Well, we’re on week two of two actual full weeks of school which means I’m back to packing my lunch. I’m sharing what I’ve been packing in my new Bento boxes.
While packing my lunch is still a dreaded task, I’ve been enjoying it a bit more lately and trying to find new lunch ideas. I’ve shared time and time again that I love a “snack plate” for lunch when I’m at home. The Bento Boxes are a way to take my snack plate to school!
I always save gift ideas on a few Amazon lists because I know when the holidays roll around, I need to share ideas with family members. I’d requested some Bento Boxes, but this set didn’t work out because the lids wouldn’t stay snapped on.
My first lunch was Dill, Sea Salt, and Olive Oil Triscuits (my fave!), cheese, grapes, prosciutto, rosemary almonds (my fave!) from Trader Joe’s, and some cottage cheese.
Once I realized those containers weren’t going to work, I ordered myself this set, and they’ve been perfect. The layout is a bit different, but they’ve been working out just fine.
Another lunch: Triscuits, cheese, a hard boiled egg, carrots and Ranch (the Ranch didn’t fit in the box), and my favorite sweet treat…a “Snack Select” from Aldi that has little bites of chocolate, dried cranberries, and graham cracker bites. Little squares of cheese also come in the pack, but I had those later.
On this day, I had a peanut butter roll up (tortilla), Babybel cheese, and cucumbers and Fritos (Trader Joe’s edition) to dip in Trader Joe’s Buffalo dip. I also packed a pudding for dessert in my lunch bag.
One day, I had salami, cheese and crackers from an Olli pack…adult lunchable. I put those things in the Bento box and then added in carrots, Chex Mix, and trail mix.
One day this week, I packed two turkey sandwiches on Hawaiian rolls, cottage cheese and carrots. Then, I packed some Girl Scout cookies…two Thin Mints and two Peanut Butter Patties. Did I need four Girl Scout cookies? No. Was it necessary? Yes…because otherwise, my family hogs the cookies, and they hardly last a couple of days in our cabinet! That being said, Hayden stopped by my room and ate one of the Thin Mints. See what I’m talking about?! haha
I’m loving my new lunch bag. I’d had the same lunch bag for eight years, and the time was past due for me to get a new one. Again, I had this one saved on a list as a gift idea, and it’s perfect. It holds so much, and I love that there’s a small zip pocket on one side and then a larger pocket on the other side.
Just this past weekend, I packed this full of snacks for our weekend in Gatlinburg for Hadley’s volleyball tournament, and it held so many snacks!
It comes in quite a few colors and patterns…and it has a 15% off coupon right now. (Just FYI!)
So, those are a few of my lunches lately. This week has been a bit different because we had a little chili pot luck yesterday with the teachers in my hall, and then we’re having a SOUPer Bowl soup/chili pot luck on Friday. So, I only have to pack a few lunches this week!
‘Tis the season for winter weather! In the past few weeks, we’ve had a little bit of everything – ice, sleet, snow, and frigid temps. Today and tomorrow are to be the coldest days of winter so far.
All of the snow days got me thinking about snow days through the years!
When I was a kid I don’t really remember having tons of snow days, and I also don’t remember how we were notified. My mom was a teacher, so I’m sure she would find out and let us know. I assume those snow days were reported on the news and would run across the bottom of the screen….I do remember that in high school.
My first year teaching, there was a school phone tree, and I did get a few phone calls for snow days, and then I’d call the next number on the list!
When I moved to Kentucky, my first year here was the 2004-2005 school year, and we didn’t have a snow day until late February or early March. I remember asking Travis if it snowed here! haha
For most of my earlier years in Kentucky, we’d get an automated phone call and probably an email. For twelve years, I taught in a more rural county, and we would miss more days than the city schools like Lexington where we live. I do remember waking up some mornings and checking the local news to see if we had school or not.
We would also rarely have those days forgiven and would have to make them up. In 2014, we had probably fifteen snow days. To alleviate some of the time we’d have to make up, we added twenty minutes to the school day after spring break. The students made up a couple of days at the end, but the teachers were in school until mid-June! No ma’am! I remember being so annoyed…making up our time for two weeks after the students got out.
The following year, my district applied for NTI (non-traditional instruction) days. This was kind of a new idea although there were even more rural/mountain towns who had been using NTI. For NTI, we gave out packets with ten days worth of work. At this time, students didn’t have Chromebooks. So, students knew to complete the assignment(s) on the days we had off. Once we returned to school, students had three days to complete and turn in the assignment for their attendance to be counted for those NTI days. Honestly, it worked fairly well, and even like what I do now, I incorporated grammar, short reading comprehension passages, etc. So, it was work we would have done in class anyway, but I saved it for NTI. On those NTI days, we were expected to work from home, and we’d fill out a time sheet with what we worked on.
It’s crazy to think out “antiquated” this process seems compared to what we do now although there are still some similarities.
In my county, NTI days started after Covid. We truly never thought we’d ever be 1:1 with technology with the number of students we have in our district and the various demographics that we have of our student populations. During Covid, our county was out for almost a year, so we all became very acclimated with Zoom and online assignments.
Not only do these kids not have to wait for the school name to scroll on the bottom of the TV screen (although it still does when we don’t have school), they can also find out via social media, sometimes quicker than I know!
