Guest Posted August 30, 2004 Posted August 30, 2004 Hi Guys, I’m getting quiet stressed because I have nothing done for the beginning of term… I got my job at the end of term and had no contact with my school till last week when I went in. The only other teacher there was the nursery teacher who told me my children would be turning up for another three weeks. I was given the planning folder for last year (which turned out to be for the wrong term) so I have no idea what I am supposed to be covering. So I have no planning because I don’t know what topic I am supposed to be covering (should I be picking this now or continuing what the school already does?), I cant plan literacy because the school uses Ruth Miskin and I haven’t been trained, I cant plan numeracy because I haven’t received their long term planning, I cant write the timetable because I have no idea of term dates, hall or break times etc. To top it off I haven’t even got a list of names for the children or how many there are… The previous teacher is staying on to help me so could it be that that’s why I haven’t been given any information? The school doesn’t seem to be in any rush to give me anything but I’m terrified I’ll go in on Wednesday for our training day and they’ll ask for my planning. Please help … (I have planned my classroom, display ideas and made some resources…)
JacquieL Posted August 30, 2004 Posted August 30, 2004 Oh that is awful no wonder you are feeling panicky. You don't say what the age group is. I assume it must be reception. Is that right that they are not in for another 3 weeks? If so you do have some time. No-one is going to ask you for planning on your INSET day, there will be so much else going on. Can you get in touch with your HT? I would have thought that s/he would be in before the first day back. If you have a classroom then plan using what is in it, equipment etc. Some HT's keep a copy of timetables on their wall or in the office. If it is Reception then you have the ELGs to plan for, and if you look at the thread on this site on planning there are some super ideas. There is an excellent example for the first autumn half-term to download. You could have that at the ready until you know exactly what you are doing. Good luck.
Guest Posted August 30, 2004 Posted August 30, 2004 Yes i have got a reception class, and apparently their not in for another three weeks although the nursery nurse wasnt sure. I've never been formally told when they turn up.
Guest Sycamore Posted August 30, 2004 Posted August 30, 2004 Poor you! DON'T PANIC! If I were you I would print off some of the great plans suggested on here in the last few posts. Print off the Autumn 1 long term plan using Ourselves as your topic and leave the weekly plans blank. You can then say to the HT (if she does ask you for plans) that you had planned some things but until you met the others and knew what sort of planning went on in the school you thought you'd just have skeleton plan. That way she/he will think you haven't done nothing at all but you haven't overstepped the mark of being the new teacher who wants to fit in? Does that make sense? I felt a bit like you last year, we had a new school opening, with only 1 class and I had no plans, and very few resources. I kept my cool and was flexible as much as I could be and things were stressful (in my head and for all who knew me outsidde school) but calm (in school in front of head, parents and teachers). Good luck
Lorna Posted August 30, 2004 Posted August 30, 2004 Easier said than done but don't panic.... it just makes things worse. If you have got 3 weeks until the class start then you will have plenty of time to sort out your planning etc. For now I would plan a few simple activities that you could use in the first couple of days when the children start. Book that you will read to them and simple follow up activities. Collect pictures for the name cards on coat pegs etc. I would also try contacting the school to see if anyone is in on Tuesday... you might be able to get the teachers telephone number so you can speak to her and find out whats going on. Hopefully you will find out it is all in place for you and you will be able to adapted things to your way of working as the term progresses. Let us know how it goes. L
Susan Posted August 30, 2004 Posted August 30, 2004 AS everyone else has told you Buttonmoon, dont panic. You have plenty of time to get yourself sorted before the children arrive in school and you amy find that elusive planning, if not the teacher is there to help you, just make sure you have the folder you've been given with you when you start back and be sure to speak to your mentor and or the head. YOu will be ok because we are all here!
