Another Week of Testing

Sunday
Easter was great fun!  We dyed Easter eggs with the kids outside to prevent the mess from the colors inside and it was interesting to see how the 3, 5, 10 and 15 year old all reacted differently to the event.  I will say that we did not end up with any brown eggs so that was a feat!

Two sets of dyes.

Dying Eggs

The end result of dyed eggs.  They did not last long.

At the end of the afternoon, we ended up making deviled eggs with the pieces of arts created by the kids.  The left over eggs ended up as egg salad for lunch this week.  This is the bad thing about Easter for me.  I love the eggs and the candy associated with this holiday.  The jelly beans and Reese's Peanut Butter eggs are the downfall of me.

Monday
So today was the Performance Task part of the Smarter Balanced Assessment.  We had students all over the place taking a variety of tests.  11th graders were taking the SBAC test, 10th grades were taking the Science test and the 9th graders were taking the practice CAHSEE tests in order to prepare for the exam next year.  We are going to use the results to help provide interventions for the students and identify students who need more help.  Today was also the first day of Witness Prep for a lawsuit that is getting ready to start.  I have never been involved in one before other than as a juror so it was interesting to see the process.

Tuesday
I am so tired and it is only Tuesday.  It feels like it should be Thursday already.  I can't believe that we have been in school two days this week and I feel like it has been forever!!!!  Today was another day of testing and fun.  I had a doctor's appointment today because I had to finally admit that i might need glasses.  In December when I was working on the PhD, I noticed that i was having trouble reading some of the smaller print articles.  I got a pair of reading glasses from Target but they almost feel too strong.  I made it to Dr. Hart who said that my eyes are just getting old and due to my constant reading and use of computers, my eyes might need some "help," translation - they want to tell me that I am getting old. LOL!!!!  So now I know my eyes are like .50 and .75 and I need my astigmatism fixed.  So needless to say, I am getting some reading glasses.  Of course when I was picking them out I tried on about 25 different pairs and the one pair I like is a bit expensive - Ugh!!  I usually don't have this kind of expensive taste.  Then I come to find out that it is real the lenses that are most expensive for me.  LOL!!!!  Guess I need to pay for the health care vision plan now also.

Wednesday
Ummm….. is it only Wednesday?????  Come on, it has to be Thursday or Friday……  The days have seemed incredibly long this week and I am not sure if it is because I have been so tired or so busy.  We are in our second week of testing and the Science CST's started this week also.  The schedule is a little crazy and yes, I was one of the ones that created it.  I was trying to maximize instructional time!!!!  The schedule is not really the problem, just a lot of testing all together with a lot of moving computer carts around and checking on teachers.  Thank goodness Josh is around to help move the carts!!!  I would be even more whooped!!!  On another note, and I do not know if this is a CA thing or not.  The school is undergoing a hearing for a SPED situation and we are having it at the High School.  A judge from San Diego is coming in to hear the case and the district lawyers and the other lawyers will be here on Thursday for the start of the case.  We used one of the portables that I cleaned out the other week for the hearing (see picture below).  I think this is being done at the school because it is an expedited case but am really unsure.  This did not happen at Laurens or LR5 that I know of.  I find the entire process fascinating and am learning a lot in the process.

I am trying to eat more fruits and vegetables now.  Since I am not making it to the gym as much as I would like and having been eating so poorly I am trying to get back into my good eating habits.  So tonight I made asparagus.  Good think that I got a microwave steamer so it makes cooking the veggies much faster than cooking them in the oven.

