It's a Winter Wonderland

Hey friends!!! What a crazy time to be posting and worrying about school (Let's be honest, it's December 30, not in the state of mind of school;) haha) Anyways-- It's Cassie from Mrs. Thomas's Class  my blog is pretty sad. I haven't paid much attention to it lately. BUSY!!!! I'm going to get to the point now! I created before the break 3 products with winter wonderland theme - I was so excited. I still haven't even printed them since I used Christmas theme before school was out! BUT - I love them, and they're GREAT review for my kiddos before our benchmark January 13/14. Next week I am jumping into poetry literally head first. So what I am going to offer you all - FOR FREE. Is a sneak peek into what I've been working on. You get the first few pages for free! It'll be a big bundle once it's all said and done. 

Get your freebie HERE 

I am obsessed with poetry, so I am very excited. I hope you all can use what I have posted!

Here's a picture of the winter wonderland packs in my store!

If you click on the picture, it should take you to my store. Can't make you any promises though haha.

Hope y'all had a MERRY CHRISTMAS and have an amazing NEW YEAR! See you in 2015!!!!! 

from my family to yours :) 

Winter Wonder-full Freebie & Winter Product Linky!

It's almost the new year...2015! 

That means starting fresh...feeling recharged...trying new things...

The Primary Pack wants to give something to our readers to have once the new year arrives...

Something that will surely help get you back into the teaching swing of things and recharge your students for some new learning!

We are very excited to share this special something with our amazing readers... it's our Winter Wonder-full Pack of Freebies!

This exclusive, freebie pack is full of great one page printables for you to use in your primary classrooms when you go back to school. They are no-prep, print-and-go style activities! 

Simply click the cover below to download. 

We would also love it if you shared your own winter freebies and products with our readers by linking up below.
*You can link up with a direct link to TPT or a blog post.
*Please include the photo of your product when you link-up.
*In the title, please indicate either FREEBIE or $ (for paid products).
Thank you for following the guidelines!

An InLinkz Link-up

We hope you enjoy our freebie booklet and that you grab and discover many great winter freebies and products from the link-up. Please check out our full products and stores, included within the booklet.

We'd also love to hear from you! 

Let us know if you found this helpful and we will do something like this again!

Important and Positive Precepts

Greetings Pack Friends and Followers!

It's Jennifer here.....from Stories and Songs in Second on this fine Sunday.

This afternoon I am finally writing from sunny Florida instead of wintery Ohio, as Day 8 of my holiday break unfolds.  The Boney-Reynolds clan has been gathered here in Bonita Beach since before Christmas, and I must admit that I have struggled with the content of this post over the past few days. While many family stories and songs have been shared throughout this holiday season, I have struggled both to decide on a topic for this post and to find the self-discipline to just sit down and write.

There are two reasons for my reluctance, I think.  The first being that my December school days and nights were exceptionally stressful, busy, and not-so-delightful, and I am still recovering. The second being that this holiday time is my family's first without my father, and I am still dealing with waves of sadness.

In an effort to move toward a lighter mood and shift into a more positive mode, I have tried to "unplug" and step away from my teaching, blogging, and TpT life and focus on resting, relaxing, and re-connecting this week.

To just decompress and not multi-task.

To just sit and listen to the pond fountain, or watch the sunset, or enjoy an old movie without grading papers or checking Facebook.

To just sit on the pool terrace in the morning and eat Snickerdoodles for breakfast.

To just allow myself to not worry about anything.

To just find some peace.

To just sometimes allow the sadness to be present.

To just appreciate the simple things like a gorgeous sunset or a warm walk on the beach.

Re-visiting a book I read this summer during my time here has helped me do all of the above.  It is one that a colleague recommended and that I keep on my nightstand at home.  I refer to the many pages I have flagged with Post-it notes after my most difficult days, and it reminds me of what should really be my personal and professional priorities.

If you have not read Wonder by R.J. Palacio, you really should.  Auggie Pullman is the protagonist.  He is a young man with an old soul.  A child with a facial deformity who is home-schooled until fifth grade, and whose foray into the mainstream is told from his own perspective, as well as from the perspective of his family members and peers.

Auggie's story is one that you will read with a lump in your throat.  There are parts that will make you laugh. There are parts that will make you cry.  There are parts that will resonate and remind you of your own classroom experiences--both as a student and an educator.   Most importantly though, there are parts that will inspire you.  

