Frigid Friday Fragments

Happy Friday! We've finally got the cold. Not really frigid, but at least it's cold! My weekend plans include cozy- big slouchy socks and sweater, fire in the fireplace (sort of), hot chocolate or Baileys or both. Yep, all set for a cozy,fall weekend. To start it all off- the Friday Fragments!

Thanks, Mrs. 4444s, for hosting the Fragments! 

There's not that much to tell about this week so fragments is the perfect way to put it out there. 

My first and second graders have finished their fall projects. I have to put the projects on a flash drive and bring them home to print them on my color printer since we don't have one in the lab. Yes, it gets expensive. No, I'm not going to stop. It means too much to the kids. I have a project posted on Donor's Choose and we're halfway to getting one funded. But we're not there yet. Here's a picture of most of the their fall projects:

Imagine these projects in black and white. All that hard work and no color unless I take them home and print them. Because the powers that be get scrunchy faces when you use a lot of color ink. The first graders typed sentences about fall and then inserted clip art. The second graders learned how to insert WordArt and then write a fall cinquain underneath by inserting a text box. Both grade levels learned how to change their font and font size.  

HEY! If y'all are looking for a tax write off (or don't have anything better to do with some of your money), you can donate to our cause by clicking right HERE!

This is the best news this week---this morning's weather report:

Cool weather has arrived!!!!!

The car I drive has been out of commission since May. Husband has been working on it (because he refuses to pay someone to do something he can do yet he never quite gets around to doing any of it) and has succeeded in making it so much worse. It all started with the AC quitting on me and now there is no AC, no speedometer, no radio, no anything that belongs on the dash, hell- no dash. The steering doesn't work either and the lights only work on bright. But, he says it's driveable. No, trust me, it is not. All that to say that I am going to have to buy a car. Me. Myself. And I. On my salary. UGH. That means I'm on the lookout for a reliable, safe used car. The process began this week. I am not having fun.

On the bright side, I'm listening to Christmas music. I have my Thanksgiving decorations out, because it's the Thanksgiving season. But I do listen to Christmas music starting November 1 every year. If I didn't do that, the lead up to Christmas would just be too short for me. It's not like I don't listen to it all year long anyway. LOL

That's it, y'all! Have a cozy weekend! 

Pieces of the Week- Fraggin' On Saturday

Happy FINALLY Friday! It's here! AND- I am OFF! Yeah, yeah. Very funny. I mean I don't have to go to school. Jokesters. :)  I'm actually going to get my Friday fragments out before nightfall! On Saturday. WooHoo! 

Thanks, Mrs. 4444s, for hosting the Fragments! 

What a great feeling to get up on a Friday morning and not have to rush around to get the morning have-tos out of the way and go to school. It's so much more fun to get those have-tos done in a procrastinating manner. Or not at all. Ha! I wish. I'm not that kind of person. I always like to get those pesky things out of the way early so that I can fully enjoy and appreciate my weekends. Of course, there are, on occasion, those days like today when the universe (or the people with whom you live) is working against you with vim and vigor. Funny how no one thinks of how their deeds will affect others but, they sure expect you to think of others before you take action on anything. Funny. Freaking hilarious. 

On to the week! Which was crazy busy. I think that having a day off (our schools were closed on Tuesday) makes for a much more difficult week than normal. That and allergies. And the fact that summer came back for two days. UGH. 

We had our kick-off assembly for the bullying program we adopted this summer. I somehow found myself on the committee and we have truly learned tons about bullying. This program, OLWEUS, seems to be pretty solid. We started with a two day workshop in June and have been working up to the kick-off we had on Thursday. The program comes with cheers that our wonderful guidance counselor (and tireless leader in the program) decided each teacher in our school and our administrators should get up IN FRONT OF ALL OUR 750+ students and perform. She grouped us, gave us our cheers and hoped for the best. I'm not sure she got the best but the kids really seemed to love each and every one- there were five groups. They shouted and squealed and waved at us. The excitement filled the air. Three of us on the committee had helped put together clips for videos which our guidance counselor's son (who is one of the best kids you could ever hope to know) put together into two videos (a video featuring students and the other one featuring teachers and all staff) we played for the assembly on one of those big pull down screens. Wow! Apparently, we are superstars! Isn't elementary school the best?! ANYWAY, after the assembly, I was walking down the hall and passed a few CD kids- the 4 year olds- who stopped and yelled, "Hey! We just saw you on television!" See? Elementary school ROCKS! LOL

I'll leave y'all with that since it was quite a lot of information. There wasn't much else that happened during the week. We have been so focused on the kick-off that I'm not sure we would have noticed had anything else been going on anyway. Ha! 

