Day40/Day11

So....Friday has come.....been a long week.....this week I was reminded that you can get through difficult times with a support system .....

On Wednesday, Leanne blogged....she talked about the future.....what will the future hold????

The future will be strong as long as there is a strong support system.....

Day 39/Day 10

I was called into one of the classrooms at the end of the day.....the students (and teacher) where excited to share that the entire class "pinned up"!!!



Carpe Diem!


-Amy

So tonight Amy is not the blogger,  and I am looking at the computer screen knowing I have a tough act to follow.  Her posts have been informative, witty, touching...simply well done.

              I am writing my first blog entry...ever and at 9:00 PM it might take a bit to find wit or anything informative hitting the keyboard!

What to write about...hmmmm.........
                       I suppose I have quite a few options since the past three weeks have been filled with quite a bit of activity.  OK....instead of talking about the past three weeks, or even the events of today, why don't I address what lies ahead!?
                The future.... 

               In the coming weeks.....

        We will see more attention to academics with math games from Everyday Math and literacy blocks filling up with engaging lessons as the teachers and students settle in even more than they have in the two and a half weeks of operation. 

                  We will see dance moves that become more second nature to the children as they continue to work with instructors from Spotlight Dance Studio.  We will see teachers and students build relationships that reflect comfort and ease with known boundaries and expectations.

                           We will watch children to eagerly await time with their Teaching Artists as they anticipate the next step in the process. 

                                        We will watch as schedules and procedures that are so explicitly thought about now, become routine...leading to very well run classrooms (not to say that we are not seeing well run classrooms already!!). 

                                                    We will continue to see nutritious snacks and meals being provided and even more children embracing salads and fruit as they are offered regularly. 

                                                          We will see children move through 30 minutes of physical activity with much more ease as their bodies grow stronger and build more endurance. 

                                                               We will see young teachers grow in their chosen field through actual clinical experience....finding out first hand what works, what doesn't, and then seizing the opportunity to modify and try something that just might be precisely right! 

                                                                     We will see many more challenges, many more opportunities to learn and grow,
                                                           but most importantly....
       
....... we will see children learning....
      ............we will see young teachers growing ....
              ..........we will see progress....
                      .......we will see something called great success! 

Carpe' Diem!

Leanne   (aka  Dr. Roberts)

Day 37/Day 8

Dear Student Loan Repayment Provider:

Please except my sincere apologies for forgetting to make a payment on my loan....but I am busy changing the world...

Sincerely,

-Me


Carpe Diem!

-Amy

Day 36/Day 7

Every Monday morning, before I head to work, I travel to Wegmans to pick up snack for the Carpe Diem Academy students. Josh, the front end manager, has the snack ready to go and will load up my car. He looked a little puzzled today....he said, "You have a different car, again." .....I laughed and replied....well it is a $1.5 million dollar grant...kidding aside...I though for a moment and realized I had a different car each time I picked up snack....my old car.......my bosses car......my new car....and now the loaner car I am driving until they fix my leaky car roof.....

....on the drive to work,  I thought what it would be like to have 4 cars or more.....but I didn't think for too long.....I am a pretty simple person and decided one car is enough for me!

Shortly after I arrived at my office, I had a visitor...a student asked if I had a pen that he could have....I think I gave him a strange look and replied, "To have?" ....he laughed....now I had a pen on my desk...but it was my favorite pen....a BIC 537R to be exact!  Without much thought, I opened up my desk drawer and handed him a regular  BIC ball point pen.....after he left, I got to thinking....

Why didn't I give him my favorite pen? Why am I so deserving to keep the nicer pen....Now....a pen is a pen.....but looking deeper into it.....Why have I been so deserving to be raised by two devoted parents.....picked on by 4 loving brothers....went to school with clean clothes, a healthy lunch packed in my book bag....came home to a warm house, a hot dinner, and a bed to sleep in. Why have I been so deserving to go to college, work at a job I love?

.....I have been blessed....and now it is time to give back.....

Carpe Diem!

-Amy

Reflection

So...today, it dawned on me that 8 weeks ago I was preparing for the 1st day of my new job. I recall a mixture of emotions jumbled up inside of me. I was ready to move on...to take that next step in my career...but was I really ready or did I just think I was ready due to all the stress at my previous job???

I was worried after a week or so I would be missing my 1st graders and my coworkers and the environment that I spent the last 6 1/2 years in....I was nervous just as anyone would be when starting a new job....I was excited to help change the world......

I recall, after Day 1, I posted on Facebook and in the first blog post how much I love my job....

Well....that still holds true today!!! I wouldn't trade it for anything! Honestly! I think if someone offered me a million dollars in exchange for this job, I still wouldn't swap.....OK,OK...that's a little far-fetched....but I am just trying to get across how much I love what I do.

Is it challenging at times? Yes...but isn't that what makes work, work? Yes!

So...here's to Week 3 of Carpe Diem Academy......but before it begins...I need to find the deodorant!

Carpe Diem!

-Amy

Day 35

I am racing against the clock....left my power cord at work and according to my computer, I have 13 minutes left before my computer shuts down......

Somedays, I wish I had a battery pack to tell me how much time I have left before I need to sleep....it would push me to work harder or maybe just remind me to drink a few 5-hour energy shots...

Today was a busy day.......

