Top 5 end of year classroom tips

Saying goodbye to your students at the end of a school year can be a sad occasion as you’ve probably formed a lot of close relationships and fond memories with them over time.

As the year draws to a close, it is important to make sure you’re organised, as you transition to a new year with new students.

To help you embrace this opportunity to have a fresh start, we have put together this list of 5 classroom tips for your end of year.

1. Tying up loose ends

Make sure that anything which could be hanging over from this school year is cleared up, as this will benefit your mindset greatly when you ring in the new. Your clean slate should start by ensuring that you have completely free in-tray and all pieces of work, either sent home with your students or placed in your students’ portfolios as a starting point for their next teacher to use.

Remember that as you move into “holiday mode,” you can start saving for your teaching break with our Reward Saver account. You’ll be rewarded with a great ongoing variable bonus interest rate if you save money on a regular basis.

2. Self-reflect on the year that was.

While the school year is still fresh inside your head, you could sit with a pen and a notebook and think about the year that was. You could also use an online resource to achieve this task, such as this End of Year Mindful Self Reflection for Teachers.

By reflecting at the end of your year, you are providing yourself with a great opportunity to step back and focus on your achievements and personal learning journey as a teacher.

Remember to ask yourself some vital questions about this past year, such as:

• What was your greatest achievement?
• What was your defining moment with your students?

3. Preserve your displays

Firstly, remember to take down your displays and keep them in top condition so that they are reusable for the next school year, and for many more to come. Here are some tips on how you could do this:

• On your phone take a photo of the displays before you dismantle. That way you will have a visual reference to what is in each display and how everything fits together.
• Place each of your displays in a large plastic envelope. By doing this you will ensure that nothing is lost and is kept safe from potential damage whilst it is placed in storage.
• Find a big plastic tub to keep your multiple displays together. This will also help you to organise each of your displays by their key learning areas.

4. Declutter your belongings

Take advantage of the end of school year by sorting through your belongings. If you’re not a fan of cleaning things out because you’re afraid of throwing items away that others may need, you could have a teacher garage sale, which will help you discard of unwanted items that your colleagues could come and collect from you.

You could also search online to see if there’s organisations within your local community who are need of donations and would really appreciated your unwanted classroom items.

5.Preparing for your year ahead

Once you feel ready to farewell the year that was – it is time to look to the future!

Here are some steps to make sure you’re ready for the next year:

1. Get your new class list
2. Prepare to meet your new families
3. Make sure you are curriculum ready

The start of the school year brings with it a sense of invigoration. We have also put together some of the best teacher tricks and secrets to get you off to a flying start next year.

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