Emily is turning 17 on September 3. I can't believe we have just two more years with her, and then she'll be going to college. Lately, I've been trying to be as involved in her interests as possible, to max the quality time, before she'll be gone. I miss the little girl I used to know, and I was reminded of that yesterday when she was feeling really sick with a bad cold. She actually needed me and wanted hugs. Just like when she was little. I can't believe the time has gone so fast.
Then there's Ricky. Just two years ago he was a good six inches shorter than me, and now he's at least a half foot taller, all arms and legs and no fat on his body. If he falls in a pool I'm afraid he'll sink. He eats like a walking garbage can and still is having growing pains now and then. He says he has eight hundred girl friends and they all seem to text message him constantly on his phone and facebook. He is now in high school. I guess I just never imagined my kids as older like this. It always seemed like they'd be little forever, and that I would always be with them. I better stop, I'm getting sad.
Please remember to help us out in the science department at OHS by using www.goodsearch.com and www.goodshop.com. Put "Oakville High School" in as the charity. It doesn't cost you anything. I'd really appreciate it.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Oakville High School Science Olympiad Team
Well, it's that time of year again when happy little teachers sign their extra duty contracts. Signed mine today, so I'm still the coach of our Science Olympiad team.
There are some pretty cool events this year, although Em is bummed that Sounds of Music is out of the rotation. This year, we're building bridges, launching eggs into space, and using our design and build talents in Junkyard Wars.
Problem is, we have no money. It took me awhile to find a way to make money without costing ANYBODY ANYTHING, but I found it. All we have to do is search the internet, and each search will net our group one cent. It doesn't sound like much, but we need about 400 dollars a year. If 100 people do 2 searches on average per day, we will make $730 dollars in one year. I'm thinking this is a great idea, so please try to help. Go to www.GoodSearch.com and enter "Oakville High School" into the box under "Who do you choose to search for?". Click verify, then you can search for your term.
The best thing to do is to download the searchbox on your browser toolbar. That way you will remember to use Good Search and help our Oakville S.O. Team.
Just use it to search as you normally would.
For everyone who is tapped out with fundraising, I hope this will be an easy and painless way to raise the money we need to fund our team.
Speaking of pain, my feet are killing me. I just have to learn to sit down when I teach, instead of pacing around. I guess it is the ADHD. I can't sit through meetings for more than 45 minutes either. In any meeting, just look around and there I am in the back standing since I just can't sit for very long. Monday was heck for me, we sat in meetings all day. I thought I'd lose my mind. Thank goodness classes started.
There are some pretty cool events this year, although Em is bummed that Sounds of Music is out of the rotation. This year, we're building bridges, launching eggs into space, and using our design and build talents in Junkyard Wars.
Problem is, we have no money. It took me awhile to find a way to make money without costing ANYBODY ANYTHING, but I found it. All we have to do is search the internet, and each search will net our group one cent. It doesn't sound like much, but we need about 400 dollars a year. If 100 people do 2 searches on average per day, we will make $730 dollars in one year. I'm thinking this is a great idea, so please try to help. Go to www.GoodSearch.com and enter "Oakville High School" into the box under "Who do you choose to search for?". Click verify, then you can search for your term.
The best thing to do is to download the searchbox on your browser toolbar. That way you will remember to use Good Search and help our Oakville S.O. Team.
Just use it to search as you normally would.
For everyone who is tapped out with fundraising, I hope this will be an easy and painless way to raise the money we need to fund our team.
Speaking of pain, my feet are killing me. I just have to learn to sit down when I teach, instead of pacing around. I guess it is the ADHD. I can't sit through meetings for more than 45 minutes either. In any meeting, just look around and there I am in the back standing since I just can't sit for very long. Monday was heck for me, we sat in meetings all day. I thought I'd lose my mind. Thank goodness classes started.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Watching the Olympics and Writing Grants
OK, so here I sit watching the Olympics and wondering what else I could be doing. Not that I don't enjoy the competitions, I do, but I tend to put off doing other things that need doing around the house.
So far, I really enjoyed the women's sabre competition. How cool, strong women going after each others with swords. They don't hold back, it's ok to yell, and their professionalism is awesome.
I'm trying to forget that I go back to work tomorrow. We've got a morning full of meetings, and I'm way too ADHD to sit still for too long. I'm looking forward to one meeting with our superintendent concerning money and funding issues. I know we all have lots of questions.
I've spent the last two weeks writing both science and music grants. Our department budgets have been cut way back, so I'm trying to get the money to keep going and do the labs I like to do to help the kids learn.
The music grant idea started when Ricky brought home this POS marching baritone. Here's two pictures if you want to see what I'm talking about.
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After he brought this thing home I was pretty shocked. I knew that some of our equipment in band was probably about as old as some of our science "equipment" (if you can still call it that) and all of this stuff needs to be replaced. I was also thinking about fundraising for my kids so they can attend the band trips, and fundraising for science olympiad so we can buy our supplies and register our team for this year. So I started hunting around on the internet for fundraising and grant opportunities for my science programs.
I found grants, so I've written two for science. Then I had the bright idea of trying to find grants to fund instrumental music programs. I found some, and so far have written three grants and two foundation funding requests. I'm not sure what chance they have, but I hope to get at least one funded.
