The end is near sweet educators, you've got this! I know so many of us wait intently for this time of year and dream of warm sunny relaxing days already back at the start of the school year but really we crave the lack of stress and the ability to have appointments scheduled at normal times, go out to lunch or eat lunch at all for that matter, and use the rest room more than every six or so hours when there is a chance to run to the bathroom.
But before all of that comes one of the most sacred times, at least to me, within a school year; the last few weeks, the celebration of the accomplishments, growth, and community over the last ten or so months. I find it important for my students and for myself to honor that and share in the joint joy and joint growth that has occurred. So, over the years I have felt this was a time for me to really find ways to celebrate students and create lasting memories of the way students felt inside the four walls of my classroom.
Class Photo Frames
One of the ways that I did this each year was by taking a class photo a few weeks before the end of the year. I would then go to a Michael's Arts and Crafts, Hobby Lobby, or Dollar Store to get wooden DIY photo frames which cost me anywhere from a dollar to two dollars per student. I would get the number of photos needed developed and place them inside the students photo frame. I would then write or paint the years and grade on each frame for students with plenty of empty space. On one of the last few days of school each student would pick a colored sharpie (I normally used a pack of 24 different colors and each student got a different color) and students would sign echothers frames. I'd remind student to just write their names this wasn't a place for messages but just to remember who was in our class and commemorate the community we shared together. My very first class who is now sophomores in high school I started this with on a whim and loved how excited students and their parents got for this end of year celebration. Some of the students in my first class still have their frames and have shared that will me recently. This is one of my favorite activities for the end of the year and I sit here now as I write this blog looking up at my frames with each of their sweet signatures and photos as I remember my beautiful, smart, witty, and wonderful students over the years.
Last Day Brunch
I often would do the frames project the same day as I would do my next activity which was our last day of school brunch. Now often for me my last day with students in our normal classroom setting wasn't the last day of school because I was an interventionist and special education teacher so I would do it on the last day with each grade level that I was seeing my whole group like a 'normal day. I would get donuts, fruit, milk, orange juice and Chocolate milk for students to eat as we went around the table and would share our favorite parts of the year and the memories we had together. It was always great fun and students looked forward to this special day. I would put all of the desks into a table like formation stretching from one side of my classroom to another and would put table clothes on the table with fun colored plates, balloons, and would put students photo frames on the side for them to pick up after they were finished eating. It was an easy yet fun way for all of us to share in the joy from the year and share some last laughs together before summer began.
One of the years I had flowers in the middle which were for Paraprofessionals, Behavior Interventionists and Co-teachers in my classroom and made the kids feel like we were at some place fancy and they loved it! You can also see their picture frames by their plates.
Count Down Activities
For the last ten days of school I would do a count down activities reveal. I would print out strips of paper each containing a fun activity or event for us to complete in our celebration of the ending of school being near. Some years I would use a balloon other years I would use baskets or paper bags for each day. Some of it depended on students needs and if the popping of a balloon would be a sensory concern for students. Each day the activities would range from extra recess, a special cold treat, or a fun activity we would do (sometimes even an academic one). The nice thing is as I was planning in the weeks leading up to this I would be careful to plan events on days I knew they were feasible and I could fit the extra recess or the special treat into our normal scheduling. I know the end of the year can get chaotic with testing, special programs, field trips, field days and other fun end of the year events so that was something I enjoyed. I also had about 15-20 different activities I'd choose from each year which would help me to be able to pick appropriate activities for my specific class that year as well as activities that fit within scheduling and any time constraints. Click here to get your copy of the countdown activity that I used in my TpT store.
Candy bar Superlatives
Another really fun way to celebrate students accomplishments and unique personalities is through Candy bar Superlatives. Each year after students were finished eating and we had signed our photo frames at our Last Day Brunch I would present the awards to each student in front of the class with the appropriate candy bar attached. Students loved to see what I'd pick for them and why I'd pick it. It was a fun way for me to reflect on my students and their unique abilities at the end of the school year too. I always loved spending some time picking out exactly what I felt fit them best. You can find many different versions of Candy Bar Superlatives and End of Year Awards on TpT from other sellers. I used a couple of different versions over the years.
Memory Books and Projects
For the couple of weeks before the end of school I enjoy filling in and doing memory book based projects for students to reflect on their learning for the year and how far they have come. As I said above it is all about celebrating students and their growth, all very individualized growth, that makes students unique and a beautiful part of our classroom community. One of the memory projects I enjoyed doing was an Ice Cream Sundae scoop project for students to reflect on their favorite subjects, memories, what was hard in the year and what they are looking forward to. It is a great way to teach student to reflect mindfully about their goals, growth, and promote self confidence. Want to do the fun filled Ice Cream Sundae memory project? Click here to get it for your classroom on my TpT store!
The end of year is such an exciting time and busy time of year. Take time to enjoy it even in the midst of the chaos. Reflect with your students, love on your students, and share in those last few moments of memory creation this school year. Happy end of school year, if it isn't here yet for you, it will be soon!
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