As parents, we get a text message and an email…sometimes, we receive a phone call. I hate the phone calls at 5 am! As teachers, we get an email and a text.
For NTI now, we post assignments to Canvas, and have two hours where we are expected to be on Zoom in case a student has a question or needs help with their work. The district assigned the time frames and elementary have earlier Zoom hours, middle school is around lunch and high school have the later afternoon shift.
I take attendance based on who has completed the assignment by the end of the day. If a student turns in the assignment the following day, I will change their attendance from absent to present. Once we get back to school, students have three days to turn in the assignment just like how we did at my former district.
I assign work similarly to how I did when students had packets, but now I use IXL to assign grammar and Newsela to assign reading passages. I will also assign videos that have to do with what we’re learning and have students complete a 3-2-1 (which varies)assignment. For example, they will submit three facts from the videos, two questions they have and make one connection.
Last week, when we finally went back to school on Thursday, I did start class as if it was the first day of the semester. We went over classroom expectations, but then I gave them a work day on the three NTI assignments. I found that about 90% of my students completed their first NTI assignment the day it was assigned, but then that dwindled to about 50% of students completing the third NTI assignment. Since we hadn’t had in person school in almost a month, I figured we could all ease into the semester.
That being said, I did tell my classes now that we’ve discussed NTI expectations, if we’re out one day, then I’m not giving them a work day when we return. If we’re out an extended amount of time, that’s different.
I also told my students if we’re out this week, we have to wrap up To Kill a Mockingbird, so I’ll upload the PDF of the chapters we need to read and give them an assignment.
I feel like what we make up year to year is different. I do think my district goes five days more than we need to, so students don’t always have to make up every day. We have a day in March that’s always marked as a day to use if needed. Before NTI, we also would add days to the end of the school year, but I hope that’s not the case this year.
If the governor declares a state of emergency, which he did after our recent snow/ice storm, we can apply for up to ten days to forgive.
That being said, of course, teachers have to make up their work days. Often times, we’re able to “flex” our time if it’s just a few days. We fill out the flex form with any work/meetings that we do outside of our contract hours. My former district didn’t do that, but I appreciate that my district does have that as an option for at least a few days.
Once winter is over, the school board makes these decisions for students and for teachers.
Unpopular opinion — but I love a snow day…but I also love to get back into a routine…which has proven hard to do lately! There hasn’t been a school year in my teaching career that we haven’t had a least one snow day.
One day down and four to go until break! But who’s counting?!
People often ask me what I teach/what we read in English 1.
Since I’ve “survived” the first semester, this post is a good reflection of the first half of the school year.
Since this is my first year back teaching in over four years, the start of the school year was quite an adjustment.
I have three classes (one Advanced English 1 and two co-teach English 1), a planning period, and two hours for academic help. It’s a nice balance from what I’ve done the past few years as well as teaching full time the years before that.
I’ve really enjoyed my co-teach classes. In almost 23 years as a teacher, I’d never had a co-teach class before. Co-teach classes have about twenty students in the class and about half of them have IEP (individualized education plans) and there’s a special ed teacher in my class during those times.
My Advanced class is a bigger class of 28, and they are a good group of kids. It took me a few weeks to get over the fact that quite a few of them are my kids’ good friends. Joking with them that I can “call their mom” brought on a whole new meaning for them. haha
First things first, I had to familiarize myself with Canvas which is the online platform we use for posting assignments and grading. I’ve had a Canvas page in the past, but it wasn’t as extensive as what I need to keep up with currently.
Once I figured it out, I really enjoy it. I don’t love students being on the computer, but this is just a spot for them to always know what’s going on in class.
I started the year with my students mostly doing paper assignments as I tried to figure out the online platform. Now, my students do about 75% of assignments on the computer and then submit on Canvas. The other 25% of their work is paper assignments, but I still enter the grade on Canvas. I really keep up with grading better with the online platform.
So, again, students aren’t on their computers 75% of the time, it just means that’s where they submit their work. We read in the textbook or use other materials and then they submit the work on Canvas.
This year, our district purchased a new English curriculum. I was very familiar with the previous one, so this was yet another thing to figure out. Students do have a consumable textbook –which I actually think is a waste. It’s so much paper! I can have students write in their textbooks, highlight and annotate, so I do like that. I usually just type the questions on a Google doc and that’s what they submit online for their assignment.
Y’all – AI is a problem. To curtail that, I just had my Advanced class write a three paragraph response last week and had them write on paper. You should have seen the looks on their faces! With my co-teach classes, I had them type their response but gave them a framework that I wanted them to follow. I can typically spot AI responses in a heartbeat — usually because they use vocabulary words that I know they don’t know…or they aren’t answering a specific part of the prompt that I give them.
The textbook has five units, but the district re-structured the pacing plan to four units which we all appreciate.
Each unit has “whole class learning,” “small group learning” and “individual learning.”
I’m still figuring out the textbook’s online platform. I do like that we can listen to texts, but I haven’t assigned much from that platform to Canvas.
Unit 1 was “Journeys of Transformation,” and I really enjoyed teaching it. The main text we read was The Odyssey which students always enjoy…especially when the Cyclops gets his eye poked out! haha
At the end of that unit, the students wrote an explanatory essay on how Odysseus was an epic hero.
