Hey Reader ,

As a born-and-raised New Yorker now living in the South, I’m still not used to how early school starts here.

My husband headed back for pre-planning last week. Yesterday was my daughter’s open house. And here I am thinking, but there’s a whole month of summer left! 🙃

That might have been true when I taught in Brooklyn, but here in the metro ATL ’burbs, the kiddos are heading back - some as early as July 31st.

Whether your school year has already begun or you're still soaking up summer (my Northeast folks, feel free to file this email away for later), one question continues to come up:

How do I want to start the year with my students?

Over the years, I’ve learned there’s no one-size-fits-all answer.

Some teachers love jumping right into content with engaging science labs. Others take a different approach - focusing on classroom routines, building a positive culture, and co-creating classroom norms.

If you're still figuring out what your first week (or two) should look like, I’ve pulled together a few resources to help:

👉🏾 This blog post: 5 Engaging First Day Science Activities​
👉🏾 This free resource: First Week of School Science Activities Planning Doc​

I hope these make the transition back a little smoother - whether you're still on the beach dreaming up your perfect year, or already knee-deep in the 2025-2026 school year.

You’ve got this.

Thanks for all you do,
Jess

P.S. The TPT sale is August 5th & 6th! My entire store will be 25% off. If you're looking for low-prep resources to kick off the year, here are a few teacher favorites:

🔗 Creating Classroom Rules​
🔗 All About Me - Science Superhero Project​
🔗 Beginning of the Year Science Activities Bundle​

TLDR? Start with the resource below. 👇🏾 It's free!

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