The night before school starts I call each of my students. I tell them about how excited I am to meet them and I ask them a couple of questions about how they are feeling and if they are ready for the first day of school. I end the conversation by asking them to go and find a special book, t-shirt, or picture that they would like to share the next day with me and all their new classmates. It amazes me how much a two minute phone call means to them and their parents.