Have a perfectly marvelous weekend, y'all! :)

Spooky Fragments

This week, Friday brings us not only Friday Fragments but also Halloween. Not many ghouls on our cul-de-sac but that was because only two of us bother to put our lights on and buy candy. We don't have many kid friendly neighbors on our street I guess. But that won't put a damper on the Friday Fragments with Mrs. 4444!

Another long week has finally passed. And, of the week, today was the longest day of all. Probably because it's Halloween and there was an awful lot going on at school. No matter. It's all over now and I'm glad. So is everybody else at school. 

We have a scarecrow contest every year. The nurse and I had to put one up this year- two people who have zero time to take on anything extra. Sheesh. So, instead of getting busy, I got creative. Since we're starting the bullying program next week, that was the theme of the scarecrows. Here's what I came up with:

Creative, right? LOL Y'all should have seen the kids getting off the bus on Thursday morning. As they passed our scarecrow, they reached out and tried to feel the 'invisible' scarecrow. Priceless! 

Our superintendent resigned this week. I don't really have much of an opinion about her. Never have. But I have one about the way the announcement was made at our school. And that will be the topic on the Grits tomorrow. 

I had some orange paper lanterns left over from the engagement party back in September 2013 so I turned them into jack-o-lanterns for Halloween.

I am thrilled and delighted to say that tomorrow, our high will be ONLY 55 degrees!!! I can't begin to tell y'all how excited I am! This has been a long time coming. 

That's it for now. Tune in to the Grits tomorrow for rant about authority figures and their demands. 

Alice and the Fragments

Happy FINALLY Friday! It's here! AND- I am OFF! Yeah, yeah. Very funny. I mean I don't have to go to school. Jokesters. :)  I'm actually going to get my Friday fragments out before nightfall! WooHoo! Thanks, Mrs. 4444s, for hosting the Fragments! 

What a great feeling to get up on a Friday morning and not have to rush around to get the morning have-tos out of the way and go to school. When this rare gift occurs, Tucker and I get to walk the nature trail and witness the sunrise...

So. Lovely. I miss the sunrise. I'm always in the building before the sun comes up. Sigh.

Of course, I could do without those stupid power lines, but the sky was beautiful. 

One of our local news stations hosts a weekly segment during the school year called, Cool Schools. Our school was their chosen school this week. This is not our first time being selected. We have parents who are always singing our praises and nominating us for things like this. It's really nice but, if you're like me, camera are to be avoided. So I did. I'll  post the video next week if I am allowed. 

I will say that this is the news station I watch in the mornings before I head out to school. I like the camaraderie between the team but, mostly, their weather dude, Josh Marthers, gets the weather right way more often than any other station. 

I started walking Tucker again in the late evening. I need more steps. Some of y'all might remember that I bought a FitBit a few months back and, while I find it to be extremely accurate, I find I am not coming close to the 10,000 step mark even with all the walking I do at school. So I'm 'stepping' it up...hahahaha- see what I did there? :)

This was faculty meeting week and, while I HATE those darn things, this one was interesting. 

Halloween is only one week away. When the lovelies were growing up, we had such fun with costumes. My mother almost always made them and coming up with a theme was big fun. One of my favorites was the year Breezy was Alice and Deanie was the White Rabbit:

This year, Breezy and her friends are dressing up as the Wonderland crowd. That's Breezy in the picture, as Alice, and her friend, Erin, as the Mad Hatter. My, how things have changed. LOL

That's about it for this week. Y'all have a great weekend! 

Fraggin' Friday

Happy FINALLY Friday! It took so long to get here. It seems I waited for years!

I used to get so excited when Wednesday rolled around. Now, it has to be Friday before I feel good. The weeks are draining me. Too much intensity is just, too much.

