Summer time.....

It is the Canada Day weekend; the sun has decided to come out, the temperature is warm and we are doing nothing.....hurray! That means school has finished, most of my work is done and our schedule is free and clear for two months. Well, not quite; beginning tomorrow Andrew starts a new adventure at Bayside Camp. He has been accepted to the CORE leadership training program. I am so excited for him as he gets to experience one week of leadership training, a week of being a junior leader and then a third week volunteering in the maintenance department. What a fantastic opportunity for a teen. Even when working hard enough at camp that you may fall asleep on the deck while waiting for supper, it is still camp - the best place ever for a kid in the summer! If you want to learn more about Bayside and give your kid one of the best summers ever then look them up at baysidecamp.org

Extreme Organization

When I was a teenager, my room was so messy that my Mom would get to the point that she couldn't stand looking at it any longer. She would then threaten to hire in a cleaner to dig it out and take the charge out of my allowance. Of course, I would then clean it - very unhappily because I said I couldn't find my things when it was neat.

Flash forward a "few" years. I now wish I could afford to hire someone to come in and help me. Being "uncluttered" is definitely not one of my strengths and there are mornings where I sprint around my apartment in a bad mood because I can't find an important paper or my keys (even though I have a special key hook!). It really does make life more difficult.

As part of our study skills unit, the grade 7 class had a discussion about their current study environments. We then brainstormed what would make a good study environment. Then I sprung it on them....the "Extreme Organization" assignment. Everyone has to clean their room by next Tuesday. For some students this may be easy - for others (I would be one of the "others") it will be quite a challenge.

I realize that not all students study in their rooms but the intent of the assignment is to help everyone learn what a good study area should look like. Students must get their sheet signed by a parent and I welcome your reflections on the exercise -was it easy for your child, do you think he/she will be able to keep it clean, what helps your child study when it comes to the environment?

For the record...I did clean my room yesterday...I still don't enjoy it but I did it :)

Retreat directions.....

So....we are really close to the retreat! We have been planning and planning and are so excited to be going to the new Bayside Camp in Sambro Head.

Directions to Bayside Camp
Drive along the Herring Cove Road out approximately 20 minutes and you will pass Spryfield, and Ketch Harbour...eventually you will see a Bayside Camp Flag on your right. Turn right onto the gravel drive and go three kilometres in.

See you there Wednesday at 10am!!!

What is your favourite book...

I was the kind of child who always had my nose in a book. If I finished a book and had nothing else to read I would just go back to the first page and read it again. I travelled to different countries, got to be different people, solved important mysteries and even managed to go back in time - all through reading books. It is difficult to pick a "favourite" book, but if pressed, I would have to say that Anne of Green Gables, is the one I remember the best.

I first read it at around 10 years of age and re-read it every five years or so. Each time I get something new and different out of it. I could relate more to Anne's best friend, Diana because of my personality and need to do the right thing, but secretly wished I could be as spunky as Anne. We do however, both share a love of books and how one could get easily lost within its pages. How beautiful  it must have been to have cherry trees blossoming outside of your window and I could understand why Anne would have such a difficult time with the Pye sisters - Josie could be quite snobby at times.

To have been able to wear the big satin ribbons in my hair (as Diana of course because as Anne I would have been stuck with horrible straight hair stuck in braids that would allow rotten boys like Gilbert yank on) and pretty dresses with calico prints seems so girly and sweet. Even though Anne had many of the same issues as we do today, Green Gables and Avonlea was set in a simpler time when one could explore the forest and have picnics in a meadow. Unlike Anne's first teacher, Mr. Philips, who refused to spell her name with an "e" at the end, I always thought that Miss Stacey would have been my favourite teacher - she was exceptionally encouraging while still requiring all of her students to work to the best of their potential.

As an adult I have many books that I have enjoyed and authors that I am drawn to but I think it is Anne that I will always turn to when I need a break from the craziness of technology and our busy society.

And so what is your favourite book? Students in our school have been asked this question and to respond in an essay of approx 250 words (no more). In addition to getting some great ideas for books to recommend for book reports, their essays will be submitted to a contest that the Chronicle Herald is running. They could win a book and a family set of tickets to a Moosehead game. I can't wait to see how they describe and explain why they like the books they do. And what about you? Make sure to share your favourite book with your child - maybe they will pick it up and like it as much as you do!

The best way to begin a school year...

