Volunteering as a family #GUCUcares #SC2018 #SharedStrength #SchoolCrashers2018

My kids and I are going to work with the Georgia United Credit Union School Crashers today.  Not sure what we'll be doing, exactly, but we'll be putting in the work, for certain.  My kids and I usually volunteer individually with whatever comes up with what we're involved in.  It's nice, though, to be able to go out as a family to work together.  Hubs has to work, so he's excused this time around.  I found out about this one as we're members of the credit union.

Do you do anything with your family to volunteer?  If you need help finding things for kids to do, check out pebbletossers.org  They're a good place to get started.  I'm not affiliated, but I have used them in the past to find opportunities for my kids.

Help my daughter get to Japan #please #hireher #donate

My daughter has been invited by her school to go on a special trip to Japan.  We'll do what we can to get her there, but we could always use help.  If you're local to us, you can hire her to help out with chores, painting, dog walking, etc, then pay by making a donation so it goes directly to her travel fund.  If you're not, but you're feeling generous, a donation would definitely be appreciated.

You can get all the information at her trip page here.

Science Fair Projects #rant #school

I have to grumble a bit.  We've had a (relatively) hard year this year at school.  Nothing we haven't (so far) been able to handle, fortunately.  Then you add on science fair projects.  I can see science fair projects for those kids that are motivated and like to do them.  Those that need extra grades to help out their grades, too.  But, for a general population student to be required to do science fair projects is a bit much (my opinion).  Not only does it add to the load for a student that is already struggling, it's a major annoyance to the parent who ends up having to help (and pay for supplies).

I understand the need for kids to learn all about scientific procedure.  I can see the need for them to see how these things are done.  However, requiring it of students that are otherwise never going to use it goes overboard.  Sadly, I can state that my child, who used to love science, has come to dislike it.  I can only hope that at some point in the future she ends up with a teacher who can possibly help her overcome the dislike.

It's Back to School with Medieval Times #wintickets @MedievalTimes #MTAtlanta

My son starts back to school this year as a sophomore in high school.  Hard to believe he's that old.  Hopefully we'll be more successful this year than last.  He'll be taking is first AP class (World History), precalculus and more.  To say he'll be busy is a minor understatement.  My daughter has one more year in MS before I have to take her to the HS as well.  She'll stay with Gwinnett Online Campus while my son stays with Meadowcreek HS.  She doesn't officially go back until the 11th (Monday) so she gets a bit more time off. 

With that, as summer draws to a close and a new school year begins, keep the kids’ (and your!) spirits up with an evening of Feasting, Fighting and Family Fun!

Now through Sunday, August 10^th, all seats are just $29.95 as part of Medieval Times Atlanta’s Back to School Special! Ring in the new school year with jousting knights, damsels in distress, a free-flying falcon, and an abundance of medieval pageantry. 

A great way to celebrate going back to school as well as to end summer with a bang!  My daughter and I always have a blast when we go.  My son (generally a bottomless pit when it comes to eating) comes away full.   For whatever reason, every time we've gone (but one) we've had the red and yellow knight.  Something we always find funny, especially as he never seems to win when we're there.  The biggest win for us, though, was when my daughter finally got a flower.
 

Visit http://bit.ly/29BTS for more information and to book your tickets today!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

#WW My son's first HS Homecoming game

Friday First

So, I didn't get first day of school photos for my kids out on time as they didn't have the same start date.  So, here are my two on their first day of school.

#WW exam humor

Monday musings - School summary and hard choices

With the struggles we've had this year with school, we finally completed the school year. This past year I've had to watch my honor roll students turn into students with Cs and Ds. My son will apparently have to attend summer school to move up to high school as well. It's disappointing and frustrating on my part to know that I failed to keep them on track and doing better.

I found out at the last minute that his science class actually qualified to receive Carnegie credits by taking an EOCT. It caught me off guard only in that respect, it didn't change the effort (or lack thereof) that had been put into the class during the year. Both that class and his accelerated algebra class had EOCTs instead of finals. He did very well in Science and acceptably well in Math. Unfortunately, his efforts at EOCT weren't enough to bring his average up to an good level, so we did not accept the Carnegie units associated with them. I can only hope that he'll complete summer school well and get a fresh start next year at high school and be able to pull things out the way I know he's capable of doing.