Those college girls who moved in across the street have not parked in front of my house since I exploded in their faces a while back. But they do provide entertainment. Yesterday, we heard something and stepped out the front door to see what it was, One of those girls was sitting on the front porch steps YELLING at her mother through the phone. We heard, "Send me money! I don't have any effing clothes to wear!" DEMANDING this. To her MOTHER. And, if I were to judge by the cars those girls drive- brand new and very expensive- I'd say she'll get that money even though she was a total spoiled bitch about it. I'll be posting more about this on the Grits at a later date. 

I love conversations between 4 year olds. And I totally appreciate their honesty.
Two of them were sitting on the bench with me at dismissal on Wednesday looking at H's pictures she had created in class that day.

R: Why is this one not beautiful like the other one?
H: Because I just scribbled this one. 

Gotta love it. Nothing but truth. No one got upset either. An honest question was asked and an honest answer was given. Too bad we adults aren't more like these littles. 

Can I be 4 again? Please?

I realized this week how I love the sounds of our students entering the building in the mornings. Their voices reflect happiness and enthusiasm and remind me to put the same energy into the time I share with them. 

Until the first and second graders come in and all I hear is, "Well, HE said I should do it like that." and "Well, SHE came over to my computer and ..." and "I tried to tell them to be quiet." Overandoverandoverandover again and again and again. Good Lord! I've never witnessed such finger pointing and tattle-telling in my life! This is when the energy I put in changes a bit. I have to use my teacher voice and put a stop to it. Or eat some chocolate. Or drink a bottle of wine. Through a straw. Sheesh. 

One last school fragment- what do you get on a low-country, Friday afternoon when the AC at school stops working? A school full of grumpy women, THAT'S what. 

Thank God for the weekend! I'd not live through another school day this week. :)\

Keep hope alive, y'all!

I'm Not Smart Enough for This

I cannot even begin to explain how truly grateful I am when Fridays finally roll around. My entire body from head to toe relaxes. As does my soul.

And then I come home and get to take part in Friday Fragments!

Not too much this week. Except that I got myself hooked on The Blacklist. O!M!Gosh! I love this show! It took me nearly one full week, but I have watched all 22 episodes of season 1 and the 3 episodes of season 2. It's excellent!

I had put a request up on Donor's Choose (a teacher's BFF) for 25 stability discs for the computer lab chairs. Two weekends ago, AT&T went to the site and funded every single teacher's page in our  county. Which came to over $70,000! Our stability discs arrived this week. It was just like Christmas!

Sorry about the blurry pix- I can't seem to remember to give my phone camera a second before I take the picture.

I showed all the students who come through the lab for special area (700+) each week this video:

They were fascinated, as was I, about how computers see data as 1s and 0s and puts it together so that we see pictures, videos, games, web pages, etc. They went crazy with the questions: "Mrs. L, is that true?" "Mrs. L, how do they do that?" "Mrs. L, who invented that?" "Mrs. L, can you teach us how to do that?"

It's time for the school to find a younger, more computer savvy computer lab teacher.

I've gotten myself on so many committees this year that I am quite certain I've lost my mind. PTA Board, Newspaper, Computer Club, Olweus Bullying Prevention Committee...I'm the MAP testing coordinator and there's one more that I don't even remember...CRAP, what is it???? See, the mind is gone. Gone, I tell you. It seems there is a meeting every freaking day of the week.

Speaking of, don't forget to check out our donation page at GoFundMe. The link is on the top of the right sidebar of the blog. We would like to have an anti-bullying t-shirt for each student and faculty member by November 6th.

I think that's it for this week. Or it isn't and I'll think of something AFTER I post this. So, some of you may read this and some of the later ones of you may read more. Ha!

Have a marvelously autumnal weekend!

Fragments and Donations

Happy FINALLY Friday! It took so long to get here. It seems I waited for years!

The week was busy with MAP testing but I think we're done! At least until winter. Good grief. We test the crap out of kids. 

Our school has adopted the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program. We're trying to raise enough money to buy t-shirts for each of our 701 students before the kick-off on November 6. My Friday Fragments this week is to ask if y'all would post the link to your Facebook pages or on your blogs to help us with this effort. 

These are a few students I was able to grab while they were in the library and I was between testing sessions. 

