Spring Teacher Blogger Retreat!!

We are ready to roll out the red carpet and announce that we are opening registration for the

And you WILL NOT want to miss what we have planned for you this year!

Are you ready to be treated like the red carpet star that you are?

Need a weekend of pampering to escape from the “work” of teaching?

Need to be re-energized and fall in love with teaching all over again?

Ready to shine and be recognized for the teaching-star that you are?

Then come walk the red carpet with us at French Lick Resort!

French Lick is an incredible resort is located in southern Indiana, but it is within 3 hours of Cincinnati, Nashville, Indianapolis, and St. Louis!

And let me tell you...they are ready to pamper us again!  

Here are the details...

WHO:  YOU are invited!

WHAT:  Spring Blogger/Follower Retreat!

WHEN: March 17, 18 & 19, 2017

WHERE:  French Lick Resort & Casino - French Lick, IN

WHY:   To meet new friends, share blogging & TPT tricks & tips, 

and just have fun! {LOTS and LOTS of FUN!}

Join us for the whole weekend, or just a day!

Here is a peek at some of the things we have planned…

Friday, March 17th

·       OPTIONAL:  Many attendees gather and socialize at the beautiful West Baden Hotel.  Come early and join us! 

Saturday, March 18th

·       Blogger Meet-Up Luncheon:  Get-to-know-you luncheon, teacher product giveaways, and “Teacher Tool” gift swap game

·       Keynote Speaker:  None other than PRINCIPAL GERRY will be there to uplift, inspire, and create a room full of laughter

·       Teaching, TPT, Blogging Round-table and Workshop Sessions:  We will send out a survey asking for topics of interest and we invite you to submit a round-table proposal as well. 

·       Dinner Reservations at Resort Restaurant/s:  (OPTIONAL) Meet up for dinner at one of the resort’s casual, but classy restaurants.

·       Saturday Night Social Event:  Since everyone who is a teacher knows they went into this profession for the fame and fortune (yeah right!!)……We will be rolling out the red carpet for you as we invite you to dress up as your favorite star, pose for the paparazzi, and fabulous fun with friends!  (Heavy hors d’oeuvres, non-alcoholic beverages, photo booth pictures and party favors included.  There will also be a cash bar.)

Sunday, March 19th

·       Sunday Breakfast/Brunch:  (OPTIONAL) Meet at the resort’s famous breakfast buffet for our last gathering of good food, good conversation, and goodbyes!

The cost for attending this event is $75, which includes your lunch and beverages, the whole afternoon of workshops and fun, and our Saturday night social event (including food and non-alcoholic drinks).  This is the ONLY required fee for the entire weekend!  The rest of the event (hotel fees, if you choose to stay on site, and the remainder of the meal fees will be on your own, based on your choices!).  If you live close, you may choose to drive in for the day.  This fee needs to be paid by Feb.12 to guarantee your registration.  Also, note that due to the increasing popularity of this event, registration may have to be limited due to size.  (More details for payment will be posted on our private FB meet-up/retreat group page.)

Wondering if this event is something you might be interested in?  Check out what some of last year's attendees have to say...

Hannah F. “Last year was my first year at French Lick and I was so nervous! I remember driving up there and imagining all the things that could go wrong! (of course) But, when I arrived I was overwhelmed with the kindness of every single person there. Everyone felt like they belonged and they did! The whole weekend was full of fun activities that helped me grow as a teacher and as a person. I made so many brand new friendships that I will carry with me forever. I remember driving away feeling refreshed and so ready to get back into my classroom! This weekend will refresh your love for teaching from the very instant you step into the hotel! “

Heidi N. "It was so refreshing to be surrounded by like minded teachers!  I left the weekend with new perspective, new ideas, and a lot of new friends!"

Maja A. "Last year's meet up inspired me to do so many new things, I finished out the school year strong with the things I learned from the other teacher/bloggers there!  I am so excited for this years meet up!"

Are you ready to sign up for a star-studded weekend of fun?  Simply click HERE to register for the event.

Questions?  Feel free to contact us at teacherbloggerretreat@gmail.com

Spring Teacher Blogger Meet Up Recap and GIVEAWAY!

I'm so excited to recap my fabulous weekend at the #springteacherbloggermeetup2015 along with all of the other bloggers in attendance! 

AND we're giving you the chance to win one of THREE amazing teacher swag bags! 

On Friday night, I arrived in French Lick and met up with my friends and roommates for the weekend, Tiffany and Brittany. I love these girls and had the best time just hanging out with them. 

