The last day of school aka I now have a senior, freshman, and 1st grader

Our last day for students was Friday, which means these three are now officially a first grader, a senior in high school and a freshman in high school!


I would say that makes me feel old, but I can say it doesn't since I was a sophmore in college when Kelsey was born. ;)

Congratulations you three! I love you!

Happy Memorial Day!

"Happy Memorial Day everyone! Take time this weekend to remember that this weekend is not just about bbq, swimming, and fun. It is to remember those who gave their lives and those who continue to fight for the things that we value most, our freedom. Take time to thank the people that have served and those who continue to serve in our United States Military!"

Congratulations Grandpa

About a month ago, my aunt emailed us and told us that my Grandpa had been selected to go on a WWII honor flight. With this program, they take WWII veterans to Washington D.C. for a day and take them to the memorial there. Then on the way home the program gives each veteran an envelope, or package from their family members thanking them for their service to the country. This part was a secret so I held off until now to post about this, just in case!

In honor of this special day, DJ made a card, Natalie and I both wrote letters, and I had my class make thank you cards.

But the real special item in our envelope (or at least in my opinion) was Kelsey's gift.
The original picture is on the left, Kelsey's drawing is on the right:


I think she did a pretty darn good job. :-)

Aunt Donna had also sent some other pictures over email so I took them and did some collages just so I could share them.

Relay for Life pictures

We had an awesome time at the Relay for Life!
Even if the evening did start out like this:


It quickly looked like this:


The Survivors lap was so touching:


The kids all had a great time.


And per normal, the luminary ceremony made me cry.

End of the baseball season

National Call-In Day to Speak Up For Education and Kids

Here is something that I received in an e-mail...please participate if you would like to! :-)


National Call-In Day to Speak Up For Education and Kids
National Call-In Day to Speak Up For Education and Kids
More Info
Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Wednesday, May 26, 2010 is the start of the National Speak Up for Education & Kids Campaign. It begins with a National Call-in Day.
Take Action:
On Wednesday May 26th, call 1-866-608-6355 to contact your Representative in Congress.
You will hear talking points and will be connected to the United States Capitol Switchboard - ask for your House Member. To find out who your House Member is, either ask the operator or click here.
Tell your Representative to protect the future of our children by supporting funding to save education jobs in the emergency funding bill.
With 300,000 education layoffs expected, our students are the ones who will suffer - in overcrowded classrooms, with less time in school, and without the teachers and school staff needed to give them individual attention and help.
Share this call-in day information with your friends. Ask them to call Congress on May 26th and inform their friends about this crucial legislation.
Other Actions You Can Take to Speak Up for Education And Kids:
E-mail your Members of Congress to support funding to save education jobs in the emergency supplemental appropriations bill.
Become a "fan" of Speak up for Education and Kids on Facebook - a community of educators and concerned citizens - now more than 12,000 strong - who believe our nation has a responsibility to invest in education and avoid the short-sighted cuts that could deprive our students of the bright futures they deserve.
Print the poster for our event and post at your school or workplace.
View and share this video with friends and colleagues.
Congress can't ignore a strong message from all across the nation. Make your voice heard! Participate in the National Call-In Day and speak up for education and kids! Visit www.educationvotes.nea.org for more information.

Natalie end of the year band concert and awards

Kelsey's honors day Program

Kelsey had the highest GPA in her Drama II class and got an award at honors day the other week.


Her friend Cassidi had the highest score on the Georgia High School Graduation Test in Science (she only missed one question)

Congratulations girls we are proud of you!

Sticky Post~~~Please donate to my Relay for Life campaign

On May 21st, the girls and I will be walking the Relay for Life in memory of my Uncle Bobby, Grandma Henderson, Nurse Kathy Brenner (my sanity keeper the first couple of years of teaching), and in honor of my grandpa, grandma, aunts, and daddy.

Please help us raise money for this great cause! No donation is too small, no donation is too big.

http://main.acsevents.org/goto/scienceesl


We are also selling Luminarys for the 21st! $5.00 a luminary and we will write the name of your loved one on it, and I will take a picture of their luminary for you! Just leave me a comment and I will give you my paypal address to send the money too. :0)

DJ and Mommy date day at the Atlanta Braves!

Waiting for the game to start from our really good seats.