Aren't they cute?!

Just click HERE to go to the page.

We'll go through great lengths to raise funds. As educators, we're not to proud to beg. LOL

Check out this elementary school. See how cool the shirts look? After the kick-off, all our students will have shirts just like ours. (Ours are different from the video at that school).

And this is the music we'll be playing:

I didn't vote for that music but, when you're part of a team and all that...plus, I didn't want to bully anyone. :)

But I did think this song would be better:

And I really like the video this particular school made. Poignant.


Thanks, y'all! Have a great autumn weekend!

A Piece Here, A Piece There

Friday. Finally. Here it is and I'm home and sick. Well, not really sick, per se. It's my allergies. I made myself some hot green tea with honey and brandy to try and stop the incessant coughing but it didn't work. I'm still coughing. I caught a buzz. But I'm still coughing.

Anyway, it's time for some fragments of the week!

It's MAP testing hell at school. That's all I do all day, every day. My classes go to the library instead of computer for the duration. It sucks all around. But I do enjoy the humor that we find within the situation. Like the text messaging between a fifth grade teacher and myself today. I won't share as it was, shall we say...raw. But I was laughing so hard. And that made my day better. Except for the fact that all the laughing made the coughing worse. Sheesh. 

I love sitting with the four-year-olds at dismissal. The conversation is the best.

W: I guess I'm the only siblong here today. 
Me: Looks like it.
W: When will I be 5?
Me: When is your birthday?
W: April eighf.
Me: Well, you'll be 5 on April 8th. One of my daughter's birthday is April 1st.
W: HEY! That's just like mine!
Me: Yep. But she's older than you. She's 27.
W: My brover is 27.
Me: Really? The one we're waiting on right now?
W: Yes.
Me: The one who is in kindergarten?
W: Yes.
Me: Wow. How did he get to be 27?
W: I don't know. He just really likes being 27. 

We've enjoyed a bit of cooler temps this week. But then it warmed back up- only into the high 70s though so that was tolerable. I won't complain. I certainly don't want anything above the 70s ever again. I saw this map posted on a cousin's Facebook page which shows us as 'Slightly Above Normal Snowfall'. That means we will get snow! They better not be playin' with me. 



That's about it. Or that's all I remember from the week. Day after day of testing tends to run together and leave my mind in a state of mush.

Have a great weekend, y'all!

Tile Fragments

Happy FINALLY Friday! It took so long to get here. It seems I waited for years!

The week really did seem to take forever while it was going on. Now, not so much. I guess the weekend will be just about the same. Only way shorter and way faster moving. Sigh. 

No sign of fall around here. Unless you call it fall when the temps are in the 80s instead of the 90s. I do not. Summer, I am SICK of you..

But I'm not the least bit sick of Friday Fragments! They're fun even when the weather isn't. 

We've had quite a lot of rain here lately. And the mornings have been a tad nicer for walking Tucker. But not just right. I'm still waiting on 'just right.' How I envy those who live in areas that allow them to delight in seasonal changes. Fall festivals with pumpkins and corn mazes and jars filled with all sorts of homemade goodness. Chilly weather that makes comfy sweaters a must and finds one seeking the warmth of the sun during a long walk. Spice cake baking in the oven and long, slow sips of hot apple cider while reading a good, thick book. Watching college football on Saturdays and NFL on Sundays. How I do love fall.

All of us have afternoon duty every single afternoon at school this year. I am one of three who corral the 4 year olds until their older siblings stop by and pick them up to go to the car line. Let me just say that my afternoon conversations are nothing short of entertaining. 

Deanie and a team from Cooper Cary participated in the COSMO COUTURE 2014 which y'all can read about HERE. Without getting too wordy (because I'm just too dang tired to summarize the thing), it's a benefit for charity--in this case, My Sister's House- involving design centered around a theme. Deanie wore her team's design down the runway.

Here's their design:

Here she is on the runway:

Those shorts weighed at least 20 pounds as they were made out of tiles manufactured by Cooper Cary's sponsor, Mosaic Tile Company.  

Oh the fun some people are having! :)

That's it, y'all! Hope everyone has a great weekend! 

Fraggin' on Friday

O. M. G. Friday FINALLY arrived. Please, could we have longer weekends? Or at least could we get this heat taken away...FAR away? One or the other people. One or the other.