Wednesday Night Asparagus Dinner

Thursday
Laurens 55 (LD55) has Senior Project.  John W. North has Senior Exhibition.  They both are the same thing with a little different twist.  Both Senior Project and Senior Exhibition involve students working on a project throughout the school year and presenting to a panel.  North only requires a 5 minute presentation while LD55 has 15 minutes.  North also has all students present in one afternoon between 1:45 - 4:00 pm while LD55 does it over three days twice a year due to the 4x4 schedule.  Both are fabulous opportunities for students and they do a great job. We had a big BBQ for the panel members who got to sit and talk with each other.  Many of the panelists have connections to North in the form of community members or alumni so it is nice for them to make connections and re-connect.  In addition, this year USL (student government) fed all the seniors after their presentation so it was great to see the start of the end of the school year for the seniors.  This was their first event as they get ready for graduation on June 12.  In order to get this done, we dismissed kids after testing so all students were off campus by 12:15 as panel members came on campus.

Friday
Today was a regular scheduled day and busy at that.  We had the admin meeting this morning and we got to look at my pretty colored calendars I did on Wednesday night and hung in the conference room.  Don't you love my cute little post-it notes that are on every month to let us know what we have planned!  I am sure this will keep us more organized - LOL!!!!

The afternoon was filled with the summer school issues affectionately known as the Summer School Draft where the schools who are hosting summer school get to pick which teachers will be teaching.  I was told that in the past years it could get a little "ugly" because of trying to get your teachers into summer school for the extra money.  This year however, I was told it went well and was pleasant,  I am going to credit that to the BFAW's.  We all get along so well that it was nice to hang out with everyone and learn all about how Summer School is done in RUSD.  We even ended the afternoon with our group pic!!  We are missing some of us but these are my AP BFAW's of RUSD.  It is not the Back Porch Girls at Colleen's but we have a GREAT time!!!

AP BFAW's of RUSD

Friday night after the draft pick Megan dropped me off back at the school and I got some technology work done.  I was able to move a few things around and Mike and I hung the LCD projector in a classroom.  Well, Mike hung it and I supervised?!?!  We had to replace the LCD projector as opposed to purchasing a new bulb because the bulb was going to be 425.00 and a new projector is 490.00.  This was more of a project because the LCD projectors were different so therefore the mount had to be "refitted."  At least it is done!!!!

Saturday
So today is Prom Day!!!  I know the students are excited and so am I.  DeEtte, Megan and I are going to lunch, get mani-pedi's and work on Master Schedule.  LOL!!!  So here are my cute toes for Prom.  This is pretty amazing because I told Tony, the guy that did my toes, that I was wearing teal shoes and for him to pick a color for me and he used this color which matched my shoes perfectly - no, I did not take the shoes.

Prom Toes!

Megan and I - Pre-Prom

So Megan and I got dressed at her house and we went to dinner at Spaghetti Factory for Prom. This is Megan's favorite place to eat and the food was yummy.  I had pasta with mushrooms and cheese.

Starbucks - To Stay Awake!!!

Before the Students Arrived

The Prom was called "A Formal Affair" and it was packed at the golf course banquet hall.  While this picture above does not contain students this venue was small and we had so many kids there it ended up being hard to move.  The kids are here and lined up to get in at 7:45 pm and they stayed until the very end 12:00 am until the very last song.  In fact we had to chase some of them out!!!   While LD55 has their Prom at school and transforms the entire commons area, we have no place large enough on campus and the schools here go to hotels and other venues.  This place was about 30 minutes from the school.  The kids looked fantastic and had the same dresses as the kids in the Southeast do and the same dress problems!!!

Gatsby Inspired! 

Two Students who Visit me Often - They clean up nice. 

 The kids really did have a lot of fun!  One of the campus supervisors rapped at the dance.  There was a prop photo booth the students really enjoyed and the teacher that were present had a great time!  Megan and I got to the car at 12:30 am after looking for missing shoes for one of the students.  I walked in the apartment at 1:23 am after Megan dropped me off at my car and I drove home.  I walked in, changed clothes and climbed into bed where I stayed until 9:00 am with Squeak on Sunday morning.   I had a lot of fun and it was great to get text messages and pictures from LD55 during the night since there Prom was the same and this was the first time I had not been at the LD55 Prom since 1999.  Wow - that makes me sound old!!!  LOL!!!!