Really good seats


On Turner Field by the dugout waiting for his turn to run the bases.


Waiting patiently...


Finally running the bases


He tripped and fell after running home,but it didn't put a damper on his day! Especially since he lost a tooth!

A big day around here:

We had a pretty big day here on Sunday. DJ and I went on a mommy and son date to the Braves game when they played the Diamondbacks.

After the game, DJ ran the bases at Turner Field... Which was pretty neat, those pictures are coming soon.

The other exciting part? DJ lost his first tooth.

I am now officially a momma of

A Senior in High School, and a Freshman in High School!

Natalie got her CRCT scores yesterday and she passed in all subject areas with flying colors!

Hoping to add to this with DJ being a first grader, but not counting the chickens before they hatch. :-)

More Baseball

DJ at bat


And DJ catching:


:-)

Relay For Life Luminary

In memory of Doretha Coley, a parent of one of our third grade students who lost her fight with cancer earlier this school year, the JES Tropical Heroes Relay for Life team would like to

"LIGHT UP THE TRACK for Doretha"

with luminaries at the Relay for Life event on May 21^st at the Twiggs County High School track.

 

We would like as many as possible of our Jeffersonville Elementary School families to purchase a luminary in Doretha Coley's memory.

 

We are also selling luminaries in honor and memory of other cancer patients, if you would like to purchase one for another person.

 

Luminaries are $5.00 a piece, and you may either fill out the form below and return it with your money by May 21^st 2010 or go online by May 17^th 2010 to relayforlife.org/twiggsga and search for a team: JES Tropical Heroes.

Thank you for your support!

Luminaria Order Form

Hundreds of candles lighting the night at Twiggs County High School Track- each one

a tribute to a loved one. The Luminaria Ceremony will begin at dark - around 9 pm - on

Friday, May 21.

The traditional luminaria may be purchased for $5 each Complete the form and mail

this card and your donation to: Jeffersonville Elementary or purchase online at www.relayforlife.org/twiggsga.

Donated by: _________________ Team: _________________ Phone#: ____________

Honoree Name:                                                                                                     Traditional Luminaria ($5)

In Honor In Memory

_____________________________________________                       _ _

_____________________________________________                       _ _

_____________________________________________                       _  _

_____________________________________________                       _ _

 

Another Relay for Life post

In addition to the drawing for the two pocketbooks that our team has going on ( http://scienceesl.blogspot.com/2010/05/relay-for-life-twiggs-county-pocketbook.html $1.00 a chance) we are also selling luminaries in honor and memory of loved ones that have suffered from cancer.

I would like to invite all of you to purchase a luminary to be lit the night of the 21st at our local Relay for Life. You can use this link http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY10SA?px=2496022&pg=personal&fr_id=24513 and order your luminary online (please order by the 17th of May to ensure that the committee gets your request).

If you let me know that you placed an order and who you asked to be put on the bag, I will try my hardest to find it and take pictures for you.

All proceeds from both the luminary sale, and the pocketbook drawing go to benefit the Twiggs County Relay for Life, and the JES Tropical Heroes team!

Thank you for your support!

My favorite part of baseball

The prayers before and after...

Relay for Life Twiggs County Pocketbook drawing

Enter for your chance to win one of these two cute pocketbooks handmade by me! :-)

Tickets for the drawing ar $1.00 each, and all the money raised will go to the Twiggs County Relay for Life! If you would like to purchase a ticket for the drawings (one drawing for each purse) please send me an email at scienceesl @ yahoo dot com and I will send you my address to mail your $1.00 (or more) to. The only thing I ask is that you have the money in the mail by May 19th.
Here is a picture of both pocketbooks:


This is the first purse/pocketbook it is approximently 6 inches tall by 10 inches wide, with a small pocket inside.

The inside of purse #1 with a small pocket.


Purse #2 approximently 16 inches wide by 10 inches tall.

Natalie on the World's Largest Inflatable Water Slide

MVI_2133
Originally uploaded by scienceesl

This is a video of Natalie on the inflatable waterslide at Smilies this weekend.

quote of the day

A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops. ~ Henry Adams

Please say a prayer/positive thoughts for our neighbor Lou

If you can spare a minute, please say a prayer and send out positive thoughts to Ms. Lou, our neighbor, and favorite Huddle House waitress.

