IT'S HERE . . . THE GREAT PEN PAL PAIR UP 2014

Alright, my friends . . . the time is NOW.  Sign ups for the 3rd Annual Pen Pal Pair Up have officially begun . . . and ended :(  Sorry friends.  See note below.

You may be thinking, "What is this Pair Up nonsense she keeps blabbing on about??!!"  Don't worry . . . I don't fault you for looking at me a little funny (nothing new here), but how about if I explain the whole deal a bit more?

For years I wanted to start up pen pals in my classroom.  However, I never quite knew where to start.  Finding a partner always seemed difficult and, well, it made my head spin a little.  This roadblock was enough to get me to dismiss the notion every year.  Well, that all changed for me two years ago when my friend approached ME about pairing up our classrooms.  She made things SO easy and my kids loved getting letters from their MD pals.  I wanted others to have this same no-brainer opportunity, so I started the Pair Up that same year.  

Now that you know what I am dishin' out you can make the choice to keep reading or bail now :)  However, if you are ready to become a committed pen pal for the upcoming school year, simply click on the Pair Up button below and fill out the Google Doc form ASAP (see the note below).

CLICK THE BUTTON ABOVE OR RIGHT HERE FOR THE GOOGLE DOC :)

Once the submission deadline passes, I will work hard to provide you with the best possible pen pal pair up (it takes me a few weeks)!  I will contact you directly with your pen pal's info as soon as I have most of the list compiled.  Unfortunately, I can't make the teacher I paired you with follow through.  However, I will be crossing my fingers, toes, and eyeballs that I made a lucky match :)  

REMEMBER!!  This event is open to all teachers - you do not have to be a blogger to participate!  So, what are you waiting for?  Go on . . . sign up!  I'd love to help ya find a partner.

Also . . . I've had a few questions over the years.  Here are a few that have come up recently.  I'll go ahead and address them for all to see :)

• How does it work with Kinders? - usually teachers do shared writes most of the year, but it's up to you and your partner.  
• Which grades do you pair? - it's mainly K-5, but I have done a handful of middle school classrooms in the past (6-8).
• Do you pair overseas classrooms? - yes, I have done this in the past.  However, I don't make guarantees if you are outside of the USA, but I do try my very best!  Usually these partnerships focus on more techy or online connections.  
• Do you pair special education classes?  yes, I have in the past.  As long as there is an even number . . . this tends to always work out!

UPDATE (7/19 @ 12:30) - WE ARE FULL :(
I AM SO SORRY IT GOES SO QUICKLY, BUT WE TAPPED OUT AT 800.
I WISH I COULD DO EVERYONE, BUT 400 PAIRING EMAILS IS MY LIMIT THIS YEAR.  PLEASE CHECK BACK THIS TIME NEXT YEAR . . . 
I WILL HOST AGAIN AND I ALWAYS GIVE NOTICE 
BEFORE THE SIGN UPS GO LIVE. 

If you are still wondering how you are going to manage this whole pen pal deal in your classroom, I did make a Pen Pal Packet for my partner and I to use.  It makes thinks easy as it contains everything you need to start and maintain a long distance classroom connection. If you already purchased this collection . . . hop back over to my shop and re-download this bad boy.  It received a facelift this summer (let's just say my design skills have come a long way)!  It's on sale until I make that final match . . . :)

**If you have additional questions about The Perfect Pen Pal Pair Up 2014, please feel free to contact me (kelleydolling@gmail.com).

***NOTE: The response last year was overwhelming - I received 500 entries in a few hours.  So, if you want in, get in now!!!  I'm going to place the first cap at 500 this year.  If my wrists hold out (stupid tendonitis), I will take the next 100-200 on the list.  So . . . I won't close the sign ups until I hit 700, but I only guarantee the first 500 to get a match.  How's that sound??  Don't get me wrong my friends . . . I am delighted to help, but compiling the list and emailing each pairing takes hours and hours.  I'll be icing those cranky little forearms like crazy . . . PROMISE!