As to my daughter, I have a hard choice to make now. As in, where will she be attending? I can put her back in GCA (I preliminarily put her on the enrollment list), I can leave her at GOC (her preferred choice), or I can send her to brick and mortar. I guess what we'll have to do this week is figure out what the best option is for her and go from that. I haven't been impressed by the teaching (or lack of) when it comes to math especially. She adores her language arts teacher and is fine with her social studies teacher. Her science teacher she has mixed feelings about. Personal feelings aside, though, I'm going to have to make sure whichever choice we make will give her the support she needs in her classes.

So I cannot call this year successful by any stretch of the imagination. It's a veritable stew of factors that created a disaster of a meal. I can only pray that it all works out with the choices that we make from here on out.

It's CRCT week

I hate CRCT week.  I really do.  Not only is it a big stress for the kids, it's a major stress for me.  Luckily for my kids, they're confident enough in what they know to not worry half as much as I do.  Then again, maybe they know I'll do enough worrying for all of us.  With my son in 8th grade, this is a major year for him.  The troubles he had earlier this year makes this even more stressful now.  I so look forward to getting this school year over.  It's been an experience that I really don't want to repeat.

Monday Musings

Last Week -
Getting sick really stinks. I don't generally get sick, so when I do I generally "do it right". I thought initially I was just suffering bad allergies (and probably actually was). Then a week ago Saturday I spent the day out at Stone Mountain Park with the family hiking. I came home and my head really started having issues. Then Monday evening, I get wet in the rain a couple of times and ended up chilled. By Tuesday, I was not a happy camper. I managed to plow through somewhat until Thursday morning at which point I gave up and went to the doctor. Diagnosis: a sinus infection that had moved to the throat. No wonder. So, several days later of antibiotics and a treatment called "Magic Mouthwash" which numbs the throat, I'm doing better. In the process, I managed to lose some weight, though I somehow doubt it will stay off.

New project-
I'm working with another pet rescue group. I'm currently helping them with their word press site, getting animals posted. I'm still in training, so I'm working through the learning curve. It's giving me a chance to learn a new blogging platform too. I've considered moving this blog, though no real decisions are even close to being made. So, this may help on that front too.

Future stuff-
My kids and I will be doing something of a demo this upcoming Saturday at a friend's church. Luxomni Baptist Church is having an Easter fun day with activities for the kids and all. We'll be out there with some of the other Choi students showing off our skills. ;) If you get a chance, feel free to come out and see us.

Musing about schools (HS specifically)

I've had a few people question my thoughts on putting my son back in brick and mortar, especially if he's going in to the school we're zoned for. I've talked with the district superintendant, I've talked with the school's principal, and as of last week I have talked with the man who would be my son's counselor. I'll admit, the school isn't perfect, not by any means. However, I've been given enough hope to believe that it's not half as bad as rumor has it made out to be. If not, I'll address that as those issues arise.

In the meantime, though, I'm tired of the struggle. To get my son to do his work. To get my son to do his work properly. To get my son to turn in his work. To admit that he needs help. To talk to me (or anyone) about issues. At this point, I just want him to pass 8th grade. My once honor/principal roll, straight A student, has crashed and burned in a royal way this year.

When it comes to helping my child, those of you that know me, know I don't do some subjects. It isn't going to happen. My husband works late (and constantly) so getting support there is a struggle too. Getting teacher support means my son has to either a) ask for help, or b)be pushed into it by me. If nothing else, the last 2.5 school years have taught me that my son isn't suited for being schooled at home (at least not by me). That doesn't leave a whole lot of options for us.

Yes, we could try to move. We are, though, upside down on our mortgage and houses in our area just aren't selling well (or don't seem to be). I don't see us moving for several more years, so moving to another zoned HS isn't going to happen. I can do a permissive transfer to another school, something I'll certainly keep in mind if I decide that our HS isn't going to work out. Doing it straight out, though, doesn't seem to be likely to happen.

So, my son is off to a "regular" brick & mortar next year. Doesn't matter if he's repeating 8th grade or moving up to 9th. The stone wall that I ran face first into this year has made that determination for us. So here's praying that he does well enough on the remainder of this year, that he at least remains where he should be grade wise. I really don't want to encounter the 8th grade wall a second time with him.