While Auggie is the story character that will capture your heart and haunt you,  his mentor, advocate, and champion, Mr. Browne, will speak to your mind.  The monthly precepts or rules that this English teacher introduces and connects to places and people from the past help Auggie and his classmates learn crucial life lessons about themselves and each other.  These are some of my favorites, not only because of their message, but because they remind me of the type of wisdom my father often shared with me....

I plan to share these precepts with my students and colleagues when  I return to Room #2 on January 5th.   I am going to include them in the social skills lessons that are always a part of our Morning Meeting routine.  Building a collaborative and cooperative classroom community of learners and little people is something I value highly.  It cannot be quantified.  There is no rubric with which to measure it.  It cannot be assessed.  But these four precepts are important in shaping our students' present and future lives.

I hope that you've enjoyed the message in this simple collection of quotes, and thank
you for your continued and thoughtful readership and comments.

When I have time, I promise to post them

to TpT 

as a FREEBIE!  

But for now, I must go eat

some homemade guacamole with my nieces and watch for my son

on the sidelines at the Lions vs. Green Bay game!

I hope that you will immerse yourself in the the wonder of Wonder before you head back to your own classroom, and I hope that you will also be inspired by more precepts from

the characters of Wonder in this book!

As always, thanks for sharing my story....

May you continue to teach your children well, and both recognize and honor the unique gifts

each one brings to your life!

Stay colorful!

Classroom Goals for 2015!

Hi there! 

It's Amber, blogging from Mrs. Masters Kinder Love and I blog on the 27th of every month! 

I am so excited to be blogging on winter break today! My husband and I are actually in Paris, KY visiting family! It is such a darling little place!  It really is the most wonderful time of the year, isn't it?! 

If you are anything like me, I'm sure you have been racking your brain and coming up with a million and one ways to improve your classroom, teaching, and home lives this upcoming new year. My list seriously could go on and on but that's not going to do me any good. I need to make a few, focused goals and do my best to stick to them!  Here are a few of my goals for 2015!

Teaching Goal 1: Our mornings are always very structured and I am a stickler to ensuring that we make the most of our Reading Workshop block. My afternoons are fairly structured but I feel like I could do a better job of sticking to a schedule. It seems like Writing Workshop never gets the full amount of time that it should. I am definitely going to work on this!

Teaching Goal 2: Oh my I feel like our classroom library is a HOT MESS right now. I need to get same labels and reorganize/ label all of my new books. I also need to go back and reteach library expectations. I think a few of my little darlings forgot some of our rules :)

Personal Goal: I must get out of school at a decent time. So many times the time just seems to get away from me! I must make getting home to hubs a priority! If I can get out of school, it will make the dinner part that much more attainable!

When we go back to school, I am also going to have my students come up with a new goal. We do this every semester and the kids love working towards their goals. This time around we are going to focus on what we need to do to meet those goals! This will help us hold ourselves accountable! :)  You can pick up a free copy here! 

What are your goals for the new year?! Relax, rest and rejuvenate! Enjoy the rest of your break and go back to school ready to take on the world!

Teachers, You Should Be Out Shopping Today!

You may be thinking, "Who is this crazy teacher chick who thinks I should be shopping today?! Christmas was only yesterday!" I know I'm crazy. I'm fairly certain I've mentioned it in previous posts on here and at my own blog. However, I can back up this craziness with some valuable evidence on why you should be shopping today.

Seriously... Only keep reading if you like to save money. Because that's what I am here to do... Save ya'll some money, honey.

Here's the deal. Next December, you will be stressed. You will need to think (in random order) about your family, presents, decorations, holiday concerts, Polar Express Day, Christmas dinner, pie, Grinch Day, presents, wrapping paper, Christmas trees, your Elf on the Shelf, your sanity. The list goes on and I know you know that it goes on.

Here's what I like to do... I like to think about next year's Christmas today. At least, student-wise. Most stores have all Christmas stuff for 50% off today. If you are super crazy like me, you'll probably revisit these stores numerous times through the rest of your winter break and buy some more because the discount keeps going up. However, I like to go today to get all the goods before everyone else gets the same idea as me and takes all of the best stuff. 

Here are some things that I've gotten in the past:

Elf On The Shelf- He was not discounted 50% off. However, he was 20% off at Barnes and Noble and I figured that was a pretty good deal.

 Wrapping paper- Don't mind the chicken and such in the background. Just a typical kitchen picture at the Missing Tooth Grins Headquarters. Anyway, I wrapped all my students' gifts in my discounted wrapping paper from the previous year. This year, I gave them all Scholastic books that I picked up with my points.

