So, January and February continued with me coaching wrestling. We did not have anyone go to state this year, but one kiddo made 5th place at regionals. I became part of the schools testing committee, with my friends Katie and Joe. It was extremely stressful to be in charge of high stakes testing! I also made Holly some art deco cupcakes for her birthday in February...
March and April was mostly work and testing mania. Towards the end of April I went on the Marine Science field trip for the third year in a row. We even added a stop for hiking in Red Rock National Park in CA.
The field trip goes to Monterrey Bay, San Francisco and Reno, before heading back to Las Vegas. Funnily enough, the principal asked me to go on the orchestra/choir field trip the next week - to San Francisco! So I spent two weekends in a row in San Francisco seeing the sights!
My friend Joe is obsessed with Ireland after his trip there last year, so for his birthday, I made cupcakes in the shape of the Ireland flag. I also made a bunch of mini cupcakes for all his students and placed them around his classroom in the shape of a shamrock. My principal is a golf fanatic, so for her birthday I made cupcakes in the shape of a golf course.
This year I was also asked to chaperone prom. It was kind of fun to see all the kiddos dressed up. Joe's student aide, Manzo, was also one of our wrestlers and kind of our "special" favorite student this last year. When he finally passed the math proficiency, which made him\ eligible for graduation at the last minute, I made him graduation cupcakes, in the school colors, of course!
April also brought about Rick's great roofing project... it only took about a month, but luckily the weather cooperated and there were no leaks! Bill even got to help out for a day.
After graduation, I headed out to Washington for Brian's wedding. It was fun to see everybody! The wedding was beautiful, set at a local vineyard. It was a lot of fun, despite the rain. We also got to go hiking up at Multnomah Falls. I even got to introduce Holly to my favorite place in the world, Portland Saturday Market!
The rest of June was spent finishing my Master's degree culminating project. I spent about a week closeted in my room getting everything all finished. I actually just got the final product in the mail a few weeks ago...
For the month of July, I worked the Extended School year program at Helen J. Stewart, a special education school. It was a very interesting month, since I'm not used to working with students that are that needy, but I had a lot of fun.
In August I got to spend a week with the Marines as part of a teacher education workshop. For a week, they took us to various bases around the San Diego area and we got to see what they are all about. I think the goal is to have educators that are informed of the opportunities that the military can provide their students. It was a lot of fun, but very tiring.
Also in August I got to go up to Utah for Bill and Tina's baby blessing for baby Evelyn. It was nice to see the family and some friends down in Provo. As usual, for me anyway, I forgot to take any pictures.
This school year has been pretty tough so far. It's probably been my most difficult year to date. Our principal for the last three years decided to retire during the summer, getting out before all the changes going on in the district. Her retirement party was a few weeks ago...
The new principal has been ok so far, but things are a lot more stressful. For one, our school is under close scrutiny as we have the highest drop out rate in the state. There are a lot of new mandates and responsibilities that are making work difficult. Our student numbers are also lower, so we are short an assistant principal. I am the only one left on the testing committee and proficiency exams are critical this year. We are also in a new "area" of the district, which means I have new special education leadership and new expectations. This is all on top of the new Master's degree program I started with Joe, in educational leadership.
One other event happened at our school that caused me a lot of stress, but was probably worth it. Our school was host to Challenge Day, an event targeted at bringing the school population closer together to end bullying. I was part of the organizers for this event. It seemed to go pretty well, but I'm glad that it's over and I can get back to focusing on my actual job. Plus, wrestling season is about to start back up, so I'm gonna be super busy, again. On top of all this, I've been going to see the doctor because I think I have a pinched nerve. My arm and fingers keep going numb and tingly at the most inopportune times. It's a little frustrating, but hopefully it will be resolved soon.
Anyway, that's the news for now. Hopefully I can stay on top of things and keep posting, but no promises. :-)