Review: The Tales of Edgar Allen Poe

Thanks to the folks at Brave PR, I was able to take my son to see The Tales of Edgar Allen Poe at the Center for Puppetry Arts. My son read Tell-Tale Heart and The Raven through school recently, so I thought it would be a good match up for us.

The show runs through several of the more famous of the stories as well as some of the lesser known: The Raven, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Bells, The Black Cat, The Cask of Amontillado, Berenice, The Oval Portrait, M.S. Found in a Bottle, and Lenore. We were given the option to go during the week, so I purchased an additional ticket for my daughter to go as well. A note up front that this is NOT a show for the younger kids. My daughter was probably borderline as far as age appropriateness.

In a way, my son had a hard time tracking the stories as they transitioned between them. They would start with one story, transition to another story and then return to the first. It made the show interesting, but if you weren't familiar with the stories you might not catch the changes. It was also interesting that they used a combination of live actors and puppets to tell the tales. When they started Tell-Tale Heart my son started and told me he knew that one. He was happy he actually remembered having read it and liked the show. I don't think my daughter really appreciated the show as much. She appreciated going, but we had to have a discussion about Poe in general on the way home for her to appreciate the stories.

We were there at the same time that 8th graders from another school were there. They had a hard time settling down for the first part and again toward the end of the series of stories. It made listening to the show a challenge and somewhat hard to enjoy. For those bringing families, you may want to keep that in mind when attending during the day. Poe will run through March 2nd, you can check their web site for ticket information.

Thoughts for Thursday

School:
Why does the D2L system (that Gwinnett Online Campus uses) have an issue with Wednesday? The last 3 Wednesdays in a row it has gone down or become so slow as to be effectively unusable. It makes it hard for the kids to stay caught up and not get distracted. It makes it hard for the parents to keep up with the kids and make sure they're doing their work on time. I blame it on the fact that the system was created by a Canadian company.. not someone local, 'eh?

Fitness:
My daughter and I have officially signed up for The Color Run in April. We'll be all tie-dyed for a second year. This year, though, it's down at the speedway. They apparently had so many sign up last year that they had to find a bigger venue. I'll likely be signing up for the Pretty Muddy run in October. Several social media moms are going and I'd have someone to do it with (since daughter isn't old enough yet). In memory of my brother-in-law and of a friend's husband that passed recently, I may sign up to do the Heart Walk in September too.

Home:
I'm working on the small stuff around the house. I get frustrated looking at the big picture of what needs to be done, so I'm doing the little stuff. I've hung some pictures and have a couple of frames to go to finish that project. I hung my medals, so now I know what I have and what I have as goals. I hung my watches (all Disney) just because and so that I can show them off (or at least keep them organized). I have cleaned the majority of the mess that was in the office and hallway. I'm watching for a cabinet or shelves or something that I can use in my kitchen as added pantry space. I don't know exactly what I want, so I'm keeping my eye on freecycle and goodwill just to keep it inexpensive. Once I get myself organized (again), then I can look at some of the other things I want to do.

Other:
My daughter had my laptop and I'd left my pinterest page up. She was looking through it and saw this one. Since it seemed to strike a chord with her, I'm sharing it here.

Source: humortrain.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Playing with Cats

My daughter chose to play with cats for her science fair project. She wanted to know which they'd prefer, a string cat toy or a toy filled with catnip. What it allowed her to do is spend time playing with her cat (1 yo Jack, seen to the right, we adopted from FurKids) and my cat (15 yo Dodger adopted from Gwinnett AC years ago) and still be doing school work.

It wasn't quite the adventure as we had with Robert. Since she plays with the cats fairly regularly, though, it was an exercise in remembering to log what she did. She also had to remember to make sure she had her designated toys on hand when she did so. Simple enough in theory, but when you're doing most of the "real" experiments during the holiday and she's not very organized to begin with, a definite challenge too.

Her final day of experimenting happened at FurKids. I took her with her toys out to the shelter (we're already volunteers) and we spent time in the adult cat room.

