Picture this, on a random day in the school year, your class is running smoothly and the children know your routines and (hopefully) everything is running like clockwork. Then you learn that you are soon to welcome a new student to your home away from home. If you’re lucky, you are made aware of this new development days ahead, or possibly minutes before the school day begins…

And so, your whole planning period is spent prepping your classroom to welcome your new addition to your home away from home. If you are like me, you have your Back to School extras ready at hand in a tote…

You want your new addition to feel at home at soon as possible.  This little kiddo, for whatever reason has been uprooted, and now fortunately placed in YOUR classroom.  As a teacher, you want this transition to be a smooth one for them.  The last thing your student wants is to be known as “the NEW kid”.  There must be a great deal of “newness” in their life for whatever reason, so…

At the beginning of the school year, when I am happily and furiously in labeling MADNESS, I always create FIVE extra of everything I need to label for each of my students.

Deskmates—cubby labels—mailbox labels—Math Journal labels—Word Work Notebook labels—Book Box labels—Parent Letters—Sight Word Ring Labels & letters—Supply labels—Word Wall Names—the numerous work book labels—Take Home Folder labels–Signature Folder labels, Writing Folder Labels—Writing Journal Labels—etc—

My best advice is to take the extra time at the beginning of the school year and create a baggy to house a blank “label” for everything that a new student will require to blend into their new home away from home.