Day.Sixty.Six.

Well.. the day has arrived. Jury Duty. Grand Jury Duty to be exact.

I started the morning off checking in with my sub and making sure that everything was ready for the day. With my last sub's experience.. I was nervous. I knew it would be an ok day, but I still had a bit of nervousness. I made sure she was planned until after lunch, and then I thought I would be back. I also made sure that she let them know that the new Pete the Cat would be shared if they were making the best choices they could.

Off I went. To the courthouse. It is such a strange experience. I have never been in trouble with the law or do I ever foresee that happening. How do people who are in trouble, deal with this all the time. It is eye-opening. I headed upstairs to the waiting room area and it filled in pretty quickly. There were 44 people in the room. Keep in mind, I have NO idea how or what we would be doing. Would I get chosen? My chances of getting chosen were about 50/50. I chose to be on the May-June Jury list. Well... I was chosen.  Next thing I know, I am off to the courtroom. I was in the first 14, so I was automatically on the grand jury. As the day went on, it became clearer that there was no 'getting out of it'. I am glad I was chosen, now, looking back. I will get into that more later.

After we were sworn in and given our directions, we were sent upstairs to the Grand Jury Room. I was still very unaware of what our job was exactly. Now I know: To hear the testimonies/witnesses of the prosecution and we vote to decide if there is enough evidence to send the case to trial(indictment). Interesting! I won't be in the courtroom at all! Anyway, the prosecutor was getting us comfortable, and gave us a brief outline of our day, "brief training, lunch, then cases to be heard". At that moment, I panicked! My sub was only prepped for 1/2 of the day. EEEK! I called her immediately and let her know I would be there all day. So, on my lunch, I rushed to the school, explained the plans, and read PETE THE CAT! (maybe it was selfish of me, but I wanted to share it with them). Grabbed a quick lunch, then headed back to the courthouse. Crisis averted.

There are 14 people chosen for the grand jury. I am number 11. Jurors 1-9 are voting members. Jurors 10-14 are alternates in case one juror is unable to cast a vote. I still have to be there to hear all of the case and I leave when they vote. The alternates do not find out which cases are indicted until Friday, when we can read it in the newspaper.

Before we could vote, we had a brief training. The Delaware County Drug Task Force came to acquaint us with the drugs that are in the county. Talk about an eye opener! Yikes! I was astonished at the technicalities of drugs and pretty bothered by how prevalent it is in the county. Then we met with a S.A.N.E nurse (for sexual assault victims). I just happen to know her! Lastly, we met with victim advocates who are there for those who are mainly in domestic violence cases. I felt a bit more prepared and knowledgable.

All in all, I love jury duty. I miss being with my kiddos, but it is a really interesting to be part of. I have learned so many things, met some cool people, and am doing my civic duty. I have jury duty every week, every Wednesday for two months. I was initially dreading it, but now I look forward to it almost.

If you get called, I urge you to take advantage of it and learn from the experience.

-Alexis
*I am sworn to secrecy, so no juicy details to share, SORRY*

Day.Sixty.Five.

IT IS HERE!!!!! Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons!


Today was the day. After school, I headed to Barnes and Noble to pick up my reserved copy of the new Pete the Cat! As I was there, of course, I saw at least 10 books I would love to buy and use in my classroom. That is my true weakness.... book for my classroom. I love children's literature. Anyway.. back to Pete! So, as I was standing in line, a woman in front of me was talking to the cashier about how her daughter loves the books and she was excited to get her the next book. Well... she didn't have the new one. So, I thought I should tell her about the new release. She was grateful and went to buy the new one.

As soon as I got into my car, I couldn't just let it sit on the front seat as I drove home. I just HAD to read it and find out the ending. I am definitely a kid at heart. I couldn't wait. Well... I won't give away details, but the ending was FABULOUS! I chuckled a bit... and I know the kids will!

Tomorrow, I have jury duty. I should be able to be back in the room by the afternoon, so I will be sure to share it with my KSACC kiddos. They are going to love it!

Check it out online: http://www.harpercollinschildrens.com/feature/petethecat/

Happy Reading/Listening!
-Alexis

Day.Sixty.One.

Well, today was a frustrating day for me as a teacher. Not so much frustrating as it was upsetting.

Every month, I have a meeting that has all of the KSACC teachers and the before and after school managers together. I like meeting with them to share our thoughts and ideas. My main concern is it during the school day. This requires the KSACC teachers to get a substitute. Well... my main sub was sick. I had a different sub come to my room who had never met my students. She is a fabulous person and sub... but it went crazy upon my departure. I feel bad leaving, knowing that some events may occur because of the change in the dynamics of the classroom. I am always a nervous wreck when I am not in my room. This is probably a personal issue... the lack of control, missing my kinders, etc. Today was no different.

When I came back from my meeting, I walked into a child bleeding (caused by another), children not obeying, and it was just a bit chaotic. What a bummer. It is hard enough to leave now, and I was just so deflated returning to all of these things. So... with 20 minutes left in the school day, I had to check their work from the day, pack them up (folders, work, lunchboxes, etc.), write an incident report, write a behavior update, AND finish a rainstick. WHEW! It was quite the doozy.

