Saturday, March 08, 2008

Algebra Update!

Yahoooo! I've been checking to see if my latest test score has posted everyday since Wednesday, and finally, it was just posted!
These are the two tests I've taken so far, and the average grade column is the average test score of the entire class.

It's so strange posting about MY school grades and not the kiddos, but as much time as I've put in to this, and as much as I've neglected just about everyone, I decided I have some braggin' rights! ;)

Click to see full view

Thursday, March 06, 2008

Cooper's Troopers

Cooper's daddy, Tol, is in charge of the Dad's Club at Alex's elementary, which Mark is a member of. The first time Mark and I saw Tol at school on open house night back in August of last year, we knew this was a friendly face, but we just couldn't place him. After racking our brains for a short time, we recalled that he was the incredibly friendly man that helped us rent a Uhaul truck on more than one occasion since moving to Georgetown. After our experience with him, we swore we'd never go anywhere else. As silly as it may sound, he really made an impact on both Mark and I, and we discussed how happy we were to be in this amazing little town full of such happy-go-lucky people serving the public. To us, Tol was the perfect example of what a warm feeling Georgetown gives us. You know how it is when, on that rare occasion, you get outstanding customer service, the kind that feels genuine and real, as if the person actually CARED about people, well this guy was it. And after seeing him up at the school volunteering his time with Dad's Club, PTA, and so many other projects, we knew our assumptions about what a wonderful man he must be, were proven to be correct. Among the many moms walking the halls each day, you are almost certain to see Tol, baby in his arms, and Kindergartener in tow, on their way to class. You see him opening car doors on Friday mornings, helping with fundraisers, and talking with EVERYONE he sees walking down the halls. You'll see him making the rounds picking up teachers recycle bins, helping out in more ways than I probably even know. Everyone knows Tol, not because his baby is sick, but because he's an amazing dad, and human being that shines on all of us. I still remember him telling me how good it feels to walk down the halls and know the kids of the school, and how good it feels when they know you. Those were his words at the beginning of the year, to me, a new parent at Carver, who he knew might feel apprehensive about this new place with all these new faces. Here we are months later, and this precious family has received a major, major blow. Here is the flyer that's going around Georgetown right now. Please click on the image to read his family's, and Cooper's story.

This is going to be a HUGE event, with some 275+ volunteers. Mark and I have signed up to work the event, and we would so, so appreciate it if all of our friends and family could help us spread the word. Come out, grab some BBQ, have some fun, and be a part of something amazing.

Monday, March 03, 2008

Gifted and Talented Boy

After days of testing and evaluation, Friday, were were given notice that Alex has qualified for the GT program. Testing was intense, in fact, Alex came home on more than one occasion telling us about how kids were crying during testing because it was so difficult. Thankfully, he wasn't nearly as stressed out as most of the kids; otherwise, we'd have skipped it all together. I must say, there were times when I had second thoughts about having him tested because of some of the stories I was hearing. However, now that I'm seeing the results, I feel much more comfortable about our decision. His scores are incredible. The kids were given a test called the Stanford Achievement Test where they're tested on a wide range of subjects, namely Reading, Mathmatics, Vocabulary, Comprehension, Geography, Political Science etc. The test included verbal and non-verbal elements. Out of the 220 possible correct answers, he answered 207 correct.

We are so proud of him!

Basketball weekend

Wow, what an amazing weekend this was for the Ash. Their team finished the season in first place and had their end of season tournament this weekend. The Championship game was Sunday where so many wonderful friends and families crammed the bleachers to cheer on their amazing girls. We were honered to have our own little cheering section for Miss Ash...Ashley's best friend Kelly, and her dad Brian were there, along with our good friends and neighbors Peg and Dan, and of course Grams and Pops. The game was INTENSE, to say the least. Our girls played their hearts out and lead the game up until the last quarter, when in the last few minutes their opponents pulled ahead by 2. The last few minutes were loud and intense, exactly the way it should have been. Unfortunately, we weren't able to come back, and ended up loosing by 2 points, to place 2nd in the tournament. I have to say, this has been the best basketball season yet, and that's due to the amazing coaches and incredible group of girls we were so fortunate to have. We were so, so lucky to have been a part of such an amazing group of girls. They developed a very close bond, and we're all sad to see the season come to an end. Most of the girls on our team (including Ashley) will be trying out for All Stars, as well as a select team, so we're hoping they'll be able to stick together a little while longer.

Thanks to all of our wonderful friends for coming out to the game, your support means so much to us. We'll keep you updated on how the tryouts go.