Back to School Postcards

When August rolls around, I instantly go into back to school mode!  As a child, sending and receiving mail fascinated me and I had pen pals all over the world.  Nothing was more exciting to me than taking a trip to the post office and finding a postcard or letter for me in our mailbox!  So, one of my most favorite things I like to do before school starts is send my students a postcard.

I usually mix it up and do a different postcard each school year.  I have a feeling that this year is going to be unlike any other we have experienced before, so I wanted to do something extra special to get my students excited about kindergarten.  I found this super cute postcard template on TPT for FREE and the students get to scratch off a section to reveal who their teacher is!  It’s so fun and I couldn’t pass up this postcard by Teaching the Tinies.  I got the scratch off sticker from Amazon to place over my face!

Of course handwritten notes are super special, but I decided to type a note for my students and include something a little extra.  We won’t be getting to have KinderCamp or Open House this year, so I’m brainstorming to find new ways to connect with my students.  This year, I decided to make a video of me reading them a story from the classroom.  I’m not a video professional by any means and I hate watching and hearing myself, but the kids don’t care about all that stuff! Lol  I wanted a way to introduce myself to them, let them see their classroom, and start this year out in a positive manner!

I recorded a video of me reading “The Pigeon Has to Go to School” by Mo Willems. This is a super cute story with just enough silliness to help relieve some of the anxieties the kids might have about coming to kindergarten.  After I made the video of me reading the story, I uploaded it and created a QR code that I put on the postcard.  So now, when they get it in the mail, they can scan the QR code and go straight to watch the video! 

Their postcards should start delivering today, so I’m excited to hear if they enjoyed getting some mail.  Our first day of school is scheduled for August 26^th, so I’m going to keep working in my classroom and getting things ready until then.  I love having a new, fresh start each year and plan to remain positive no matter if we really get to go back to school in person, or end up going all virtual like many school districts across Kentucky are starting to do.  I’m sending prayers  to all the teachers across our nation and I hope you have an amazing school year as well!