It's Fall!

So after our little sub-zero hiccup, we are back on track for the fall season in Wemindji.  This makes me so happy!  My favourite season is fall and nothing was bumming me out more than to know that I had possibly missed out on the most climate-friendly time of the year (in my opinion).  It has been cool but mild, sunny, sometimes a little rainy, and the trees are beginning to change!  Yesterday was absolutely gorgeous although I spent it inside painting the rest of my living room.  Nevertheless it was still lovely to look out of the window all day and see the beautiful sunlight and be able to keep all my windows open while painting with the very much appreciated help of Monika.  Today is a typical overcast cooler fall day in Wemindji and I will be spending all of it at school prepping for what is going to be an absolutely INSANE week. 

But first, let me catch you up on the past week and a half because I have been quite neglectful in the blogging area lately.  Life has just gotten so busy recently and I barely have time to catch up on my beloved Mad Men (final season ah!) let alone ramble like a crazy person on here.  Priorities.  Anyways, last weekend was again a little rainy but pretty much everyone and their mother decided to head to Radisson (a little town about 200km north east of here)  for lunch and shopping.  Samantha and Meghan had never been before so Monika and I were glad to have an excuse to get some delicious eats at the trusty Chez Mika and visit the Arts et Tresors Inuit (craft store) as well as see what the grocery and SAQ (liquor store) had to offer.  I got some tasty treats for my family's impending arrival and some beautiful Christmas gifts.  I am looking forward to going back with my family at Thanksgiving and showing them around too! So anyways, the drive was pretty good and the company was hilarious.  We sang Backstreet Boys at the top of our lungs and of course saw no wildlife so that was pretty typical.

The past week has been expectedly busy.  Our yearly long-range plans were due at the end of last week (a look-at-a-glance plan that covers all areas of the curriculum we teach in Grade 1).  We did our best to figure out what themes we wanted to cover, how we wanted to cover them, the types of assessment we were going to use and how we were going to approach the subjects cross-curricularly.  We came up with a pretty good plan and if it is followed like we want it to be, this year is going to be really awesome for themes and ideas.

Anecdotal reports (like progress reports) were due last week also.  They were given out a little late which put everyone in a frenzy since they have to be handwritten and then passed on to other option teachers like Cree Language, Cree Culture and Gym but we all managed to get them done!  Friday was a PED day where we carried out one of two IEP blitzes.  We broke off into Cycles and wrote out IEP documents for students who were at risk or who we felt needed modification in the classroom.  At this stage in Grade 1 I found it difficult to pin point who was actually in a more defined area of need because most of the students are essentially starting from the same point and are low by typical standards.  They are all learning their letters and numbers so to say one student isn't reaching their full potential after only 25 days of school is difficult to assess.  So I will definitely revisit this process again in the year when I know more about the abilities and needs of my students. 

Friday night I got home after a long day of prepping and planning after the IEP blitz, did some more prepping and painting and then crashed. Yesterday I painted my living room with the awesome help of Monika (I had left it so late and wanted to get it done before next weekend, my birthday party!) and then went for dinner and hilarious conversation at a friend Tiffany's house with a few other friends.  Today I will head back to the school (essentially my second home, or maybe first depending on how many hours per day I spend there...) and get the Breakfast Program ready with our new recruits!  The Breakfast Program has finally restarted at MES and the kids and teachers have been anxiously awaiting its arrival.  It is such a great incentive for so many students to come to school on time.  They get a nice little breakfast and start the day off right.  For me, I love how it gets the kid's bellies and minds ready to learn and becomes an integral part of the morning routine.  Taking 15 minutes out of each morning to get these kids fed and ready to start the day is no big sacrifice when you know the impact a full tummy has on a growing brain.  I am happy and proud to be on the Breakfast Program team and very pleased we have new staff this year willing to lend a hand.  It is a lot of work but totally worth it. 