 Coloring Books- I picked these little books up at Target. They were with all the stocking stuffer stuff back in the Christmas section. They were originally a pack of four for $1. The day after Christmas though, they were 50 cents. I bought 6 packs and left them as "morning work" one day during the last week before break and you would've thought I left the kids gold. They flipped for these tiny little books! Books that I paid like 12 cents a piece for. You really can't beat that.

Crafts- These were originally just a buck! Got them half off! These are perfect for Polar Express Day or the last day before break.

Target Dollar Spot- The glory of the ever-so-popular dollar spot is that everything is just $1. Well, unless you fancy the $3 items in the dollar spot. You have to be tricky with those. Many times, I've picked up $3 items thinking they were just $1 items. Sad day. Anyway, after Christmas... They get discounted! Think of all the Christmas pencils, socks, erasers, tiny pails, etc. that you can get for even cheaper!

Christmas Tattoos- Originally $4 for a box, but of course picked them up for $2 a box! Or maybe less... For some reason, I feel like these were a later purchase :)

Parent Gifts- For the past four years, I've always bought the student gifts at Target the year before. I buy the Christmas craft kits that kids can easily put together with some adult assistance. Plus, kids put their school picture inside (I buy the ones where there's room for a picture). Unfortunately, I don't have a picture (boo on me), but they always turn out adorable. They're normally $5 for a box of 20, but you can get them for $2.50 the day after. Here's an example of what I buy:

You can find these here.

I also picked up our Christmas tree ornaments and star for half off last year too.

I know that some of these savings may not seem like a lot, but when you add up how much you spend on Christmas for your students, it can really add up! Why not take the stress off and save some money while you're at it while you can?

Plus, if you're anything like me... You'll forget that you did this wonderful thing of planning ahead. I store my goodies with my Christmas stuff at home. So, on the day after Thanksgiving when we are decorating, I pull out all these wonderful goodies and get so excited to remember that I am stocked up with Christmas goodies for my students. Truly, a wonderful thing!

I'll be out shopping today, but I will be blogging at my blog later to share with you the deals that I've found today! Feel free to stop by at Missing Tooth Grins to check out my deals :)

Leave a comment to let me know some deals you've found as well! I would love to hear about it and maybe go on the hunt for the same deal as well :)

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas Friends! I hope you enjoy the day with your family!!! I'm sure that you got everything you asked for from Santa... but if not I have a freebie surprise for you! 

Just click the present below & ENJOY! 

And as an added bonus my store will be on SALE from now until Sunday! Happy Shopping!!!

'Twas The Night Before Christmas...Primary Pack Style!

'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the school,

not a creature was stirring- the halls bare and cool. 

The students were nestled all snug in their beds 

while visions of a 'no homework' vacation danced in their heads. 

But the Primary Pack gals- that is a whole 'nother story- 

there were busy and bustling and in full holiday glory!

As reindeer hooves go 'clickety-clack,'

We'll fly near and far to peek in on each girl from the pack.

Grab your hot cocoa, coffee or tea-

Lets begin our visit with each lovely lady!

Here's our first stop- and who do we see?

But Cara Taylor, her son Garyn and dog Blue makes three!

They are dressed and full of cheer-

So excited that Christmas is near!

Grabbing their caps, scarves and gloves

Is Emily MacGillivary with her 3 special loves!

They braved the cold and 'lots' of snow

To find the perfect tree to make their house aglow!

There is no napping for Abbey and Addison Bannon-

Excitement is building liked a loaded cannon!

Standing on line to see the big guy in red-

It will be awhile before they are in bed!

Visions of toys and biscuits in a pile,

are dancing in the head of Megan Anderson's schnauzer Kyle!

Dressing up is not his form of bliss,

but he is doing it to wish you a Merry 'Schauz'-mis!

Ashley Sharp and hubby Steve are full of holiday glee-

As they pose by a big lighted tree!

As Ashley managed kindergarten kiddies full of excitement and cheer,

Steve did all the wrapping and was awarded 'hubby of the year!'

Hold on tight as we dip down in our sleigh,

To peek at Alexis Sanchez's holiday traditions that are underway!

While bellies are full with yummy breakfast bake and cookies galore-

She gets hugs and kisses from Jonathan, Deno, Parker, Oliver and Minnie- with whom she adore!