The Start of Testing Season

Monday, April 14, 2014

Ummmm……mistake……Yep, we all make them.  Mine was Sunday at Sam's club when I decided I needed to stay awake and therefore I got a 32 oz drink, Diet Coke (first one in like 4 years), at Sam's.  Then after I was done with my shopping and my coke I filled it up to leave again and that was 64 oz in 12 hours.  Needless to stay, I was awake until 2:00 am and I get up at 4:50 to get to work because I want to be early.  However, I had to get up earlier than usual because testing starts today.  I needed to make sure the access points in the rooms were set up and ready to go and I wanted to watch the video on starting the test again.  So I got to work at 5:30, giving me about 45 minutes extra to get things set up.  The access points got set up without too many problems and I got to watch part of the video that i needed to.  I had some extra help on site to be sure things went well.  Dan and David were there to make sure the computers connected with the access points and we got started.  The first period was a little ROCKY but we made it through.  I ran around all day trying to make sure carts got to the correct rooms for testing during the day.  Thank goodness Josh, one of our regular substitute teachers was there to make sure carts were moved also.  He was a life-saver!!!!!

The Chromebook Cart

I left work to go to Disneyland to meet Roger and Travis, who are on Spring Break, from South Carolina.  We ate at Rainforest Cafe and then went to ride Pirates of the Caribbean.  We had a lot of fun together and it was nice to catch up on what is happening in SC with people we know.  Travis, Roger's son, has grown up and in 9th grade.  It is hard to believe he is a 9th grader and that he is so tall!!!!!  He has really matured over the past years!!!  I left Disneyland at 10:00 pm and made it to my bed at 11:00 pm to fall asleep right away!!!

Tuesday
I was up again early and made a run to Starbucks for caffeine as I headed to get to work at 5:30 am to make sure access points were working and computers were in the correct rooms.  Today we had three new teachers testing and we needed to make sure they were logged in and ready to go.  It has been a challenge to be everyone that I need to be making sure that everyone is happy and ready to go.  It has gone really well and while we have had some bumps and bruises as we proceeded but overall we have had successful test sessions.  Today was also High School Task Force but it was really hard to concentrate because I was so tired.

Tuesday night was our monthly AP dinner.  We met at a Mexican restaurant and had fun just chatting.  I think this was our largest crowd yet and it was hard to talk with everyone because their was so many people there.  Which is GREAT!!!  It is fabulous to have so many people join us for fun and sharing ideas.  I came home right after the dinner and was asleep by 9:02 pm after changing the sheets on my bed and taking a quick shower to relax.  However, the problem was at 1:20 am when I woke up and could not go back to sleep because I had gotten about 4 hours of sleep.  So I got up and did some work for about 90 minutes and then went back to sleep for a bit.

Wednesday
I got SLAMMED Wednesday morning.  It was like every parent that needed something got the memo to come to my office, make a phone call or send an email at one time.  It was like triage in a hospital.  Thank goodness Josh was there to get everyone started while I put out fires and worked with the parents and student concerns.  Other than the craziness of being busy, today was pretty easy since everyone testing had gone through the testing process and therefore they were ready to go.  While it was still a busy day moving computer carts around, I was able to see some students today and try and get some work done.  However, there was still a lot to do today and I presented Google Docs today to a group of teachers.  While I did not get to prepare for this presentation like I wanted to I was able to get everyone into Google Docs and we were able to see how to use a Document.  We will meet again in two weeks to look at Forms and then Spreadsheets.  After that was done, Ali and I spent the evening working on more testing items.  The lists are done for teachers and students to have posted to know where to go.  Students are rearranged based on IEP plans so they are in a better testing environment.  The teachers that have Jury Duty are rearranged, the bathroom break schedule is done for all of the testing days thanks to Alison and I feel confident in moving forward.  This of course was all done in the evening and I left school at 9:30 pm with as much done as possible to be ready for Thursday.  Below you will see what Squeak does when I am gone. This is a regular thing for her.  I think she is yelling at me.