Did I mention how much I don't like to lose control of things?  Next up, jury duty. We can only see how that goes.

-Alexis

Day.Sixty.

Rain, Rain, 

Go Away, 

Come again another day, 

All the Children Want to Play, 

Rain, Rain, 

Go Away. 

Well, I must admit, it was a wonderful addition to our rain week to see and experience rain in a new light. The kinders were very excited to, in a way, examine the rain with new knowledge. It was very exciting to watch as a teacher. I just wanted to put on my wellies, and head outside to play in the puddles... that must wait for another day.

-Alexis

Day.Fifty.Nine.

So I have had a twitter account for a while now. I don't know what possessed me to get one, but it seemed interesting. So I did. After attending the Dublin Literacy Conference this year, we learned about our presenters and their twitter names. So, I added them.

Well let me preface this story...
At the Dublin Literacy Conference, I met Eric Litwin and James Dean, the author and illustrator of Pete the Cat! I bought the first two books and had them signed. I couldn't wait to go back to school and share them with my kiddos. They LOVE LOVE LOVE to dance, and these are the perfect books for movin' and shakin'. Well, Pete quickly became a staple in our classroom. (end of preface)

Back to today. Well, on twitter I received a wonderful text. A NEW PETE THE CAT WILL BE ON SALE MAY 1st! I was just like a kinder... super, super excited!

Well, with news this great, I had to share with my kids. So, I found the clip on youtube that had a preview of the new book. They loved the new groove and started a count down on the calendar for the new one! I was required to go to the Barnes and Noble that day to get it!

I will keep you updated!

-Alexis

Day.Fifty.Eight.

Well, with regards to my post yesterday I wanted to talk more about non-fiction in our classroom.

Every day I get a break while my 'relief' reads for story time. WHEW! I am so glad she does this for me. Anyway, I usually have her read a fiction book and a non-fiction book. I always tell the kids on my way out, make sure you learn a fact... and share it with me later. 

They have really started to enjoy non-fiction. I make it a 'big deal' to find a fact or information about our subject. Not only are they becoming more comfortable with reading, they are more comfortable with non-fiction texts. Not all of my non-fiction texts are on grade level. I have the students look at the pictures, draw conclusions, etc.

I am looking forward to dinosaur week. They LOVE dinosaurs!

-Alexis

Day.Fifty.Seven.

This week in KSACC we are focusing on April Showers! Rain Rain Rain...
I am so surprised that it ACTUALLY rained this week. I am very glad as well because we could use it as a reference. There were a few things that were really fun this week. We took a picture of ourselves under a big umbrella. I printed them out on paper and we used a pencil eraser to create RAIN all around us! The kids loved making it rain inside the classroom.

Every week and every theme, I ask the librarian to pull me some specific books. (She is so helpful! Thank you Mrs. Jackson!!) With the theme this week being rain, we were able to read a lot of non-fiction books. As a class, we each read/browsed a book about rain. Then we shared with a partner. Then we came together and wrote the facts on an anchor chart. I had some fun answers/facts. My favorite of the exercise:
RAIN IS WET!

True. How could I not write it. It was a great observation.

Kindergarteners at their finest. I sure do love them!

-Alexis

Day.Forty.Six.

Kindergarten Kickoff is over. I was slightly nervous about how it was going to go because of the newness of KSACC.

We started the night off in the Kindergarten rooms (my room was closed because I am on the other side of  the building) The parents and future students joined us to do a small school bus craft and their FIRST 'I Can' statement. The parents got a paper to fill out about their preference for next year and their possible enrollment in the KSACC program.

Next, we moved to the library. With a fabulous turnout, it was standing room only! It was a bit loud, but the parents got a folder of information and the principal gave me the chance to talk for a few minutes about KSACC. After the presentation and such, I had a good amount of people come up and ask me specific questions about the program. I think it is going to be pretty full next year too! That is exciting!

On a side note, I have been really working hard this year to create a program that is academically based and correlates to what the students are doing in kindergarten. So, when parents who you do not know or teach their children, come up to you and compliment KSACC! I had at least 5 families come up to me to tell me that they have heard so many wonderful things about KSACC and me! It made me smile.

Long night... off to bed.

Night

-Alexis

Day.Forty.Five.

Wednesday.

(I am playing serious catch up... bit behind...)


In kindergarten today, we made some of the cutest cards that I found on Pinterest. I know that it is AFTER Easter, but my kinders LOVE to use paint and their hands. So, we made handprint bunnies to make cards that say "Somebunny Loves You". I had one student who actually got the play on words and he thought it was so fun!
Check out the pin for this fun card:

I made it a card, having the students write "Somebunny Loves You!" and their own message on the inside with their signature. They looked great!

Tomorrow is kindergarten kick-off in the district. I will post about that tomorrow!

