School Book Fair / Grandparents Day

This was the week that they turn our school library into a book store.  Kids shop during recesses and after school.  It's a big fund raiser where they earn $3000-$4000 for library books every year.  These are some of the books that were donated to our classroom by students or parents.  I'm so excited to get these read:

One Came Home- part mystery, part adventure, reads like an homage to True Grit.
A Long Walk to Water - dual stories, one in 2008 and one in 1985 in Sudan, based on a true story.

Inside Out & Back Again - based on the author's experiences, the story of a 10 year old girl leaving Saigon for America.
Navigating Early - How can Fred's daughter resist this cover? Reminiscent of Huck Finn, two boys set out for the Appalachian Trail on a quest for a great black bear.

I just started One Came Home and here's the first sentences: "So it comes to this, I remember thinking on Wednesday, June 7, 1871.  The date sticks in my mind because it was the day of my sister's first funeral, and I knew it wasn't her last - which is why I left."  I'm hooked already and will be reading all weekend.

Part of the great success of the book fair is the marketing plan.  This was also the week of kindergarten registration and all of the kids and their parents came through and bought. There was also a Bingo Night where you could escape the loud, hot gym and just browse through the book selection in the quiet library.  The best marketing ploy though is scheduling Grandparent's Day during the Book Fair.  Grandparents visit the child's classroom for 30 minutes of activities, bring lunches or eat school lunch, and then take their grandchild to the Book Fair.  For two and a half hours, they make bank!

I love having the grandparents visit our classroom.  I start a discussion and ask them to share some of their experiences in grade school, experiences in life, and wisdom they might want to share.  All the grandparents talk and share, and the students listen transfixed. There is always one or two that went to a small one or two room school, one who went to a strict Catholic school with nuns, and one that went to a big school in a big city.  This year, a grandparent had gone to school in Thailand.  Another grandparent had a band in high school and was the opening act to Paul Revere and the Raiders, at the fair in Portland. Grandparents talk about military service, travels, hobbies, and most of all, the importance of education as a means to a good life.  We had 27 grandparents visit this year.  Two came up from Roy, Utah, just to have lunch and go to the book fair one last time. It's a crazy day, but one of the best days.  

Kindergarten Registration

We had kindergarten registration yesterday in the gym and cafeteria.  Parents and almost kindergarteners come through and meet the teachers, the principal, check with the nurse, get a free book, visit the book fair, AND take a short assessment.  I always volunteer to help give assessments, because it's so sweet and sometimes funny to meet these little kids. Some of the girls come in Sunday dresses with their hair all fixed.  During the assessments, their parents have to wait at a table that has some reading materials, but none of them look at it.  They're all watching for clues to see how their child is doing.  They always do fine, but you can tell who's been getting ready.  They're suppose to know their letters, numbers, colors, shapes, and be able to write their name, trace a line, and color a square.  The hard questions are about rhyming words and a beginning sounds.  I showed one girl a picture of a mouse and emphasized the M sound - mmmmmouse - before asking her the beginning sound in mouse.  She said, "Eeek, Eeek!"  Pretty funny.  

Sunday, March 8th

I've decided that I'm not going to be the dumb one at church every week.  In class they ask for an example of a spiritual experience or an answer to prayer, and I can't think of any! Other people (and not only the intellectuals) make insightful comments that are deep.  I need to dig deeper and ponder.  That's why I've decided to step-up my scripture reading to scripture study, and to take notes during sacrament and the other meetings.  

So this was my favorite quote from church today:

Let us not be satisfied to live our lives without knowing Christ. The comfort of his Spirit enables us to walk a different path, in the direction we wanted to go before we came to this earth, a way that brings us more light, knowledge, ability, and joy each day. Finding this path and following its course is the only real treasure in life.