Thursday
There was no unusual testing today.  Today was a normal day which was nice.  Granted it was an early release day so kids were able to go home at 2:00 pm, there was still a lot to do.  Today was the last day of Common Assessments with the Science Department, a staff meeting and we had the New Admin Induction Meeting as well.  We had a great Induction Meeting and learned a lot at the meeting. We talked about hard to deal with cases and what we are ethically, morally and legally obligated to do and how to handle the situations.  It was good to see that everyone has the same issues and questions that I do in how to deal with situations.

After the Induction Meeting, I had to go back to campus for the PTSA meeting. That lasted until 7:45 pm or so and then I spoke with a parent for about 30 minutes about their child and returned some phone calls of which I got and had not had time to return. I went ahead an checked all the access points before i left school so that I could sleep a little extra in the morning.   I left the school about 9:00 pm to get home.

Friday
I got to school at normal time today 6:15 am and was psyched.  I am leaving the campus at 4:00 pm today regardless.  My plan is to go get my hair done, run a few errands and crash.  I will be back on Saturday but I can already feel that I am brain dead this week and I need to get some rest before I continue to think.  Friday seemed to fly by a little bit but probably because we had out admin meeting in the morning and then the practice CAHSEE had to be copied.  I got my secretary and Josh to work on making the copies as the day progressed so that I did not have to spend a lot of time up at the school on Saturday.  I was able to leave at 3:50 pm and was at the apartment by 4:30.  In fact I left so quickly, look what I forgot to put on the charger.

My walkie talkie - that I always forget to take with me on campus.

I had a nice evening and was able to go to sleep early, 10:00 pm and did not wake up till 7:00 am on Saturday morning.  

Saturday
While I got a great night's sleep, I can still feel that I am tired and a little emotional.  For those of you that know me well, when I get as tired as I have been this week little things set me into a crying stage.  I can be stressed or have a lack of sleep but having both stress and lack of sleep makes me like this and I hate it and try to avoid it at all costs.  I can watch TV and see the Human Society commercials and just start crying.  For those of you who have been talking with me or around me during this time, I apologize for anything weird look, odd thing or any other emotion that has come from me.  Thanks for dealing with me well over the last week.

I was able to relax and get some stress relief on Saturday morning.  I ate breakfast at Chick-Fil-A and ran a few errands.  I was able to get my car washed and cleaned out since it had bird doodie all over it as well as bugs from driving.  Not near as bad as driving across the mid-west / Texas but it still had a lot of stuff on it and now it is CLEAN!!!!!

I got to work about 12:45 pm in order to clean two portables and get them ready for testing as well as get the 9th Grade Practice CAHSEE Math tests into teacher boxes.  Megan and Ali were there and helped to get some things done.  I wanted to get a few more things done but the cleaning of the portables took longer than I expected and we worked on some master schedule items.  I guess tomorrow is another day and some things can wait.

On Saturday night, one of the Roe children, Kennedy came over and we got pizza and watched Pitch Perfect.  This allowed me to forget work for a bit and just relax.  It also kept Kennedy out of trouble and allowed her some time away from the younger children and a chance to be somewhere different also.  She is maturing and it is nice to see how she has changed.  While I don't want any children of my own, I do enjoy spending time, mentoring and working with secondary aged kids.  I know people look at me weird when I say that and tell me that I would be a great mom / parent but I really just enjoy my life the way it is.  There is only one person that I have met that I would ever consider having children with if he wanted them, but lucky for me he feels the same way I do, children are not something he desires either.   I like being able to do what I want when I want and working with the kids the way that I do, which I know seems selfish.  Hopefully I do make a difference in their lives and help - that is the thing I worry about the most.  I made it to bed at 10:00 pm and while i know that I can never get back the sleep I have lost, I am trying to make sure that my mood, emotions and ability to make good decisions are restored.  LOL

