Home  >  E-Newsletter Archive Listing

Welcome to the CALLOWAY HOUSE E-Newsletter Archive

October 2007

GO GREEN!

All too soon, many parts of the country will be seeing that white stuff, so why not take the time now to think about going green! What can you do to make your classroom more environmentally friendly? Find out here!

It IS easy being green! There are many ways you can turn your classroom into a green one.

SAVE PAPER

Present paperless lessons. Use a whiteboard, chalkboard, OVERHEAD PROJECTOR and TRANSPARENCIES more often. Our PACK & GO PRESENTATION KIT provides a whiteboard and easel wherever you need it!

Use both sides of the paper. This goes for your students’ seat- and homework as well as handouts.

Get the most out of one sheet. When creating handouts, do what you can to keep it to one page: single spaced, smaller font, narrow margins, etc.

Use the computer. Save files on your computer rather than in a filing cabinet or binder. When creating new handouts, proofread them on your computer screen as much as you can instead of printing several drafts. Have students complete assignments on computers (with your supervision).

Have more oral exercises. Another option is to use DRY ERASE LAPBOARDS or ANSWER BOARDS. The students can write their response, then hold up their board for you to review.

Encourage packing green. Ask students and/or parents to provide reusable containers for packed lunches, including a cloth napkin, instead of providing disposable containers.

Recycle. Our RECYLE BIN has a lid that accommodates papers, cans or bottles. You can also have a designated area for students to recycle their papers for use as scrap paper. Our PAPER WEDGES or THE STACKER would be ideal since they both hold lots of paper.

Buy recycled. Purchase paper and other products that are made of recycled materials.

Route/share. When communicating with colleagues, e-mail or post on a central bulletin board. For documents requiring a signature, route them instead of providing one copy for each person. Create a “sharing area” with a sign-out sheet for supplies teachers can share, such as reference books, supply catalogs, information binders, newspapers and other reusable materials. Our LIBRARY ORGANIZATION STATION includes blank cards to create an ideal sign-out pocket chart for more than just books!

Reuse student supplies. At the end of the year, collect any usable supplies from your students. Writing instruments, rulers, partially used notebooks (with used pages torn out) or notebook paper, worn binders, etc. can all be collected and either donated or kept for next year’s students who forget or can’t afford supplies.

Reuse personal/classroom supplies. There are many things you can save to use later such as:
- gift bags. Sometimes they are too crumpled to “re-gift,” so save them for classroom raffles/drawings or for simple hanging storage.
- film canisters. Their small size is perfect for storing tiny manipulatives or coins. They are also just the right size for lost teeth!
- egg cartons. They are great for mixing paint or for use in craft projects or as sorting trays.
- crayons. Our CRAYONPRO™ ELECTRIC SHARPENER will keep crayons looking like new for a long, long time. However, when they become too short to be sharpened, you can recycle them. Use them to make candles, or melt a few of them together (250-300 degrees for five minutes) in lined muffin tins to make big, fat crayons!
- magazines. Use the pictures for projects and the words for word banks. You can also donate magazines to a local doctor’s office (provided they are recent). Some areas also have places that will recycle magazines or glossy paper.
- old calendars. Calendar photos make easy decorations for walls or bulletin boards. Cut up the calendar squares for students to use for calendar practice.
- meeting handouts. The backs of meeting handouts can be used for scrap paper or any number of classroom projects.
- plastic bags. They are great for covering desks for messy art projects. You can even use them as “bibs.”
- paper bags. They make great book covers and can be used for many classroom projects – even bulletin board covers!

Laminate. Laminate often-used sentence strips and worksheets. Students can write on the laminated surface with WET ERASE MARKERS or STUDENT-SIZE DRY ERASE MARKERS, and the surface can be wiped clean. Another timesaving alternative is our WRITE ON! PAPER-SAVER POCKETS – insert the paper, then write, erase and write again on the pocket’s surface!

SAVE ELECTRICITY

Lights out! In addition to turning off lights when you leave the room, try turning off the lights when you are working or even teaching. It will also be a nice change for your students!

Take advantage of window blinds. In the summer, natural light may not be efficient since it will raise your room temp, so keep those blinds closed. In cooler months, however, opening the blinds can warm the room and save energy by allowing you to turn off the lights!

Keep your lights clean. Some schools will annually clean light fixtures. While it may not be possible for you to clean your own fluorescent lights, you can periodically clean any lamps or other lights within reach with a dry cloth. Keeping them free of dust will improve light output and save energy.

Delamp. If there are areas of your room that don’t require full lighting, (corners, near windows or skylights, over computers, etc.) have one or two lamps removed.

Turn off unused equipment. Every evening and weekend, turn off printers, monitors, copiers, radios and any other electrical equipment. Check with your IT department to see if they want you to turn off your computer.

Turn on the sleep setting. While screen savers do not conserve energy, enabling the sleep setting on your computer helps conserve energy while your computer is running.

Use laptops. If you need a computer or a new computer, ask your school if you can have a laptop instead of a desktop – this saves oodles of space AND energy!

Avoid use of any personal equipment. Although many schools prohibit them anyway, you can save energy by not using space heaters, fans or other personal electric equipment at your desk.

Keep vents free. Make sure desks and other classroom furniture are not blocking radiators or air vents.

Check thermostat settings. If you have control of your room’s temperature, keep it a little warmer in the summer and cooler in the winter. Inform parents of your room’s temperature settings so they can ensure their children are dressed appropriately. Make settings even higher/lower after school hours.

Open the windows. On nice, breezy days, turn your thermostat off altogether and open the windows if you can.

Close the door. When the thermostat is on, keep your door closed to allow your thermostat to work properly.

Check for drafts. Examine seals around all doors and windows leading to the outside to make sure they are tight. Escaping/incoming air can be a huge energy waster.

Go outside! Turn off the lights AND the thermostat while giving your students a change of scenery.

IMPROVE AIR QUALITY

Use nontoxic supplies. Make sure art supplies are labeled as nontoxic prior to purchasing. Our EXPO® and EXPO II® LOW-ODOR DRY ERASE MARKERS, WHITEBOARD CRAYONS, LIQUID ACCENT HIGHLIGHTERS and more are all nontoxic!

Clean green. If you keep cleaning supplies in your classroom, make sure they do not contain harsh chemical ingredients. Green cleaning supplies are made from biodegradable materials and are much healthier for your students and the environment. Encourage your leadership to clean the whole school green!

Decorate with plants. Plants are very environmentally friendly and do a great job of keeping the air clean. Make sure you use plants that will not affect any student allergies.

Carpool. Take turns with colleagues that live near you. Not only does this save gas and improve outdoor air quality, but it also gives the passengers a little extra preparation time.

Encourage students to take the bus. Instead of having parents drop their kids off, encourage them to “carpool” by taking a school bus.

HOT TIP: Reduce back-to-school catalog clutter. Thoroughly review each catalog when it arrives. If a product interests you, attach a sticky note to the page. Go through the tagged pages and cut out the selected items. Staple the items together with the order form, put the catalog’s date on the form and file until you are able to order. Then recycle the catalog!

Return to the E-Newsletter Archive