Anyway, I'm sitting here in the AC (for which I am truly grateful) linking up with Mrs. 4444 and her lovely Friday Fragments.

Here's the week, fragment style.

The week was long. And hot. Did I already mention that? Good grief. I LOVE fall- the colors (that we don't get), the cooler temps (that we don't get), the light sweaters and long sleeve shirts (that we don't wear because of the heat). Yeah, it's hot and humid and I am sick of it. No matter that summer isn't over yet. School started four weeks ago for cryin' out loud. Let's get on with the fall weather anyway. Sheesh.

We were supposed to start MAP testing on Monday coming but have had to delay it for another week. We have a new person in charge of this and she might have not done what she should have done earlier this summer and it's causing all of us to delay our fall testing. Thing is, she's not taking responsibility and I don't like that. I mean, I hate messing up but, when you do, you just have to take responsibility. Especially at that level. Whatever. If you're in education you're not in it for the money and you learn to go with the flow.

One of the cutest things I heard this week was from a four year old in our CD program...
"Yesterday, when I was 2, I held a rabbit." Not too far from the truth. Time does fly and they do grow up fast. :)

Is it Thanksgiving break yet?

Have a great weekend, y'all!

Walking Along and Singin' A Song Fragment Style

This was one long week. But it always happens that way when it's a short week. Thanks to Mrs. 4444s, here's the week in fragments.

The third week of school has ended. And I survived. Last year, we had a group of fifth graders who I think we would have passed to 6th grade even if they were all failing every single course just to get them out of the school. This year, it looks like kindergarten, third, fourth and fifth grades are a pure delight. Those first and second graders, on the other hand, are a different story altogether.

Tucker had a visit from the groomer this week. He might have been slightly less than thrilled at first--

But he soon recovered.

I bought a new game for my kindergarten students. It's a programming board game! I'm so excited about trying this out with them next week.

DoodleBug just returned from a trip to San Francisco and brought me these:

Based on this:

The lovelies and I laugh until we cry AND hurt every time we see this. Deanie used the skit for a project in Honors English for WUTHERING HEIGHTS and her teacher LOVED it. Yeah, I know. But I keep telling y'all that we're a crazy family. :) The tape is around here somewhere. If I ever find it, I'll share it.

We have some bad news in our neighborhood. The lady across the street from us had to move in with her son due to ill health. This was the bad news a few months ago. The bad new now is that they decided to rent her house out. To 5 college students. FIVE. In our family neighborhood. If nothing else, these five young students of the female variety (because I dare not call them ladies) are certainly supporting my theory that kids are now raised with a sense of entitlement and a total lack of common courtesy.

Last but not least, I fell in love this week. With Pete the Cat. The book starts at about 30 seconds. It's so much better when 25 kindergarten students are singing along, but it's still fun just by yourself. Enjoy!

Have a great weekend, y'all!

Prancing and Fragging

It's time to wrap up the second week of school in the fragmented form with Friday Fragments! I am so in love with Friday. And three day weekends. Truly, they should both come around more often.

Most of you have probably seen the videos on YouTube all about Prancercising. Well, the other day, a most wonderful teacher and dear friend at school posted this video for me on Facebook:

I haven't laughed so hard in quite a while. Good grief. Several of us have had a lot of fun with this and I will spare y'all some of our comments.

However, I will not spare you this. Another teacher and dear friend entered the lab yesterday with her students doing this:

Our principal was standing right outside the lab doors. And it wasn't even Friday!

I told y'all we were exhausted. And now, delirium has set in. Or happy pills. Regardless, thank God for three day weekends. :)

Enjoy your weekend, y'all!

First Week of School Fragments

It only seems appropriate to participate in Mrs. 4444s' Friday Fragments after the first week of school. Besides, it's fun! Even when I'm a day late. Story of my life. Ha!

Yes, the first week of school has come and gone. Not in a flash. But it is gone. I don't know a single soul at our school who isn't completely exhausted with the exception of the students who were still up and running strong on their way out of school yesterday afternoon. The faculty and staff, though we wanted to run out full of energy, barely made it to our cars to drive home and collapse. Nevertheless, the week was fantastic! Every single class I saw (K-5) was a pure delight. Our students this year are wonderful! Of course, ask me if I still feel that way around December...