Sunday
Well, I guess my body is rested.  I woke up today at 6:00 am and got up to get some things caught up.  I am working on this blog which I waited till today to do.  I really like to type it as I progress through the week because then you get more than just SCHOOL STUFF.  However, this week was hard.  I have two recommendations to write for people, a few things to document and catch up on as well.  I am joining the Roes for Easter today to dye eggs and eat dinner.  So a normal Sunday!!!!  I needed that this week.  Hope you enjoy your time with your family and friends.  Sometimes your friends do become your family and I truly appreciate and my Southern California family members who include more than just the Roes!!!!  You know who you guys are and I don't tell each of you enough how much I appreciate and love you - sometimes our crazy schedules just don't allow it.

My Squeak

Week after Spring Break

Good news!! Chapters 4 and 5 of the PhD are written and are sent to my chairperson.  I know there will be a lot of revision to come but at least something is on paper and ready to get started.  It is a very big relief to have something down so that I can move forward!!!

Well it is testing season in both CA and SC!  So anyone in SC thinking CA does not test - that is not true.  We are testing 11th graders until they are going to collapse or at least it feels that way.  For the next three weeks my inner "Anita Wilson" is coming out. I have adopted Anita's thoughts on maximizing instructional time and making sure students have something to do in their extended periods so we are having all students do something at various times over the next three weeks.  We are administering four tests - 1) Smarter Balanced Field Tests, 2) EAP - Math, 3) EAP - ELA and 4) CST - Science.  So it is not just SC that test the bejeezes out of their kids - it is all across the US!!!    However, we have a teacher who has been talking with students about the Smarter Balanced test and has somewhat encouraged the students to boycott the test.  Now, the truth is, the test is a field test and it is within the students parent's rights to request they not take the test but since this is a "norming" year and practice year I do not feel this is a good idea.  In addition, for these students to talk intelligently about the test later they need to see it.  The last reason is the students have brought me papers that remove them from all testing including the EAP which is the Early Assessment Program - this affects their placement in English and Math classes if they attend a California State University (CSU) or a University of California (UC) campus.  They do not understand the repercussions of their decision in an attempt to rebel against testing.  They got a form off the Internet that removes them from all testing except the high school exit exam rather than asking the teacher or administration for the form that allows them to select the tests they don't want to take.  Oh well, live and learn!!!!

I have been doing testing training this week also for teachers.  Of the 91 teachers that come on campus there are only 80 that have not had anything to do with any of the testing this Spring.  That includes our part time teachers also.  I have a few teachers on campus who are having a hard time with the testing schedule.  I know they don't want to test and hate the change in the schedule so they are closed off to the changes and therefore are having a hard time understanding what they are doing on what day because they are overwhelmed with the full process.  I have another teacher who only wants to teach his class and is very upset they have to give one test on one day during the entire Spring Testing season.  I don't remember any of the science teachers in Laurens or District 5 having issues like this so it is new for me.  Now, remember that I was only working with science for the most part but I would imagine the Administrators had some people complaining about giving tests that I just did not know about!  My thought process - "If you are in public education in this century, you are in the age of accountability, so taxpayers want results for their money, hence we test.  So if you don't want to test, you probably need to go to a private or charter school."  Now that makes it seem like I am okay with all this testing - no, I am not, but there are ways to protest and be proactive in this career field and refusing to give a test or have your students take a test is not one of those ways in my mind nor is it effective when you are talking about an entire state!

On the discipline front, it has been calm.  I know I am going to regret typing that.  I have a few students  who are running away every other night from their homes and am having parents call me asking for help, of which there is not much that I can do because they are not coming to school either.  I don't remember students in Laurens running away this much and having the absenteeism that my school is having but again, it may be because Sylvia Woodard was so good.  I did not teach honors students all the time.  I did have the reunion tour kids for biology and physical science and they were very transienent but they would at least show up a few times a week or the following week but a lot of my students here at North High School just do not come.