-Alexis

Day.Forty.Four.

Whew... two days in with kiddos and I am exhausted! You would think it was the first day of school... I didn't even rest on spring break, I worked!

Update on the 'eggsperiment':
The egg from yesterday is covered in bubbles, the shell is getting thin almost see through, and it is rubbery! I think you should ALL try it. It is fun and weird at the same time.

After the day was over, I headed home to let the dogs out and hang out. Duty called with dishes and picking up (doesn't it always). And of course... Adi was at it again.. barking at the new neightbor, "GUS". I must say, he is adorable and so small!

Time to catch up on the TV! I just can't help it. While I was watching I was working on the KSACC Kickoff video for Schultz. (for a friend) I had it done, just had to burn it to a disc. I burn it... it won't work in my dvd player or blu-ray. WHY?! It worked on both mine and John's computer.. but no.. not the actual dvd players. Any ideas or advice? I gave it to my fellow KSACC teacher and we got to have a fun chat!

On an exciting side note, I have an interview!! It is next week, and I will be sure to keep you SUPER updated on anything else on the job hunt. Keep me lifted in your prayers and help me stay positive about the job hunt. :)

Feeling inspired tonight...

-Alexis

Day.Thirty.Five.

SPRING BREAK IS HERE!

I am working... every day, but I thought I would share something. The program I work for offers an All Day SACC program during spring break for families who are working. (which is many) I had a bit of anxiety being the opening manager this morning and hoping that the students would respond to me. Let me tell you.. I was so pleased when I left! They were so fabulous today and there were 57 of them!

Accomplishments:
1. All three activities (grass planting, bubble painting, and resistance water color painting) ALL completed!
2. We did DEAR time... (silent reading) and ALL 57 kids were silent and READING! I was nervous, but I even had a child who was so proud of himself for how much he read. He didn't seem like the kid who reads for pleasure or on grade level <I could be wrong.. but just by my observations> and he asked for a bookmark so he could save his place for tomorrow! It was a BIG accomplishment to have all reading and trying. Made me smile.
3. I made it through day 1 of spring break with a great staff by my side. Whew.

Bring it on day 2! We have a lot more in store for you!

((I didn't get my nap in.. but I will at some point this week))

*Off to enjoy pizza and relaxing with my hubs... as soon as he gets home from baseball*

-Alexis-

Day.Thirty.One

This is a bit delayed. The past couple of days have been PACKED to the gills.. so bear with me as I tell all!

Day.Thirty.One started out with a book study at school. We are working on a writing workshop book. We talked about writing each day, and I was so proud of myself for writing for 30 days! I got a great idea from a fellow teacher, that she found online too.. Create an email account for your child. (unborn or born) and write them an email every day! What a fabulous idea! 

I got to end the day on a great KinderQuote:

Mrs. Edmonds: "Where are you going for spring break?"

J: "Last year, we went to Florida. This year... guess what we are doing?"

Mrs. Edmonds: "What?"

J: (in an anticipatory voice) "We...are...going...to..."

Mrs. Edmonds: "Where? Where? (acting super exciting and I was very interested)

J:"... to DAIRY DEPOT!!!!"

To those who don't get to walk the streets of Delaware, Ohio in the summer, Dairy Depot is a small ice cream store. Family owned and operated, and officially the highlight of SPRING BREAK! (made me realize.. it is the little things in life.)

-Alexis-

Day.Nineteen.

Friday, Friday, Friday! I love ending the week on a high note. My kids were excited for book buddies and the day just went nicely. The 75 degree weather helped too!

I got to see Shannon and Patrick today too! We got to have dinner after they scoured the city for places to live and places to work. I am excited to for their wedding and impending move to central Ohio! We will have more friends to hang out with...

After dinner, John and I headed to get some ice cream. Instead of buying one party pail... we bought TWO! Count them... two. We got a movie from redbox and we are ready to relax. Watching RED now.. Pretty good movie so far.

Tomorrow is going to be early. Off to help Wendy move to her new apartment and watch Kerrigan play some soccer!  Then home to clean up the house, throw open the windows, and relax.

Enjoy your night!

-Alexis-

Day.Eighteen.B.

Well, as I sat here relaxing I remembered a great moment from today, so I think I should share.

Because I did not work today, I had two subs in my room (am and pm). I was nervous about leaving my kiddos, but I knew they were in great hands! So, after school today, I headed in to check on the room, all of the things that they did and get the room ready for tomorrow. Most of my students go to the School Age Child Care program after school.

You would have thought I hadn't been in school for weeks by the reaction I got from my kiddos. It was very heartwarming! They ran up to me, gave me hugs, and told me all about their day! I was so excited for them and just hugged them!

So, one little girl comes up to me:
R:"Mrs. Edmonds, where were you today?"
Me: "R, I was at a meeting today..."
R: (cocking her head to the side and just grinning) "Why couldn't we go with you?"

If only they could have come...

They would have made everyone at the interview relax a bit... don't you think?

-Alexis-