Well, it was a busy week! School has started, and while I do not have a classroom full of students, there seems to be plenty to be busy with. My focus is entirely on MAP testing, mostly helping teachers use the pile of data that it produces about their students. (The Measures of Academic Progress is a computer-based achievement test for grades 3 to 8. As students take it, the test selects questions based on their right, or wrong, answers. The result is an accurate indication of the kid's instructional level in Reading, Math, and Language Arts, as well as several strands within each area.) All the info is accessed by teachers shortly after the test is taken, but it can be daunting to get it and use it. That's where I come in! Grades 3 -5 start on Sept 9; that's when I will get really busy!
We continue to settle in comfortably. Little by little we are making the kitchen a functional place; we did bring some basics, but it is surprising how many little things it takes! Food storage is important, because even the smallest morsel of food is sure to bring a parade of ants. We have two kinds, very small and microscopic. The littlest ones only come around when the big ones (comparatively) are not there. We have the occasional BFR too, but I'm not sure where they come from. Outside, I hope!
It is the rainy season now, and it rains for a little while almost every day. Usually it is at night or late afternoon, but today it's a mid-day downpour. No thunder or lightning yet but when it does it's LOUD!
All of the plants that Sebastian the gardener put into our backyard will appreciate the soak. As far as I can tell, just about any stick you put into the ground will grow! All of the house plants New Englanders work so hard to grow are landscape plants here, and many grow into trees. I saw a trimmed hedge of gardenias yesterday, and huge multi-colored crotons are everywhere. We have some sort of citrus in the backyard, with bananas nearby as well. It's raining now; I'll take some pictures when it stops.
Stay tuned!
We continue to settle in comfortably. Little by little we are making the kitchen a functional place; we did bring some basics, but it is surprising how many little things it takes! Food storage is important, because even the smallest morsel of food is sure to bring a parade of ants. We have two kinds, very small and microscopic. The littlest ones only come around when the big ones (comparatively) are not there. We have the occasional BFR too, but I'm not sure where they come from. Outside, I hope!
It is the rainy season now, and it rains for a little while almost every day. Usually it is at night or late afternoon, but today it's a mid-day downpour. No thunder or lightning yet but when it does it's LOUD!
All of the plants that Sebastian the gardener put into our backyard will appreciate the soak. As far as I can tell, just about any stick you put into the ground will grow! All of the house plants New Englanders work so hard to grow are landscape plants here, and many grow into trees. I saw a trimmed hedge of gardenias yesterday, and huge multi-colored crotons are everywhere. We have some sort of citrus in the backyard, with bananas nearby as well. It's raining now; I'll take some pictures when it stops.
Stay tuned!
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