From Amy:

#1 Netflix
Netflix makes it so easy to watch movies or TV series I totally missed out on.    Any favorites I should watch?

#2 Grease
Speaking of movies....I love Grease.   I know I have seen it about a million and one times.   I can't resist the call of those Summer Nights I guess.   Grease is the word.



#3 Fridays
Can I get a whoo-hoo for Fridays?    I am excited today is Friday and Monday is a holiday.    I'm just keeping it honest, friends.

From Laura:

#1: HEB. I looove HEB. It's so easy to buy a few things that are quick to make for dinner, like salmon patties and deli chicken. HEB is a lifesaver for me!
#2: Jazzercise. Yep, it's still around minus the leg warmers. There are several school employees who go, and I thought the time would be a good way for me to leave school and do something healthy. I have a total of 5 classes under my belt. My friend just did 100!
#3: I picked a really good time to go car shopping. It's hot, and I don't really have time for it. Edmunds is my go-to site for reviews and pricing. And I think I have it narrowed down to a Honda Civic or a Nissan Rogue. I really like the Rogue, but one of my friends had trouble with hers. Anyone reading have a good or bad experience?



Jenna at Speech Room News has a new link for organization!
Here are three ways I organize. First, I combined two ideas - putting card decks in a shoe holder and putting card decks on a binder ring. Here's the big picture:

And a close-up of my labels and rings:
I first saw the rings at TSHA at the Super Duper booth, and that is the best thing I have ever spent time organizing! I love how the cards stay together.

Second, a diag I used to work with kept her folders she was working on in a small container on her desk. I loved it and copied it. Only the things I need most often and are currently working on live in this container. The folders aren't hidden in a drawer or in a stack.

If you're not from Texas, just substitute "IEP" for "ARD".

The third way is from Amy, my librarian sister. She organized my books alphabetically by author's last name going from left to right on the first two shelves. The third shelf is seasonal books from New Year's Day to Christmas.
These are a few things that work for me. What works for you?
Well, I'm exhausted! The first week always increases my appreciation of classroom teachers. I have laid eyes on a few kids but not done any therapy yet, and I'm still hitting the bed before the sun sets! Not exactly... but close!

So this year I am at two schools. I am supervising a licensed assistant at one. All of the licensed assistants I've supervised have been great. This one was a teacher in 1st and 2nd grades, so she is the first licensed assistant I've had who brings classroom experience in. I got a peek of it today. She has always been the classroom teacher scheduling, and she got to be on the other side of it. And she got it done!

The other school I am serving is a brand-new elementary. The last elementary I opened was in 1999. I forgot how much it takes. Tomorrow morning is scheduling for the school. I'm using the post-its method I talked about in Speech Therapy: Scheduling. I'm making a few changes. The main one is my breakfast goodies are from HEB and aren't homemade.

Here are two pictures that I think summarize my week. The first (blurry) one shows my wall in the new elementary. The second one shows that Mavalus tape isn't so marvelous. I get things done, namely making student lists, hit a few snags, and then keep on going. Hopefully, I'm more in the going phase now!




Lisa had a sweet Kinder kiddo last year. We'll call her Eloise. When Eloise came to visit Ms. Lisa, she looked at the behavior chart and said, "That's new. The other behavior chart was perfectly fine!" So fine that Eloise adapted the behavior chart for her own family at home!

Last year's Hollywood inspired chart from Cara Carroll:
 This year's bright chevron behavior chart from A Cupcake for the Teacher:
New year, new theme! Wonder if Eloise is going to change her family's behavior chart?

Tuesday Talk with Amy

It was the first school day with kids today.    I have forgotten what that whole experience is like.    Even though this is certainly not my first rodeo.    I gave lots of hugs today.    I saw lots of smiles from kids and teachers.    It was a great day.

Here are a few goodies I am looking forward to using this year:
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And this was a hit last year:

And this is brand new to me:

And these are awesome to the maximum level:

And this, well I am crossing my fingers will help the sweeties with book care.     In the last few years it seems like I am failing at teaching book care.    While it never used to be this hard of a concept.....it is now.    So, I came up with an I Can Statement Book about taking care of books.     It can be used for the school library, classroom library or even textbooks.   Please, oh please, let this help with book care lessons.   (yes, plural)

Now, onto to conquer Day 2.    I think it is going to be a loooooooooonnnnnnngggggg week.    And I wish everyone a wonderful year,
Amy


Lime Chicken Tacos is a quick and easy weeknight meal from one of my favorite recipe sites, Six Sisters' Stuff. Here's how mine turned out:
Jim decided to make a mountain of the meat and toppings and then break apart the taco shells. He ate his like nachos. In his pile are some pinto beans and Goya Yellow Rice, which is in the International aisle at HEB and is the most like restaurant rice that I have found.
The Good: So easy to make, especially because HEB already sells most of the toppings already cut up. Everyone liked them and said they would eat these again. Winner!

