Preparing for Year 2

Life is slowing down a bit!  I've been married for 12 days now and so far I'm experiencing a blissful marriage!  Life just doesn't get much better than this!  We should be moving into our house by mid-September, at the latest.  Other than that, life is good.  I can now focus more completely on teaching (and crafting, as I have a couple craft shows to prepare for in a few months).  I have so many goals for this year, so many things I'd like to modify to help encourage learning. Here's a list of what I'd like to do:

Goals for 2012-2013 School Year

1. Morning Opening - Add "Good Things" and a variety of open journal questions (may choose to share or not share).  Start checking student journals.
2. Student Planners - Get students used to using a personal schedule and adding things to their personal calendar.  Also, maintain school daily schedule and incorporate into personal schedule.
3. Conversation Jar - Create a jar with questions on popsicle sticks or pieces of paper that students can choose and read to help facilitate conversations (social interactions/social skills).
4. Follow-Up Questions - As a class, come up with a list of follow-up questions to FAQ, i.e. "How was your day today?" or "What are your plans for this weekend?"  Come up with questions that are more personalized.
5. Art Class - Incorporate art into the monthly calendar.  Probably every other Friday.  Develop a list of possible art projects to work on.  Will also need to gather necessary art supplies.
6. Homework - Although my students are adults, I'd like for them to have "homework", something that they're responsible for and should be working on and practicing while at home.  Examples include: memorize address, wear job interview appropriate clothes tomorrow, etc.
7. Year-Round Projects - This program is vocational oriented, so I'd like my students to be working on an employment portfolio and resume throughout the year.  To introduce this, I'll have to explain what a portfolio and resume is at the start of the school year by showing and talking about my own.  I'd like students to be able to take their portfolio and resume home with them by the time they graduate from the program.
8. Personal Goals - I'd like to emphasize the importance of goals.  We talk a lot about goals, but I'm not sure if my students can see a distinct correlation between personal goals and how they are related to their behaviors and actions shown toward achieving their "goals".  I need to help them light a fire of motivation in order to really understand the importance of goal-setting and how it relates to their peers in the real world.
9. Afternoon Wrap-Up - Continue to include the "How was your day?" question, but add a high/low (best and worst part of your day).  Follow this by weekly evaluation sheets and calming music (working on those coping skills).

These are just a few of my goals.  I know that I probably have a lot more, but I can only accomplish so much.  If I only accomplish a few of these throughout the year, I'll be content.  Last year my focus was on increasing student ability to communicate with others (i.e. conversational, greetings, initiating and maintaining conversations, body language while communicating, etc.) and I consider that a success.  I've even heard back from one student's parents that they have noticed this achievement in their young adult.  I love to see that others are noticing these adults continue to learn!  I have such a special job, and I'm so excited to continue to make improvements this year!