Close out the year without the overwhelm and endless list of to-do items. Packing up your classroom can feel daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. Even if you love to close out the year, find new ways to organize and prepare for success in the fall.
Join me for the End of Year Classroom Closeout series to prepare for the end of year with success and walk out for summer feeling like a rockstar! Check out my free End of Year Checklist.
Create a System to Close Out the Year
Systems sound time-consuming and tedious, but do what works for you when filing and storing items.
Make a system for filing physical papers. Use file folders, binders, folders, etc, to keep papers for lessons and laminated pieces together.
Have a digital system to “file” so that what you need is easy to find. Digital filing and paper filing can become messy throughout the year. Spend some time cleaning it all up and preparing for next year.
Remember to look at what files you already have and purge or save and label as necessary – it’s okay to get rid of things you are not using.
Organize Important Papers – Clear Clutter
I don’t like to admit it, but I have a folder to stuff papers in throughout the year. I don’t always file right away. When the end of the year rolls around, and it’s time to close out the year, I sit down with this file and start sorting.
For the physical papers, I have a bin next to me and I start sorting. Any important papers go in the bin, and the rest go in the recycle bin. I like to have the bin because oftentimes it gets messier before it’s organized and I don’t want to lose the papers I want to keep. It’s my “To Be Filed Bin.”
For digital files, I also have a folder for miscellaneous files. I save it on my desktop when I shouldn’t, so I have recently moved this file to my One Drive and put my digital files there to be sorted later.
When storing digital files, I like to color code and name files in a way that makes it easy to find.
You might think, “This is more work; just file it at that moment.” You may be correct, but not all papers are ready to be kept and filed. Some of these papers come from staff meetings or one-time activities, and they don’t fit in the files I have.
So…I save it and see if I want to or need to keep it, and then I figure out what to do with it. I go through these miscellaneous files twice a year.
Organizing files is highly personal, so do what works for you!
Label Everything to Close Out the Year
Preparing bins for books, manipulatives, posters, etc labeled and ready will make packing go more quickly.
If the bins are not clear, I label the bin with a table of contents. It is not always an extensive list of the items in the bin, but it is enough for me to get what I need when I need it quickly.
Another idea is to keep a digital table of contents and turn the file into a QR code, print the QR code and the contents will be available in a snap.
However you decide to label bins and boxes, make it work for you. I store and label seasonal decorations by month and list which months are in each bin.
I store posters and anchor charts together by unit and label the bins by unit.
Labeling does not have to be fancy, and it does not need to be extensive.
I save the labeling of furniture for the last week of the school year. It’s something I assign to student helpers. This is a pro tip – outsource whatever tasks you can to students you trust during the last few days.
Store with a purpose
As I sort through and clean cabinets and files, I label shelves. Putting bins in the cabinets may require bins to be pushed to the back; labeling the shelves eliminates the need to pull it all out next year when I am looking for items.
This is an extra step and is not necessary. I only label shelves if I have the cabinets and the time and energy. Pulling bins out to see what is inside of them does not take that much time, so labeling shelves is not a necessary step.
Inventory supply needs
As I clean and file, I list what I need to purchase. This ensures that I am only buying what I need instead of buying everything every year.
This also helps throughout the year to track inventory. The list that I keep is the list that I make while I close out the year. I have a pad of paper with them and write down supply needs. This may not be limited to markers and crayons, and glue; it might also include making new anchor charts or other items.
This list is typed up and then I have a digital list to use for years to come. It is a fluid document and it changes, but it gives me a great starting place each year.
Whatever system you devise to close out the year, make it simple and make it work. I hope you leave this school year feeling like a rockstar!
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