We know the final school year bell hasn’t rung yet, but I’ve found that now is actually the perfect time to start setting your classroom up for a successful back-to-school season! A few years ago, I booked a trip that started the day after school got out – boy, did I regret that! I realized how important closing up my classroom really was when I came back in August SUPER overwhelmed!
By tackling a few key tasks now, you can save the future you from those last-minute summer scaries. Imagine kicking off the new school year feeling organized, refreshed, and ready to welcome your next set of students. These five simple end-of-the-year teacher tips and resources will help you end this school year with a clear plan for a smooth start next August. Are you a new teacher? These are great considerations as you begin to plan for your first classroom, too!
1. Improve Your Systems
First, start by tackling your files and folders. A little organization now can save you from stress later! Whether you’ve gone mostly digital or still prefer printed resources, take some time to sort through everything. This year, I got rid of my filing cabinet, and while it was quite an undertaking, I haven’t regretted it for a single second!
Tidying up now will mean a fresh start in August.
- Delete or archive what you no longer need or haven’t used in 3+ years.
- Clean out your downloads folder and messy desktop.
- Sort through your filing cabinet and bins.
- Create folders for next year’s units.
- Organize any materials you’ll use again – task cards, manipulatives, etc.
Next, take inventory of your classroom supplies. What do you have left, and what will need to be restocked next year that won’t be provided by students or your school? Make a quick list so you can take advantage of back-to-school sales later. I’ve also been known to score yard sale and Facebook Marketplace deals from retiring teachers, so having a list of exactly what I need is really helpful and helps me avoid impulse buys (I’m looking at you, Target Dollar Spot!).
Finally, spend some time reflecting on your classroom procedures. What worked well this year? What were a few challenges? Use those insights to tweak (or overhaul!) your systems for next year. This Tips for Organizing Student Work post is a great place to start if tackling papers and assignments is always a struggle.
2. Prep Back-to-School Activities
Now is also a great time to prep materials for those first few weeks. Take advantage of shorter lines at the copy machine now to make copies and prep resources you know you use every year when school starts.
This Simple Solutions post has low-prep resource lists that will save you time all year long if you get them ready now!
A few staples in my classroom that I always prep are:
Prep Ahead Tips:
- I usually make five more copies than the maximum number of students who will be in my class. This accounts for new students, lost or destroyed student copies, etc.
- Decide on your subject colors now! I LOVE to color-code when appropriate. It makes life so much easier.
- Consider what you can use over and over, and laminate it to cut out over the summer. It’s a perfect road trip project!
- Decide if you are going to make individual sets or hole punch and put them in binders. I typically prefer binders, so I hole punch everything ahead of time, too!
Sub Plans
Raise your hand if you have ever dreaded taking a day off because you’d have to create sub plans. My hand is definitely up! Thankfully, through many years of teaching, I’ve perfected my sub plans and made taking time off easier. Last year, I even had a guest teacher tell me that my plans and organization were the best they’ve ever seen, thanks to this substitute teacher binder. It’s the perfect resource to prep now for next year!
These emergency sub plans include FIVE days of editable plans, plus dozens of extra activities that your students will love! This resource includes 190 pages of activities for use with substitute teachers or in your classroom! Whether you are making emergency sub plans and need PRINT AND GO or want to mix and match activities to make the perfect guest teacher plan, this is the ultimate sub plan resource!
Free First Week of School Lesson Plans
I’ve always spent hours upon hours upon hours perfecting my first week of school plans. Then, I usually get about half of what I planned done, which usually makes the second week a breeze! Those first few days offer such a crucial time for building community among classmates, forming relationships with individual students, and setting the groundwork for classroom management and your routines. You can download my FULL First Week of School Plans right here to prep now!
You can also visit this post to see the free plans up close first!
3. Reset Your Classroom Decor
Aside from prepping specific activities, I also like to spend time resetting our classroom. Start by taking down anchor charts (because you’re going to make new ones with your students next year, right?), end-of-the-year bulletin boards, and any seasonal decorations. Clearing your space now will give you a fresh start for August. Sometimes, students can even help! My students loved getting to take home our previous anchor charts and other items I didn’t plan to re-use.
It’s also a great time to update your calendar. Switch it over to August now and cross that task off your back-to-school list later so you can spend that time on other tasks that can’t be tackled yet (like student rosters and related prep). This might be a small change, but it’s one you’ll thank yourself for later!
If you’re planning to update your classroom themes or colors next year, now is a great time to make those decisions. For the record, I’m not a theme girl, and I have had the same classroom colors for the last five years. Changing every year is NOT necessary and can get expensive and take a lot of time! Instead of changing it up every year, I prefer to get one or two new additions to my classroom. This year, I got our new pet jellyfish (they’re obsessed), the calming waterfall, and lamp man. WAY better use of my money than cutting out new bulletin board titles in matching decor! My students have LOVED them.
Just like your classroom restock list, you can take advantage of summer sales and deals to find new items for your room. If you’re still finding your way when it comes to classroom decor, visit this post for Practical Classroom Decor Tips. It also has suggestions for what to prep now and what to save for later.
4. Make a Summer Plan
For many of us, summer is a welcome break to rest and recharge. For others, we like to spread our back-to-school tasks out over time. While I don’t think anyone should feel obligated to work during the summer, I know some teachers love to prep and get ahead of their school year while they can. If that’s you, make a plan for what to take home now so you don’t have to run back to school multiple times throughout the summer. This might mean tasks like:
- Prepping essentials for your math block
- Prepping essentials for your literacy block
- Prepping your literacy centers
- Cutting and laminating task cards
Engaging in professional development opportunities over the summer can also provide fresh perspectives, new strategies, and valuable skills that will benefit both you and your students all year. You can browse my FREE professional development opportunities here. I hope these resources help you reflect, set goals, and invest in your continuous growth as educators.
5. Download Your Free Planning Companion
Finally, if you’ve ever felt like you’re constantly racing against the prep period clock when you’re trying to find the right resources for your classroom, you’re not alone! Many teachers find themselves overwhelmed with the endless choices out there, wondering how to sift through it all to find resources that will truly benefit their students. But here’s the good news: I’ve created a free Teaching With a Mountain View resource guide just for you!
More Back-to-School Tips
Looking for even more ways to kickstart your next school year? Visit these helpful posts packed with more back-to-school tips and inspiration!
Mary Montero
I’m so glad you are here. I’m a current gifted and talented teacher in a small town in Colorado, and I’ve been in education since 2009. My passion (other than my family and cookies) is for making teachers’ lives easier and classrooms more engaging.
