Wasn't it just the end of June? The summer may go by fast, but the first month of school is a whirlwind of activity. I spent many days over the summer in my classrooms (yes- I work in three different rooms) trying to get organized for the new school year. If students know where to find materials, then set up is faster and clean up is more effective. It also increases their level of independence. It's embarrassing to admit that the last day of school involved loading the closet until it looked like the photo below on the left, but after hours of cleaning I feel like I really conquered this beast. Now, the real test would be to post another photo in a few months.
Another closet that I organized was actually hidden under a chalkboard. It housed a lot of supplies but didn't serve a real function. Now it is home base for the student portfolios, class boxes for three-dimensional work, and class bags for smocks. Last year, all of the portfolios were the same color. When a student misplaced one, it meant searching through hundreds of other portfolios. It hit me this year to color-code the portfolios by grade. I guess good ideas are better late than never.