I do want to give a shout out to two people who have been incredibly helpful this week in helping ease my stress.  It has been some really late nights for me as we get ready for testing and I need to thank Alison, a guidance counselor at the school, who has been with me every step of the way to brainstorm. I also need to thank Mike, the nighttime custodian, who has been helping me move carts, get access points ready and work on making sure LCD projectors work in rooms for Senior Exhibition that is coming up.  Without their help I would not be able to be the sane girl I am right now.  I don't know if they read this blog or if anyone I work with does but give them a high five and thank you if you do!!!

On the apartment front, Squeak is going to be ticked at me.  See cute little face below.  This week I was invited by the Journalism / Yearbook staffs to attend a conference with them in San Diego.  So I left Thursday night to go to San Diego till Sunday morning.  Squeak will have no one to cry to and sleep with while I am gone.  So I will really hear about it when I get back this evening.  She will not look so cute.

So I have been taping the doors of the kids.  I tape about 1:30 am and then check again at 3:00 am and again at 5:00 am when I take the tape off.  I am very tired right now from not getting a full nights sleep but it has been absolutely fun to be here with the kids and see them so happy and excited about the sessions they are attending.  They have been phenomenal kids who are taking this conference seriously as well as exploring the city.  They have been down to Seaport Village to visit, found an awesome breakfast place and several other little areas to eat.  The kids have been spending their evenings in the pool and then hanging out in rooms at night to watch movies.  Yesterday was an awards ceremony and the students took 4th place for their Special Edition paper.

On Saturday night I went to my very first Major League Baseball game.  I am not a huge fan of baseball.  I look at it as wait….wait….wait….swing…3 seconds of action and wait………  So I wanted to see what a MLB game was like.  It was a lot of fun and they have vegetarian options at the stadium.  Of course Mike Breyer, AD at my school who was in town for the AD conference and ended up being there also, stated that it was because it was San Diego and most stadiums do not, but needless to say I was pleased they had veggie dogs, veggie burgers and so on.  The entire event was fun and I would be willing to go again.  It was extremely nice because the hotel that I am at with the kids - literally has a bridge that you walk over and I was at the stadium so I did not have to deal with traffic or anything.  The AD's who were staying in Fashion Valley rode the trolley into town.  The AD from my school, Poly High School, a Catholic Girl's school in Davis, CA and a friend of theirs from Murrieta were all at the game and we hung out together.  Seeing them act a fool was entertaining as well.  I think I had pretty good seats.  This was my view.

I did eat at two new places.  One was Meze, a Greek restaurant and it was super yummy.  The other place was a "mom and pop" place in Seaport but I don't remember the name of it.   At Meze, I went for brunch and had this yummy Greek Omelet and Greek potatoes with fruit.  It was so good!!!!

Now, I know that I am in San Diego and I have been here since Thursday night and it is the weekend but I have worked and had fun.  I have gone shopping in Seaport, walked around San Diego, and gotten to eat some new places.  I know that I have a problem with balancing my work and downtime so I did get this bracelet for myself to remind myself to do things for me (see below).  This is very hard right now because of finishing the PhD.  There are so many things I want to do, places I want to visit and friends I want to hang out with but feel I need to spend my time working on my writing on the weekends because I don't have time during the week to do that, much less work out the way that I want and need to as well.  Anytime you start a new job there is a learning curve and next year will be better once programs, policies and knowledge is in place.  So yes, I am looking forward to the 2014-2015 school year.

So for my wonderful teachers who have gotten emails from me at different times and odd times over the past three days - sorry!!!!  I am getting ready to leave here and go back to the apartment to unpack, go to the grocery store and getting ready for next week and am looking forward to my favorite Sunday afternoon activity - Seeing the Roe's!!!!