Carols for All, December 2015

The holiday season continued in full force this week. Mina, who only recently began playing clarinet, had a holiday concert called, "Carols for All," at St. John's Church. 

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When you are immersed in a country as beautiful as this, it's easy to forget how old it is. There is so much history on this tiny little island. St. John's Church, is over 400 years old.  

This is where the performance was held. It's very close to the kids school (and home too. As an aside, the arch bishop, who delivered a reading this evening, had a hand in welcoming Theo to the island a year ago.  Without his wife (Fiona Dill, a nurse, midwife and doula) I am 100% sure I would have given birth to my third child on the floor of my dining room. 

While we sat in the pews, Jeff wondered why the school wouldn't bother to create a separate auditorium. 

And then the orchestra began to play, and we realized that despite its age, the acoustics here were amazing. 

Miss Bean. She is the littlest one in the entire orchestra, and was invited to join it last year. 

Sitting stil for long periods of time is not easy, alas. But I reminded him of the hours Mina used to spend sitting in the gym waiting for him to finish training. 

It was worth it though. Mina did an amazing job and it was lovely seeing her perform, as well as the older groups. Clarinet is a new instrument for her, which she took up on her own initiative. She goes in early to school twice a week to be ready for rehearsal (7:45!) and also has individual lessons during lunch time once a week. She is expected to practice a half hour a day in addition to all this. 

But she does it. I warned her when she wanted to take up another instrument that it would be a challenge. But she hasn't faltered in over a year now.  She balances piano practice, dance, daily homework, soccer, and early morning clarinet and practice. 

So Proud of my girl. 

Last day of school, June 26, 2015

A year of changes indeed. From his arrival on the first day to nine and half months later. 

The big kids look different too, especially miss bean who looks so poised. 

Jordan still refuses to brush his hair. That combed look is courtesy of his dad, who took the brush to his head right before the picture. 

June Happenings, a/k/a the week I home schooled my kids

June.. the last month of school. With only a few weeks left, and nothing but endless class parties and beach trips to look forward to, I was gearing up for the final stretch. Unfortunately, the universe was not on board with my plan, as I soon discovered.

"Mrs Trimarchi, can you please call me back as soon as possible? We need to discuss something urgently. There's been a confirmed case of chicken pox in your daughter's class this week," said the chirpy voice on my phone message.

Most kids these days get the chicken pox, i.e Varicella/varivax vaccine early on, and a booster at roughly 5 or 6.  Mina had both of them before we moved to Bermuda.  So I wasn't too worried about her. 



Unfortunately, there's this guy to worry about.  He can't have a live virus vaccine like this one.  As a transplant patient, chicken pox is considered "life threatening" according to his cardiac transplant team, whom I immediately consulted.



"You'll have to pull him out of school, to be completely safe.  If he is exposed, he will have to be hospitalized and given antibodies to fight it off.  It's preferable to keep him home."

And so we did.  In an abundance of caution, we kept Mina home too.  Just for a week, to see how severe the virus was spreading in the school.  The lower primary school had 16 confirmed cases, which then made it up to the upper primary through siblings.  Jordan and Mina are at the upper primary, so I was hoping their exposure during the incubation phase was minimal.



Of course, I was also worried about this guy, who is too young to get the shot.




So, with all three kids at home, and unfortunately no sitter that week, I created a school plan:

Reading
Math
Science/I.T. (computer work)
Practical skills
Music
History
Art

Each day, we got to it.  It wasn't easy, but the kids rallied and actually did the work.  They read daily, practiced their instruments, worked on art projects, including one Mina had due in school the next week.  We studied a history lesson (Bermuda Heroes Day) and learned how to research a topic online using multiple sources.  The kids learned about the history of vaccines, and as part of their computer work, created a narrated power point presentation which we sent to their teachers.  We got a field trip in as well to the local aquarium (a first for Theo).  For practical skills, they learned how to do their own laundry and read a recipe and make it from scratch.  And to celebrate, had a beach day on Friday.