To plan for that paper, I did a gallery walk with paper for each characteristics. Students jotted down ideas, drew pictures, and found quotes for each characteristic at their time at each station. Then, those hung around the room and were ideas for them to use in their paper.
Screenshot
Unit 2 is “Promise and Progress.” The main two texts are Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” and “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” For “Letter from Birmingham Jail” we read the “bridge” text from the online textbook in my co-teach class. For my Advanced class, I purchased a “jigsaw” activity from Teacher Pay Teachers. It’s such a long text that I assigned each student one of four sections. They read their section, took notes, and completed the worksheet for the assigned section. Then, they got into groups with three others students who had the other sections to discuss and finish the activity.
“Promise and Progress” unit is the perfect time to read To Kill a Mockingbird. My school has both the original and graphic novel versions. My Advanced class is reading the original while the graphic novel is perfect for my co-teach class.
Since we’re about two-thirds of the way through the book, we ran out of time for students to write a paper before the end of the semester. Last week, I had my Advanced class write a few paragraphs analyzing the unit’s essential question “How do words inspire change?” as it applies to “I Have a Dream” and one of the characters in “To Kill a Mockingbird.” For my co-teach, they just chose one of the texts to write about, and I gave them a frame work to structure their paragraph.
Even though I was overwhelmed about having classes again, I’ve really enjoyed having students again. It’s been nice building relationships and getting to know them.
I can’t believe this is final’s week! First semester always flies by!
Are you superstitious? I am…about the number 13! That being said…fun fact: this is my 1,113th post that I’ve shared.
How was your week? We’ve had a really good full week, but I’m definitely ready for the weekend.
As always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.
Here are some favorites from the week.
Taking it back to last weekend, I went with Hadley to Sevierville, TN for the team’s volleyball tournament.
Usually, the varsity team goes to Chicago in October, but this year, the boosters and coaches decided to pay for all three teams to go to this tournament. The girls left from school on Friday morning, rode a charter bus, received goody bags, and had all their meals paid for….and…bonus – they stayed at The Wilderness at the Smokies Lodge which has an indoor water park.
It was so fun to watch all three teams all weekend. The freshmen team played in the JV tournament, and had three games Friday night. We didn’t get back to the hotel until around 10:30. They won all three games.
Since the girls won all their games, they didn’t have to be up super early as their first game wasn’t until 11:00. They won their first game that morning which was the last pool play game. They grabbed some lunch, and played a couple of hours later. Since they were 4-0, they made it to the gold (best) bracket of the JV tournament. Unfortunately, they lost the first tournament game in three sets…and the last set’s score was 14-16! It was a nail biter.
They played their hearts out and ended up 6th/22 teams in the gold bracket.
We made our way back to the hotel, and the girls had time at the water park, hanging out in their rooms, and playing games in the arcade. They had a team dinner and ran around a bit more until time for bed.
The moms almost didn’t know what to do with ourselves since we didn’t have to be in charge of our daughters. haha
Another mom and I rode one of the water slides, and then we all met another friend at the roof top bar for a drink.
We had dinner and then went back to the room for a bit. That night, we hung out by the fire and enjoyed a glass of wine.
The next morning, we left and the girls traveled home on the coach bus. I got home and had a couple of hours to get chores and errands finished before picking Hadley up.
They had such a great time, and I was glad to be able to see her games and have some downtime.
Once we got started with the week, we got the proofs for their school pictures.
I swear, it costs an arm and a leg to purchase photos. I prefer the download option because then I can order picture sizes that I want. Anyway, I think they turned out great.
One day at school, two students came up to me with these cute signs. Now, of course, they were buttering me up to let them switch seats and sit by one another. haha!
I still appreciated the effort!!
I haven’t been to Trader Joe’s in a couple of weeks, but last time I was there, I picked up these “Apple Blossoms.” I finally had one this week with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top…they are so delish!
What are your weekend plans? For once, we don’t have much on tap! I hope to put out my fall decorations. If I don’t get to it this weekend, then I don’t know when I will.
As the school year is under way and a little different for me this year, I’m sharing my schedule for the year.
Amy shared her schedule last week, and I always enjoy seeing other teachers’ schedules, routines, and lessons.
My school’s hours are 8:25-3:15. We are to be in our classroom by 7:55, and we can leave by 3:25.
I’ve been in this district for eight years, and this time frame works for me. I don’t have to start my day too early, but I can also get to a 3:45 or 4:00 appointment if I have one. At my previous school, I had to be there by 8:25 (but I lived 30 minutes away), and school was out at 3:50 (and we had to stay until 4:05). It was usually 5:00 before I got home after staying for a bit after school, driving the 30 minutes and then picking up my kids).
Anyway, I appreciate the 8:00-3:30 schedule.
My Schedule:
Here is my schedule for the year:
1st hour – co-teach – English 1. This means I have a smaller class of around twenty and half of them have IEPs (individual education plans). My co-teacher is a special education teacher who helps me provide those students their accommodations. Ironically, this is my first time in 23 years having a co-teach class. So far, I’m really enjoying it!
