tales from a far-land

The last grading period of the school year finished on May 18th.  Our entire household was ecstatic!  No more homework.  No more tests.  No more projects.  No more tears.  Just a couple weeks of fun learning and end of the year celebrations.  Although we were happy the grading period ended, our kids enjoyed their last couple of months of school  They definitely took full advantage of all of the fun "stuff" school has to offer them.  They participated in two after school clubs -- dance and Lego.  Madilyn invited Josh to be her date at the Royal Ball which was organized by the school's booster club.  And Aiden ended the year dressing up with his teacher for Star Wars Day (May the 4th).  And somewhere in-between all of the fun, they did manage to learn, problem solve, read, write and memorize "The Star-Spangled Banner".  We are so glad they have such an amazing community to call their home away from home. Aiden's GP5 Poem ...

Every Friday, the students in Ms. Turner's first grade Neon class had a spelling test.  To assist the kids in preparing for the test, Ms. Turner assigned a spelling word assignment Monday through Thursday as homework.  It looked the same every day except the spelling words changed.  One of the exercises in the homework packet was for the kids to use one of their spelling words to write a sentence.  As the year progressed, I noticed that Ms. Turner would sometimes respond back to Aiden's sentences.  It became a fun game for me to see which sentences Ms. Turner appreciated more than others.  Here are some of Aiden's spelling word sentences and Ms. Turner's responses:

Kids bring home a ton of paperwork and stuff from school.  Everyday I go through their backpacks to see what I will keep and what will get tossed.  I have found everything from food to homework to birthday invites to toys.  Most of the items I find go directly in the trash, but there are a few assignments that the kids bring home that are keepers.  Writing assignments are, by far, some of my most favorite things the kids bring home.  These assignments allow my kids' personalities and creativity to shine.  Their little minds are so funny and insightful.  Below are some of my favorite writing assignments the kids brought this period.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. Aiden, 1st Grade - Age 6 Madilyn, 2nd Grade - Age 8

Mother's Day started early in the Farrell-Landers' home this year.  The kids were so excited to make Mommy breakfast in bed that they awoke at 5:15am to start the preparation.  I love that they were *so* excited to do something for me.  However, I wasn't very excited that they decided to start the process so early.  They served me breakfast at about 6:15am.  In their minds, they allowed me to "sleep in".  Breakfast consisted of a breakfast burrito, bubble-loaf and coffee.  Many of my favorite breakfast foods. The best part was having the entire family, including the dogs, in bed with me while I read their cards and opened my gift.  What a memorable (and exhausting) way to start the day! Being woken up on Mother's Day Reading cards with the kids Morning coffee on the patio Mother's Day Selfie After breakfast and coffee on the patio, we decided to go see the new Avengers movie as a family.  We are raising the next...

RSL AZ's (formerly Sereno) spring soccer season concluded on May 12th with two final games.  The kids all played really well for the first game, but sadly, the noon game was played with much less enthusiasm and focus.  But it was hot and we (parents and kids) were ready for the season to end so that may have contributed to the lack of motivation during the last game.  All in all, the kids had a good season.  They started to learn how to pass to one another and look for open spots.  They also started to learn how to dribble up the field and pass into the middle in hopes of making a goal.  It was fun to watch them learn new skills and use them in the game.  Aiden's favorite soccer skill is the pull-back.  He tried to use that skill at least once per game.  Madilyn's confidence grew more this season and she was less afraid to attack the ball more.  And both of our kids even had their opportunities to make goals and assists this season....

Last spring, I was nominated to apply to The Women's Leadership Institute.  This is a program through the Women's Jewish Learning Center and PJ Library.  I was honored to be nominated.  I quickly applied and was accepted into the third cohort of the program.  The program is nine month journey to foster women's leadership for Jewish organizations in the Valley.  It started in September and ended in May.  As a participant in the program, I was matched with a mentor, whom I met with monthly, in addition, to our monthly group sessions.  During the course of the year, we explored several different leadership traits like life-long learning, learning from failure, effective communication, clarifying vision, and change through a Jewish lens.  It was very insightful to examine leadership skills that I have learned previously through Jewish text and stories. As another aspect of the program, the mentees are also tasked to create a project that will benefit ...