<<I've never had a problem with the first 5 minutes of class. I greet each kid at the door when they walk in and encourage them to go get their work out. >>
That's the way things are in my classroom, too, once they've gotten in to a project. Most of the times kids are at their places and working before the bell rings.
Of course when there's a new project being introduced, they need to come in and be seated to wait for instructions.