The Bad: I forgot the sour cream :(

Summary: Definitely a very easy and delicious weeknight dinner!
Wow, what a summer it's been! I didn't really plan on having so many giveaways this summer, but I hope you had fun and even won something!

Tomorrow is the first day of school with students for all three of us. And quite honestly, last week kicked my generously sized bootie! Our district has hit the milestone student population of 10,000, and the speech/language department is not fully staffed. (Anyone moving to Central Texas? Email me!) I need routine and a schedule! So here's how our blog will work for this school year.
Manic Monday will be whatever we feel like, but I'm anticipating weeknight recipes to make your life easier and maybe some more giveaways.

Tuesday Teacher Talk will be done by my sister Amy, a librarian. She has great observations and ideas about literacy and oral language!

Wild Wednesdays will focus on cute things our students do. Keep an eye out for lots of sweet things from Lisa's Kg kiddos!

Therapy Thursday will be a roundup of my week as well as a peek at the next week. Maybe it will keep me organized.

Friday Faves will be a few ideas from each of us that we found during the week. They may be school-based, personal, or just fun!

It's a little ambitious to post 5 days a week, so honestly, we probably won't. But we do look forward to getting back into our routines and sharing lots of stuff with you!

Thanks for reading this, and have a great 2013-14!

Congrats to giveaway winner Danielle F!

Amy has been hard at work on some Reader's Theater projects. First up is Holidays July to December.
I love these sets! First, the 14 sets focus on information. Second, the dialog is based on high-frequency words. Third, each set contains an activity to go along with the Reader's Theater. Fourth, each set contains each set in B&W and color. Fifth, the sets have not only the well-known holidays but also the not-so-famous ones that are required by TEKS, like Constitution Day. 

Holidays July to December contains 250+ pages. Here's what you get:

Independence Day: script plus a Noun/Verb Sort Activity

Labor Day: script plus main idea activity

Constitution Day: script plus graphic organizer

Johnny Appleseed Day: script plus Apple Life Cycle labeling activity

Columbus Day: script plus graphic organizer

Halloween: script plus 1 Halloween safety graphic organizer

Day of the Dead/Dia de los Muertos: scripts plus main idea activity

Election Day: scripts plus election activity (includes ballots and recording sheets)

Veterans Day: scripts plus Patriotic Punctuation game

Thanksgiving: scripts plus craftivity What We Know About Thanksgiving

Hanukkah: scripts plus What We Know about Hanukkah recording sheet and What We Know about a Menorah recording sheet

Poinsettia Day: scripts plus Fact and Opinion Activity

Christmas: scripts plus an ABC Order Activity

Kwanzaa: scripts plus labeling activity


Informative Reader's Theater Holidays July to December is a deal at $12. We are also running a giveaway. Thanks for taking a look, and good luck!

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All Y'all Need is participating in the big BTS sale at TpT! And we've posted a few new items so you can get the discount!
If you like Reader's Theater, you'll love these three sets that combine information and fun! Each set is based on high-frequency words and includes an extra class activity. And, each set is focused on topics required by TEKS.

Informative Reader's Theater Set 1: Weather and Seasons includes 75+ pages of four plays for The Four Seasons, Hurricanes, The Tornado, and Weather. The Four Seasons comes with a graphing activity, and the other three include graphic organizers. $7, $5.60 on sale.

Informative Reader's Theater Set 2: Plants and Rocks includes 60+ pages of three plays for A Plant's Life, A Plant's Parts, and Are You Ready to Rock? A Plant's Life and Are You Ready to Rock? include graphic organizers, and A Plant's Part includes a labeling activity. $5, $4 on sale.

Holidays July to December Informative Reader's Theater (set 1) includes 250+ pages of 14 holidays! Each set comes with a class activity. Holidays included are: Independence Day, Labor Day, Constitution Day, Johnny Appleseed Day, Columbus Day, Halloween, Day of the Dead/Dias los Muertos, Election Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Poinsettia Day, Christmas, and Kwaanza. $12.00, $9.60 on sale.

Two more products addressing TEKS are TEKS for SLPs - Kg and TEKS for SLPs - 1st Grade. Align your IEP goals and objectives with TEKS with these resources! Each set is $7, $5.60 on sale.

And for everyone is a set created by Amy, the librarian, about book care! I Can Take Care of Books is full of I Can statements so your books stay in top shape! $3, $2.40 on sale.

Remember to use the code BTS13 at checkout to get an additional discount from TpT! Have fun shopping, and thanks for taking a look!
I may have mentioned I'm a Texan. No? Well, howdy! And Texas is not a Common Core state. We have our own guidelines called TEKS, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills.