I will also be prepping for this week's crazy calendar of events!!! Monday night will be busy with making Superstar cupcakes and jello and prepping all the activities and events for our Declaration Day at school on Tuesday! Declaration Day is the day when the CSB counts all students for official attendance numbers.  This official count determines our funding for the future school year and it is incredibly important that all registered students attend this day (and of course other days but this is the biggie).  To encourage attendance we have been essentially given free reign to plan all sorts of activities as an incentive for full-day attendance.  Grade 1 has planned an ambitious Superstar day complete with a red carpet, walk of fame, photo shoot, awesome games, a delicious hotdog lunch, and movie!! I don't know who is more pumped, the teachers or the kids but regardless its going to be awesome.  Crazy but awesome. 

Just when you thought it was over, Wednesday is our Anecdotal night.  Basically a night to invite the parents in and share with them their child's progress and have a look at the classroom and work they have been doing.  I am looking forward to setting up some of my kid's favourite centers, organizing and displaying their work and being able to talk to parents about progress, needs and ideas for reinforcement at home.  It will be one long day but I look forward to meeting the parents!

THEN (oh lord) I have the rest of the week to recover, do a deep clean of my house and get ready for the weekend which is my INCREDIBLE MEXICAN-THEMED BIRTHDAY PARTY!  I have been planning my Mexican-themed birthday party since the beginning of the summer and truly cannot wait for Saturday.  I have really gone all out if I do say so myself and hope that everyone has as great a time as I am pretty sure I will be having.  I have bought a sombrero for everyone, a fake moustache, tons of delicious Mexican treats, awesome decor and lots of Mexican-themed drinks for all.  I am really looking forward to this one.  I will likely not be posting any pictures of the party itself because I have a feeling they would show so much fun I would never get a job down south.  So I'll just stick to "before party" decor pictures.  Sunday is my actual birthday and I am sure I will spend the day recovering and relaxing. 

BUT WAIT, there's more!  The following week is going to be awesome and crazy and busy too!  My family is coming to visit me for Thanksgiving and are driving up early to visit and see Wemindji in all it's fall glory! They are coming at the best time of year and will be able to take the time to really explore the town and surrounding area as well as visit at the school.  Eryl my sister, a trained and certified yoga instructor, will be coming into the school to teach some of the younger kids yoga in the classroom which I am really looking forward to.  It's going to be a blast! I am hosting a Thanksgiving dinner for some of my single lady friends and family and am looking forward to meeting all the other families that will be in town for the holiday. 

So the next couple of weeks will be insane but really fun and I can't wait.  Oh and did I forget to mention there is a polar bear waltzing around town somewhere and everyone is freaking out?

IT. IS. SNOWING.

I don't really want to talk about it.  Okay I will talk about it.  It's horrible.  Just terrible.  It has been getting cooler in the recent days of September, as to be expected for the season and location.  Fine.  But this morning I awoke to a startling and traumatic sight.  White stuff covered my porch and car.  FROZEN SNOW AND HAIL.  Yes.  HAIL. Now don't get me wrong.  I understand the effects of where I choose to live.  I understand that winter comes on early, fast and with a vengeance.  But I at least expected to have until Thanksgiving before the white fluffy stuff arrived to make my life a living hell??! Don't I at least deserve that much? Apparently not.  So it snowed/hailed all afternoon into the evening.  The kids saw the snow and lost their minds at the end of the day.  Literally screaming and making plans for wearing winter jackets tomorrow and worrying about riding their bikes home (there was no snow sticking to the ground mind you but I could totally understand the panic).  I will keep you posted on Snowpocalypse '14.

The past week and a bit have been crazy busy but lots of fun.  Last week we had a PED day which was pretty good, I got a lot of work done and crossed a bunch of things off my (never ending) list.  Saturday night was an awesomely fun movie night at Sam's house with Marsha, Monika, Meghan and Courtney.  After a few false starts of various shows, we finally settled on Grease to which we all sang along to wholeheartedly.  It was a blast.  Next movie night will be SPICE WORLD!  Can't wait.  Last weekend I also started my painting project at home! I managed to tackle the accent wall which was way less agonizing than I expected and now I have the bug!  I can't wait to paint the rest of my living room and hang my curtains!