What better way to begin a school year than by going back to summer camp for three days. That is what I get to do Sept. 16-18 with all of the students at our school in grades 7-12. For three days, all of the junior/senior teachers spend time getting to know the students better and on a more personal level. Classrooms are wonderful places to learn but I relish the learning opportunities that take place each year at our retreat. As the coordinator of our retreat, I break all of the students into six different groups - with each grade represented in the groups. I love watching the grade 11 and 12 students take leadership seriously as they help the younger students feel welcome and at ease in their new grade.

Since I have been at HCA, we have gone to a wonderful camp, Scotian Glen, located just outside of New Glasgow. This year we made a change - with the new Bayside Camp opening just 25 minutes away from the school we felt it would be a great year to try something new. A gorgeous new facility is awaiting our arrival and the director of the camp, Ben Trites, will spend some of our time challenging us through talks he will give. We stay up late, eat fantastic food, spend time in worship, play sports and games, get lots of fresh air and throughout it all we learn more about each other.

It is the highlight of the year for many students. I recently ran into a student who graduated over six years ago, and as we were chatting she brought up the retreat and how it helped to shape each of her years at the school.

I am so excited to see what will happen at this year's retreat...just over two weeks to go til I will find out!

Why I like uniforms...

While Andrew was having a play-date with some friends the other day, I decided to go to MicMac Mall to look for a "first day back-to-school" outfit. Imagine...me, a teacher, worrying about what to wear - but I was - I want to make as good an impression with my class as I can, and having a new and up-to-date outfit can't hurt (okay...I also love clothes). It was fun to comb the stores looking at the cute tops and skirts and I was determined to find the perfect mix of chique and "cheap", but after my fifth or sixth store I realized that I wasn't going to find anything in my size or price range that met my "first day back-to-school" criteria. I then thought about the many moms I saw in the mall going through similar experiences with their children - the need for new clothes for school. Whether it was a growth spurt or just wanting to look cool, many stores were selling clothes that day to kids eager to have new outfits. I gave up after about an hour and as I walked out of the mall I breathed a sigh of relief that I wouldn't have to go through the first day of school outfit hunt with my son because he wears a uniform to school.

I am so grateful for uniforms. From September until the end of June he wears the same thing pretty much every weekday and so I only need to have a few outfits for weekends. I don't need to worry about the latest trend from the newest store that carries clothing so far out of my budget. Instead of five or six trendy pair of jeans he only needs one. He doesn't have to think about what to wear in the morning...up...uniform...ready to go.

About once a month at our school we have a dress-down day and students have the option to wear what they want. I have a son who is still quite young so it isn't such a big deal but I do know that for some of the older students it becomes one of the more stressful days with some getting up earlier in order to make sure the perfect outfit is chosen.

When I get his uniform each year I admit that it is hard to pay for his school clothing all at once. It can seem like a lot of money. But...then that is it...finished until he has outgrown or worn out what he has. I figure that I have saved hundreds and hundreds of dollars over the past few years. I also love how everyone looks equal; some may say that students in uniforms look like cookie cutter molds of each other and that they have no way to show their individuality but I disagree. Each and every student I teach has no problem showing me how unique they are, whether through their hairstyle or backpack or much more importantly, their personality.

So I am a uniform lover for my son at least. He looks neat and tidy and his personality shines out far past his clothing. Oh.....I am sure I will keep hunting for myself though...I still want a cute new outfit for the first day of school - but Andrew won't have to worry about it...up...uniform...ready to go for this year's first-day of school.

Summer

When people hear the word summer thoughts of hot sunny days lazing at the beach or maybe strolling at the park eating ice cream cones come to mind. Summer can mean visits with realitives not seen for years or maybe a week away at camp. Well, for me, summer means thinking about what I will be doing in the fall....SCHOOL. No matter how many visits I make to Kearney Lake with my son or how many moon mist ice creams we get from Pinkey's or Avery's, I am thinking about school in September. It begins the day I pick up my son's report card. The school year is done, hurray...now I can relax and re-group and have some "me" time. My non-teaching friends say how it must be so nice to have 7 weeks off - they wish they could have that much time off in one stretch - but nope, I don't relax and re-group at all. I don't even think of it as 7 weeks off...to me it is 7 weeks of looking at and experiencing the world as a potential lesson plan....that visit to the lake could become a great art class using sand and saran wrap to make watercolour paints look like the ocean. Visiting and listening to my aunts tell stories about their childhood while at Fall's Lake Campground sends thoughts of autobiographies and creating characters from a different time period that students could write about flying around my head. I tell myself each year that I will not think about school but I can't help it...I am a forever teacher I guess...hmm....maybe my class will do some blogging this year.....