I just heard that she was taken to the hospital this morning after having a heart attack. I know that they have done surgery, and she is out of that, but no other details.

Happy Anniversary Matt and Angela

Happy Anniversary you guys! We love you!

From Our life as an Air Force Family

What a teacher makes by Taylor Mali~ Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!

Just in case you have not seen this one....

 

Happy Teacher Appreciation week!

 

What Teachers Make, or
Objection Overruled, or
If things don't work out, you can always go to law school

By Taylor Mali
www.taylormali.com

He says the problem with teachers is, "What's a kid going to learn
from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?"
He reminds the other dinner guests that it's true what they say about
teachers:
Those who can, do; those who can't, teach.

I decide to bite my tongue instead of his
and resist the temptation to remind the other dinner guests
that it's also true what they say about lawyers.

Because we're eating, after all, and this is polite company.

"I mean, you¹re a teacher, Taylor," he says.
"Be honest. What do you make?"

And I wish he hadn't done that
(asked me to be honest)
because, you see, I have a policy
about honesty and ass-kicking:
if you ask for it, I have to let you have it.

You want to know what I make?

I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.
I can make a C+ feel like a Congressional medal of honor
and an A- feel like a slap in the face.
How dare you waste my time with anything less than your very best.

I make kids sit through 40 minutes of study hall
in absolute silence. No, you may not work in groups.
No, you may not ask a question.
Why won't I let you get a drink of water?
Because you're not thirsty, you're bored, that's why.

I make parents tremble in fear when I call home:
I hope I haven't called at a bad time,
I just wanted to talk to you about something Billy said today.
Billy said, "Leave the kid alone. I still cry sometimes, don't you?"
And it was the noblest act of courage I have ever seen.

I make parents see their children for who they are
and what they can be.

You want to know what I make?

I make kids wonder,
I make them question.
I make them criticize.
I make them apologize and mean it.
I make them write, write, write.
And then I make them read.
I make them spell definitely beautiful, definitely beautiful, definitely
beautiful
over and over and over again until they will never misspell
either one of those words again.
I make them show all their work in math.
And hide it on their final drafts in English.
I make them understand that if you got this (brains)
then you follow this (heart) and if someone ever tries to judge you
by what you make, you give them this (the finger).

Let me break it down for you, so you know what I say is true:
I make a goddamn difference! What about you?
 

Patty Cleveland

 

http://redbubble.com/people/scienceesl/recipe:banner/scienceesl_banner.jpg

 

Keep up with the Cleveland family, check out our blog at http://scienceesl.blogspot.com

Do you know what this week is?

It is Teacher Appreciation Week! This is the week that the world is supposed to be thinking about teachers, and thanking them for what they do.

 

Let me tell you, teaching for the most part is a thankless job. There are exceptions to this rule (Thank you Melissa and the Warren Family!)  But for the most part we rarely get thanked for what we do.

 

I know its hard to come up with ideas as to what to get a teacher as a thank you, but the apple.monster.com has come up with a pretty good list, and you can find it here: http://theapple.monster.com/benefits/articles/7845-eight-great-gifts-for-teachers-and-three-to-avoid?page=1
 

 

The only thing I saw that I didn't quite agree with was the travel mug, where they said as a not to get item. Its not that I want a travel mug (I don't drink coffee!) but the author of the article states that we get three free when you sign a contract, and thats not true around here! lol

Please keep Airman 1st Class Austin H. Gates Benson, his family and the entire 5 combat communications group in your thoughts and prayer

Please keep Airman 1st Class Austin H. Gates Benson, his family and the entire 5th Combat Communications group in your thoughts and prayers.

 

From Macon.com

The Department of Defense has announced the death of Airman 1st Class Austin H. Gates Benson, who was deployed to Afghanistan with the 54th Communications Squadron.

Gates Benson was stationed at Robins Air Force Base. He died Monday, and the death was termed “noncombat related” in a Pentagon news release late Tuesday.

Read more: http://www.macon.com/2010/05/05/1117913/robins-airman-dies-in-afghanistan.html#ixzz0n3zsoUXa

 

This has shaken the entire group that is on home station. Please keep them all in your thoughts and prayers.

The Greatest Love Story Ever Told! Happy Anniversary Grandma and Grandpa!

Married 67 years today!!!

From Our life as an Air Force Family