Kirst Afloat

Early Saturday Morning...

It's Saturday morning, early and no one else is up yet.  There is no place that I need to be today.  (This seldom happens.)  Piano has been canceled by Karrie because Claire has been sick for the entire last week.  She is now on antibiotics for tonsillitis.  (Both Claire and Tom were at the Matilda yesterday and neither has flu of any variety.  Whatever nasty virus Tom has contracted is becoming bronchitis so he also has antibiotics.)

On Thursday, the 6th grade LA/SS team frantically worked to design "virtual school"  (of sorts---it's really not up to that standard yet---no classes via Skype or utilizing Blackboard for example).  I have become fairly proficient with posting on MyDragonNet.  I did realize yesterday morning, though, that I was missing two key folders containing tasks I had mentioned in an email.  I also had a Geography Skills folder posted which I quickly changed to invisible.  This contained maps which I would like to integrate throughout the year.  I did not want my students to work through these in one go.

I'm really enjoying being back in the classroom.  My students are such characters.  It is wonderful to be able to work with them.  The thing which would most improve the quality of my life (as well as that of our family) is moving closer to Tai Tam/Repulse Bay.  We are heading in that direction.  It appears that we will close on a flat in Stanley towards the end of September.  Yes!!!  I LOVE this flat, absolutely love it.  It feels like home.

Claire (who did not want to move at all) is now counting down the days.  (I exaggerate slightly here.)  The commute is difficult for both Claire and James as they must be up at 5:45, leave the boat by 6:20, catch the bus by the middle school at 7:15 and don't actually get to school for another 20-30 minutes.  Too long.  I was able to make one small improvement to this yesterday.  Instead of waiting for their bus to return to the MS near 3:40, I walked through the high school and waited.  In the afternoon, the first drop off for their route is near Red Hill Plaza.  By about 3:15, I had collected James.  This might be our new routine.  We could grab a snack at the Wellcome and head back to the MS.  It would cut some time off of their commute (although they would still need to wait for me to finish working). 

We are also very excited by the news that my mother is coming to visit.  YEA!!!  She hasn't been to Hong Kong since our wedding in 1997.  I believe she'll be here for about two weeks in late Oct/early Nov.  We haven't nailed down the exact dates yet but she will be here during the period when both Tom and I are out of Hong Kong.  (He has to be in the US and I will be in Beijing with my students.)

I now have a difficult decision to make.  Shall I begin the morning with a cup of tea or shall I fire up the cappuccino machine?

Middle School Closure

The big news tonight is that the Centre for Health Protection has closed the MS division of HKIS.

	Here is the statement from our Head of School: Urgent: Middle School will be closed beginning Thursday, August 27   Wednesday, August 26, 2009 Dear Parents, 1) Following the visit today of medical staff from the Centre for Health Protection (CHP), we have been asked to close Middle School for seven days starting tomorrow (Thursday, August 27). Please do not send your Middle School son or daughter to school tomorrow or to after-school activities until further notice. 2) High School, Upper Primary and Lower Primary divisions will hold classes as usual. Their absences are within the normal expected range. CHP treats each division of HKIS separately because each is housed in its own building. Therefore, CHP will take appropriate action based on the situation within each division at HKIS. 3) The CHP medical staff visited today in response to the higher number of student absences due to illness in the Middle School. They are satisfied with our cleaning and other procedures that help prevent the spread of disease. They are calling parents of absent students to ask about their children’s illnesses. CHP cautioned there are several different viruses in circulation. Clinical tests are required to confirm the presence of the H1N1 virus. Previously we reported six cases of H1N1 based on parents’/doctors’ reports. CHP is in touch with each family to learn about each of the above six cases and confirm the diagnosis of them. So far they have confirmed only two cases. The Hong Kong Government Department of Health's (DH) assessment of H1N1 continues to be that it is a new virus and transmitting easily through the population, but it causes relatively mild illness in most cases. Please be assured that we are taking all possible steps to safeguard the health of students and staff. Maintaining a healthy school environment is our highest priority. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and will keep you informed of any developments. From tomorrow, for High School, Upper Primary and Lower Primary we are stepping up daily temperature monitoring of students and staff at school gates. Any student with a temperature or those who appear unwell on arrival at school will be sent home. This applies to all in our community - students, faculty, staff and parents New Health Procedures for Students From tomorrow (Thursday, August 27) parents must check their children's temperatures before they leave for school and fill out the temperature check form here.Students must turn in their forms when they enter school.  Children should not attend school if:  - Their temperature is over 37.5 degrees (99.5 F), or  - They feel unwell (coughs, sore throats,       headaches, general aches and pains). If children become ill during the school day, they will be sent to the school nurse. The nurse will notify parents and ask them to pick up their children from school.  To reduce the risk of spreading H1N1, we also require you to pay attention to and carry out the following measures:   - If your child develops symptoms of H1N1, you must notify your child's divisional office immediately to facilitate our taking appropriate measures and notifying the CHP and the Education Bureau.  - If your child has had H1N1, he/she should not attend school unless he/she has fully recovered and is cleared to do so by the CHP. No child should return to school unless they have had at least two full days without a fever. Thank you in advance for your cooperation and support in providing a safe learning environment for your child. Sincerely, Richard W. Mueller Head of School I've also found this on the RTHK website: Swine flu hits school and care home 26-08-2009 Health authorities have reported outbreaks of swine flu at Hong Kong International School and a residential care home. Meanwhile, the number of confirmed swine flu cases in the territory has risen to over 10,000. The lower secondary school of Hong Kong International School in Southern District will suspend classes for seven days, to stop the possible spread of swine flu. Of 32 students in grades six to eight who developed flu symptoms over the past week, two have been confirmed with the virus. A separate outbreak at a residential care home for the disabled in Tsing Yi has so far infected at 15 residents and two staff members. Four others have exhibited flu-like symptoms including fever, cough and sore throat since last Friday. One of them has been admitted to hospital, while the rest are in stable condition in the home. Over 10,000 people have now been confirmed with swine flu in Hong Kong - 333 in the past day alone. RTHK English News Faculty will be reporting to work tomorrow.  I'm sure it will be a busy day creating "Plan B" for student learning during this time.