Guest Posted August 31, 2004 Posted August 31, 2004 Im trying to calm down because part of me is really excited about geting started, my first day is tomorrow so ill keep you all informed how it goes. There will be lots to sort out as i dont have a mentor yet... should i take my CEDP with me? it is a INSET day. Thanks for you help and advice x
Lorna Posted August 31, 2004 Posted August 31, 2004 It would be worth taking it in just in case.... I doubt if you will need it on the very first day but is worth having it in school. Inset will give you a change to get to know other staff and find out about how things are organised. Make sure you have a list of questions about the things you want to know.... I always get tongue tied in new situations and the questions fly out of my head. Remember to enjoy your first few weeks...... Good luck L
Beau Posted August 31, 2004 Posted August 31, 2004 Buttonmoon, Good luck for tomorrow - hopefully you'll get a better idea of whats happening after that. Can I also add that my son had an NQT when he was in Y1 and she was one of the best teachers I've known. Her enthusiasm was infectious and the activities she planned for the children were fantastic. Speaking as a parent I would say that that is more important than having immaculately laid out plans - you've probably got hundreds of things in your head which you're dying to try out - the paper exercise can come later!
Guest Posted August 31, 2004 Posted August 31, 2004 Well, you are probably tucked up in bed now! But I'm sending you good luck wishes for tomorrow. Let us know how you get on.
Guest Posted September 1, 2004 Posted September 1, 2004 Buttonmoon, By now you'll be there and hopefully feeling less panicky ... hope it's going well. Good luck for the rest of the year ... and don't forget there's always lots of help from everyone here. Harricroft.
Guest Posted September 1, 2004 Posted September 1, 2004 Hi Guys, Thanks for all the happy thoughts! I had a terrifying but good day, everyone was really nice and friendly and ive started sorting out my classroom. Im worried about planning still but thats mainly because they have their own systems in place for assessment etc that i dont know which obviously affects my plans. Only thing id like to ask, at the beginning of term i need to assess all the children in my class but i dont know what im assessing. Somebody mentioned using baseline assessment but i dont know what this is or how to go about doing it. Thanks x ps i have been told i have some money to spend on stuff for the classroom... what sort of things should i be getting?!
Guest Posted September 1, 2004 Posted September 1, 2004 PPS i have no early years coordinator because i took her job, there isnt going to be a replacement. Does this greatly effect me?
Susan Posted September 1, 2004 Posted September 1, 2004 Glad you had a good day! I'm at a loss as to what to say, Buttonmoon. You need to pin someone down fast. Have you met your predessor yet? If she was coordinator there certainly ought to be some help forthcoming from that source, planning etc. The lack of a coordinator shouldnt be too distrastrous as I would expect the KS1 or yr1 teacher to help you, depending on the type of school you are in. You need to know whether there is a topic cycle/long term plan in place that you should be following at the very least. Its difficult to tell you what to buy without knowing what you have. An idea of topics would help you resource your classroom, but lots of paper and mark making materials, paints, pencils, collage materials etc etc are a godsend and you can do an awful lot with all of that. You also need to know what you will be resourced for in the curriculum areas of your school budget--ie dont spend your money if someone else will buy it for you!! Baseline Assessment has been removed from Reception classrooms by the FS Profile, which is cummulative and needs to be finalised in the summer term. You need to make sure you have a copy and that you get yourself on a course. Your school should have an assessment coordinator to help you. Talk to your mentor and or your head and if all else fails the advisory teacher or equivalent for the LEA. Good luck.
