Getting Ready for Next Year?!?

Yes, that's right.  It's not even spring break and I'm getting ready for next year.  I think once we get over the assessment season hump I pretty much go in the this mental state where I decide that the current school year is over.  Of course, we have nine weeks still remaining, but in my mind our biggest hurdle has been jumped over and we're just coasting the rest of the way.  In all honesty, I love this time of the year because I feel the freedom to do more of the things that I enjoy and aren't so driven by prepping for state assessments.  Novel studies, social studies projects, science units, and field trips are in our very near future. 

The other part of my prepping for next year has to do with the fact that I have a student teacher right now.  She's not taking over everything until after spring break, but I'm really only teaching math right now, so that gives me a lot of extra time to work on other things throughout the day.  Our district started a copy center this year so I've been taking all sorts of cool blog and Pinterest finds and sending them over to be copied and laminated.  Since this is the first year, we weren't really given a budget, so I'm feeling pretty free to get stuff made.  I'm all about doing things in packets or having it bound into books so there are less paper all over the place.  I've already had first semester morning work and blank vocab organizers copied and spiral-bound into books.  I've also sent over some posters, folder games, task cards, and a few other random goodies.  I always seem to be here 'til 7 or 8 p.m. some night before school starts just making tons of copies, so it's going to be great to not have to worry about it! (Especially since without fail, the copier here in the building always dies at a detrimental time.)

Our staff decided to not do much of a theme next year and just let the teachers do things on our own.  I'm pretty sure I'm going to stick with my Poppin' Patterns decor since I've already dropped a lot of money on getting a lot of matching items from that collection.  I'd like to get change a few things in my room, so I'm trying to figure out what I can get done this year so that I'm not stressing about getting it done next year.  

(I've mentioned I'm going to be moving this summer and that's also a factor...  I'm not sure where I'm going to live yet, but I'm 99% sure I'm going to be downsizing for a while and so I'm really not looking to take any school projects home for the summer until I get settled!)

My district is working on finalizing next year's calendar and it appears that school will probably be starting on August 14 or 15.  That seems super early, but it's about the same time as the past few years.  I'm hoping that getting some stuff done now will cut off a day of working at the school beforehand.


Is anyone else out there really crazy like me and is already prepping for next year?  What kinds of things do you try to get accomplished before you head back in August?