2nd hour – MTSS (multi-tiered system of support). The past few years, my whole day was MTSS. This is where I help in other English teachers’ classrooms, work with small group or individual students. Tier 1 instruction is what happens in the classroom. Tiers 2 and 3 are the help that I provide re-teaching and providing more direct instruction with smaller groups.
Hall duty – After second hour, I head to my designated spot in the building and then have “tardy cart” duty. After the bell rings, I scan student IDs and print out a tardy slip to class.
3rd hour – Planning (The past few years, with the MTSS hours, I didn’t have a designated planning period. I’m happy to have a scheduled time to plan, prep, and grade)
Advisory – Advisory is 30 minutes long, and I share an Advisory with another teacher. He’s the math version of me with co-teach Algebra 1 classes and then a couple of MTSS hours. In Advisory, we cover financial literacy, social emotional learning and other odds and ends.
4th -This is my other MTSS hour. This is also a common hour I have with other MTSS teachers, so we can meet, look at data, plan small groups and more. We also have lunch during 4th hour.
5th – Advanced English 1. I teach the same curriculum as with my co-teach classes, but in a more rigorous way and we usually move at a quicker pace. This is my biggest class with 30 students. (This is the class I have quite a few of my kids’ friends in it…so far, that’s only a little bit weird! haha)
6th- co-teach – English 1 – same as my 1st hour and with the same co-teacher.
The Kids:
The kids have had a great first few days of school. They’ve navigated their schedule, the lunchroom and the halls with 2,000 students with great success.
Our school has six classes, plus Advisory. So, freshmen take four core classes and then have two electives.
This year:
They are both taking Advanced English 1 (they are in the same class again this year), Advanced Biology and Government.
Hadley is taking Spanish 1 and Life Essentials as her electives.
Hayden is taking Spanish 2 and Weight Management as his electives.
For math, Hayden is in Algebra 1 and Hadley is taking Advanced Geometry.
I’ve seen them a couple of times in the hall and love hearing, “Hi, Hadley’s (or Hayden’s) mom!” when I see their friends out and about too.
I’m grateful we’ve all had a great start to the school year.
Well, we made it to the end of the first week of school! The first morning was easy breezy (but filled with excitement and nerves), but then I forgot to set my alarm Wednesday night. Yesterday morning, Travis and I both woke up at 7:00…and I am supposed to leave for school at 7:30. I was in a mad dash to get out the door, but I made it in time. That being said, it just sets my whole day off in the wrong direction when I don’t get to ease into the day. I felt “off” and frazzled all day!
Anyway, as always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.
Today’s favorites include back to school pics and a few fun things the kids did before going back to school on Wednesday.
Open House was a great success on Monday night. I met about fifteen students, and enjoyed the evening at school.
Since I have a few classes this year, I did have to set up my room a bit differently, but I think it’s good to go for the year.
At the end of Open House, Hadley came to my room after volleyball practice, and then we went home and picked up Travis and Hayden. We went to IHOP for our “back to school breakfast.” Through the years, I’ve tried to make such a big deal about going back to school in order to get the kids excited (myself, too) about going back to school.
I loved the back to school breakfasts in elementary and then the back to school “brinner” in middle school, but I was ok with throwing this “curve ball” and suggesting IHOP. The kids ask to go there all the time, and we don’t go often, so I thought it would be a good decision for dinner.
It was just us and one other lady in the restaurant. Who can beat that?
I got the French toast, and it was delicious.
The kids had one more day to enjoy summer on Tuesday. Hadley slept until noon, Hayden had early cross country practice, and then they just hung out most of the day.
Wednesday morning we were all up and at ’em pretty early. They let me snap their pics, per tradition, before I left. If they can catch a ride with a friend, they gain an extra thirty minutes, so I understand if they don’t want to ride with me. (I’m sure they will some mornings). So, Hadley has been riding with a friend, and Travis has dropped Hayden off. The bus is an option, but it leaves pretty early, and I’m sure Hadley will avoid it at all costs! 😉
The morning light was hitting just right!
My freshmen:
One more for good measure!
…well, one more with mom too. Year 23 sure looks different for me!
Truly, so far the best part of the past two days, besides meeting my students, has been seeing my own kids enter my classroom at the end of the day. They are mostly tired and in need of a snack, but I love ending my school day seeing them (and giving them a ride home)!
End of summer fun:
Hadley has had such a wonderful Young Life leader during her middle school years. The leader’s name is also Hadley, and she organized a back to school send off for this great group of girls! A few of them are headed to another school, but most of them are at school with Hadley. That being said, the leader stays with the next group of middle school girls. I know they will still see her, and she’s made quite the impact on them.
Meanwhile…Hayden and friends went to Kings Island and rode all the rides.
On Saturday morning, Hayden ran his first high school race. It was just a 5k fundraiser for the cross country team, but he ran a great race!
Favorite Kid Quote(s):
It’s been a bit since I’ve shared a favorite kid quote, and both kids said something funny this week:
On Saturday, Travis and Hayden went to Louisville for the afternoon. As Hayden told me goodbye, he hugged me and said, “Maybe you can go to the spa and get your toes done.” 😂
Not sure where that came from!
Then, Tuesday night, Hadley caught me with a few tears and asked what was wrong. I said I couldn’t believe they were going to high school, and without missing a beat, she said, “Girl, I can’t believe it either.” haha!
