Advice needed, classroom update, and back to school!

First things first I need some of my fabulous blogger advice on math books.

I really like using Envision math but this year our entire district order these books:

They are enormous, horizontal, and take up the whole desk! Not to mention you can't just flip through them and do the math problems. Do you see in the picture how you would do the front side then to do the back you would have to flip the book around because the problems are upside down if you don't? What you are supposed to do is have the kids rip the paper out and fold it. Hmm well the designers of this book have obviously never worked with Kindergartens or first graders. The book is not perforated so it does not easily tear out. I also feel like this would waste a lot of time teaching the kids how to do this. So most of our office staff suggested that we just tear each one out and fold it ourselves. You would have to tear our 18 and fold them and then sort them into each topic to keep organized...who has time for that when we are to start using them the 1st day. Then you have a bunch of lose paper too. So I'm stumped on what to do...I will probably give in and just tear them all out and sort them because that will be easiest in the long run for the kids. What are your thoughts? Have you used these Envision math books before?

Second thing I need advice on is my schedule chart. For some reason when I wrote on the wipe off pocket chart part of the white board marker stayed on the inside of the pocket. I need to change my schedule around this year but can't clean the inside of the pocket chart off. Here is a picture so you can see what I'm talking about.

Does anyone know a good way to get white board marker off the inside of this pocket? I thought about using a toothbrush and water to try to get it off but haven't tried it yet.

Here are some updated pictures of my room:

This is my literacy center chart. I am going to put the students pictures next to which center they are in. This way it can easily be changed when they check in. Next to it is my reader choice board that also needs my student's smiling faces.

                                                My writing strategies above my writing center.

This my math workshop board sorry you can't see that well because of the glare. I think I'm going to change the border on this though because it doesn't really match the rest of my room...I think I'll go with the  blue border that is in the rest of my class.

My specials rotation pockets. Each pocket has a day of the week and then the special we are attending that day.


Now here are some things I made yesterday.

Birthday bags:

Cute clipboards:

And I made a sign for my pirate wreath that says" Ms. Bullen's Buccaneers": 

I'm oh so excited about going back to school! We start pre-planning on Monday, Meet the Teacher is on Thursday, and then it's the start of a brand new school year! What I'm not excited about is going back to traffic school! :( :( After a wonderful college girls reunion last night I got pulled over by a robo cop. Yes he was robotic- he didn't give me time to cry, explain, or do anything besides give him my information. Blah-I was on the highway going 72 not bad right...oh expect for this part of the highway is 55. Don't know how or why I got pulled over when I was not in the fast lane and not going 80 like others but that's reality. So my last few days of summer will be going to icky traffic school. On the bright side (is there one really? of course!) my friend also just got a speeding ticket and needs to take traffic school as well. So we will be sitting with our laptops side by side drinking wine and taking traffic school on Saturday.

You are a awesome follower if you read through all that....look for a freebie come Monday! I have some lunch labels that I want to share but I want to take a picture of them in my classroom first.