This week in the classroom it is all about colour!  We are learning our colours (as well as numbers 1-20 and alphabet) and the kids are having a blast.  Each day is a different colour combination and Monika and Meghan and I have been going all out!  We have even managed to convince some of the other teachers to participate! My partners have been planning some truly awesome math and science activities and we are heavy into character analysis with Franklin and the Bear series.  My kids are pretty perceptive and love to be read to so learning about character actions, thoughts and feelings is an easy task.  Having access to books on CD and Youtube is also a great way to blend a little fun into the activities.  My class is LOVING centers (aka "fun games") and I am too.  These centers definitely promote independent learning and really hide the fact that they are learning basic skills at all!  They are also a great reward/incentive with little prep required.  My class is HIGH ENERGY and have the work time limit of approximately 30 seconds so it is imperative that I have plenty of brain breaks up my sleeve.  My new favorite website is www.gonoodle.com which offers tons of fun and short dances, yoga and breathing videos and activities to get the kids moving and refocused.  My class's favorites are "Ninja Training", "Awesome Rainbows", "Push the Buttons" and space breathing.  Between those and "Just Dance" videos they dance along to like true backup dancers, my kids are kept under a small degree of control and expel some of that incredible energy that I am so envious of. 

Anyways, it is Rainbow day on Friday so I will be baking many rainbow cupcakes Thursday night.  A weekend trip to Radisson is in the plans and hopefully the snow will hold off until after then!

On a more sombre note, recently a teacher/tutor colleague of mine lost her youngest daughter in a tragic canoe accident close to Mt. Tremblant.  We all know how costly funerals can be and due to certain employment circumstances, she can't receive the normal benefits that many teachers here are entitled to.  So Wemindji teachers have put out the call to help cover her financial costs while Melodie, our friend and colleague makes arrangements and begins the healing process.  Now is your time to complete a random act of kindness.  Every little bit helps and I know would be appreciated.  Visit the fundraising campaign here: http://www.gofundme.com/supportformelodie

Cycle 1 Year 1 (Grade 1) Pink and Green Day!

Honrary Grade 1 member Samantha!

Orange and Red day!

Blue Day!

First Indian Taco of the school year! A delicious success!

MY CLAIRE'S ACCESSORIES ARRIVED!!!!!

Had to.

Ugh.

Our hallway art!

The Northern Lights made a pretty spectacular appearance!

Perhaps I invited winter in early with this business...

My new red wall! Love it!

Week 3

Well folks I am happy to report that I made it through week 3 of my wild and crazy foray into Grade 1!  I feel the need to count each week that I survive because it is a true miracle granted by the sweet baby Jesus that I make it through 5 days in the classroom.  Actually, now that I mention it, it was only 4 days this week, but BOY sometimes 4 days can feel a whole lot like 56 AM I RIGHT???!!!! Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. 

Anyways, this week was pretty good.  My kids are getting used to routine, I am gaining more control over these cute-as-a-button little scallywags and we had lots of fun with patterns and learning our letter sounds and names this week!

Other than waking each morning wishing I'd had about 14 more hours of sleep, not much has been going on.  September is peppered with days off (mostly PED days) so there are a few 4 days weeks I have to look forward to! My grade partners Monika and Meghan and I are working like a well oiled machine, planning fun activities and lessons together, sharing ideas, materials and resources and overall having a good time. 

I have been fighting a chest cold the past week or so, a result of having had my mouth directly sneezed into on more than one occasion so the mornings are a little rough.  I slept like a baby last night, only getting up to pee and check on my clan (iPhone game, don't ask). I wasn't going to do anything tonight, just sit in front of the TV and catch up on some TV shows and maybe a movie but my bachelorette-watching lady friends twisted my arm and I'll be heading over in a few to catch up on Bachelor in Paradise!  Probably the most brain-rotting television show I can bear to watch but it is highly entertaining and ultimately makes me feel better about myself. 

