Another school year is upon us and we’re here to help you with ideas to decorate, educate, motivate and save.

Start off the school year with Scholastic’s NEW Monsters Back To School Bulletin Board Set. These cute Monsters will brighten up your classroom and give a warm welcome to your students on those first days back at school. We have a coordinated trimmer, chart, notepad, and computer paper too!

Games make learning fun! Check out our large selection of games and activities to use during lessons and recess.

Are you looking for rewards that motivate? You’ll get a stamp of approval from your students with these fun NEW stampers.

We’ve also expanded our catalog by 40 additional pages filled with over 650 new products from Staples to make it easier for you to get all your school supplies.

Though it’s the middle of summer, we’re working hard to help you be prepared for a brand new school year (next month, right?)!

Windows are wonderful. There’s a built in adventure just on the other side of the sliver of glass between inside and outside. What do you do if you only have one small window in your classroom?

Just add another window! Not much budget you say? Here’s how you can add a window without putting in a requisition or negotiating a budget approval.

After we posted a note about Crayola’s new write-on-windows markers, K.C. Grewe posted an intriguing question on our Facebook Page:

How about framing transparencies? Go to the dollar store for the frames and stick a transparency sheet (maybe 2 for sturdiness) in the frame. Use transparency markers (I don’t know if these wall markers would work) to write, draw, etc and then wipe down when done.

For less, use sheet protectors. Pin/tape them up in different places around the room and create a window-like border around them. Then, have your students create pictures—images of what’s outside—and slip them in the pocket! These can be changed according to the season, theme, whatever you like. [by S Collazo and used by permission]

Wow. The creative geniuses over on that famous street have set records once again. Congratulations to the folks at Sesame Street on being awarded these Emmys:

• Outstanding Pre-School Children’s Series
• Outstanding Writing in a Children’s Series
• Outstanding Directing in a Children’s Series
• Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design/Styling
• Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation: Peter de Seve, Character Designer, Abby’s Flying Fairy School
• Outstanding Achievement in Multiple Camera Editing
• Outstanding Performer In A Children’s Series: Kevin Clash as Elmo and Joey Mazzarino as Stinky, Murray & Blogg

The Sesame Street characters add tons of smiles all over the place. Here’s a sample of the products available through SmileMakers:

• Sesame Street Head Shot Sticker Assortment with 75 stickers of 5 different characters
• Silly Elmo Stickers with 75 stickers of 5 different poses
• Scented Sesame Street Beach Stickers with 50 stickers of 5 different designs
• Entire collection of SmileMakers Sesame Street stickers and products

Looks like the state of California is experimenting with going all-digital. Technology is reshaping much of the way we get and create content. Moving to all-digital textbooks would be a reshaping of epic proportions. Theoretically, digital textbooks would be less costly and certainly easier to keep up to date. They could also include multi-media and interactive content as well.

What do you think are the benefits and the drawbacks to going all-digital?

Looking for real-life teachers who share their experiences online through their blogs? Here are a couple who will encourage you and occasionally stretch your mind.

Nashworld, Sean Nash, is an “instructional coach leading a community of learners at Benton High School in Saint Joseph, Missouri who are exploring learner-centered constructivism through emerging technologies.” His blog posts are thorough and well-resourced. Now’s a good time to start watching Sean: next year he’ll be undertaking instruction “unattached to a building,” and will be more closely exploring technology and the “participatory web.”

You might enjoy his well-photographed (270 images) Florida Keys Spring Field Study and his case for classrooms without walls.

If teaching writing is on your agenda, you may enjoy Two Writing Teachers, featuring Ruth Ayers and Stacey Shubitz. In addition to sharing their own teaching experiences, they also foster community amongst writing teachers be aggregating content from the community. Poetry Friday Roundup collects poetry creations and makes them accessible from one central place. Ayes and Shubitz also encourage submissions by way of blog post comments to a weekly Slice of Life Story Challenge. Both give you the opportunity to share your creations with your peers; you might just discover a new friend or two as well.

Many teachers share their experiences, stories, challenges, successes and more through their own blogs. Would you please share with us the blogs of your favorite blogging teachers?

If you’re a member of the International Reading Association (IRA), here’s your chance to be involved in leadership. The IRA is accepting nominations for vice president and for the Board of Directors. The deadline for nominations is July 15, 2010.

If you would like to nominate someone, you can complete the nomination form or mail a letter of nomination to:

2010-2011 Nominating Committee
International Reading Association
PO Box 8139
Newark, DE 19714

When Apple launched the iPad, they promised us they would change the way we consumed media. In the 80 days since the it launched, we’ve already consumed over 3,000,000 iPads!

The iPad is an somewhat interactive media tool. One navigates by tapping or pinching the screen or sliding fingers back and forth. Kindle books, TEDTalks and YouTube videos, and iTunes audio and video content flys nearly effortlessly from the “cloud” in the sky to the iPad, making it unbelievably simple to GET media.

The question is, how will the easy access TO content and the new way to CONSUME content influence reading and reading comprehension skills?

Would you weigh in to share your thoughts on how the iPad might influence reading in your classroom next year?

On June 22, 1944, President Roosevelt signed the G.I. Bill, clearing the way for returning soldiers to go to school. A wonderful description and backgrounder on the Bill and it’s influence on higher education are presented in The History Channel’s article.The article directly attributes the transformation of universities and post-war economic expansion to the G.I. Bill.

What do you think it would take to take another G.I. Bill leap forward in education?

Here’s a little something special for teachers: Teacher Perks. It’s a program to give you a little something extra. Here’s what members get:

• FREE Shipping on all orders of $50 or more.
• Special Private Sales each and every month.
• FREE Gift Offers

There is absolutely no cost to become a member of Teacher Perks! In fact, if you are currently a member of SmileMakers Teacher Club, we’ve automatically updated your membership to the new and improved Teacher Perks. If you are a brand new customer, you can add Teacher Perks to your shopping cart next time you visit SmileMakers.com, and you’ll be a member right away.

With the amazing success of the iPad, Apple predicts the device will change the way we consume information in the future. Who knows what the future will hold? Even if Apple’s right, children of tomorrow will still need to be good readers.

Drs Gisler and Eberts share 10 Ways to Improve Reading Skills in a recent blog entry. The article may be a good one to include in your enews update to parents next year. In it the suggest parents

1. Set aside a regular time to read to your children every day.
2. Surround your children with reading material.
3. Have a family reading time.
4. Encourage a wide variety of reading activities (and more)

Of course, Gisler and Eberts include six more suggestions to round out their “top ten.” If you were to finish the list, what would you add?

Here are a few Smilemakers resources to help you improve reading skills: