Easiest Classroom Mailboxes Ever

Happy New Year!!! I hope you had a wonderful break {I hear some of you are still on break? Sooo, jealous!} The entire month of January The Primary Peach is bringing you a new series..."A New Year of Organization!"

I always think about the new year and a fresh start, both in and out of my classroom. It's the perfect time to try something new, or fix something that isn't working. Who doesn't love to be organized? We all have our varying degrees of organization, right?

Today, I'm talking about mailboxes. Not the kind in front of your house...the kind in your classroom. A quick search on Amazon brings up lots of options for mailboxes, but they can be pretty pricey. My biggest issue though, is that they take up so.much.space! Umm, hello eyesore?

My co-teacher has actually been using a mailbox system that costs less than $15, and can sit on top of one desk (and still have room left over!) Whhhaaat? I immediately adopted it for my classroom too, and I.love.it!

Officially introducing...the EASIEST CLASSROOM MAILBOXES EVER!

Here's what you'll need:

- Milk Crate ($2.99 at Target) White | Black

- Hanging Files ($9.99 through Amazon) Teal (16 different colors) | Assorted Primary Colors How gorgeous are these teal ones?

- Space in your classroom (not sold in stores, although wouldn't that be nice?)

That's it! You can either type your students' names, or just write them on the tabs.

What goes inside?

- Graded work

- School-wide papers (you know the ones that come from the office that everybody gets)

- Permission slips

- Anything that needs to get inside Take-Home Folders

I use this in conjunction with "Communication Central" - a space in my classroom that handles the flow of papers in and out of the classroom. 

- Take-Home Folders (Students place their folder here each morning)

- Notes for the Teacher (absence notes, tardy slips, notes from home, sweet notes from students) - this eliminates a student handing me a random piece of paper and then me losing it!

- Homework basket

- Mailboxes

The best thing about this system is that it's pretty much student-run. I check folders daily, and look at any notes that have been put in my basket, but other than that, student jobs take care of the rest.

UPDATE: I've added a FREE mailbox label! You can grab them HERE or by clicking the image below!

Be sure to check out the other posts so far:

- Mandy shared a simple but super effective strategy (plus a FREEBIE) HERE!

- Jivey shared how to get organized with your PHONE! HERE!