Texas Size Link-Up ~ Back to School!

Howdy y’all!  We’re so glad y’all stopped by to see our #backtoschool tips and ideas and enter our Rafflecopter for the 2^nd Texas Size Link-Up!  

It’s that time again!  BACK TO SCHOOL!  As teachers, one of the many daunting tasks we’re faced with each week is creating a classroom newsletter.  We spend an hour of our precious time each week compiling all of the week’s highlights, homework, tips, schedules, and important events into a concise front/back page newsletter, hoping to entice our students’ parents to read it.  But if you’re lucky, only a small fraction of them read it.

We live in a visual society, so it makes sense that our classroom newsletters should be visually appealing for parents to read them.  So, to help you make your newsletters POP, we’ve created this HUGE set of fun Superhero/Pop Art ClassroomNewsletter Graphics, Digital Backgrounds, and Editable PowerPoint Templates that are sure to get your class’ parents excited about reading your newsletters! And you're in luck, we're giving it away as a part of this #backtoschool linky!

 

In this set, you’ll find:

58 Graphics
• Back to School
• Birthdays This Month (x2)
• Birthdays This Week (x2)
• Birthdays w/ Cupcake (x2)
• Birthdays w/ Layered Cake
• Book Fair
• Cake Layer for Birthdays
• Carnival
• Carnival tent
• Class Facebook Page
• Classroom News (header)
• Classroom Rules
• Class Website
• Contact Info
• Cupcake (no words)
• Fall Carnival
• Help Wanted
• Home to School Connection
• Homework
• Important News
• Lunch Menu
• Open House
• Parent Signature
• Picture Day
• Please Note
• Please Send (x2)
• Progress Reports
• Report Cards (x2)
• Schedule
• School Facebook Page
• School Events
• School Fundraiser
• School Website
• Sign & Return
• Spelling Words
• Student Holiday
• Student of the Week
• Subjects (English, Language Arts, Math, Reading, Science, Social Studies)
• Supplies Needed
• Thank You
• Tips (x2)
• Upcoming Events
• Vocabulary Words
• Weekly News
• Weekly News (header)
• Week Of
• Welcome Back

14 Digital Background Papers
• Solid blue
• Solid red
• Solid teal
• Solid turquoise
• Solid yellow
• Orange & white sunburst
• Turquoise & blue sunburst
• White & green sunburst
• White & red sunburst
• Fuchsia with black polka dots
• Fuchsia with pink polka dots
• Turquoise with white polka dots
• White with red polka dots
• White with black polka dots

16 Frames/Shapes
• Oblong (x5)
• Rectangles (x10)
• Square

8 Layout Images
• Horizontal Layouts (x4)
• Vertical Layouts (x4)

31 Editable PowerPoint Templates
• 15 Newsletter Templates w/ Classroom News Header
• 16 Newsletter Templates w/ Weekly News Header

We believe teachers are superheroes, so we think this theme is absolutely perfect!

Make sure you enter the Rafflecopter for your chance to win this HUGE set of newsletter graphics and templates (a $10 value)!  GOOD LUCK!!  

a Rafflecopter giveaway *If you purchase it and then win it, you will get a free item of equal or lesser value from our store!  Woohoo! :)

Thanks for entering in the Rafflecopter, and don’t forget to follow us on BLOGLOVIN to know when we participate in the Texas Size Link-UP every month!

~Heather & Ashley

Watson Works, LLC

Proudest Moment since Joining TpT!!

We have loved every second of our journey since joining Teachers Pay Teachers as a seller in February 2014.  But, I've got to say our proudest moment was this week when we received a letter from a Andy, a 5th grade student, who received a book because of a donation we made to First Book, an organization that puts books in the hands of children in need.

Andy, a 5th grade student, sent Watson Works a letter thanking us for the book he received due to our First Book donation.

Andy states in his letter that he was "so thankful that you donated the book The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan because my parents never want to buy books that I like because they're too expensive.  Another reason I am really thankful is because now I have a book to read during the summer."  Does it really get any better than that?!?  TpT has opened so many new doors for us, but this is really what it's all about - being able to give back.  Because, it really is true what they say - "it is in giving that we receive."

Plus, as educators, is there a better cause to support than helping decrease the illiteracy rate in America?  According to a study conducted in April 2013 by the U.S. Department of Education and the National Institute of Literacy, 32 million adults in the U.S. can't read. That's 14% of the population. 21% of adults in the U.S. read below a 5th grade level, and 19% of high school graduates can't read.  According to the National Assessment of Adult Literacy (completed most recently in 2003, and before that, in 1992), 14% of adult Americans demonstrated a "below basic" literacy level in 2003, and 29% exhibited a "basic" reading level.  The Department of Justice also reports that "The link between academic failure and delinquency, violence, and crime is welded to reading failure."  85% of all juveniles who interface with the juvenile court system are functionally illiterate, and over 70% of inmates in America's prisons cannot read above a 4th grade level (source: Huffington Post).

  
Just as the video below from www.LiterateNation.org states, "EVERY student DESERVES a chance to read, write, and learn for a LIFETIME.  NO exceptions.  NO excuses."  If you're interested in giving back, helping decrease the illiteracy rate in America, and providing books for children in need, too, I highly recommend becoming a First Book donor. Almost any size donation is accepted; there's just a $5 minimum required.  Then, 97% of all donations received provide new books for children in need.  To give your first donation, just click the image below.  It's fast and super easy! :)

~Heather
Watson Works, LLC