We met up with some other friends for dinner and spent the rest of the night putting together these adorable name badges from Schoolgirl Style. Schoolgirl Style also donated the lovely decorations and a gift card for the giveaway! 

The next morning it was time to get ready for the luncheon and meet up with over 100 other teachers!

The set up crew (minus Tiffany and Micah): Brittany, Heather, Holly (amazing host of the event), Amanda, Heidi, me, and Brittany (amazing co-host). 

After lunch, we all helped to complete this INSPIRATIONAL display by writing our names, an adjective to describe us, our favorite subject to teach, and our blog name. Then we took turns sharing in order to get to know everyone in the room. This stayed up all weekend! 

I posted about our teacher tool swap gift exchange {here}. So much FUN! 

Then we had a blogging tips and tricks session and some roundtable discussions. I loved being able to learn from some of the best teachers in the country. I should definitely qualify for some PD points from this afternoon. :)

 

I loved meeting Dee Dee Wills, and she had some great blogging and teaching tips to share. 

So many wonderful sessions, it was hard to choose!!

Then it was time for the GIVEAWAYS! We had so many generous sponsors for this event. These companies definitely support teachers and the work we do everyday! This is just a sampling of the prizes. There were so many! 

 Hue Animation 

 BrainPop

 Lakeshore Learning

 Seat Sack - They donated three different class sets of products. I so wanted to win!

SDE 

And many more! You'll definitely have to check out the other posts below to see the other products and the winners! Spoiler alert: I didn't win. I'm the unluckiest person when it comes to drawings! 

But the good news was that no one left empty-handed! After all of the door prizes had been awarded, Holly announced that every attendee would receive some amazing teacher swag!

No attendee will be without a scented writing instrument or sticker thanks to WeVeel/Scentos! Their products are so much fun. Teachers and students love them!! If you've never tried these, you must! These markers are my go-to every day for anchor charts!

Creative Teaching Press donated stickers, magnets, and door prizes from their new line! Be sure to check it out!

We were able to take all of this home in this fabulous Vera Bradley market tote! I am in love with mine! It is perfect for hauling supplies to school and back, and it is SO CUTE! 

 And the biggest surprise - We all got an Erin Condren teacher planner!!!

I have always wanted one! Now I'm not sure how I lived without it. It is the most adorable way to stay organized, and I need all the help I can get. 

You can enter to win your own swag bag by entering the Rafflecopter giveaway at the end of this post. 

Three winners will win all of this: 

If you thought the day ended there, you would be wrong! 

Thanks to Teachers Pay Teachers and GoNoodle, the fun continued well into the night with a PJ Party! 

Have I mentioned that I love these girls??

Heidi and I were in charge of passing out GoNoodle lanyards at the door. Thank you, GoNoodle!!

Obviously we had to get down to some Koo Koo Kangaroo.

We love Teachers Pay Teachers!!

The photo booth was hoppin' all night! 

The whole PJ Party group!! What a fun night! 

It was such a wonderful weekend. I hated to see it end. I left feeling inspired and supported, and there is no better feeling. Thank you to our amazing, generous sponsors, our fabulous hostesses, and the inspiring educators who filled the room with passion for this profession. I couldn't have asked for more. 

I'm already looking forward to next year! 

Be sure to check out the other posts below and enter the giveaway!! 

An InLinkz Link-up

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Teacher Tool Gift Exchange

Because blowing up your Instagram feeds last weekend wasn't nearly enough to share everything, my blogging buddies and I are linking up to tell you about the fabulous teacher tools we received in the Teacher Tool Swap part of the #springteacherbloggermeetup2015 weekend! 

We had so many teachers at the meet up this year that we split up into grade level groups. Here is the first grade class photo. :) 

There are some fabulous ladies in this group! 

The amazing Amanda Pauley from Mrs. Pauley's Kindergarten lead the room in a "left, right" game where we passed our gifts around the circle until the end of the story. 

Then we took turns opening our gifts and hearing how each teacher uses the gift in her classroom. 

It was so much fun to see all of the "tools"!

I ended up with Brittany Brune from Nifty in First Grade's gift!

She uses Play Doh in her classroom for her early finishers. They keep a container of it on their desks and can build their sight words with it when they finish their work. Great idea!! 

I didn't think to take a picture of the gift I brought, but Mel D from Seusstastic ended up with my basket of Dollar Tree goodies! I swear that place is a teacher's dream come true. The basket contained student certificates, stickers, bulletin board letters, sentence strips, and more! 

I can't wait to tell you all about the rest of this amazing weekend! 

An InLinkz Link-up