What DO You Do?

People ask me this all the time..
What do you do?
What do you do with your time?
What do you do at the school?

"A LOT" is my answer.

Professionally, I am a teacher and at the school I substitute mainly for grades K-5. I've been subbing here for 8 years now since Hannah was in preschool.

Hannah and her cubbie in preschool.

This year I also taught a middle school elective for the first time: Yearbook.

My class, a great group of 7th and 8th graders of which 3 I taught when they were in 3rd grade.

This was a 3x/week one hour class for two trimesters. It was really enjoyable teaching middle schoolers and the publishing program was easy to learn. The time consuming part was taking all the pictures of every school class and event you can think of to fill the book. I had to be literally everywhere.

Volunteer-wise, I oversee POPS which stands for Partnership Of Parents and School. I created this organization last year to develop and hopefully strengthen the parent-teacher relationship at the school by supporting them in various hands-on ways such as:

Coffee & Treats for Staff

My sister in law, Matthea (here with our family teacher, Mrs. C, she has taught my girls and her 2 kids) was in charge of these well-attended events.

Operation Christmas Child

We collected and sent 281 boxes to Indonesia, Philippines, and various restricted areas

Design and Update the Sports Boards

I wanted to pump up and highlight our sports program for the Middle School so I go to the games, take pictures and design posters to highlight each sport.

Jog-A-Thon

This is the 2nd year I oversaw this K-8 event where we raise extra funds to a much needed school program. Our goal is $10,000 and the kids run laps for 30 minutes. Last year we raised $15,128 for PE/Athletics Dept. This year we focused on the Music/Arts Dept and raised $15,428.

Me and our Music/Band Director, Tony B.

Emily raised $460 and ran 19 laps (2.3 miles).

Hannah raised $415 and ran 24 laps (3 miles) and won a medal for the most laps ran for a girl in 5th grade.

My niece, Marissa, a third grader, ran 20 laps (2.5 miles).

My nephew, Timothy, a Kindergartener, ran 19 laps (2.3 miles). That is 12 more miles than what his mother expected him to run. She thought he won't run more than 2 laps. Boy did he prove her wrong!

Teacher & Staff Appreciation Luncheon

This is the event highlight of the year for the teacher and staff. We go all out to show our appreciation for all they do for our children. Norma, one of the best parents anyone could ask for, oversaw this event, hired the caterer and decorated the shin-dig.

Luau theme this year with terayaki chicken, poached salmon and sweet and sour meatballs.

And a few others:
- Cleaning out Lost & Found Closet
- Hosting Parent-Teacher Conference Dinner for Teachers
- Overseeing all school year round Fundraisers: SCRIP, Cash for Class, School Store

And then I am also a Band Mom, helping Mr. B out with administrative duties in communicating with the parents for performances.

PLUS this year since I have a graduating 8th grader, we dove right into 8th grade fundraising for Emily's Washington DC trip at the end of May. That itself is it's own post.