores. I also remind families that they are invited to visit the classroom and/or join us for lunch. #ECEChat
A4 Can’t wait to hear everyone’s response to this question… I’ve never gone beyond inviting Ps in as volunteers or to simply partake in the fun! #ECEChat
A4 We perform end of the yr programs, make keepsake memory books, invite to watch the dvd, host special events including transitioning to first grade. #ECEchat
A4 we have parents plan & help with our EOY party, we’re having a picnic lunch that families are invited to, & our kindergarten memory books will go home to share with our families!! #ecechat
A4 We invite Ps to our celebration to see our littles walk to Pomp and Circumstance then enjoy ice cream social and our elephant walk (each Ss walks through school with flag of next school) It's bitter sweet #ecechat
A2: I came into this ELL position knowing that I was going to be working with a tough crowd. I was told that certain teachers were NOT going to welcome me into their classrooms. Lo and behold, I'm now co planning and team teaching with them! #ECEchat
A2: I’m proud this year of one parent who has checked out almost 200 books this year to read with her daughter. Making it easier for our fams to access books can have lifelong effects. #ECEchat#Lawsome
When I taught Kindergarten, my parents created a mini field day with indoor and outdoor activities. They planned everything themselves! It was awesome!#ECEchat
Justin, @kruu_justin
I am so glad that you were able to get accepted with your learning community. You know it was your skills at making everyone feel comfortable. #ecechat
A2: I came into this ELL position knowing that I was going to be working with a tough crowd. I was told that certain teachers were NOT going to welcome me into their classrooms. Lo and behold, I'm now co planning and team teaching with them! #ECEchat
Parents are invited to attend our awards ceremony and EOY parties that we have planned! We also have an event every year called ArtFest that parents and family members love to attend! #ECEChat
A4: I love seeing the variety of ways you all involve parents. Building relationships with parents and making them feel that they are valuedbis critical to student success. #ECEchat
When I taught Kindergarten, my parents created a mini field day with indoor and outdoor activities. They planned everything themselves! It was awesome!#ECEchat
#ECEChat A4 Ps help with food decorations, in the parent conferences I tell Ps what success their Ss have achieved and I give them a book of memories from the school year. I ask parents to celebrate the growth and we have a family celebration in the park.
A1. End of year celebrations recognize all The work our school community does throughout the year. We need to celebrate all we accomplish, because it’s awe enspiring! #ECEChat
Q5: As the end of the school year is drawing close, how do you maintain a classroom culture of learning all the way to the last day of school? #ECEchat
Q4: We hold a picnic outside at school in the evening that includes a local children’s musician. The teachers serve ice cream for dessert. It is a fun social event, community builder, and end of the year celebration. It’s always so fun to see all the families together. #ecechat
A5: We always SAVED some special activities for the end of the year. Super fun Field trips, engineering projects, outdoor obstacle courses, etc. #ecechat
A5 I’ve talked with the Ss a lot about this - high expectations, challenging activities for deep thinking, and still sweating the small stuff - Ss know I’m in it for the WHOLE year no just September through April #ecechat
Q5: As the end of the school year is drawing close, how do you maintain a classroom culture of learning all the way to the last day of school? #ECEchat
A5: In my kindergarten classroom, I maintained a culture of learning at the end of the school year by intentionally planning learning activities.
