Positively Productive

Ahhh there is nothing like a 4-day week to lighten the mood and raise spirits! A busy 4-day week but a good one nonetheless. It started off with a fabulous Monday.  My kids were good, we got a lot of important work done and I received two very exciting packages in the mail!! First, my personal laminator. If you are a teacher you know the importance of lamination. Making good and lasting centers is nearly impossible without the convenient permanence of laminating them (otherwise things get destroyed fast) and since I use a lot of homemade centers in my classroom, I want to keep them in as good condition as possible! We have a school laminator but the roll is refilled only once a month and it gets used up with lightening speed. So, after seeing my colleague Meredith had bought one in the summer and it was pretty legit, I invested in my own. It's a little slow and only laminates items no larger than 8.5x11 but it's amazing and I love it!!!!!!! I couldn't be happier. Yes it sucks to still be paying out of pocket for materials like this but it means I can make my centers immediately and not have to wait once a month to laminate them. So I am happy. 

The second wonderful surprise was my Reddit Teacher Gift Exchange box!! After reading about it on Facebook, I signed up for a one-way gift program through the site Reddit. This particular gift exchange (there are many different kinds) hooks up generous individuals with teachers who will receive a gift from these complete strangers! Basically all I had to do was fill out general location information, a description of what I do and what material needs I have in the classroom. I mentioned that I always need new books for my classroom library as the school library leaves a lot to be desired for lower elementary students. What I recieved was beyond what I could have imagined! My "secret Santa" sent me not only a TON of books perfect for my kid's reading level and ages, but also desk supplies like scissors, glue, erasers and pencils, flash cards, post it notes and so much more! I was totally spoiled and really touched that a complete stranger spent their own money (and a lot of it) on finding just what I needed in my classroom. I hope to pay it forward sometime soon! A bunch of my friends at work also signed up and all of their packages came too, everyone receiving very generous and thoughtful gifts.

So that was the start to a pretty awesome week. We had the Terry Fox walk around the community (my class raised $208!) on Thursday which was nice and during the PED day on Friday we all worked on writing IEPs (individualized education plans) for students with high academic needs. We also got plenty of time to work in our classrooms which is in my opinion the best way to spend a PED day. I got a ton done and went in early Saturday morning to keep up the momentum! I feel very good about what I was able to accomplish and spent today at home laminating and cutting out and prepping a little for my birthday party next weekend and cleaning up. 

My mom and I did end up booking our flights to England for 2 weeks next summer which is awesome!! We took advantage of a crazy deal on airfare to Europe through West Jet and were able to get two round-trip flights to England for the price of one. Incredible deal and I am so excited to explore the motherland with my own mum and see some amazing sights. 

Sadly it is starting to get cooler and the mornings are frigid!! It's been raining basically since I arrived in August so I'm hoping these cooler temperatures don't mean early snow because I am not ready to wear pants yet. 

So basically everything is coming up Aidan. Next weekend is my birthday party (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory-themed) and I am pretty excited. I love to get all costumed up and this party will be no exception. Also I have gone all out and purchased large quantities of candy and candy-themes goodies that will not disappoint and also give everyone diabetes no doubt. Ah well you only live once!!