Emma's end-of-year presentation

Emma presented her end-of-the year project on Thursday, so I got the chance to see her teach her class about dogs. Of course, she needed a volunteer to help her with her presentation, and Hazel seemed more than happy to oblige. She did a great job with her power point and visuals and enjoyed getting to be the expert in class for a little bit. 

Though Hazel would have stayed in class all day, Emma still had 30 minutes left of school after she presented so Hazel and I hung out for a bit waiting for the girls to get out of school. 

It was so funny seeing how confused Hazel seemed leaving school without Emma. She parked herself on the front lawn, watching the kids play at recess as if counting down the minutes until her little humans got out of school. :)

Royal t night

Friday night we headed out to Regis Royal T night to help raise funds to re-roof Grace's school. With a silent auction, live auction (with an incredible auctioneer), food, drinks, dancing, and good friends we had a blast helping raise money for a great cause. As in typical form, the St. Matt's crew closed the place down and the DJ was kind enough to play an extra 2 hours for us! I can't express how much I love our school families. We are truly surrounded by amazing people. 

Turning the lights back up doesn't slow this crew down. Time for the after-party. 

 

CRMB: Safety in Schools

So, I've been MIA lately. Oops. 

I have so many updates to blog, but they'll have to wait. Currently, I'm swimming in lit analysis papers that need graded, but I wanted to make sure I don't forget to link up my latest article from CRMB. 

Quarter ends tomorrow and though I'd like to take more than 5 minutes away from grading, I know I'll thank myself later if I focus now and forge ahead. If my calculations are right only 185 more pages stand between me and Spring Break. 

CSW

Catholic Schools Week has once again come to a close and I just can't let this week pass without sharing how thankful I am for the administration, teachers/staff, and families that make up the schools in which my children and I spend the majority of our days. Just in case you didn't already know how much these 3 schools mean to us, let me remind you with my  CSW2017 and CSW2016 posts. 

This year they asked us to share pictures throughout the week of #whycatholicschools and while I can't say that the academics are any better or worse that those of our surrounding public schools (because we have some phenomenal schools in our area), I can tell you that Catholic Schools have truly shaped how we are living our lives. The families that surround us model the type of parent I want to be for my children. The teachers treat my children as if they were their very own and I have no doubt that when they look at my crazy kids, they truly see the face of God in them. Additionally, they remind me that this is what I need to do for my students as well...they push me to be better every day. So alongside the fun dress-up days, celebrations, extra lunch dates and masses, this Catholic Schools Week was another great reminder of why we choose a faith based education for our kiddos. 

My lunch date. The girls loved having special guests eat with them all week!

Hard to believe Grace was old enough for Mass at my school this year.

"Thank you for paying for my Catholic education. I appreciate it!'

Love that the girls made cards for us.

"It's great to be a Jaguar" cinch bags for every student. The girls were so proud to wear them!

Sock Hop

Friday night we kicked off Catholic Schools Week with the Sock Hop! This is one of the girls' favorite nights and Grace was super sad that she had aged out of it and couldn't join the festivities (though she did partake in some eating and hanging out with other "alum" that didn't want to miss out on this special night either). The girls got all decked out and danced the night away.  I only caught part of it as I had to head home for a visitation for a family friend, but Mark did a great job documenting the night for me!

My poodle girls ready to dance their bobby socks off!

Emma's pink lady crew.

Those glasses were just too much...she cracked me up.

Norah did a fantastic job defending her hula-hoop title and even won a gift certificate to the book fair! 

DWTS

Mark and I attended our 3rd annual "Dancing with the Saints" fundraiser last weekend. It was a fun night supporting a cause near and dear to my heart...my school. This years fundraiser was to raise money for new uniforms. Did you know the cheap-end of a band uniform starts around $3000? Crazy, right?! Ours are 20 years old, some of which being held together by duct tape, so it was a great night to raise money and help out our school. With local celebrity judges, pros and schmoes paired as dance couples, and a catered meal, it was an entertaining evening and fun night out. Special shout out to our friends for letting our girls have a "sleepover" at their house so we didn't have to worry about a sitter!

What? A date night?!

Feeling "official" on the red carpet.