She learned fairly quickly that you cannot get the cats riled up by playing with them and then take your attention off of them. They'll continue to play with the toy dangling in your hand whether you're playing or not. No harm done, just surprised her when one decided to make a leap for the string toy she'd had dangling in front of the cat's face. We always enjoy visiting and I usually get shots of some of the adoptables. The catch this time is the adoptables I was taking pictures of were busy playing with my daughter or the toys she brought. So they don't really show them off to their advantage. Maybe next time I'll be a bit more successful.

Adventures in Rocket Science

The middle school students at my kids' school had to do a Science Fair Project. My son, on reading the list of available topics, jumped at the chance to study the aerodynamics of rockets with the excuse to launch his model rockets. The idea being to compare the styles and sizes of rockets and seeing which design works/flies better. We realize this has been done many times, but for an 8th grade boy to be able to shoot off rockets and get a grade for it, he couldn't resist.

What I didn't know, and apparently neither did his teacher, is that launching model rockets in the metro Atlanta area is near impossible to do. Gwinnett county itself has an ordinance specifically against launching the rockets in the public parks. Most of the surrounding counties do as well. Someone at one point suggested a state park or a national park. Unfortunately, both of those consider model rockets to be fireworks, which are prohibited. A last resort came when we found the local model rocket club which has launches twice a month.

What makes this an adventure was that for a month, we did the research on our own on places to fly. Now, we're lucky in that we have family with property in north GA and in Alabama. Unfortunately for us, the weather NEVER cooperated when we took the rockets out there. We did try the local park that the rocket club suggested. We struck out, though, when on one day there were too many people and on the other the rockets refused to launch.

So, the lesson learned is that unless you have private property large enough and clear enough to launch rockets on your own, you HAVE to find the local rocket club. Which is sad, really, considering you can buy the things at any local hobby shop. The hobby shops, though, will generally tell you that they have no idea where you can launch them.

#WW Science Fair Projects

Back story on each of these at a later date/time. Let's just say I'm glad it's over.

End of Semester 1

The new semester starts after the holiday and the old semester is gone. My kids and I survived the transition. I won't say this semester has been successful, it's definitely been stressful. In the end, though, my kids passed all courses for the first semester. Some of the grades I wonder about, but now that we have something of a clue as to what to do and how to do it, next semester should run better. I certainly won't get ambitious and say it will run smoothly. Somehow, with all the hormones in the house, I sincerely doubt that's possible.

I still have my issues with Gwinnett Online Campus, but I'm hoping it works its way out quickly. My son is focused on getting to 9th grade, he's really liking the idea of going over to GSMST. He knows what it's going to take to get to 9th grade from here, he knows what I expect of him. He's still working on coming to terms with what will be expected of him if he does go to GSMST.

My daughter, on the other hand, is loving getting the best of both school worlds. She loves being able to do work at home and then do what she wants. She loves being able to go to school for the labs and hang out with her friends. As much as she likes one of the teachers, though, I get the impression she's indifferent to them. She's thinking about what she wants to do for next year. We're holding off on a decision, though, until after this school year is out.

GSMST

I took my kids to the information session for the Gwinnett School of Math, Science, and Technology. We've been considering putting my son in the lottery there for HS. I have to admit, I was already very interested in it to begin with. My son has decided he's interested now too. He enjoyed getting to listen to two of the current students (Senior/Sophomore) and the curriculum AP. He was impressed with their honesty toward the work that would have to go in. He also realized that being the only 8th grader at GOC to be taking ALL accelerated/gifted classes may not be such a bad thing after all. He's already taking accelerated algebra, so if he makes it into GSMST he'd be going into Geometry. From there he realized he'd be doing pre-calculus in 10th grade.

I had as much fun listening to him and watching his face as we listened as I did to the principal/AP/students talk. He doesn't care for the idea of having to STUDY quite so much, but he loved the idea of the 'extras' he'd get for doing so. By the end of the evening, we turned in his form for the lottery. Now we wait until Feb. 10th to see if he gets in.

On the other hand, I will mention that I was talking to another mom earlier this week. I mentioned putting him into GSMST and we ended up talking a bit. She had a friend who was looking at GSMST, but that student was more into the arts side of things than the science/math side. GSMST emphasizes the MATH side. If you have a student that is not interested in the MATH side, they may want to reconsider putting their name in the pot.

