E's a Rock Chick!

E got her first guitar - a cool, rocker electric! Check it out - and it sounds as good as it looks!

Half-Way There!

Well, the battle for bussing has reached its first milestone, with bussing home being provided now!

Background: Speaking with the Principal of the Alexander school in June, I was hopeful that we'd get bussing, since this was discussed between herself and the Division when they were creating the new program. Through the summer, I was in contact with senior administration of the Division, and ultimately, got the answer that bussing wouldn't be provided at this time. Yesterday I attended a meeting of
the Transportation Committee, pleading my case, and in the evening, the Principal and the Parent Council president attended the School Board meeting. At the latter, it was decided unanimously to offer us return bussing (the bus comes back to Brandon anyways every day after school, arriving around 4:20-4:30).

So... just have to contact the Transportation Supervisor to see what has to be done to get the ball rolling. Hopefully before the week's end, the kids will be returning home each night on the school bus. Ahhh.

Crafternoons

M, feeling left out over our weekly moms' craft night, asked if we could have a craft night, too. Nighttime isn't really practical when you're five, I explained, but maybe an afternoon a week. Crafternoon!

Here's the result of our first crafternoon ... felted wool flower fairies!

Learning Through The Arts

Found a nice article that does a decent job at describing Learning Through The Arts - what the kids are doing at school!

Learning Through The Arts

So Many Firsts, So Little Time

When you're a kid, you can have so many "firsts" in such a short time ... adults' heads would be spinning, but they take it all in stride. Good way to be.

The pictures above: First bike ride (I had a better one but did something bad to it & now it won't open).

First frog she caught. (Why it shows up sideways, I don't know - it's upright in my picture viewer thingy).

First day at Kindergarten. (Ditto about sideways!)

First skating lesson.

M's turn

M had her first day of school today. Kindergarten ... wow, it hardly seems possible she's old enough.

She started out nervous, on the way to school ("My tummy hurts") - but seemed at ease once she was there. We were early, so were in the classroom before anyone else (even the teacher, who was in a staff meeting). I guess the other early kids were outside playing, or at the gym for the before-school program. We explored the classroom a little, Maya did some reading (stuff on the walls) and eventually, the bell rang, which signalled the others to come in.

While we were alone, Craig pointed to a bunch of magnetic letters on a whiteboard, and asked Maya to read what was spelled there. Someone had left the word, "cat". She looks over and says, without hesitation, "Welcome". Tee hee. Above the whiteboard was a welcome sign ...

I nervously checked the answering machine each time I came in the house, and dug out the cell phone, so I wouldn't miss the call if M's nervousness took a turn for the worse. But nope, no call.

Craig & I went to pick her up, and she was a happy little kid, looking like she had been at Kindergarten for weeks already. (o:

Her favorite thing about Kindergarten: "Walking with marshmallows on our feet." Huh? After much discussion, I figured out (I think) that these are imaginary giant marshmallows, intended to keep the kids nice & quiet while walking in the halls, so as to not disturb the rest of the classes. Cute.

She got a star on her name for helping a kid up the slide. (o*:

Leaving the school, M told us that, "I didn't leave nothing in my lunch." That was an odd grammatical mistake for her, but of course I corrected her. Turns out, joke's on me - she meant that. She didn't leave nothing - she left something in her lunch bag. I've gotta give that girl more credit for being right.

Anyways. Looks like the first school experience was a positive one.

First Day of School for E Today

Well ... E will be heading off (that is, I'll be driving her) to school in a few short minutes. She's excited!

E, M, and I went there yesterday to check it out, and to register, etc. It's wonderful!!

They have a nice gym, the classrooms are large & bright & airy, new playstructure in the schoolyard ... all the staff are just friendly & nice ... M got a happy surprise when she went with the principal to see her classroom, and lo & behold, her teacher is one of her gymnastics instructors!! So she's starting off with someone she already knows! (Who she'll have for the next 3 years) We met E's teacher too, and she's really nice & I like her views on education.