#ecechat
A5 - Stick to the routines and expectations as much as possible. Our youngest students need it to be successful. Don't forget the why behind what you are doing. You can be intentional about ways to incorporate celebrations within the structure of the day. #ECEChat
A5: Try to keep routine and consistency right up until the last day. Continue to work on teamwork and building relationships. Bring in fun and engaging activities to keep them excited, this can be a difficult time for Ss when the end of the year comes. #ecechat
A5: We always SAVED some special activities for the end of the year. Super fun Field trips, engineering projects, outdoor obstacle courses, etc. #ecechat
A5: Maintain your focus and your drive until the end. If you stop teaching and stop having expectations for your students, they'll stop meeting/exceeding them! Be sure Ss know you are invested in them until the end... and beyond!! #ecechat
Q5: As the end of the school year is drawing close, how do you maintain a classroom culture of learning all the way to the last day of school? #ECEchat
Q5: As the end of the school year is drawing close, how do you maintain a classroom culture of learning all the way to the last day of school? #ECEchat
A5 - Stick to the routines and expectations as much as possible. Our youngest students need it to be successful. Don't forget the why behind what you are doing. You can be intentional about ways to incorporate celebrations within the structure of the day. #ECEChat
A2. Most proud of raising $2505.00 for @HoopsforHope1 and the @TheVFoundation. We are 190 students and 30 staff but we are going to change the world! #ecechat
A5: we have mini celebrations throughout the month to recognize how far we have come. Also helps to keep stability in our day to day schedule. #ECEchat
I still plan engaging and fun learning activities for my students even though it is the end of the year. Thursday for our Math EOY review, my students will be participating in a "breakout room" math review! #ECEChat
RT Q5: As the end of the school year is drawing close, how do you maintain a classroom culture of learning all the way to the last day of school? #ECEchat
A5. Pet peeve - the message of "We're just going to do fun things" communicates to students (from adults) that the rest of the school year isn't fun... #ECEChat
Yes!!! I’ve been experiencing that a lot!!! We just keep trying to do fun activities & stick to a routine. It’s tough with just a couple days left!! #ecechat
A5: In my kindergarten classroom, I maintained a culture of learning at the end of the school year by intentionally planning learning activities.
#ecechat
A3. We do monthly school wide recognitions and an end of the year wrap up. I like to use Twitter and Facebook to put out notices and celebrations. Why wait until May to celebrate. Recognize students, early and often! Do this for staff too! #ecechat
I think how we approach EOY is also a reflection of admin’s high expectations. Yes, lots of things are off routine, but your room should stay ready for learning until the Ss leave on their last day. Don’t clear dishes while people are eating! #ECEChat#Lawsome
A6 this year we are having an all school talent show to celebrate all our unique Sparks and Traditions; with my homeroom, I’m hoping to make a slide show of everything we have done this year #ecechat
#ECEChat A5 I encourage the students to stay engaged by telling them we are preparing for Kinder and every moment counts. I plan engaging centers and I save some activities for the EOY that we have never done like building roller coasters.
The last day of school we share some of our favorite memories from the school year and what we have planned for the summer. We also attend a our school wide HUDDLE (pep rally)! #ECEChat
I probably would spend the day reflecting. Maybe also take them (if I'm teaching kindergarten) exploring around the first grade halls and into the first grade classrooms #ECEChat
A6. The weather/nature will determine what exactly the outdoor adventures will involve. We have an all school outdoor lunch followed by participating in the student send-off, where we give high-fives to our 5th grade buddies as they leave #ECEChat
Q6: We bring out all the favorite toys, and materials from the year. Today was the last day for us and we had dinosaurs, space ships, lots of different blocks, markers at the easel, tons of loved books being read, and so much more. So much joy! #ECEchat
A6: We have an all school assembly, and will spend our time looking back at pictures to reflect on our year and talk about the fun things we will do this summer. Along with some dance parties, fun activities! #ecechat
Q6: In the classroom, I have done the following: picture scavenger hunts, rewrite familiar songs/chants, do anything your Ss tell you (within reason), eat in classroom, send home ALL tablets of shared writing & class books saved throughout the year. #ECEchat
A6. The weather/nature will determine what exactly the outdoor adventures will involve. We have an all school outdoor lunch followed by participating in the student send-off, where we give high-fives to our 5th grade buddies as they leave #ECEChat
A6: A month before the end of school, we have each student write something nice about each classmate which will create a Goodbye Book for each student. We party and they read their book. #ecechat
A6 I always read the What a Wonderful World picture book to my students and have a special award for each child celebrating their special contributions to the class. #ECEchat
I agree! We live in the moment as there is no need for us to add to the stress/anxiety. Conversations have already been happening at home as the students have been visiting their Kindergarten schools this month, talking about summer plans. So Ss are aware. #ECEChat
It’s hard to believe, but tonight is our last #ECEchat of this school year!
Please keep in touch & continue to share your learning via the hashtag! Thx for making this an incredible school year of learning, growing, connecting & sharing! @katyphinney@JessicaCabeen@techwnancy
