Norton Family Reading Challenge

Norton Family Reading Challenge Proposed List

Created by Libby

Title	Author
Granny Torelli Makes Soup	Sharon Creech
Wonder	R.J. Palacio
Tuck Everlasting	Natalie Babbitt
The Little Princess	Francis Hodgson Burnett
A Wrinkle in Time	Madeleine L’Engle
Riding the Bus with My Sister	Rachel Simon

This year I was so busy at the end of the school year that I could hardly breathe.  So Libby created the Norton Reading list.  She did a nice job, although Clark did point out that there were a lot of female protagonists (or "whiny little girls" as he called them). After the competition this year we made a long list of options to pick from for next year, with everyone contributing.  We ended up making Riding the Bus with my Sister optional.  Paige added that and it wasn't really kid friendly. Next year, all YA.
I made a Kahoot quiz of questions for the actual challenge night (which was last Sunday night.)

Norton 2018 Reading Challenge Teams

Quiz Writer:  Trish

Honor Rolls	Nerds	Smarties	Book Worms
Team 1	Team 2	Team 3	Team 4
Ann	Jed	Alayne	Rory
Ben	Clark	Emma	Kaj
Derek	Sarah	Libby	Maren
Geneva	Brion	Brett	Erin

Somehow we ended up with all the people who didn't really read on one team.  And with Kahoot, you get points for being 1st to answer.  Some of the devices were slower than others, so that was a little tricky.  The Smarties won (I think), but it was a tough competition!  I love being a Norton. 

Smarties

One other awesome bonus of the Norton Reading Challenge was that we rode bikes to Maren's.  Our whole family on a family bike ride!  Life goal achieved!

Last Hurrah at Lake 22

This week I started back at school.  Lots of long days full of meetings.  It was a powerful week.  I am full of hope for the school year.  Also, we ratified a new contract with a 23.5% raise.  That is not bad either.
But before the week began, we took a family hike.  I had hopes for more hiking this summer, but with all the swim meets, we only did 2.  Next summer--for sure more hikes!

The Lake 22 Hike was AMAZING!  The hike was through beautiful forest.  The valley with the lake is gorgeous.  You can walk all the way around the lake and up to the ice cave in our pictures.  It was incredible.  I was also proud of the kids.  By the time we got to the van we had hiked at least 8 miles (according to my fitbit app--Derek's said more like 7).  And some of the trail had lots of loose rock, which is tricky going down.  But the kids did so well!  I love the way hiking makes me feel close with my family.

We got some good pics.  And it was a great way to end my summer.

Goodbye Gators & Hello Transition Lenses

It was such a fun summer of swimming!

Part of that was the special bond between Ben and his Coach, Richard.

Until next summer Coach! (Unless we decide to do some private lessons this spring!)

And Ben got new glasses this week.  I let him get one pair with transition lenses.  He loves them.  I'm just hoping that we always remember the non-transition when outdoor pictures are happening.  (This is in Costco where they put the glasses under a UV light so he could see the transition.)  

Research Symposium 2018

I was super close to not doing the Research Symposium this summer.  After all, I was no longer longing for a chance to do some teaching.  My partner from last year didn't have space this year.  My collaborators for making it into a design and marketing camp got divorced and couldn't get here.  Then I woke up with this theme in my head one morning and I had to go for it.

I gave these out to all my students and anyone who did it last year.  In the end we had 8 researchers finish.  Not as big as last year, but it was great!

In prep for the first workshop, I watched a bunch of amazing and inspiring TED talks.

Here is the playlist I created. Dream to Reality TED Talks.

From those TED talks I made this Slide show for Workshop 1

I also got the idea that we should make shirts using my favorite freezer paper screen printing that I learned from my friend Janetta way back.  But now I have a cricket, so we cut the letters using the cricket.  Much easier.  But it slowed down the help I could give for research.  So we need an extra shirt making session with 2 crickets if we do this again.  (I have already started warning my kids that we might not do it again, but they are adamant that they want to.)

Libby, Sarah and Ben all created their own dreams.  All the other researchers researched Dreamers.  It was fun to see what they came up with.
Libby spent hours "researching" and by that I mean watching youtube videos while pretending to research.  But she also did find a website for making logos.  She made several different ones for her app, "Guitarit."
She also helped the Ben and Sarah. 


Here are some of the logos designed by the kids.

Sarah took off and did her whole project with almost no help.  That was amazing!  She learned to use google draw and make some great stuff for her board to explain her Co-Z chair.

Ben's idea for a Tech Pen was deemed the "Most Useful" by the judges.  He was really sad that his shirt was so big.  But he enjoyed the process of coming up with his idea.  His Tech Pen is a whiteboard marker that isn't a marker.  It is powered by solar power, lights or lightning.  Also, milk apparently. 

Libby did a good job of selling her idea.  She painted her logo onto her shirt.  It looks pretty good!  I'll have to try to get a picture.  My favorite part with the tag line she came up with--"Guitarit--Where Practice Becomes Perfect."