I spent today tidying, organzing, doing laundry, going for a hike in the gorgeous sunny 8 degree weather and baking.  I baked 13 loaves of zucchini and banana bread and 2 carrot cakes so I was fairly busy.  Also keeping me busy is looking for perhaps a box that contains ALL MY PANTS and a couple of skirts.  I have somehow misplaced every single pair of wearable jeans which means I had to do some quick online shopping at my favorite store, Old Navy (oh well!) So Mama, if you see my pants at home please let me know.

Anyways, I have some lamination to cut before heading out for Bachelor in Paradise so catcha on the flipside!

Learning about impulse control in Grade 1...

On my walk today.  Gorgeous.

A little selfie fun from last week

Wicked Weekend!

If you are a teacher (or any normal person for that matter) you gotta love a long weekend.  And not just a "teacher" long weekend either (shortened week due to PED Day).  I am talking an extra day of weekend just. for. me. 

These types of long weekends are glorious.  Usually there is something special planned to make the most of the magical extra day and for this weekend, there was no exception.  Let me explain why I deserved this long weekend.  Last Friday was a day.  Just, a day.  Week 2 of Grade 1 proved itself to be, if possible, even more insane than Week 1.  So I was just EXHAUSTED.  Mentally and physically drained and at my max.  I was living for the weekend.  We had a week of really fun activities, lots of fun stuff but still working hard on routine and establishing classroom management was really draining me.  That mixed with a lot of outside school drama, and I was feeling it.  The bell rang on Friday afternoon and I PEACED OUT.  I ran home and quickly got changed into my standard after-work apparel, comfy pjs.  I hazily remember wandering around the house doing pretty much nothing.  Probably moving a piece of paper from one side of a desk to the other.  Straightening a picture frame here, wiping a dust speck there.  Basically too exhausted to live.  Oh but I did manage to do some early Christmas shopping and a little for myself too.

Saturday was a pretty fun day.  I went into the classroom and reorganized my library.  I love that my kids love to "read" but they haven't quite mastered the art of putting the books back into the bins from which they came.  So my library was a DISASTER after 2 weeks of this business.  I removed some book bins to keep the chaos to a minimum but still left a wide variety of materials to choose from.  This week I will work on a system with the kids for returning books where they found them.  I planned a little and then went home to get ready to attend the MES Graduation ceremonies at the arena.  It was a great night with I think 11 grads and 10 students who completed the WOTP program (like co-op or work placement).  Staff and students were incredibly proud and our graduation rates are going up which is a true indication of the hard work the kids and teachers are putting in.  Dinner was delicious turkey and/or roast beef and Cree cake for dessert. Yummy.

Sunday was the best day!  The Staff Involvement Committee had organized a boat trip to one of the nearby islands for the day.  It was incredibly gorgeous weather, perfect for a boat ride and relaxing fun times on the beach of Walrus Island.  Close to 30 staff and family members attended, roasted hotdogs and smores, explored the island and relaxed.  Very little talk of school was had and it was all around a really nice way to spend a Sunday before the weather turns cooler! I of course, got a pretty epic face sunburn but at least I will have some extended colour into the "fall" months here.  We got home around 4 and I was EXHAUSTED.  Boy, sitting on the rocks and doing nothing can really tire you out.  So I watched some shows, cut out some lamination and went to bed.

Today was my extra day off!  I did some much needed housework and went into school of course to prep and get some work done.  Since Grade 1 has been sucking the life out of me, I had badly neglected my house.  The dust bunnies were procreating.  It was a mess.  I did a deep scrub and really made myself feel better about the whole thing.  I have probably the best day ever (Day 5) tomorrow which means I have 3 whole spares (as opposed to one 50 minute spare/prep period daily)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am pretty excited as it is a great way to start an already awesome 4-day week. 

Anyways, I am going to get some good sleep tonight because even though I only have my darling students for 3 periods tomorrow, if the past is any indication of the future, then chances are I will still be dead around 3:40pm tomorrow afternoon.