Let the summer begin

so excited for summer.

No huge plans.

Just.....renewing myself.

It was so good to come home and kick off my work clothes in glee.

It was an amazing evening. BBQ and dine outside.

The knowledge that there is nothing on the 'have to do' list for tomorrow.

And a beautiful fire in the firepit to bring on the start of summer.

Last Day of School

Well, I made it. today is the last day of school.

Report cards are done.

Materials are returned to the office or library.

Desks are stacked and everything is up off the moveable shelves. The room looks odd without the life in it. Abandoned. Almost apocalyptic.

This morning will be a lot of visiting with staff. Goodbyes to a few who are retiring or moving on.

We get our first draft of class lists for the fall. 

I plan to type up my class lists into my nominal rolls. I have a few things I made for fall that I will laminate and cut out.

I have time to type out of few webquests I have started and get those ready for September.

We have a quick staff meeting and then it's time to put the finishing touches on everything for the Graduation Ceremony for the afternoon. It's always exciting to see the kids come in to get their cap and gown. Excited. Nervous. Seeing the school for the last time.

Hopefully the weather  holds so we can go outside for the cap toss.

Happy End of June to all the teachers out there.

June change

It looks like I am getting back into the swing of things. spending cash from my jars. NOT spending the change on munchies or Timmies.

I happily rolled changed and took it to the bank today.

• 1 roll of toonies
• 1 roll of loonies
• 1 roll of quarters
• 1 roll of dimes
• 5 rolls of nickels

Total $100

This went towards my back to school goal of $500. I now only need $50 to meet that goal.

I also finally had enough nickels to roll that last one to take an even dollar amount to the bank. I know, totally anal.  It took quite  awhile to get them. Will take awhile to get the same again :-)

My home away from home

As the school year is almost at an end, the traditional cleaning, tidying and purging begins.

I spent more awake hours in my classroom during a weekday than I do anywhere else so it seems only natural that over time, it slowly became my nest... my home away from home.

I am grateful that I don't have to pack up my classroom each June as I know many schools have their teachers do. I am also grateful that I don't have to move rooms.  I helped a colleague move rooms last year. A whole lot of lifting packing and trecking up to the second floor and across the building.

I moved buildings two years ago. I had over 85 boxes AFTER I had purged probably half of my things. Craziness.

Now I just have to move things off the portable shelves so that the furniture can be moved out by maintenance when they wax the floors.

As I look around my room I can see so much of ME there, to make it truly a home away from home.

• Family momentos. I have pics of my boys all over in my room. Pics of my sisters and their kids. Pics of all the next generation of my clan. The kids love looking at them and trying to decide who looks like me
• Wall art - I have the art décor my niece has made for me. Little pieces students have gifted me with over the years. A landscape scene my son made me when he and his GF and MIL went to one of those paint parties
• Stuffed animals. I brought a big teddy bear one year for a pajama day and it never left. It's amazing how it can calm ppl when they are having a bad day. My school mascot and former school mascot hang out on my shelves.
• Coffee. My Keurig. The staffroom is super far and no one makes coffee in it anymore. There are little nooks here and there throughout the building where people have their own maker. The gyms. The library. The main secretary's office. The science dudes. This gives me my cup or two each day and occasional reward treats of hot chocolate for the kids. Sometimes I make a cup of amazing Chai tea. I never get a chance to drink it hot but the smell is amazing.  I have a little basket with my supplies of coffee/tea/hc and a few sugars and stir sticks. I don't do creamer so those wandering by in a desperate caffeine need have to bring their own.
• My scentsy. It's a tiny little cute one with no bulb that sits on a shelf behind my desk. There are no scent allergies in my class so I am good to go. I choose something really really mild. The students' favourite this year is a kind called 'candy dandy' that is no longer made. boo.  A group of 13 year olds with me all but gym class can get really scenty. This just ........helps.
• The pharmacy. Just things a person needs throughout the year. A5/35 and Icy Hot for aches and pains. Some motrin. cough drops. Non drowsy allergy pills. Vicks vapo rub. Lip balm. Hand lotion. Unscented hair spray. A small pouch with base make up (foundation, mascara etc) for those days when things just go wrong. Sanitizer. Pony tail holders. EmergenC tablets. Tums. deodorant. lint roller. dental floss. Qtips. Tide Go pen. OFF, finger nail clippers
• Emergency for kids - contact solution. spare contact cases I get from the optomistrist. sanitizer, plastic utensils, student hand lotion and lint rollers, band aids, baggies, granola bars for those kids you know have no food in the house. Gum/ candies. everybody gets one during an assessment - about 15 min in. Super calms them. Kleenex x 100.
• wardrobe - a t shirt in every colour for spirit days I forget about. slippers. infinity scarves. umbrella. mitts and toque. sweater for those rare days I get cold.

Ok I know there are tons more but wow. That is quite a list

Ohh...charger for my phone

Modifying summer plans

Two more weeks until school is done. Both the students AND myself are ready for a break.

My usual plan (since I started planning for summer spending) is to set aside $1000 for the odds and ends of summer fun, plus the August long weekend with my family.

This summer seems to be taking a different path and it looks as though the traditional August long won't be happening.

DS2's park ranger job has him working every weekend all summer. He gets Monday and Tuesday off instead. So he won't be able to make it.

DS1's gf has a family reunion that weekend so they will be spending it with her side of the family.

DH's brother decided to help organize a family reunion on his mother's side. I know zero of these people and they weren't exactly the warm and fuzzy type so this should be interesting.

The reunion of course is August long so that means that we will not be going to our traditional long weekend.

I am bitter sweet about this. It's the only weekend all of my sisters and their families get together and I suspect this time may be at 'the end of an era'. It's a weekend full of lots of fishing and beach time and campfires and I am sad we won't be  a part of it.

On the flip side, the weekend is costly. Three tanks of gas, the cabin rental (super pricy for around here), groceries, beverages etc. It all adds up fast and that's where the bulk of my summer money went.

The reunion is a short drive 30 min drive from here. If DH wants to tent overnight so he can visit late, we can always take separate vehicles so I can come home when my exhaustion hits. The money for this is negligible so its less expensive option.

As such, I have set aside only $500 instead of the usual $1000 for summer.