Wordless Wednesday

Almost wordless, because you know me!
Today is the ARL Installation Assembly.
Stresses me out!!!
130 kids on a field trip
and I had to have training
in how to administer emergency meds
to a diabetic kid and several asthmatics.
Therefore, a funny for you!

Hi and WOW!!

How did I miss AN ENTIRE WEEK???? Okay, first of all, we went to GRANDBABYLAND!!!!!!!!!! This time, it was the SC version of Grandbabyland, so we got to see Avery. I've decided to put a spin on the usual Nannie pics - I am the least photogenic person on earth, so I blurred my face in this one. But I just HAD to show you how HUGE he is!!!!
he is only 8 months old!!!!!!!!!!
We had a FABULOUS time, I can't tell you how much fun we packed into our visit!! Of course, I was uber sad when we got back.

I was also uber sad because I let my husband talk me into stepping onto a scale while we were there and O M G!!!!!!! Therefore, I've been exercising every morning before school.

And now it's ARL time. Here's a link to a post if you want to read about ARL.

This year, I have 130+ 4th and 5th grade kids to place in jobs and lots of new challenges.

So between ARL spreadsheets, ARL ID badges, ARL job lists to post, SmartBoard activities I've created for my class, in addition to exercising each morning, I have not been on the computer much. Anyway, I am BACK and will try to post again tomorrow or Sunday. I'm sorry if you've been checking, only to find NADA!

Tooting My Own Horn

'Cause after all, if I don't, who will? Well, my family will...but then, they don't have blogs, so you won't know.

First, the CUTE QUOTIENT for the day. Brace yourself, they are really, REALLY cute. Okay, here you go!

Seriously cute, right? These little clippies are tiny - they use a 2" snap clip, so you know the little gingerbread and especially the reindeer are tiny. And Rudolph has a TINY POM-POM NOSE!! I can hardly stand the cuteness of it all!! (I'll be listing them in my Etsy store in the next day or so.)

Now, for the horn-tooting! My Achievers "R" Leaders installation ceremony was last Thursday. In this, the fourth year of the program I created, I have 140+ students that applied for jobs. I read EVERY application and EVERY essay and placed EVERY kid in a job. Oh, and I made them all an ID badge, too - that's what we're handing out at the ceremony. A film crew came out and shot this little blurb, which will run on a local TV station all week!

So CLICK HERE, because I'm semi-famous! I'm the short one in black (with longish hair - not the one with spiky hair, that's our superintendent). On the stage, I'm holding the mike and standing on the far side of my friend "Martha", the tall one in pink.

Thanks for stopping by! Come back again tomorrow, because I have more embroidered items to show you!

Achievers ARE Leaders, After All...

Three years ago, I created a program at our school where 4th and 5th grade students apply and are hired for jobs throughout the school. Our school motto was "3 Rs...Respect, Rigor, Results", so I called my program Achievers 'R' Leaders (ARL). ARL has grown from 97 kids that first year to 143 kids placed in jobs this year. The program is directed at empowering students who may not have achieved great success academically. It has been great for those kids' self-esteem and has gotten such positive feedback from parents, administrators and, of course, the kids themselves.

We already had an ARL Food Bank group that collects and donates food. This year, I wanted to add another charity-focused job. I decided to try an ARL Charity Quilters group, which would create preemie quilts and donate them to the charity Newborns in Need. With so many more 'glamorous' jobs available (P.E. Helper, Bus Dismissal, Teacher's Helper, Ambassador), I wondered if any students would even be interested in the quilter group.

I was so happy when three students applied...and one of them was a BOY!! I received an overwhelmingly-generous donation of fabric from the hilarious Kim , the illustrious Gran, and a lot of the nice people at Bearpaws and Hollyhocks. (Check out their cute laughing mice and the adorable puppies on the quilt backs. Thanks again, everyone!) The kids worked hard this year and created 3 preemie quilts, start to finish!
As the preemie quilts neared completion, the boy quilter happened to see a homeless man one day. He asked if we could make a quilt for that man, too! Oh my, he brought me to tears. OF COURSE we would make it.

(I left a preemie quilt in the pic for scale. Yes, that is a genuine, sewn-in wrinkle in the green stripe at the bottom. I've been known to sew in a pucker or two myself and I'm a LOT older. If you look closely, you can see that our dog, Deegan, approves.)

Donating to charity and improving kids' self-esteem in the process...it's a GOOD thing!