First Days of School as a Retread (as a coworker eloquently called me)

Something which I long suspected is true. Teaching is like riding a bicycle.  Of course, bicycles change and you have to change with them.  But the basic motion (not quite the word I'm searching for but exhaustion has set in) is the same.

Day 1 was hectic.  Grade six students had a modified schedule.  They didn't begin school until 11:30 and their parents accompanied them.  The rest of the day passed in a whirlwind.  I barely felt like there was time to breathe and I'm sure it felt similar to the students.

Day 2 felt a bit better.  We still spent quite a bit of time organizing students and supplies.  By then, I had learned all of the name of my ten PCG (Pastoral Care Group) students.  I was also to have my students complete their first "Quick Write".  I am amazed at the vocabulary used in some of their stories.  Upper Primary definitely does an amazing job of helping students develop their writing skills.  It's going to be an exciting year on the Language Arts front.

Today was even more fun.  We started talking about maps and students designed their ideal bedroom.  (The focus here was to begin thinking about how maps typically incorporate a bird's eye view, contain a key or legend and use scale.  I did not get bogged down with scale today but did ask the students to use proportion so that a chair was not the same size as their bed, for example.  I'm excited to see the completed pieces tomorrow.

The Grade 6 Central dyad is AWESOME!  What an interesting bunch of enthusiastic and curious individuals.  I can't wait to get to know my kids better and to work with them over the course of the year.

First Days of School

Claire and James both had a "Meet the Teacher" event on Monday.  Both were quite happy afterward.  Tom reported that James talked his teacher's ear off.  Claire was thrilled that her classroom had a brand new leather couch in it.  Both kids signed up for some after-school activities: James--Cub Scouts and Lego Junior Engineers.  Claire---Girl Scouts (which evidently is quite challenging to join in Hong Kong---available slots went quickly).  Claire is also doing Faust again, but we had already signed up for that.

On Tuesday, I woke the kids up at 5:45.  Not a pleasant time for children to be awake.  They were troopers and got ready quickly.  Mariz made breakfast, their lunches and helped them get ready.  (We double-teamed them.)  We were out of the door on time and were able to park at the high school, head down to the middle school and then out to their bus stop.

Here are a couple of photos from the bus stop:

Note: While I do not feel comfortable posting pictures of my own students on my blog, I feel okay with posting these photos.  In my mind, the difference is that I photographed my own children here as a parent.  There just happened to be other students around.  Not sure if that makes sense to other people or not.

I did try to take my traditional first day of school photo in front of our boat.  Unfortunately my lens fogged up due to the difference in temperature and humidity level between the inside and out.  Must try it again soon.

I was more concerned with how Claire would adapt to school than James as she's given the characters of Dawson's Creeka run for their money with regards to angst.  (Her vocabulary is more straight forward than theirs, though.)  Turned out I was completely wrong.  Claire bounded off the bus and proclaimed that school was great.  James was in tears.  He cried all the way from Repulse Bay to Tai Tam and later cried for over an hour that night.  Poor thing.  He really missed his "old school" and "hated" his new one.  But then he'd tell me about some of the fun things he did: heard a story about Mean Jean the Recess Queen, learned a prayer that was set to the Addams Family theme song and made up a ball game at recess.

Day Two (today) went a lot better for James. I emailed his teacher to give her a head's up and she went out of her way (I think) to make him feel included.  He was all smiles this afternoon.  Claire, on the other hand, was in a fairly foul mood mainly due to the swimming unit in PE.  "It's no fun at all," she said.  She was told to swim using various strokes none of which she knows.  I think the instructors were trying to sort out swimming levels.  I hope the next lesson goes better and incorporates some element of fun.  One can hope!  Claire still likes her teacher a lot and is making some friends.  She was already invited to a birthday party this Saturday (at the American Club) but can't make it due to preparation for her Grade 1 Piano exam.

Both kids (finally!) went to sleep at a relatively sane hour tonight (around 8:40).  I'm hoping to move that up but it's been very difficult for them to fall asleep.