Best parts:
No rush out the door in the mornings, so Mina could sleep in.  No lunch packing or yelling to "Don't forget your water bottle!"  We got to decide when we wanted to do what lesson, and the kids could choose what they felt like working on.  If they wanted more time on something (Mina's 3D chair construction) then they could do it, as long as they worked on the rest of the items later.

Worst part:
Having no real clue what I was doing and winging it.
Nagging, as usual.
Juggling baby through various tasks while supervising big kids working.  Still finding time for the daily grind of grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, etc.

But, we survived.  Kids are back in school now for the final days.  A couple more cases of chicken pox, but I think they made it through the worst of it (fingers crossed.)

God bless the teachers, and especially those who manage to do it at home with their kids. 

You are amazingly patient human beings.  One week was fun, but I can see the novelty wearing off very quickly.

Back to school - 2014/15

How can September properly begin without the annual back to school pic?



P4 and P5 respectively, ie 3rd and 4th graders heading off to Saltus.  Excuse me for a minute while I admire the blinding whiteness of those polo shirts and white knee socks.  It goes without saying that they will not look like this by the end of the month.

The kids were less than thrilled about returning to school.  Both arrived back in Bermuda, late Saturday night after a week's visit to Grandma H.  They filled me in on all the details of their adventures and endless desserts. 





I guess it's hard to compete with fishing on a boat, hot chocolate for breakfast, blueberry cheesecake and water parks.  Thanks Grandma H and Michael!  We were worried this trip wouldn't happen after Jordan was hospitalized unexpectedly.  I'm glad you guys were able to reschedule and make it such a fun experience.

Jordan's project - show and tell.

Jordan's Show and Tell project - visiting Grand Cayman.

 

This year's attempt involved more effort on his part than last years (bringing our dog Oscar to school), so I applauded that.  But for the life of me, I couldn't really understand why he chose to focus on a few hours spent on Grand Cayman rather than something more encompassing - like, e.g, the week on the Disney Cruise.

"What was it about Grand Cayman that you liked so much?"

"I liked the flag.  It was colorful."

"Ok.. but apart from that, what was it about being in Grand Cayman that you liked?  What would you want to tell people about?"

"The beaches.  I like the beach."

Sometimes, it is a struggle getting someone to open up about an experience, especially when he is just 9 years old.  I mentally pictured how one would convey the glory of a Cayman beach to a bunch of kids from Bermuda - home to some of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

I went with it though.  We did some research online to identify all the components of the flag and what they represented (the turtle, the pineapple, the waves, the motto.)  We studied the origins of the country and a brief history of its ownership. We printed out some pictures and discussed layout and design.  Then we sat down and planned a little about what he would say.  I made him jot down those notes on the poster board so he would remember them when standing up before the class.

Public speaking takes practice.  Notes help.  It's also amazing to me how comfortable the kids are these days doing research online.  I still monitor it, but they get the concept of key word searches and the different search engines they can use. 

Oscar arrives at Saltus.

It was nice that the custom of "Show & Tell" is still alive in schools, including those here in Bermuda. Jordan came home last week and told me he wanted to bring in something for his class show and tell. He debated between two things - his flag book, or Oscar.

I know, Oscar. It hardly seems like a debate. I mean, come on. Look at this guy... how can a flag book compete with this thing?

On the big day, I made sure Oscar looked presentable. With real chicken treats in hand, his leash and water bowl, we were armed and ready to go. It's not apparent from this picture, but Oscar is actually wearing Jeff's black tuxedo tie, under the purple leash.

Jordan hadn't told me what, if anything, he planned to say about Oscar, but I figured at the least, Oscar could do his one trick.

He can sit.

He is very good at sitting. Yep. And sleeping all day too, come to think of it.

Oscar poses in the shade. Naturally we picked the hottest day of the year to show up.

Everything worked out well. The kids adored Oscar.  The teacher led the discussion by asking Jordan some questions about Oscar. The kids followed up with some more questions. Oscar gave a little demonstration of sitting; and Jordan gave him a piece of chicken as a reward. Oscar drove home with me, grinning from one doggy ear to the other. Was this the best day ever, or what?!?"

Why can't I go to school every day?  I'll be good!  I promise!