From Elder F. Enzio Busche - Liahona, Aug. 1980

New Challenge

We started a new Meltdown Challenge on March 1st.  This one is only four weeks and we're suppose to lose 3% of our weight.  I figure it will keep me on track through Spring Break. Hopefully it will help me get through the stress eating that comes at the end of the quarter with all the activities and assessments, and the eating out of boredom that comes when I'm working on the computer for hours and hours while clicking grades and writing comments.

After spending the three days in Salt Lake at a Take Shape for Life conference with his cousin Randy, our health coach, Terry returned to Boise, and Randy and his wife Jeanette followed to visit family and friends up here.  It was so fun having them come for a visit and to be able to meet them in person, instead of on a Zoom call.  We have a lot in common (besides being related), and they're fun to be around.  I would have liked to visit longer, but I'll make due with weekly check-ins while he's coaching me, Zoom calls, and online comments.  We'll know each other pretty well by the time I get to where I want to be. 

Art Night

Here are the promised pictures from my school's art night:

Every class does a clay project.  This is my favorite.  I want one of these for an olive dish.

I liked these frames and the quote next to it.

1st grade work.

I thought these were cool.  The top is cut styrofoam, and the reflection is a print.

Loved these.  They had all kind of animals - giraffes, snakes, birds.

I don't know the name of the artist that they studied, but the 2nd graders put all kinds of things in the picture with themselves.  I liked the girl with Kermit the Frog, but I couldn't find the pic.

Fourth Grade

My class studied and artist that made skinny sculptures.  Ours were made with wire and duct tape.

I should have learned the names of these artist.  These were self-portraits, but the artist we copied drew long necks and distorted features.

My art mom brought in an old typewriter and sewing machine.  The kids had to draw these with one continuous line.  I'd like to frame these for an office or sewing room.

I'd like to frame these too.

Out to Lunch

Stace and I went out for a long lunch on Saturday.  I've been dieting, so it was great to just eat, but a relaxing afternoon, a long talk, and my first visit to the Village made the whole thing even better. We ate at Zupas, a new sandwich/salad/soup place and I didn't go off my eating plan by much. My turkey artichoke pesto sandwich and berry salad were great.
It was pretty crowded and loud when we arrived at 12:30, but we found that if you sit around and talk for a couple hours, the crowd thins out.  We even had a celebrity sighting - Kellen Moore.


I never get together with just Stacey, and that needs to change.  We have a lot in common, and plenty of family stuff that we can talk over.  She also has a lot of ideas and projects going on that inspire me.  Right now, I'm inspired to clear out stuff and tackle some home decor projects over spring break.  I want my house to look like it's been staged to sell.  It was a great afternoon.  She did say that they're contemplating a move to Arizona.  It would be great for them, but I'll be regretting all the opportunities we've missed and all the long lunch afternoons we didn't spend together.

Freedom Weekend...not

Terry was in Utah for three days and I thought I'd have a wild weekend where I could do whatever, and eat whatever, and watch whatever, and wear whatever I wanted.  Not really a wild weekend.  I meant to stay up until 11:00, drink a diet soda without guilt, watch David Letterman for the last time, and wear my pajamas all day, but that dream just didn't work out....

The first night was a school night and I had grading to do.  Friday was a crazy, long day. 
My school has an Art Night which is a big production.  Every hall in the school is covered with black paper and student art (I'll post pictures later).  They have high school orchestra students come and play, and have Jr. high students from National Honor Society serving hors d'oeuvres.  I like seeing all the amazing art projects, but they're better viewed an hour before the event.  The halls are too crowded to even move in.  This year our principal wanted as many teachers as were able to come and support the PTO.  I left school at 4:00 to meet my visiting teacher partner for some visits, and then got back in time to get a parking place, and stayed until 8:00. 

I was exhausted when I got home.  It was too cold for a diet soda, and I couldn't stay awake. I did sleep in and had a relaxing morning, but Terry was anxious to be home, so he left SLC at 6:00 PM in a snow storm, and cut my freedom weekend short. It was nice going to church with him the next morning, but I'm still longing for a wild weekend of alone time.