A few of my favorite teacher friends.

First day of school

Another school year awaits! This summer was our fastest summer ever and we're so sad to see it end so early. However, the girls are ready to take on another school year. We'll be spread out over 3 schools this year so keeping schedules under control may be a challenge, but we're excited for all the new experiences that await!

Norah is heading into 1st grade this year. She has one of the most incredible teachers which we are hoping will help spark Norah's lukewarm love for school. She is looking forward to catching up with her friends after not seeing them much this summer and of course is excited at the thought of the chapter books that await her in the library. Jack and Annie, this girl has been waiting for YOU! 

Emma is heading into 4th grade with Mrs. Smith. She's a bit nervous this year, but her love of learning and reading will keep school exciting for her. She is looking forward to the crayfish unit in science since she has her very own crayfish, Lilly, at home and she has already knocked out most of the 2017 Children's Choice reading selections, so she's ready to get back into the school library so her favorite librarian can keep her interested. 

Grace is SO excited for 6th grade it's palpable. She tends to be a pretty anxious kid so we thought the transition might be a rough one, but she is all in. She's looking forward to making new friends, having multiple teachers, changing classes and the oh-so-yummy lunches that she has heard await her. She is continuing with band and has jumped into the world of show choir in 6th grade so music seems to be what's keeping her happy these days. She still loves her sports, but since they don't offer those in 6th grade, we'll keep those going outside of school. She has such a positive outlook on the year ahead, I can't see how it couldn't be a fantastic year!

I am heading into my 15th year teaching Spanish and I'm staying part time this year. Though I love my job and would love to be full time, I know all too well that I have more years of working left in my life than I do with my kiddos under my roof, so I am so happy to have this time to be with them. I have lots of lofty goals to get started on at work and tons of fun ideas I would like to implement this year, but I am also looking forward to the fact that when my child gets off the bus after a bad day at school, I can be there waiting with milk and cookies and a listening ear. 

Our first day back and these 2 already had a half day! Daddy to the rescue with a picnic lunch and some snuggles as my first day schedule got extended into the afternoon. So much for the part-time gig, huh?! :)

Supply drop off

School is right around the corner and the girls are ready...mostly. 

Grace is starting 6th grade and couldn't be more excited. We ordered the "school supply box" to be shipped directly to the school and she was over-joyed at all the new school supplies sitting on her desk when she arrived. Though a bit more expensive, it was so nice to only school shop for 2 littles this year. 

"Oh, mom. Aren't I too old for this?!"

Norah starts 1st grade this year and was excited to score Mrs. VB as her teacher this year. The older girls both hit the jackpot with this gem of a teacher as well, so we are thrilled that Norah will get to have a similar experience. Though she doesn't have the same infatuation with school as the older two, this will be a good fit to keep her motivated to do her best this year. 

Emma is starting 3rd grade with Mrs. Smith. This is the first year that she has had a teacher that Grace never had before, so it will be fun to see the new things that await in 4th grade for Emma. She could spend her entire day with her nose in a book so hopefully Mrs. Smith can get her interested in a few new subjects this year. 

Supplies dropped and already a bag of homework to get started on before the first day even begins!

Getting her locker all set and ready. Organization is key with this kiddo...fingers crossed!

Locker move in

Yep. I'm that mom...the one who makes her middle schooler pose by her locker so I can freeze time and pretend like my once infant isn't about to enter into her pre-teen school days. Grace is over-the-top excited for middle school. Whereas many of her friends are nervous about starting a new school, switching classes and making new friends; I feel a tinge of pride over the fact that Grace is embracing it head-on. She can't wait to meet new people, have multiple teachers to interact with throughout the day and move up to the big leagues. I hope that it's everything that she thinks it will be, though I know many days it won't be. She's ready. And though she's probably too self-absorbed at this stage in her life to see it, she has an incredible safety net surrounding her to help her navigate the possible awkward, heart-breaking days that await many middle-schoolers. On those days, I'm ready with the cookies for the both of us! 