Favorite Mom Meme:
Homer is always happy to see me!
Weekly Recap:
It was hard finding a blogging groove this week with all the back to school things, but I did write a couple of posts:
Well, first on my agenda is to not set an alarm for Saturday and sleep in a bit. We are going to the Reds/Royals game in Cinci, and I’m looking forward to that.
I hope to have one more “Summer Sunday” post on Sunday sharing the highlights over our summer.
Since the start of the school year has been a bit different the past couple of years, I thought it would be fun to capture what I’ve been up to as a teacher leading up to the first day of school. I’m always curious what others do at work and how they spend their time.
*Warning* this post did turn into more of a *long* diary of sorts! The English teacher in me loves to write.
Anyway…summer break is over…
To start the school year, we have professional development. We are required to get 24 hours of PD in a school year.
Before 2022, we always met with our departments for six hours one day the week before school started. Then, the Monday before school starts, we have six hours of professional development at school. The Tuesday before students arrive, we have a long faculty meeting and a couple of hours to work in our rooms. That meant, we had to do the other twelve hours of the required 24 hours of PD on our own either in the summer or throughout the year which is my preferred method.
I like choosing my PD in the summer rather than being told which sessions I have to go to. Also, we’ve moved to coming in seven school days before the students to get contract days in as well as 24 hours of PD. Some of this shift did happen because a couple of years ago, we moved to a week long fall break, so that’s three days teachers have to now work ahead of time. Of course, I understand having to work our contract days, but I would prefer for those to be sprinkled in throughout the year. I feel like I lose a week of summer now.
So – here’s how I’ve spent the past seven school days…before the students have arrived:
Monday, August 5th:
We did six hours of professional development at my school. Typically, we’re in groups, and we rotate through six hours of sessions. We do get an hour for lunch. This year, the English department is getting new textbooks, so instead of rotating through sessions in the morning, we met as a department with two district instructional coaches who led us through the new curriculum. We did end up having about an hour in our PLCs (professional learning communities) to start planning. I met with my English 1 people to map out unit 1.
After an hour for lunch, we did rotate through three sessions in the afternoon. We were finished at 3:30. I did go work in my room for about thirty minutes, and then left at 4:00 to go home.
Tuesday, August 6th:
We were supposed to have a convocation at Rupp Arena, but a couple of weeks ago we found out that it was cancelled.
A little back story – We had a convocation a couple of years ago, and that’s not my favorite way to start the year. We had to meet at school, ride buses to Rupp, and sit through the three hour convocation. Then, we got back on the buses, ate lunch at school, and had three hours of PD at school.
Last year, they did three days of district PD at the Central Bank Convention Center which is connected to Rupp. I will spare you the details, but it came with a lot of issues too. Parking was a disaster, sessions were over-crowded, and more.
Anyway, because of the previous two years when we wished we’d just been given a work day in our classrooms, teachers in our district have been up in arms after seeing this convocation on the calendar. Eventually, the news did a report after an open records request, and the findings included the fact that the district was spending over $25,000 on the speaker and it also costs to rent Rupp. The district instead gave us a work day in our rooms. (Sorry – that was a long back story)
So, last Tuesday, we worked in our rooms from 8:30-3:30. With no meetings scheduled, it was amazing! I got my room in order and started working on things like my syllabus. I also had time to meet with the district technology person for help with Canvas which is our platform for assigning work.
And…our principals grilled hot dogs and hamburgers, and teachers brought sides and dessert. We all got to hang out for an hour during lunch. It was a really thoughtful idea, and it was a great work day.
*Look at the charcuterie board our foods teacher made:
So cute!
We do still have to make up six hours of professional development since we had a work day instead of PD. Our admin has planned to add PD to our faculty meetings throughout the year.
Wednesday, August 7th:
This day was another professional development day at school. BUT…our school was being used as a “hub” for professional development sessions for para educators in our district. So, our admin had to “pivot” and we had three different PD sessions via Zoom. It felt like 2020 all over again, but I appreciated being at home in the morning.
Then, after lunch, we were to find somewhere to meet with our PLCs to work for three hours. My group met at the public library from 1:00-4:00. We pretty much finished planning out all of unit 1 which was a huge accomplishment.
Thursday, August 8th:
This was another professional development day, and this time, everyone in the district went to different hubs. We signed up for sessions online at our assigned hub. All elementary teachers went to one school, middle school to another, and so on. Some hubs were even more specific for intervention or world language. I did go to the intervention hub. We had five sessions with an hour and a half for lunch in the middle of the day. I actually got a lot out of this day, and now have 18 of the 24 hours that are required for the year.
Once I got home, I took the kids and a couple of their friends to school to walk their schedules. It was neat seeing them find their way.
Friday, August 9th:
We had a work day in our classrooms with no meetings scheduled. Yay!
It was the new teacher orientation in the morning, and I had to stop by at my assigned time to share about academic resources and intervention opportunities for students.