Sarah got "Best Dream."  Her dream of a Co-Z desk chair was well thought out, well explained and just great!  And she really did 99% of it herself.  I only helped with formatting and cutting.  

I helped one of Libby's friends quite a bit with her project and she got "Best Research into a Dreamer"  I love her shirt that I made for her (with Libby's help) because she was out of town for the shirt making.  

 I love the atmosphere of growth that surrounds youth research, even if it is a bit stressful!
I didn't get a pictures of the great judges (including 2 of the researchers who couldn't finish projects but had time to judge) or the whole group of participants.  But it was a good night!

Last Week with our Exchange Students

This last week with the Exchange Students included a trip to Edmonds Beaches (plural, we walked from the dog park beach to the ferry beach--not the real names, that's just the way I think of them).
Monday we went bowling and ate pizza at the bowling alley.  They love pizza.  (BTW, this is super gross if you think about it. Sticking your fingers into a bowling ball, held by who knows how many fingers, then rolled down a dirty lane.  Then using those same fingers to eat pizza?  Nasty--but we did it.)
Tuesday Derek took them out to Ramen and souvenir shopping. 
On Wednesday, the last afternoon they invited friends over, so they brought over 7 friends.  They jumped on the tramp and had a good time.   For the last night they requested to eat at home.  So we had salmon & rice and then walked to Menchies. 
On the last morning, I was the only one teary.  I have moments of sadness that this summer is coming to an end!  The students were in heaven because Derek came in uniform.  Shunya and Takahiro were immediately elevated to celebrity status as the other students gathered around Derek and his car for pictures.  It was hilarious.  We will miss them!

I love how expressive they are, in general and especially in bowling.  A big reaction every time they bowled, good or bad.  I lost the first game to Shunya, but then I hit my stride and whooped up in game 3.  The kids had their own lane.  Ben gets discouraged that his sisters beat him.  But he wasn't doing too badly.  I saw him roll a spare without hitting the bumpers.  (Most of the time there was liberal use of bumpers by all of the kids--we didn't have bumpers.) 

Saying goodbye.  When Derek pulled up it was super funny because they all got nervous that they were in trouble until they realized he was a host dad. 

Shunya

Takahiro

One of my favorite places in Edmonds

COLD! 

And now I can go back to not making breakfast! Ha! 

Summer Fun!

This week was crazy hectic and fun.  We ate several meals in the car on the go from place to place.  Here is the week in photos. 

Ann played Dorothy (or Dor'thy) in a special needs version of the Wizard of Oz.  It was so much more fun and witty and amazing than I expected.  So proud of her!  She was great! 

Afterward, we took the exchange students for an Everett tradition--Ray's!  Yummy shakes and fries and they helped Ben eat his chicken strips that he talked Maren into ordering for him. 

The last day of Gators practice was Thursday.  I am going to miss it!  The kids are going to miss it (except for the 8 am wake up).  Gators has made our summer really rich. 

I wanted a pic of Ben for his coach.  His coach told me that all the lifeguards think Ben is cute.  I tend to agree! 

On Friday, after an afternoon of swimming, the kids went to the Taste of Edmonds with Maren.  On the way they stopped to pick up Grammy and see Grandpa's new train table.  

At the Taste, where Maren bought them anything and everything their hearts desired (basically).  I came down later when the exchange students got home.  The kids and students and even Grammy rode the big slide!  The exchange students were very impressed with the giant bag of Kettle Corn I bought.  

After the Taste, roasting marshmallows at Maren's.   

On Saturday, dancing at the Taste of Edmonds.  Notice the clouds!  Our first rainy day in forever.  But it held off during their dances.

Grammy came to watch! 

We grabbed Ivars on our way out of Edmonds, then drove to the Champs Swim Meet in Snohomish.  I only registered Ben because Derek was going to take him while the girls danced.  In the end (after Derek worked a triple--yes, he's back at work), I took Ben after the dancing.  Libby, Sarah, Takahiro and Shunya swam in the rec pool while Ben did the swim meet.  He wasn't very happy about this, but he competed anyway.  The Champs meet is way more intense than the dual meets we've been having.  I think it motivated Ben to work hard in the off season.

 On Thursday I bought the kids into my classroom.  Libby and Sarah put the desks and chairs in place.  We made the door sign (Ben did the mod podge on the path on the door and the girls helped with the parts of the castle).  I still need to add the border (which I bought during the girls' pickup rehearsal on Saturday). 

This is my brother's work motto.  I loved it so much I asked if I could use it for my classroom.  It should also be the motto when teachers get together! 

It is hard to see this summer coming to an end.  I have loved it so much that I am mourning its passing, even when I have just over a week left.  I got to spend so much quality time with  my family, it was amazing!  And I did so much reading about being a better teacher that I frankly feel kind of daunted about going back!  (Plus I still don't know if I will have a split or a straight 5th.)  Hopefully I'll find out this week.