catma Posted September 1, 2004 Posted September 1, 2004 Don't panic!!!! Thats the first bit of advice. Take your time and get to know your children. It's pointless trying to see where they are at until they and you are relaxed in the new situation. Watch and make notes about things that strike you right now but don't think about assessing or similar for a few weeks. As Susan said official BAseline was removed a while back. Then when they and you have got more used to your systems and you also have the autonomy to do it your way focus on essentials, these might vary in your school but I would guess it is Reading, writing, numeracy and PSE. Look at how the children respond to the related tasks and make observation notes in their profile or whatever you keep records in. Keep samples of independent writing or recording in numeracy (I used to annotate these with context and response notes)And then consider what you need to do to move the children on from the pojts they are at. These can form targets and inform future planning anyway. It will take a while to get to this point so relax and enjoy. You should have a mentor in school as an NQT (not the person who is handing over to you) and ideally you should have someone in the LEA who supports NQT induction.Talk to them I hope you are getting your NQT release time too. If not speak to your union for advice! Cx
Guest Posted September 1, 2004 Posted September 1, 2004 Hi Buttonmoon Glad to hear your first day went o.k. As Susan says: baseline assessment has been taken over by what is called 'The Foundation Stage Profile. Your school should have a ring binder somewhere with the criteria you are supposed to be assessing against. Whilst it is not statutory to complete it until the summer term, it is still advisable to make some informal assessments of your own so that you can grasp an idea of what level your children are at when they enter the class, and therefore when you come to assess in the summer term, you can marvel at the progress they have made. I have got a proforma that i use. All you do is place the children's names down the side panel. Colour the boxes in either red, green or blue accoding to which term they achieved each criteria. Have a look. I hope it can be of some use. I find it helpful anyway Lots of luck Tiny one Sorry, have just trid to attatch it but it is too big. If you email me i can probably send it to you that way.
Guest Posted September 1, 2004 Posted September 1, 2004 The last teacher has actually left her planning of all themes so i am not without some reference but they are handwritten and hard to understand. I cant ask her either as she has moved away from the area. Is the assessment at the beginning of the year for my use only? could i use the early stepping stones as they should have covered these in nursery? I havent got a mentor yet, this is being decided tomorrow, when would i meet the LEA representative? The first thing i am going to buy is a sand and water tray... the old teacher didnt like it so removed it! Anyone know where you can get them cheap?! Thanks x
catma Posted September 1, 2004 Posted September 1, 2004 I would guess that most children would be in Blue or green levels so start here and you may have some who can meet an ELG or two but see where they are at first. Do you have assessment notes from the Nursery class or feeder settings? You need to start to build up an assessment portfolio for each child, as you will need this to complete the Profile and also to demonstrate your standards if you get audited for the profile. Photos, work samples, observations of all types, videos......whatever ou have to demonstrate how you think a child met a profile target. This early assessment of where they are starting from at the point you receive them is the beginnings of that. But give yourself time to settle, you won't do it all this week!!!!
Susan Posted September 1, 2004 Posted September 1, 2004 Sand & water trays unfortunately are big money! One of the suppliers has a set of 4 table top trays which look quite good and could be useful but I cant remember who or how much and have no access to catalogues now. The other thing that could be useful are the tuff tops(?)/ builders trays and although I think they are quite pricey are probably not as bad as equipment? Our school had an account with B&Q and I think a discount so could be worth asking about that too. They also sell play sand quite reasonably I think. Can you tell us the topics/themes you are supposed to cover and perhaps we can get you off and running with this planning!!?
Guest Posted September 1, 2004 Posted September 1, 2004 Hi, Thanks for the shopping advice! Im going to search the catalogues tomorrow at school. My first theme is 'Ourselves' which seems to be a assessment topic looking at the previous planning and so is quiet basic. I have looked at everyones planning for this already so have some great ideas, next is 'Celebrations' but after that i dont know. Im going to have a route around tomorrow to see if i can find some long term plans so at least i know what themes i am covering and roughly what early learning goals i am looking at. Thanks for all your help and i will be back tomorrow!
Beau Posted September 1, 2004 Posted September 1, 2004 At least you're sounding much more positive buttonmoon! It sounds like you've got a plan to work to now. There's nothing worse than the unknown. Another year from now and you'll be the one dishing out advice! It's an exciting time ahead - enjoy it.
Lorna Posted September 2, 2004 Posted September 2, 2004 Glad to hear your going in the right direction. The Norfolk website has planning on celebrations for your second half term... same format as the ourselves planning I put up. Let us know if we can help in any other way. L
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