Kindergarten Award Ceremony!

I did not sleep last night. I am NOT kidding, I literally never went to sleep. I tried, I really did, but sleep would just not come. I read for a while (The Maze Runner - have you read this? You really should if you haven't, it is amaaaaaazing, I'm like super obsessed right now), then I put the book down (well, the iPad) and watched tv, then laid there flopping around like a fish trying to get cozy for like 2 hours. I hate that flopping business. My legs get all restless and then my arms are all awkward, so I keep flipping. UGH. And not a wee bit tired, no dozing at all, not even a wink.

Finally I just got out of bed and busied myself around the house. Ate some crap, super delicious ice cream and chips, which made me feel guilty and is ultimately crap. But I never went to sleep, so I am telling myself it's ok to eat that at 4 AM when you don't sleep, it won't turn into fat immediately. 

Surprisingly, I am not even tired right now. WHAT is wrong with me?!? Why can't I always have this much energy? Must be the summer time schedule throwing me for a loop. Or maybe I'm just a fruit loop, who knows?

Anywho, I am so excited because I am redesigning my home office!! EEK!!! I have been wanting to do this forever and am finally doing it. I saved up the cash money flow and got all my ideas together and started about two weeks ago. I am almost finished and can't wait to share it with you!! Maybe tomorrow I will post the finished product. Here's a tiny sneak peak:

AAAAH! That is all I am showing you for now, you'll have to be patient :) hehehe! I am so excited!!!

Let's talk about school people. You know, that thing we are almost going back to?

I must tell you, after this year I feel like I could be an official party planner. No joke. I'd been planning celebrations left and right, so when the Kindergarten Award Ceremony rolled around at the end of this past year, I was prepared. More than prepared, really - it was in my blood. Themes, decorations, gifts, and more were racing through my brain. Here's the rundown on our celebration!

It all starts with the invitation! I sent home these little guys a few weeks before the special day. I attached it to a letter informing parents with everything they would need to know about that day. I had a cut-off portion on the form where families wrote whether they would be able to attend and how many guests they would be bringing.

My adorable intern (read all about that experience HERE) helped me set up for the big day. It was a half-day and we started decorating around noon. We stayed at school until after 9:00 pm getting things prepared. It was a loooooooong day! The next morning, it was all ready for the special occasion!! Here's how it looked:

Aren't these posters adorable?!? I had them made at Staples. I created a PDF and saved it as an image, then just uploaded it to the Staples website and picked them up from the store the next morning!

CLICK HERE TO GRAB THESE POSTERS FOR YOUR CLASS!

The tiles were such a sweet idea. My bestie teacher friend, Amanda (the one who moved away sadly), came up with this idea the previous year and I loved it so much! She shared the idea and I was so excited to do it with my kids this year. It is like the easiest thing to do ever. All you need is tiles, mod podge, a picture of each kid, and a printer! One of the ladies on my team shared the tiles with us for free, she had them left over. I know you can get them for a reasonable price at Lowes or Home Depot too. I printed the pictures in black and white and put a bit of mod podge on the back. Center it in the middle of the tile and stick it on. Then just use a little sponge brush or paint brush and brush a thin coat of mod podge over the entire front of the tile! Amanda suggested using the mod podge that is safe for outdoors, definitely a good idea!

We made memory shirts together and I set them up on each of their chairs so they would know where to sit. The pink and green papers under the chair were used during our song that we sang for their families. The song was a variation of Frozen's "Do You Wanna Build a Snowman?" and it was called "Do You Wanna Go To First Grade?" I made up the lyrics and we practiced singing it to the background music from the song. It was ridiculously precious!!

Here are the ribbons and awards, all ready to be passed out!

In the back of the room, the tables were displaying the end-of-year gifts for the students and their parents!

The "Great Expectations" poems are available HERE!

The Graduation Photo Sleeves pictured above and below are available

HERE!

The two pictures below are from a different year, where I used a cute personalized letter for each kiddo as well!!

The "Personalized End-of-Year Teacher Send-Off Photo Letter" is completely editable and available HERE!!

 The snack table!! I totally forgot to get a picture of the cake before we dove into it, but here's a shot that one of my kid's parents sent to me!!

In the front of the room I had my gift buckets that I love giving my kids each year! I fill them with summer-themed goodies, write their name on the front with puffy paint, and attach a cute little label! You can download the label/tag for free in my TPT Store HERE!

The above "Buckets of Fun" labels are FREEEEEE HERE!

The students also make a memory book that they wrap and share with their families!

Here I am, ready to start the show!

I call the kids up one at a time to pass out their awards.

After they have all received their award, I turn on the graduation song (you know, the one that goes "duuuuh, duuh, duuuh, duuuh, duuuuuuuh, duuuuuuh" - hopefully you can sing the tune to that hahaha) and they each come up to get their kindergarten diploma!

We all cheered and clapped for our new kindergarten grads and it was all over!!!

 This was one of the happiest and saddest days for me. I was ridiculously proud of them and how smart, kind, and awesome they are. I loved my kids so much and was seriously depressed that the year was over. We had been through A LOT together and were part of each other. I know that we are forever bonded and I cannot wait to see them again once the new year begins.

What do you do with your little ones on graduation day!? I'd love to hear all about it!!

I am off to finish up my office. I am so excited to see the finished product!!

Don't forget to enter my BIG FONT GIVEAWAY!

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LOVE AND HUGS TO YOU!
XO -Khrys