Greetings from Siberia

Hah! just kidding... it's a balmy -7c today, which compared to yesterday's temp of -15c feels quite mild. I am at work at the moment, it's 6:20am and I have about 90 minutes before the little rugrats arrive.  Today is Friday and in my classroom Friday is Funday! I have planned an Advent activity for each day of December and today is MOVIE day! We are watching the Grinch. Before you get up in arms for "watching a movie during school time" we are watching it over the lunch hour. And our Best Buddies are coming to watch it with us. Should be a great time - I have treats!!

Other Advent activities around our theme of HURRY UP AND WAIT have included crafts, reading Christmas books, creating matching and sorting activities for the students with a higher level of need, making Christmas cards, cleaning and decorating the classroom, playing a Christmas game and doing several different countdowns til Christmas. We've also studied Advent Wreaths and their symbolism and next week we'll be going to Mass at our local cathedral. We also put together a large box of items for our Advent project - this year we're helping Ark Aid Mission who helps homeless teens.

Every once in a while I get a JOLT like this morning when I was opening my classroom door - this is my LAST CHRISTMAS with my students - and I feel sad...for about a New York minute! No, really, there is some melancholy mixed in with the excitement of being now under 200 days til retirement. Yes, that's right, you heard it here first - only 198 days til I'm done! I wonder what I'll be doing one year from now at 6:32am? Will I be in London still or in PEI? Will I be awake?? or still asleep. Stay tuned...