The end of year is a lot of fun, but packing up your classroom can feel daunting with the endless list of to-do items. Skip the overwhelm and close out your classroom with ease.
Join me for the End of Year Classroom Closeout three blog/podcast 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.
Map Out End of Year
Two to four weeks before the end of year, take time to fill in your calendar. Map out the “big picture” view of all the activities, interruptions, deadlines, and days to pack up your room.
Consider adding this to your calendar for end of year:
- Deadline for last day to grade and finalize grades
- School activities and instructional interruptions
- Teaching team activities/celebrations
- Classroom activities/celebrations
- Days or weeks to come in early or stay late to pack and clean
- Plans to keep students engaged
There are many items and tasks to consider when planning the last two to four weeks of the school. Taking the time to map out the end of year eliminates decision fatigue and overwhelm.
Take Pictures of the Classroom Set Up
Many classrooms are cleaned in the summer, and all the furniture is moved out of the room. After the deep cleaning, the items are returned to the classroom, but very rarely are items placed in the same place.
Having pictures of where furniture was will speed up the time it takes to set up in the fall and decrease decision-making for room setup.
If you are planning to change the layout of furniture, or if you are moving to a new room and can get a peek of the room, draw or sketch layout ideas while it is fresh in your mind.
Taking pictures of the classroom setup may feel silly, but it will save time when it’s back-to-school set up.
Purge for End of Year
When I start organizing and sorting, I start with areas that are out of sight of students. It’s essential to continue with routine and keep class going with little disruption until it’s closer to the end of year.
It can be hard to keep it out of sight of the students because when organizing, it generally gets messier before it gets organized. I have bins for the papers and items I am keeping so they can be kept together and stay in the cabinet as I organize and recycle.
Purging items and papers you no longer need is very important and difficult to do as a teacher. We love to keep everything because you never know when you may need it!
When purging, ask:
- Did I use it this year?
- Do I want to use it?
- If I used it, do I want to use it again?
- Am I teaching this again?
Get rid of it! If it’s too difficult to part with an item; have a file or a bin labeled, “I might need it.” Put any items or papers you’re not ready to get rid of in the bin or file.
Just remember that once or twice a year, it’s beneficial to sort through the “I might need it” file or bin and purge or move back to permanent storage when you feel ready.
Save What You Need
Saving papers and items tend to be easier, but create or use a system for saving.
Save what will benefit your teaching items that are used each year. The rule of thumb for most teachers is to save it all, so this step doesn’t require much.
Having a system will make what you save easier to find and use next year.
Get all materials that can be copied for next year ready. There may not be any materials that can be copied or prepared for next year…BUT if you use a newsletter or syllabus and know nothing will change over the summer, copy and prepare it for the next school year.
Have digital files front and center that will be needed for the beginning of the year by creating a system for your digital files.
Preparing for routine items for next year now; will make coming back in the fall easier.
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