Roller Coaster

The last two weeks have been quite a ride.  Highs, lows, that feeling of anticipation as you hear the click, click, click of the tracks as your car ascends the hill...anticipation, queasiness...I've been all over the place emotionally.

James and Claire seem to be handling the changes fairly well thus far.  Having a working mom is new to them (and to me).  Mariz has been a star: gracious, caring and (as always) cheerful. 

There is still SO much to do.  My classroom is not ready and I'm not sure that it will be by Friday afternoon.  On the positive side, I now have my access card so I can get into my room over the weekend.  I think Claire would like to help get the classroom ready so hopefully we can work on it together. 

I will be ready before Monday.  I will.  Can't wait for the students to arrive.  They always bring so much energy and fun into the mix.  It appears that grade six classes will be at 20 students per class (at least for now---that could change). 

Flat hunting (which my husband has been handling) has also been a roller coaster ride.  The owner of the flat we LOVED isn't serious about selling.  The price seems to change daily.  Complete chaos.  Tom found another flat yesterday.  I don't like the building as much although it does have a lot of facilities.  I'm going to check out the unit later today.  It probably has more potential as an investment (but my heart still longs for the other building).  I'm keeping an open mind, though.

Should catch a bit more sleep.  Another busy day ahead!

Flat Hunting

After work today, I had the novel (at least to me) experience of flat hunting in Hong Kong.  Tom had already checked out some flats in Grand Garden, Repulse Bay and wanted me to see them.  It's a pretty nice place---there is quite a bit of land there and the flats are a decent (though not large) size.  We looked at three different flats.  Two were possibilities and one was a definite no.  (We don't want to spend a ton of money renovating and would prefer to find a flat that did not need extensive work.)  However one flat had the traditional teak parquet floors and the other one had the floor redone with light colored "wood" (I think it was laminate of some sort).  I much prefer the traditional flooring but the owner of that flat keeps increasing the price. 

We then headed down to Stanley and were quite surprised with the flat we viewed.  The building had nothing in terms of facilities.  And the flat did need some work (definitely needed a new kitchen and the bathrooms needed some updating).  But, wow!  It was spacious compared to the other flats and it felt like a home to me.  If we could negotiate on the price a bit, I believe we would go for it.

Lastly, we looked at two flats in Pacific View.  Incredible views!  Especially from the master bedrooms.  Great facilities.  But out of our price range.  And it felt like a hotel to me. 

We'll see....

Work is going well, by the way.  Amazing group of new teachers but I would like to "get on with it".  The next two days are training for just the middle school group.  And then next week, returning teachers will be back.  Can't wait for that as I will then have a much better idea of the nitty, gritty.

Déjà Vu

I reported for New Teacher Orientation at HKIS today.  It felt as if I'd come full circle as 13 years ago I completed the orientation for the same teaching position. 

What an interesting group!  I enjoyed talking with everyone.  Some were just starting their first international teaching position while others have been making the rounds on the international circuit.

I was able to view my classroom today and had a flashback.  I used to team teach with Mary Ellen Marzullo in the adjoining room.  These two classrooms are filled with many pleasant memories and I know that there will be many new memories to make with my dyad partner this year.

Getting the Boot

Outside the L.L. Bean store in Freeport, Maine...

Claire must have had a flashback to last summer (Erasure!) and suggested the following pose:

Portrait Simple 2009

Before Claire went to camp, we took the kids to their annual Portrait Simple photoshoot at the Natick Mall, uh, Natick Collection.  (Back when I worked there, it was just the Natick Mall.  I did my time at the Frontier Fruit & Nut Company---"Would you like to try a yoghurt raisan?" and later at a t-shirt shop, the name of which is forgotten.)

For the last two years, we had the best photographer.  Her name is J and she is absolutely magical with children.  James is definitely a challenge at times but she won him over.

A few of my favorites:

Last Day of (My) Summer

It's rainy, it's dreary and I'm packing.  At least the weather is conducive to getting everything wrapped up in a timely fashion. 

James and Claire slept over my mom's last night.  Evidently it was a late night...Claire was sleeping on the couch earlier this afternoon and my mom had to wake James up this morning.  (We met her at The Griddle for breakfast---she was working at her store today.)

Somehow we do seem a bit more organized than usual.  There is still SO much to do, though. And I'm procrastinating blogging.  I need to go put the freshly laundered sheets back on Claire's bed.  Already finished my bed (and I remembered to put the blanket which I washed earlier this summer back on in preparation for our return before Christmas).  It's the little things which make us happy.

The clothes are almost all washed and packed.  (There are just a few items hanging upstairs from the railing in the loft---they should be dry by this evening.)  Now I have to deal with shoes. (I am bringing back six new pairs!) And books.  Claire's earrings.  The dolphin, banana and dog bone pillows.  (Don't ask--I had to cart them here from HK, up to Boston & Maine and now back to HK.) Various toiletry items/medicines.  Cameras and phones and cords.  Books.  New backpacks and a lunch box.  And various other jetsam.

I'm going to continue getting on with it.  But perhaps there is more procrastinating blogging in my future.