The problem with both science and music is that the equipment and instruments required are really expensive. Our science budget was cut by half for this year, and we were already pretty lean from past cuts. Just getting microscopes cleaned is amazingly expensive, not to mention replacing them. And that is just one of many issues.
The music department budget is ridiculously low, approximately six thousand. Since it costs at least five thousand to replace the current marimba that is in pieces and being held together by wire, that budget is ridiculous. This instrument is an integral part of all of the bands, and so replacing it is incredibly important. A decent concert tuba is around eight thousand, and we have two that need to be replaced. Not to mention all of the other instruments that are probably older than me, like the POS baritone above. Hopefully, we can find the money soon. I've got more grants to write for both science and music, so I'm trying to make this work for all of our kids.
Ok, I'm watching, and I think the chinese gymnasts are like 10 years old. They're supposed to be 15 but I'm wondering.
I watched beach volleyball yesterday. What's with the stupid bikini bottoms? Don't those women worry about keeping them on? It seems pretty counterproductive to doing well at your sport.
Maybe I'm ignorant, but I've never heard of synchronized diving. It was pretty boring since the dives are so easy. I'd rather watch the regular stuff.
What's your favorite event?
So far, I really enjoyed the women's sabre competition. How cool, strong women going after each others with swords. They don't hold back, it's ok to yell, and their professionalism is awesome.
I'm trying to forget that I go back to work tomorrow. We've got a morning full of meetings, and I'm way too ADHD to sit still for too long. I'm looking forward to one meeting with our superintendent concerning money and funding issues. I know we all have lots of questions.
I've spent the last two weeks writing both science and music grants. Our department budgets have been cut way back, so I'm trying to get the money to keep going and do the labs I like to do to help the kids learn.
The music grant idea started when Ricky brought home this POS marching baritone. Here's two pictures if you want to see what I'm talking about.
.JPG)
After he brought this thing home I was pretty shocked. I knew that some of our equipment in band was probably about as old as some of our science "equipment" (if you can still call it that) and all of this stuff needs to be replaced. I was also thinking about fundraising for my kids so they can attend the band trips, and fundraising for science olympiad so we can buy our supplies and register our team for this year. So I started hunting around on the internet for fundraising and grant opportunities for my science programs.
I found grants, so I've written two for science. Then I had the bright idea of trying to find grants to fund instrumental music programs. I found some, and so far have written three grants and two foundation funding requests. I'm not sure what chance they have, but I hope to get at least one funded.
The problem with both science and music is that the equipment and instruments required are really expensive. Our science budget was cut by half for this year, and we were already pretty lean from past cuts. Just getting microscopes cleaned is amazingly expensive, not to mention replacing them. And that is just one of many issues.
The music department budget is ridiculously low, approximately six thousand. Since it costs at least five thousand to replace the current marimba that is in pieces and being held together by wire, that budget is ridiculous. This instrument is an integral part of all of the bands, and so replacing it is incredibly important. A decent concert tuba is around eight thousand, and we have two that need to be replaced. Not to mention all of the other instruments that are probably older than me, like the POS baritone above. Hopefully, we can find the money soon. I've got more grants to write for both science and music, so I'm trying to make this work for all of our kids.
Ok, I'm watching, and I think the chinese gymnasts are like 10 years old. They're supposed to be 15 but I'm wondering.
I watched beach volleyball yesterday. What's with the stupid bikini bottoms? Don't those women worry about keeping them on? It seems pretty counterproductive to doing well at your sport.
Maybe I'm ignorant, but I've never heard of synchronized diving. It was pretty boring since the dives are so easy. I'd rather watch the regular stuff.
What's your favorite event?
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Policing Internet Posts of High School Kids
After contacting school, I was informed that the admin was aware of the pictures and that our admin was checking on whether or not a policy had been developed. I was told that policing the internet was probably not something the district wanted to be involved with. I understand why since this seems like it would involve a huge expensive effort on the part of the district, and may have repercussion on privacy issues of the offending student. Although certainly since the girl who took the pictures posted them in a public forum for all to see, I'm uncertain that privacy is really an issue.
I'm interested in this situation too, since the pictures I saw showed some of our school athletes and leaders involved in this, and since I was made aware last year that a student who was verbally accused of same was removed from his position as drum major of our high school band. It seems to me that pictures are irrefutable proof of the accusations, but that verbal accusations come down to something more nebulous.
So why apply the standard to one student and not the others? I and other parents are watching closely to see whether all students will be treated the same way.
Three days ago I was made aware of some postings on facebook where a student said some horrible derogatory things about another student, and referenced a school activity that both are involved in. The "b" word was used and pretty awful things were said about making sure that no one invite this girl to any social events.
With the Megan Meier issue still fresh in the public's mind, I wonder again just how involved a school district should or can be in these situations. Certainly, I think at this point I wonder if it is possible to prosecute this boy for his continued harrassment of this girl (yes it has happened before) by the girl's parents. But what is the role of the school district, since both kids are actively involved in a school activity, and the posts are directly related to the activity?
I'd like the district to get involved, and treat all the students who were drinking the same way. I feel they should be removed from the National Honors Society, and their other leadership positions within the school. As a mom and a teacher, it bothers me that these kids are held up as role models for the rest of the school. It sends an awful message that this behavior is ok.
What do you think?
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