Elyse Rhodes and hubby Shawn

 light the candles in their beautiful home.

A fire to warm them and latkes in the pan-

Spending special time together is their holiday plan!

Swooping in on Alisha Sanders we find stockings are hung on the wall with care-

in hopes that Saint Nick soon will be there!

Paul in his hoodie, Jasper and Sadie in a bandanna-

Patiently wait to see what they will get from Santa!

The Schachters are stacked from head to toe-

they are ready for Christmas and possibly snow!

Sophia sits on Jonathan and Jake strikes a pose-

Where Laura's glue gun is...nobody knows!

Family wrapped in love is the best- as Jennifer Boney-Reynolds knows-

She'll be 'filling up' on hugs from Eamonn, Hayley and Rose!

She's dreaming of hanging out with family on Bonita Beach again this year-

Where music, laughter and food brings them cheer!

Speaking of food- look what we found straight ahead-

Gina with Niko in a house made of gingerbread!

How tasty! How sweet!  Should they take a bite or two?

But know they won't make the 'nice list' if they do!

The Labrasciano girls keep Mommy quite busy-

Keeping track of their social engagements has Amy in a tizzy!

On a dock, in church, freezing or riding the sleigh-

They smile with hugs to show love for their family every day!

Dianna is frantically wrapping - time's running out this Christmas Eve-

She's spending precious time with Jeff before he's deployed for another leave.

What will be waiting for Harper when she awakes?

Maybe a stuffed toy or doll Elsa to fill her house with snowflakes!

The lights were hung on the tree with care

But Cassie and family joined in on the holiday flair!

Sweet little Lyla is waiting for her presents too-

She's been good all year and would love something to chew!

Kourtney just graduated and is ready to rest-

Snuggling with her family is surely the best!

Steve did the chores so she could do her studies-

While Kevin and Elijah remain best of buddies!

Karen's heart has grown tremendously this year-

Look at all the loves she has who bring her much cheer!

Boyfriend Chris, cats Kato & Kody- and don't forget her sister Kelly-

Rounding out her glorious group are parents Peg & Bill and nieces Emma, Kayla & Lilly!

Before Santa drops in on this family that's growing-

Lets see what Tiffany's selfie is showing!

Jackson's smile is from ear to ear-

He knows he's been good and Santa will spoil him this year! 

And speaking of growing...to make this family complete-

A special delivery for the Rycrofts- so dainty and sweet!

Congrats to Elyse as Avery Elle just joined this once family of three-

Santa knows Jackson will be the best big brother he can be!

And what does the dynamic duo of Kelly and Kim bring?

But cute daughter and student Hanna in 'Hark the Herald Angels Sing!'

She calls Kelly "Mommy" and Kim "Miss." 

But with a job so well done from both she got a kiss!

And who can we find sitting comfy in the sand?

Amber and hubby Corbin hand in hand!

A sweet Christmas card picture taken this summer in Hilton Head,

They are wondering what they will soon find from the big guy in red!

Holiday hoopla and annual family photo fuss is in full swing with the White family

And it looks like the prank is on poor sweet organizer Mom Jamie!

If gifts are rationed by best silly face,

Santa is sure to have a hard time deciding who won this 'race!'

Kristen and Marley are snuggling and full of Christmas joy

Will Marley get biscuits, new bed or a toy?

And Mom is in town so that means special things to do-

Cookies and 'Christmas Vacation' are on the list for these jolly two! 

And what to your wondering eyes should appear?

But the creator of this rhyme and her family so dear!

That is right- it is Jennifer Drake-

And rhymes are what I love to make!

I blog at Crayons & Cuties In Kindergarten

but with all the holiday hoopla you might wonder 'Where has she been?!'

Here are my boys wrapped in holiday cheer-

They bring me joy each day of the year!

Naughty and nice- they keep me on my toes-

No other kids would I ever have chose!

Our family loves to watch the holiday parade-

That time together we would never trade!

So as we end our flight with the families of the Primary Pack-

We wish you a holiday filled with things you can't find in Santa's sack...

Love, health, happiness galore-

To last today and forever more!

All through the year you give through and through-

Please take some time to give back to you!

Reflect on a year filled with family and fun-

Memories made and what you have done!

The sleigh is passing- its time to leave

Remember this as your gifts you do receive:

'Love the life you live- live the life you love'

For that is what you are most in awe of!

On behalf of the pack we wish you a holiday bright....

Happy Holidays to all...and to all a good night!