First two weeks of School

Who will be the stars this year????

August has been a rather busy month so far. Teachers officially returned to the classroom on Friday August 6th with the day filled with meetings, meetings, meetings. Knowing this was going to happen, Leslie and Landon and Eli came in on Monday the 9nd and helped cut out laminated materials and bulletin board stuff and set up my official bulletin board. My Theme for the year is "SSE Star Search" a basic Hollywood theme with students earning stars when they come to music and the class getting the most a star stickers will get to have the Music Star Emmy Award. It is all a gimmick to have the kids stay on task and have fun in music. But if you look at the bulletin board the whole center row of film strips will be devoted pictures of kids doing things in class and programs. I just want the whole year to be lots of fun while they learn. Leslie and Land also helped set up the room by putting down chairs and do some last minute tidying up. Thanks goes to them for their wonderful help.!

I can see myself cleaning out cupboards this year. If I haven't used it for a few years it needs to go. I really am not a hoarder, but I have lots of junk, but you see, I don't like to use the same thing year after year so I rotate material so it adds up year after year. I must admit there is a lot of material that I haven't used or even like, so I need to throw it away! Boy is that blue barrel going to get a workout.



Well enough of that. I actually made it through the summer with a few dollars in my pocket and my August house payment is paid because I put it aside in the beginning. I am basically caught up on all my bills. The hard part about this thing was I really wanted to spend some money on lessons and have a grand-daughter and grand-son day. I just could not spend money on anything thing except essentials especially during July. I wanted to buy some clothes for myself, but when I get my paychecks this month I will try to do that. But you know it is good that I still have laundry soap and my old clothes are still OK and clean and I actually have many clothes to choose from. Let me share a story....

(Alfred Gustav Ludwig lower right shaved head)

This past month I remember reading in my grandfather Alfred Gustav Ludwig's life sketch that they wore paper on their feet as shoes during a very poor time after WWI. I DO count my blessings!

I do have good children and grandchildren and they make me proud to know them and I love them although I don't tell them enough that "I Love Them!"

FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL IS OVER !!!
Monday and Tuesday devoted to meetings, set-up, etc, an Wednesday, Thursday and Friday was totally kids and I loved it! I was tired but it was good.

After two weeks not having car air conditioning someone put some freon in the car for me and it works so I go home and tonight my house air conditioner is out and I am exhausted .....oh the frustrations of life!

**Update. The Air conditioner got fixed Saturday evening and it is cool again!!!!!

Again to finish telling about the first week.... on Monday and Tuesday there were meetings and and Meet the teacher on Tuesday Night. School officially started on Wednesday August 11th and it was rather fun even though we have a new type of schedule this year. I got to see the 5th and 6th grade students in bigger groups instead of just general music students. I wished them well and then there was this week what they call the "B" week and we doubled the 5th and 6th grade classes. This is all very interesting and I try not to make any hasty decision if I like it or not because I want to give this whole thing a try and make it work.Yesterday Saturday August 21st, 6 teachers from Gilbert all went to the first local Az Orff workshop with Sandra Stauffer as the clinician and we totally got a shot in the arm, so to speak to start off this year with a bang. Even though I cannot participate by standing, walking and sitting on the floor like I used to, I got a lot out of the workshop.

For the first week and a half I have had a power point sing along and we had a fun time singing songs about Summer and silly songs, but I also presented a power point featuring the song "Don't Laugh at Me" and the title actually tells what it is all about. I found lots of pictures that went along with the song and even the kindergarten kids got it and boy did the kids relate to this because sometime in their life they have all been laughed at.

This coming week will be the week devoted to real music learning with Kindergarten kids learning how to hold instruments and 2nd graders learning how to read music in a book and 4th graders learning to read a listening map to "Promenade" from the "Pictures of an Exhibition", just to give few examples. It will be book week. Our schools goals are "Reading" so we will learn to "Read in Music." Hoping for an awesome year!!!!!!!