Then, I used the rest of the day to continue working on curriculum, figuring out Canvas, printing things like our bell schedule and phone list. I also just continued to get organized and get a handle on my emails. I had almost 100 unread…& now I’m down to five. 😂
Monday, August 12th:
We always have Open House after Labor Day, but this year we have a new principal this year. He scheduled Open House for last night. Since we were going to be at school until 7:30, he scheduled our day to start at 11! So, we arrived at school, had catered lunch, and then had a faculty meeting that lasted a couple of hours. The rest of the time, we could work in our room, and then Open House was from 5:30-7:30. I really liked having our day structured like this, and I was able to meet quite a few students last night.
Tuesday, August 13th:
Today, is one more work day in our rooms. I am meeting with my PLC for an hour just to keep working on lessons for the new units using our new textbooks, and then I’m meeting with my co-teacher to take a look at what we will have the students work on this week, I definitely plan on leaving by 3:30, and soaking in the last little bit of free time before school starts tomorrow!
We always start the school year on a Wednesday which means we have a three day week with students. Then, the following week, the students don’t have school on Friday, so it’s a four day week. I always think this is such a great way to ease into the school year.
We did find out that we can use “flex” time on that Friday which means as long as we fill out the form with what we work on outside of our contract hours, we can stay home that day. Usually we don’t have that option, so I appreciate that opportunity.
I will say with working all these days before the students arrive, I’m always ready for the students to walk through the door!
This year will look different for me. I will have a few classes this year which I haven’t had since 2019. I have two co-teach classes, one advanced class, and then two hours of intervention. I’m excited to have students again, but it will be interesting to navigate as I have some of my kids’ friends in my classes!
With tomorrow being the first day of school, I doubt I will have time for a blog post. Hopefully, I will be back on Thursday.
I don’t think I ever feel “TGIF” like I do at the end of the school year and the start of the school year.
It’s always a difficult transition back to school as setting an alarm clock is painful, but it is nice seeing my colleagues again and getting my room in order. Today is another work day in our classrooms, and I’m ready to tie up some loose ends.
As always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.
This is a special “back to school” edition of some of our favorites for the school year.
New Faves:
Shay shared this planner, and I immediately ordered it. I loved that it’s a small planner, and it has “doodle” pages and trackers. It arrived, and it’s super cute. I want to use it to meal plan and jot down moments from the day. That being said, I might see if Hadley wants to use it for the school year. Who knows though…she likes to “wing” her way through life. haha
I’m using the smaller Happy Planner again this year. I love that the box comes with stickers, although I always buy additional sticker packs too. I use the stickers for the planner and my school desk calendar. I typically get my planner from Michael’s, and teachers get a discount.
Guess what! High schoolers love stickers on their papers just as much as elementary kids do. I ordered this pack for the year.
Hadley got these pens when we went school shopping at Walmart. I borrowed them to fill out my desk calendar, and loved them so much that I bought myself a pack from from Amazon. Teachers love their pens…and we’re pretty particular about them too!
Hayden has the navy version of this Under Armour backpack that he used for the three years of middle school. It held up nicely, but was kind of a mess…because Hayden is messy…haha! So, I ordered him the same backpack again, but he requested it in black.
Every five years or so, I get a new school bag. I’ve had the same bag from Target for quite a few years. I wanted a bag with a pouch for my computer, and I loved that this one was cute, spacious, and has pockets on the outside to hold my many beverages! I’ve been using it all week, and I love it. It comes in a few colors, but I got the gray one. There’s a 35% off coupon right now too.
I bet it would make a great diaper bag as well.
Old Faves:
I’m always nostalgic about the elementary days especially now that we are entering the high school era.
These cute lunch box notes were ones I used for years when packing the kids’ lunches.
She only bought school lunch in 7th grade, but last year, she wanted to take her lunch sometimes, and we got her this lunch box. It comes in lots of colors.
This pack of note pads is one of my favorite purchases from a few months ago. I kept one note pad at home, took one to school, and then gave two to a couple friends. I use it most days at school for my “to do” lists.
I bought this wireless keyboard and mouse to use with my laptop at school. There are lots of color options, but I love my pink one.
Back to School Breakfast/Brinner:
During the kids’ elementary years, I always had a “Back to School” breakfast the morning of the first day of school.
Once the kids started middle school, I started making a “Back to School Brinner” the night or two before the first day of school.
I’ve always enjoyed this tradition, but as the years have gone on, it’s sometimes become more difficult to find a free evening due to late practices. The Sunday night before school starts usually ends up being a good option.
I’m not sure my plan for the high school years. I’ve honestly thought about taking them to IHOP because I think they’d enjoy that/appreciate that just as much. I guess I will see what they want to do 🙂
Favorite Mom Meme:
Of course this hits home, but Hayden’s been getting up very early the past couple of weeks for cross country conditioning. Hadley, had her team volleyball camp this week starting at 7:30, and it lasted all day. She was tuckered out!
I know she plans on sleeping in the next few mornings until school starts on Wednesday.
Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday
This memory popped up in my Facebook memories from 2015. My sister-in-law took this pic, and was wishing the kids a great start to kindergarten. She’d gotten them balloons and a cookie cake when the kids spent the night in Louisville.
Such a sweet memory. They were so excited to start school.
Share our Lives:
We have our monthly post on Monday! This month’s topic is…least favorite activities. Well, currently, for me, that’s setting an alarm. haha!
