Classroom Work

I just worked in my classroom today, trying to get bulletin boards put up and getting my stuff organized. Since my goal is trying to be more organized this year, I'm trying to create spaces in the classroom for certain things. One area will be my whole group area, on the carpet, also used as the "reading center," with books organized by genre and my chart stand nearby. Another has a small table where I will place the center materials, worksheets, or whatever else I will use that day. So, I will try to finish that tomorrow.
Speaking of tomorrow, it's Saturday, and OPEN HOUSE day. The school has decided to have a carnival type open house outside with water slides and little pools for the kids and concessions for sale. Hmm. I wonder how many parents will actually show up to come into the classroom. They say we are not required to stay the entire time (from 10 to 2), but we should be there are 10 to greet the parents. I hope we get to stay inside in our rooms to greet parents, so I can at least work in between visits. My experience with open house tells me that I will have probably no more than 7-8 parents, if that many. And, usually, it's the parents that I don't need to see throughout the year for support.
The new teacher wasn't there today; I guess they have to go through some sort of process that takes a couple of days before she can officially begin work. Hopefully, she will be there Monday, and hopefully I won't have to do all her work for her. She will have to be filled in on the pacing guides, schedules, etc. and that will take some time, but hopefully she will take responsibility for learning everthing and preparing her room and her things herself.
My roster has only 20 children on it so far! I told everyone who asked to see it not to tell me anything negative about any of the kids on there. I want to start fresh and pretend that they are all honor roll students and have high expectations. I always hear the story about the teacher who was told she would have the highest honor roll, gifted students and when she got her class she expected nothing less. At the end of the year, she was told that there was a mistake, that she had the lowest class, but nevertheless, her students scored at the top. This group coming up to 5th grade has the reputation for being low since 3rd grade, but I'm going to pretend that I haven't heard any of that.