Also, there's only one chance to get in. Rising 9th graders are put into a lottery for 350 slots (they're expecting twice that number to apply). You either make it into the school at that point or you don't. You don't get a chance to get in after 9th grade. So here's hoping that we get in.

There's another information meeting in January. I may take hubby back next time so that he can hear the talk, we'll see. In the meantime, they do have the presentation they gave on their web site. If you have a rising 9th grader, you may want to consider looking at the site for information.

Monday Musings

So I've decided that while the school has definite issues to work out, at least half of my issues are my own. My main problem is that the school isn't exactly what it was advertised. Part of that is due to the lack of enrollment that they expected this year (at most around 85 students total for middle school), so they had to change some of what was originally planned. The variety of students they received within that enrollment, I think, is more than they figured as well. As such, with only 4 teachers for the entire MS, things just aren't happening.

I suppose that because my son has had such problems, it has colored my view against a lot of it. Though, hearing some of the other parents complain of the same thing, means it isn't just me. Most of those I'm hearing from, though, are also former GCA parents. We got used to one thing at GCA and expected a hybrid school (the one advertised) and didn't get it.

My son hit 8th grade hard, with teen issues already. Then having to adjust to an entire new system didn't help. From there top it with the problems the school is having in managing the students they have and it was a major catastrophe.

Math for my son has always been easy. From K-8 math, he blew through the material. At GCA, he developed bad habits that we're working to break. At GOC, he was finally CHALLENGED by the material. Given the attitude he started with, this was not a good thing. Add in the fact that he started the semester off taking a HS level math class and was expected to learn the material on his own (with no teacher support) built on the problem. The school has since started having one of the HS math teachers actually TEACH the lessons when he's on campus for labs, which is an improvement. It's not a fix, as that's only one day a week. You can't teach all of the material in one day, much less support the material they're learning. So, the math falls to my husband to teach when my son has issues. It was this that had us leaving GCA (partially) last year. Those that know me know why, but I'm not able to teach my son math. It's very counter productive for me to try. So, when GOC advertised that we'd have all the help we needed, the teachers would teach, not the parents, we fell into a trap. We're recovering, though my son's grades suffered in the mean time.

I'll give several of my kids' teachers credit though, they've always been upfront and have had no problem letting me know when there's a problem. Given the way everything else has gone, I appreciate they're taking the time to DO THEIR JOB and help me help my student.

So, I have an attitude problem and it's coloring most of what I see and do. It's gotten fairly extreme when it comes to my kids (particularly my son) and their school. I keep my mouth shut (mostly) to keep me from saying something I might regret later.

With the schools now offering open houses to prospective new parents, I'm not sure I can recommend the school or not. I'm not unbiased, I can't give a neutral review. For anyone that might be looking, I'd say take it all with a grain of salt and be willing to take on the bulk of helping your child learn. If you can manage that, then it may just work for you. For me, next year is all up in the air. My son will head to HS, my daughter will still be MS. I'll have some decisions to make, we'll see how those come out.

Monday Musings

This school year has been a major struggle for us. We got off on the wrong foot with my son and had to play a major catch up game. By mid-terms we found out that my daughter had slipped as well. We caught up and thought we'd get the second half of the semester off to a good start only to hit another road bump. I won't call it major, but it seemed so at the time. My kids aren't monitoring their work well and apparently I'm inept at following up. A couple of the teachers are good at giving me a quick heads up on issues, but others not so much. It's to the point where I'm contemplating if it's all worth the effort.

We moved from GCA last year for a couple of reasons. One being that I wasn't able to support my son's accelerated math curriculum. Another that I had started work (part time) and I found it hard to juggle both. A third, and rather major one, was that I plan to have my kids attend a regular brick and mortar high school. This was to be a transition especially for my son back to that point. I've had it pointed out to me that maybe the transition is as much for me to relearn how to deal with "regular" teachers and schools as it is for the kids.

So, I'm working on my research into our options. I've plugged in with the cluster superintendent and the local HS principal to get information about the zoned HS. I've plugged in with a mom I haven't spoken to in a while who has students attending our zoned MS. So far she's been pleased with the programs they've been offered and has had no problems. Since I unplugged as a substitute teacher, I'm trying to work on reconnecting to other sources as well. Maybe our area is improving enough where I can actually consider sending my daughter to the local MS next year. I don't know. It's all very fluid at this point.