What are your weekend plans? Odds are I will be in bed by 8:00 tonight, but maybe not. I’ve enjoyed staying up late watching Primetime Olympic coverage, but 11:15 bedtime and early wake-up had me taking a solid nap yesterday!
Anyway, I’m not sure what we will do this weekend. I’ve been hoping to go to a movie all summer, and that hasn’t happened…and I’d love to get a little more pool time in this weekend since those days have been so sparse these past couple of weeks. We’ll just see, I guess.
I hope you have a great weekend,
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Cue Alice Cooper….”Schoolssss out for the summer!” Finally.
Last week, I did a recap of my kids’ middle school years, and today I’m sharing about the last few days of school.
Last day(s) of middle school:
Well, truth be told, my kids have been over school for a bit now. They turned in their Chromebooks last Thursday leaving four days left in the year with not much to do.
Last Friday was “Clash of the Classes” field day and yearbook signing. I’m glad they got to have some downtime with the classmates, and I remember how much fun it was signing yearbooks. I did have to ask Hadley why so many people wrote “HAGS” in her yearbook, and she filled me in that it meant “Have a great summer.” I guess I should have known that!
The past couple of years, my kids have asked to not go on the last day, and I always make them go. I tell them it’s more for a “rite of passage” as an 8th grader not to go on the last day since the 8th grade promotion is the night before the last day of school. Plus, I’ve never wanted them getting in a habit of thinking attendance is optional.
So, that meant that Tuesday was the last day of school for them. Tuesday morning, Hadley and friends met up at Starbucks before their last day of school.
Then, she sent me pics with her friends all throughout the day. While they didn’t have much to do, I’m glad that she had some time with her friends. A few of her friends are going to a different school next year, so I do think the girls were a bit emotional about the last day of middle school.
The boys…not so much.
The 8th grade promotion was Tuesday night. Before Covid, I believe their school did this celebration the morning of the last day of school in the school’s gym. Post-Covid, they moved the promotion ceremony to my high school’s gym which allows for more guests, I guess?
In order to use my school’s gym, they have to have the ceremony in the evening. Anyway, Tuesday night was the 8th grade promotion.
I was able to get a couple of pics before we left the house.
It’s getting harder and harder to convince them to hold up the last day of school sign, but I’m grateful for the tradition.
For fun (or a few tears), here’s the first day of 6th grade. Wow…I know I’ve shared these photos through the years, but I really can’t believe how quickly these past three years have gone.
The promotion ceremony lasted a little over an hour and was really nice. A couple of students spoke as well as the principal. Then, each teacher shared a bit about their subject area and students who excelled in that subject. Then, all the students walked across, shook their principal’s hand and received their certificate.
It was really nice hearing all the students clap for each other, and all of the students seemed to be engaged and paying attention. It was a really nice celebration of three years of school. The principal acknowledged how the students spent most of their 6th grade year wearing masks, how much they’ve grown and matured, as well as what great classmates they all are.
As a parent, I appreciated the teachers and the principal speaking so highly of the student body.
After the ceremony, we snapped a few more pics.
My brother and sister-in-law were there.
There were lots of pics with friends…at least where Hadley was concerned. Boys aren’t as into pictures, and were more worried about where we were going for dinner.
Hadley really has made some wonderful new friends while keeping close friendships from elementary school. (Hayden too, but again…boys!)
The weather was beautiful, and we got a few family pics before walking to the car.
Officially promoted to high school:
…and a family photo which means more to me than they realize.
We went out to dinner with friends before heading home for cake.
Y’all know we love cookie cake and Bundt cakes, but we’ve been on an ice cream cake kick now.
Baskin Robbins for the win:
They squeaked in a couple of more smiles before enjoying their cake.
I went to bed not long after as I was tired…both emotionally and physically….and, I still had one more day of school to get through while they got to sleep in!
Wednesday evening, a few moms organized a pool party for the 8th graders, and they had lots of fun.
The temps had cooled off, so the kids mostly played volleyball and pickleball. It was a great evening to wrap up middle school.
I know I shared this meme last week, but it’s certainly hit home over the past few years.
…and while I know it’s hard parenting young teenagers, I know that being a teen isn’t easy! I just pray they continue down the right path, learn from mistakes, grow, mature, try their best, and be kind.
I love and believe in them more than they’ll every know.
Well, a week from today, it will officially be summer for us.
How is middle school already over for my two?
While they still have a few more days, they turn in their Chromebooks today which means it’s pretty much fun and games the next couple of days.
You know I like a recap, so I thought it would be fun to have all of the middle school memories in one place.
Here’s a stroll down memory lane.
6th grade:
The week before school started, the kids went to the 6th grade orientation week. They were very nervous, but the nerves eased up with each passing day.
I think this was a three day session, and on the last day, they picked up their schedules. There were two sixth grade teams, and the counselor said they always put twins on the same team, but not in the same classes. Well, a lot of their friends were on the other team, and my mama heart was very nervous for them. That being said, they were kind of forced out of their shell and did a good job making new friends….and that orientation definitely helped them feel comfortable at a new school.
Notice the mask around Hayden’s neck…They started the school year wearing masks.
First day of 6th grade:
They look like babies!!
Hayden started the school year on the cross county team. It’s crazy to think that while he loved running, we didn’t know what to expect as he started running with middle school runners.