A teacher at our school challenged the rest of us to the ALS ice bucket challenge. I didn't make it in the 24 hour limit so I am donating. Would I have had the bucket of ice water dumped on my head. Sure. But it's not easy to get two people - one to dump one to video- when everyone is working and does not live at home anymore. I'd rather donate anyway. Dumping ice water on our heads won't help the cause other than to spread the word. Pretty sure it's been spread.

Tucker has not been happy that school has resumed. He sits and waits for me daily. Luckily, DoodleBug is home still and provides company for my sweet pup. The first thing I do when I get home is get in the floor and get mauled by Tuck. 

FYI: Remember that my bestie from high school wrote a murder mystery novel, OverTheTop? Well, she did. I wrote a review and hosted a giveaway for a free copy. And the winner is: Gail from At The Farm! Gail is aware and I will be getting that in the mail to her ASAP. It's a car issue that I won't go into since it sends me into a rant every time I think about it. 

Anyway- Congrats, Gail!!

And, thanks to Mrs. 4444s for hosting Friday Fragments!

Have a great weekend, y'all!

Sneezy Fraggy

Friday. Finally. It's been a LONG week. LOOOOONG. 

I think it's because Next week is short- only two teaching days--and then, Thanksgiving. Right now, I'm thankful for Thanksgiving break. Because I won't have to play hooky. Sometimes, teachers just need a break.

On Wednesday, the kindergartners who came into the lab for special area, smelled like poop. 

Yesterday, the first graders smelled like throw up. And one of them sneezed. All over her keyboard. All. OVER. It. Stuff came out. More stuff than you would think could be inside a first grader. Gross. And, yes. I admit. I made her clean it up. Then I went over it with Clorox wipes. About ten of them. 

Today, the 5th graders acted like wild banshees at a frat party. 

 Our 4th and 5th grade students gave what I heard was a marvelous production of Oliver Twist yesterday. I wanted to watch the afternoon show and was all set to do so. Until the principal asked me to sit with a student who was in trouble and not allowed to go to said production. So, instead of being entertained by elementary talent (no sarcasm here, they really are quite talented), I sat with an angry, pouty 5th grader. 

Do I need a break? Do you need to ask? 

I LOVE you, weekend! Have a great one, y'all!

Friggle Fraggle

Friday. Finally. How I have missed you!

Just a few highlights from the week:

My new computer has arrived! I have been trying to catch up on some blog reading. I'll continue this weekend. Between football games, of course. :)

Wedding planning is still coming along. So far we have--

• secured the venue
• secured the caterer
• secured the DJ
• secured their choice of wedding photographer
• talked to the cake lady
• gotten a line on the photo booth
• secured a cottage at the venue for the girls to stay in the night before and night of the wedding
• gotten close to decisions about flowers
• chosen bridesmaids dresses (girls to order this month)
• purchased the wedding dress (it's already here!)
• secured the officiant
• delegated the making of the 'Save the Dates' and invitations to Breezy and her talented self
• secured my photographer choice for engagement photos and bridal portraits

Not a bad start. We will be choosing the linens, etc. in a week or so. And the final details will come as we get closer to the day. But we're well on our way!

I'll leave y'all with a very sweet tale that happened at school today.

When my fourth graders came into the lab this morning, there were only about 15 of them since the others were in chorus. They were being so well behaved, that I told them they could sit wherever they wanted to sit. There are only four computers per row and there were five boys headed for one row. The last one in realized he wasn't going to be able to have a seat. He didn't say anything, he just got a sad look on his face and headed off to another row. The last boy on that row noticed the sad face on his friend, left his seat and went over to sit beside him. Sweetest gesture I've seen all week. Yes, I talked to him and told him that I noticed what a wonderful friend he is. I also told the principal who mentioned to the boy that she heard what a good friend he was today. 

I just love it when I get to witness kindness like that! 

That's it for now. I hope y'all have a fabulously fall weekend! 

YIKES! It's NOVEMBER1 and I totally forgot about NaBloPoMo! Thank goodness Mrs. 4444s is doing it and put it on her Friday Fragments post! Whew!