5 Ideas to End the School Year Well

We're on the home straight now, with the summer break in sight, so it's a great time to celebrate our successes and end the year well with a few housekeeping activities to get ahead and ease any September stress.

Not sure where to start?

Here are a few inspirational ideas to end the term on a high.

1. Reflect on the good times

Taking photos of your best classroom displays and student work before you take them down or send them home will serve as a great reminder of what went well. Why not create a class look book for pupils to add their own highlights – from school trips to a favourite piece of work - it's a great way celebrate the successes of the year together!

We love the idea of a class scrapbook, which you can add to as the year progresses, but you might prefer to organise your class memories digitally as a presentation or in the form of a video project?

You could even upload them to social platforms like Pinterest or Instagram and share your creativity with other teachers for inspiration! Using hashtags such as #classroomdisplays #teacherdisplays, #classroomdecor, will ensure that your images are found easily.

2. Evaluate to help prep ahead

Whilst it's tempting to forget the year now that is drawing to a close, evaluating and noting what we've learned along the way could really help as we plan for the year ahead.

Simply ask yourself (and your colleagues, if you want to get some wider feedback)

• What went well?
• What didn't work?
• What can I change or improve?

3. Tidy up & revamp

Create the headspace you need to enjoy your time off by using end-of-term time to declutter and clean your classroom.

Let students help spring clean your classroom bookshelves and cupboards - from alphabetising and relabelling class readers to sorting out stationery and classroom trays - all hands on deck will make for some fun times in the classroom. If you have leftover paper you may want some recycling tips which include crafting and planting projects perfect for the wind-down weeks before summer.

And if you have any unclaimed school uniform lurking, make the most of the good weather to put items through the wash, ready for second-hand school uniform sales or to pop away as much needed spares for next year.

4. Match exercise books to your needs

With new pupils arriving in September it's worth double-checking you have the right exercise books to support their learning.

If you have new age groups, you may need to review the size of exercise books and check whether you need new rulings to suit individual requirements. A4 Exercise Books are the most popular and come in a wide range of rulings and cover colours for every subject, but A4+ Exercise Books (with extra room to stick in A4 worksheets) are a classroom staple too, and it's also worth considering whether you need Tinted Paper Exercise Books or Tinted Paper Refill Pads for your SEN students.

If you're still building your checklist, it might help to know that if you sign in to your RHINO account and start filling your basket it will be auto-saved ready for when you log back in.

5. Treat yourself & enjoy!

Finally, make sure you have a great break! Start planning plenty of 'me-time' and put some dates in the diary with friends and / or family as soon as you can so that you have lots to look forward to.

And don't forget, you'll also need school supplies for you - from notebooks and notepads to specialist teachers' books (all with the RHINO brand promise) - new stationery means a fresh start and adds to the excitement of a new school year.

Here's to ending the year well!

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