In late September, Travis ended up with Covid. Then, Hayden had it followed by Hadley. They all ended up being home for around ten days…remember all the Covid regulations?!? Right before our fall break in early October, the kids went back to school.
Since Hayden missed his school cross country pics, my brother-in-law took some of Hayden, and they turned out amazing.
Hadley made the dance team and started going to Young Life/Wyldlife which has been an amazing group for her.
In the winter, Hayden made the basketball team.
The 6th grade team ended up runner-up in the district tournament which was a amazing because they had a tough start to the season.
We survived our first middle school science fair projects.
On March 16, 2022, they finally went to school without a mask…and sent me the selfie smiles to prove it.
Track started after spring break.
In the state meet, they both ran the 4×800 relay.
They accomplished a lot and had so much fun. I also realized how much I enjoyed track meets. Track is such a mix of kids and such a variety of events that I think it’s one of the best sports for a student athlete.
May 25, 2022 was the last day of 6th grade. We They officially survived the first year of middle school.
In 7th grade, they didn’t get their schedules until the first day of school…and were surprised to find that they had gym class together. haha
In 7th grade, foreign language begins, and Hayden chose Spanish while Hadley chose French.
Hadley joined Student Council and continued with Wydlife.
Hayden started cross country, and Travis became the coach.
My brother-in-law took the team pics, and he got another good one of Hayden.
Hayden had a great season, and it was fun watching Travis and Hayden together.
In October of 7th grade year, Hadley got her braces off…
….and tried out for the volleyball team. A group of her friends decided they wanted to play, and they all made the team.
We had so much fun watching them play, and I think they surprised themselves with how good they were.
The girls finally got to experience a school dance! In January of 7th grade, the school organized a school wide dance (mixer) with music and games.
I worked the check in table, and the girls were so nervous when they checked in. I just think they didn’t know what to expect.
Hayden opted to go to a basketball game with his friends instead of go to the dance. Are we surprised?!?!
They completed another science fair project.
In January, the 7th grade basketball season started for Hayden….
…and he got his braces off!
They both went to the 7th grade Valentine’s Day dance. Again, Hadley was excited, and Hayden was hesitant. Hadley pretty much drags him through life. haha
Track started in the spring.
In 6th grade, Hadley ran the 800 and 400….but by 7th grade, she really upped her speed and started running the 200 (as well as the 400).
Hayden continued running the 1600 as well as the 3200 and 800.
In the state meet, Hadley ran the 400, Hayden ran the mile, and they both ran a couple of relays.
I wrote a 7th grade recap post at the end of the year.
The last day of school was May 26, 2023.
Hadley went to Wyldlife camp last summer, and she loved every minute.
8th:
While they are never super excited for school to start, at least they knew they were “top dogs,” and there weren’t any nerves.
They were in the same gym class again as well as the same Language Arts class. Oh…the stories I get to hear…(mostly, Hadley filling me in on Hayden and his friends’ shenanigans!)
Like all the other years, Hayden (and Travis) had cross country in the fall…and another great pic thanks to my brother-in-law.
Hayden ended up winning the end of season county cross country meet, and we were so happy for him.
He had a strong showing at the state meet placing in the top 10.
The kids always attended sporting events throughout middle school, but it seemed like they didn’t want to miss anything in 8th grade. They had fun supporting their friends.
Hadley had another fun season of volleyball.
We had 8th grade night!
In January, Hayden started his 8th grade basketball season.
Of course, the season concluded with an 8th grade night for him.
I do feel like these seasons went by in a blink.
This year, they went to the cotillion dances. I loved hearing a recap of each dance.
With each passing dance, they were less nervous.
And, of course, they’ve had one more track season.
The season is wrapping up, but they’ve accomplished their goals this year. They’ve both improved on their times, they’ve qualified for state in events that they’ve been working on, and Hayden won the district 1600 and 3200 races last week while Hadley’s 4×400 relay team is one of the top in the state.
Hayden also ran in the Dream Mile a couple of weeks ago which was a major goal for him during his 8th grade season.
While he was doing that, Hadley was at the 8th grade dance. Of course, she had lots of fun.
The state meet is up next.
School Pics:
I’ve shared these before, but the difference in the kids’ pictures from year to year blows my mind.
Some other thoughts:
I know I share a lot about sports and what they accomplish, but they’ve accomplished a lot in academics too. I firmly believe that the middle school years are a time to prepare for high school….and we’ve had struggles and celebrations.
They’ve had to learn study habits, time management, how to advocate for themselves and many other life skills.
While they know hard work pays off in athletics, they’ve learned that same lesson in academics. They’ve been on the honor roll every quarter, tried various elective classes, joined clubs, and more.
Overall, I think they will look back on their middle school years with some fond memories. I remind them that the middle school years can be really tough for some kids, and while it hasn’t been smooth sailing for them all the time, they really have learned lessons, grown, matured, made decisions, and formed friendships.
I’m thankful for the teachers and coaches who have championed and supported the kids through the years.
Now people are asking me if the kids are ready for high school and my response has been that it’s more about the fact that they are over middle school! (and very ready for summer)
Next week, they have their 8th grade promotion ceremony and a pool party with friends.