What we heard of the program, the school day, the school year, etc - all sounds great. There was nothing at all that sounded less than wonderful. This all might sound a little over the top, but honestly, I think I've stumbled onto a real gem here.

Now if we can secure bussing, everything will be perfect!

BIG decision!

What's this, you say? It's the place where E & M will learn a great deal this year. We've decided to enrol both of the kids in school!

Alexander school is running a unique (to the Division) arts infusion program - it sounds like a wonderful way to learn, and a deeply enriched experience - we're really happy that they will have this opportunity.

For a full description of the school, visit the Division's "Handbook of Schools" - pages 11-13: Handbook of Schools

...but here's an excerpt:

Alexander school offers a quality educational program based on the Manitoba Curriculum in a multi-age setting. The distinguishing feature of our programming is the "infusion of the arts" to engage students in hands-on learning experiences. At our school, students have the opportunity to explore their learning in both traditional and non-traditional ways. The provincial curricular outcomes, in all subject areas, form the foundation for planning and instruction. The infusion of arts into the curriculum is an excellent means of enhancing student learning and engagement. Students are given the opportunity to explore, learn, and present information and experiences in multiple ways. There is a greater emphasis on the process of learning through this experiential methodology. In addition to more traditional methods, students share what they have learned through the disciplines of the fine, performing, and media arts. They are encouraged to find ways of learning that help them understand concepts, analyze experiences, and develop attitudes that value the rigour that the arts require. We have guest artists who visit our school for extended periods of time, throughout the year, to enhance our learning experiences.

"Talent" is not the issue at arts-infused learning; rather, the emphasis is on learning process that encourages:
-collaboration
-inquiry
-exploration
-experiementation
-reflection

The prescribed Manitoba Curriculum serves as the foundation for our work in providing quality learning experiences for all students. Through the infusion of arts into the curriculum, we believe that students should have opportunities to achieve beyond the basic curricular expectations."

The school has three classrooms, and about 40 students. M's K-1-2 classroom has 18 students (M makes 19); E's classroom has 10 students in grades 3-4-5.

M's classroom webpage has lots of info about the primary program - check out the ABC's - Primary class

I'm thrilled for our kids that they'll have this opportunity.

For now, I'm driving them (it's about 20 minutes out of town) - hopefully as more Brandon families choose Alexander, the Division will provide bussing at some point. Meanwhile, I think it's a worthwhile investment in their education and general well-being.

Ahhh... camping

Will add a pic later, once I unpack the camera. (Not like you, Wanda - my van's still packed to the gills).

Wanda & I & our kids took a last-minute camping trip this weekend. We didn't travel far - Turtle Crossing - but it was so relaxing & enjoyable. Peaceful spot. We camped right beside an open empty grassy field, which was full of frogs ... the kids loved catching them & naming them & coming up with some outlandish notions about frog behaviour. (The scientist in me absolutely cringed at the theories being tossed around ... c'mon kids, use your scientific method!! ... but from a mom POV, it was cute & funny).

The pool at TC was closed - this was a surprise to all of us, who apparently live in a bubble because it was common knowledge amongst the general population of our city - lol - but they still had everything else running ... paddle boats, the deck of ten trampolines, the gigantic inflatable slip'n'slide (wow - this thing alone was worth the admission), sandbox with tons of sand toys, smaller bouncer, slide ... you get the idea. It was such fun for the kids - they would have loved another day at it.

Campfires were really nice. I got my 2nd-ever chance to eat S'mores - yummy - how did I manage to get through four decades without those?! The 2nd night, mother nature was being testy - we got a bit of rain & a light show, so all headed to bed early. Turns out that the rain only went on for a really short time - probably 20 minutes of actual rain - but alas, by the time it was done, everyone was quiet, so it was beddy time anyways. )o:

But we had a morning campfire instead. (o:

The local camping trip turned out to be a great thing to do. It's a nice spot, the activity area is excellent, they allowed both families to use one site, so it was economical, and of course, no driving time to speak of (or gas expense). It'll be on our summertime "to do" list again next year, absolutely!