The beginning of every school year is both calm and hectic. Teachers and educational professionals receive information on incoming students about how they can be successful and what tools may be beneficial. The classroom team then spends the first few days assessing beginning knowledge as well as gaining rapport and pairing with each student. I believe that 1:1 time with each student is both beneficial and necessary. Planning out time for each student as well as the rest of the classroom takes time. In this post, I will share the resources that I believe are a must have to get to know each learner and plan meaningful lessons and activities for them as well.

The first resource that initiates communication with classroom team members is the Paraprofessional Training Manual. This resources starts up conversations about how the team wants the classroom run as well as gives an opportunity to create a team mission statement and create a bond between everyone. The second resource I am sure to have on the first day of school is the Special Education Classroom Setup Checklists. This resources helps kickstart my brain and energy into the start of another school year. No matter how long I have been teaching, this resources is a great reminder for me about what my role is as an educator and how I run my classroom. The third resource that my team and I use in the beginning of every school year is the Home School Communication Packet. This resources is important for all of my learners to have, especially those that may not be able to tell their families how their school day was when they get home. My team and I create a binder with a view pages and as our learners grow, the sheets inside that are sent to home and to school can be adjusted for more individualization.

The next few resources are the ones my team and I have out and ready to use with our learners. These resources can be used as independent work tasks, assessments, or engaging large and small group activities. These resources from The Autism Helper get the school year started on a less chaotic note in our classrooms.

• Digital resources to use on tablets or computer time
• VB-MAPP
• ABLLS-R
• Easy Matching Weekly Workbooks
• Errorless work tasks 
• Math work tasks
• Communication work tasks 
• Work tasks mega pack 

The beginning of the year always goes so fast and there is a lot of material we include in the first few days. In order to calm some of the stress, I gather all of these resources and review them with my classroom team. Having a plan gives structure to the adults and the kids within the classroom environment. We create a family and when the adults are calm and prepared, the learners feel a sense of home and safety. Have fun!