And did I mention that I'm learning my fourth data management system? Yep. And while I have high hopes for this system, I'm not entirely familiar with it. And I have to align TEKS to IEPs, which no previous system did despite promises. So I went old school and made myself a checklist and a breakdown of the TEKS I use the most.

Introducing TEKS for SLPs - Kindergarten!
It's a 43-page packet, and it's all in black-and-white for easy printing.
Inside are two main sections, with the first one being a list of TEKS that most closely relate to speech/language. Expectations have blanks before them. I like to keep mine in sheet protectors in a binder. Then, I can check the blanks with a dry-erase marker, write the IEP, erase the marks, and start on the next student! Here's a sample:
And here is one of the Extras pages that breaks down vocabulary. The items with an asterisk are specifically mentioned in TEKS. There is also plenty of space to make your own notes.
I'm so happy that I have a TEKS resource to check when writing IEPs! I'm a little nerdy like that. Okay, a lot nerdy.

TEKS for SLPs - Kindergarten is available through All Y'all Need for $7. And yes, it's included in our BTS sale starting Aug. 18 for 20% off. Then use the code BTS13 at checkout for an additional discount! You can also enter our giveaway, but hurry! It ends Sunday morning. Thanks for taking a look!
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With the big BTS sale at TpT going on this weekend, we are loading up our wishlists! Here are a few of our favorites.

From Amy:
Primary Graffiti's Comprehension and Strategy Posters are great for any librarian.
Amy loves monkeys, so Krista Wallden's Monkey Business Clip Art is a must-buy.
Amy also loves rubber duckies, and Glitter Meets Glue Designs' Just Ducky Clipart fits the bill!
From Laura:
Back to School Trivia & Games from Mia McDaniel will be great for starting out the year!
Frontal Lisping "S" Remediation Program from Twin Sisters Speech and Language Therapy - because I can never have enough "S" programs!
Mega Fluency Packet For Speech Therapy from Speechy Musings - because fluency students seem to be on the increase for me.
And there are a few items no longer on my wishlist but great for BTS:
*Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Books Speech and Language Companion from Figuratively Speeching SLP
* Robotic Oxymorons from Lindsey Karol
* Flip Flap Listening Comprehension from Speech2U
* Auditory Comprehension Back to School Pack - Speech Therapy by Wide World of Speech Therapy

From Lisa:
The Old Lady Swallowed Sub Tubs Bundle by Primary Graffiti

The Substitute Survival Kit by Rachelle Smith.
True Colors by Cara Carroll

Crazy for Kinders! (Back to School for Kg) by Babbling Abby

What's on your wishlist?

And All Y'all Need is participating with 20% off our whole store!
Graphic by Courtney Gragg of PSST Let's Talk
To get the discount, just shop from All Y'all Need and use the code BTS13 at checkout for 28% off! We know the sale is short, so we are extending our sale by a day. The BTS13 code won't work past August 19, but all items in our store will be 20% off on August 20, also!

With three of us and 140 items, we have plenty to choose from! Here are some items that would be great for back to school!

Some of our best sellers are Guidelines and Checklists for speech and language. These packets are designed to be a starting point when a teacher sees you in the hallway and says, "Oh, I'm so glad to see you! I have a student I'm concerned about!" The packets are for PK, Kg, 1 and 2.
We have memory books for the classroom and for speech/language.
Work efficiently with Progress Report Covers and a Thematic Organizer for SLPs.
Check out our newest products for getting the year started off right! These include I Can Be a Station Superhero Chart, I Can Take Care of Books, Fall Ask Away, Back to School Write and Say the Room, and I Can Be a Wise Worker Chart.
We also have units, the reason we started working together, like Orange You Smart: All About Fruits and Vegetables and Turkey Time.
Thanks for taking a look, and have fun shopping!
Amy the librarian has taken I Can statements to a new level with I Can Take Care of Books.
The packet includes I Can Statements for taking care of books, an original poem called Our Library, and a Promise Page. It's a great way to teach book handling skills and keeps books from being torn up or forgotten! Use this for your classroom or school library. It's just $3!

Do you have students who need to improve their worker skills? I Can Be a Wise Worker Chart addresses working independently and with others and what to do when work is finished. The packet is $2 and comes in a cute owl theme.
To show students how to work in stations, use the I Can Be a Station Superhero Chart! The packet is $2 and includes several expectations for statements.
Thanks for taking a look! Since these are new products, we are running a giveaway for each one. But hurry, because the giveaway ends Aug. 17! Good luck!

I Can Take Care of Books Giveaway. Congrats to winner Lorena P!
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I Can Be a Wise Worker Chart Giveaway. Congrats to winner Shannon C!
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I Can Be a Station Superhero Chart Giveaway. Congrats to winner Julie G!
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