Her new school offered the coolest thing to reward students for reading over the summer. Students who participated and completed the minimum summer reading requirements were invited to a movie night in the gym and the chance to be able to move into their lockers early! She was so excited to spend an evening with her friends eating popcorn, watching, "A Dog's Purpose" and getting all of her things settled into her new space. [Grace was extra thankful that she had already seen this tear-jerker of a movie as she said she just looked away during all of the sad parts since she already knew what was going to happen so she wouldn't cry in front of her friends]. Woof. For a kiddo who can get pretty anxious about new spaces and the unknown, this was such a great way to get her foot in the door and check things out!

End of school

Another year has come and gone!

Emma's last day of 3rd grade with Mrs. Adams. She has been so lucky to have had her 2 years in a row. 

Grace's last day of 5th grade with Mrs. Freeman. She also was lucky enough to have her the past 2 years. 

Mrs. Van Erdewyk was her associate this year. What a fun match!

I have no doubt these two will keep causing trouble as 4th graders!

Graduation day for Norah was super sad. Though she is excited for first grade, I can't believe we're forever done with kindergarten. First grade, here we come!

Many of the girls from Grace's 5th grade class. 

We were lucky enough to have Mrs. Kane for all three of the girls. Norah loved having her as a teacher!

Mrs. Stucker has followed and loved on all of the girls over the years! Norah got to have her as an associate this year!

From kindergarten to 5th grade, she keeps having an impact on the girls!

The last (and only) time that all 3 girls will be in the same school at the same time. Thanks Mr. Wolf for another fantastic school year!

There was a little end of the year party for all the kids that sang in the Jubilation choir at Masses this year as well. So sad to know that Grace is done with this group now that she is done with elementary school. 

Lady bug and friends

Norah's kindergarten class put on their end of the year school play, "Lady Bug and Friends" the last week of school. She made the cutest little firefly and it was a fun way to see her and her friends shine during their last week of kindergarten. 

The firefly on the left. Oops, good thing she wore shorts under her skirt, she didn't notice that it came up while she was performing! :)

Added bonus to working part time, I got to spend the afternoon at her play and then take her home afterwards. 

Even daddy got to make an appearance to cheer her on!

The cutest firefly around. 

Therapy dogs

Thursday Grace requested I bring her "visual aid" to school for her end-of-year report. This year she chose to do her report on Therapy Dogs and wanted Hazel to pay a visit. Although not "official" yet, it was a great test to see if therapy work is really something that could be in Hazel's future and how she would react in a real school setting. I was a bit nervous as she still hasn't quite bridged the gap between "work" and "play" when it comes to kids, but she did a great job. Grace had a fantastic report, a wonderful slide show and did a great job on her presentation. It was fun to bring Hazel in to add to her big day.

Listening to Grace's presentation. You could tell both Grace and Hazel had a lot of nervous excitement. 

Grace teaching the class about what makes Hazel a good candidate for a therapy dog. 

Hazel being a show off, shaking hands.

NCEA Conference

Wednesday a co-worker and I headed to St. Louis for the National Catholic Educational Association conference. We are submitting a proposal to present at this conference next year (fingers crossed it gets accepted) so since the conference was within driving distance this year, we thought it would be a good idea to hit a few sessions and finish up our proposal. Both of us missed the conferences we were supposed to attend in the fall so it worked out perfectly. I had a few really helpful sessions and networked with some awesome Spanish teachers from across the nation so although it was a quick 24 hours away, it was definitely worth the trip. I came home with some great ideas to work on over the summer so that I can get them put into place for next year. Hard to believe May is here and a few short weeks from now I'll be saying goodbye to my seniors.

Not a bad location for our hotel...

Hopefully next year this badge says, "presenter" on it!

Titanic Day

We went back in time with Mrs. Madeline Astor and boarded the Titanic for a day. Emma had such a great time at Titanic day after spending so much time learning, researching and preparing for her big event. She was super excited to get to portray the richest woman on the ship!

All dressed up and ready to dance! Emma didn't want me to post pictures of the boy she danced with (Cutie patoot, Mac) so here is her BFF instead. 

Deciphering morse code so they could communicate their SOS. 

Titanic bingo with their vocabulary words. Yours truly got to call the definitions so it was a fun afternoon spent in Em's classroom helping out. 

Yeah...they all survived! (At least these kiddos did)