9:30-10:30: meeting
10:30-11:45: meeting
12:00-12:45: meeting
1:00-3:00: Everyday Math Training

As I was just typing the schedule, I realized I went about 3 hours without my cell phone....not sure when the last time that happened....good thing is....I survived!!!

Today, the academy staff was trained in Everyday Math. Everday Math is the math program the district uses...the academy staff is lucky to be able to incorporate the game component of Everyday Math during their math block. Thanks to the District's Mathematics Team for a great training!

Ok...easily distracted....when I started blogging about Everday Math, I started searching for Everday Math links....now my remaining time is right around 2 minutes....

Happy Friday!!!

Carpe Diem!

-Amy

Day 34/Day 6

In 6 days, we have accomplished A LOT......do you recall the post with the pictures of the large white boards with the schedule? Ya know, the perfect schedule? Well....the schedule wasn't so perfect...so we made changes....

The original schedule had the students transitioning too much....visiting 3-4 teachers every day....traveling from room to room.....we quickly realized the fewer transitions, the better...so we revamped...and the students are now self-contained....

With this schedule change, came positives....

- One teacher - the teacher will get to know the students, the students will get to know the teacher, and the parents will get to know the teacher, too! Very similar to the regular school day.

- Eating in the classroom - In one classroom, the students were eating, talking quietly and learning
                                           manners. Music was playing quietly in the background.

Now....at two of the sites, the food is delivered to the same floor as the classrooms, so the carts are pushed down the hall and the food is served. However, at one of the sites, the food is delivered to the lower level and the classrooms are on the 2nd floor....which means, the carts need to be pushed down the hall, around the corner, down a ramp, around the corner, to the elevator, in the elevator, up to the 2nd floor, and then the food is served. The elevator ride was interesting....couldb't  help but take a picture....now the picture isn't the best....but needed a snapshot of that memory....and just had to share!

Carpe Diem!

-Amy

Day 33/Day5

I must say....we have come a long way since day 1! Students (and teachers) are beginning to fall into the daily routine.
Another site started up, today. We curerntly have 3 sites up and running and by the sounds of it they all ran pretty smoothly...which is pretty spectacular to hear! Right now, between the 3 sites we are working with an average of 170 students.

Kinda sleepy....will write more tomorrow :)

Carpe Diem!

-Amy

Day 32/ Day 4

What a difference a mile makes......sweet dreams, children, sweet dreams....... Carpe Diem! -Amy

Day 31/Day3

Brown Bear, Brown Bear what do you see.....one of my nephew's favorite stories.....towards the end of the story it states, Teacher, Teacher, what do you see......

Today, was Day 3 of the academy.....on the way home I was thinking about everything I saw.....

I saw children eager to begin Day 3
I saw teachers eager to begin Day 3
I saw children engaged in journal writing and coloring
I saw children eating yogurt and apples
I saw children engaged in graphing
I saw an artist engaging children in acting
I saw children dancing to a vareity of music
I saw teachers smiling
I saw children smiling
I saw children sitting at their tables, eating dinner, while listening to music
I saw children learning
I saw teacher's teaching
I saw children teaching
I saw teacher's learning

This evening, someone asked me how my day was.....my response, "I, along with many others, helped feed 120 children.....sounds  like a great day to me!"

Carpe Diem!

-Amy

Day 30

It's Friday....the weekend has arrived...2 days to regroup and get ready for week two of Carpe Diem Academy. Overall, the first week went really well.....was the schedule on day 1 perfect...Nope! But....we thought about it ....we adapted....and we tried the revised schedule for day 2......was the schedule perfect....Nope!

At first, were we worried....yes....however, after a great planning session today with several members of the CDA staff....we were able to create a new schedule which will be ready to implement for week 2.....will it be perfect....let's hope....but if not....we will go back to the drawing board and we will try again.....that is what we always tell our students....try again....don't give up....so we will try again and again until we find a schedule that works the best....

It was great seeing the entire staff involved in the scheduling....even though Leanne and I have been at the sites the entire time...we are more on the "outside"....the teachers are the ones spending the majority of the time with the students....their thoughts matter.....their thoughts are the most important....and their thoughts were really good!

The following statement is in writing and must be honored....If I ever become a school administrator, I will hire the entire CDA staff......sorry ya'll....but I want the best!

Carpe Diem!

-Amy

Day 29/Day 2

The second day of the academy has come to an end. Today, went well.We are learning as we go....we made adjustments this morning and thanks to the flexibility of the staff, they were eager to try it out. We knew there would be "hiccups".....the positive side is that we are able to identify what they are and adjust accordingly.

The students seem to be having a great time....I spoke to one of the classroom teachers and she commented that the students loved everything about the first day!!!!

I think I need to get some rest....will write more tomorrow or over the weekend....

Carpe Diem!

-Amy

Day28/Day1

Well.....the day has finally arrived!!!! Day 1 of the Carpe Diem Academy has come to an end. I am not exactly sure what to write....a plethora of thoughts are running through my mind....however....the one thing that sticks out the most is how wonderful the staff did!!! Their excitement is seen through their planning and their endless energy....they will have first hand in changing the world and we can't thank them enough!

The academy is new for all of us...we will make adjustments as we go....it's how we grow.

Where I was, the students had a great time dancing with the dancers from Spotlight Studio! Their laughs and smiles were contagious! They are certainly looking forward to tomorrow's visit from JumpBunch.

My brain is full.....my feet hurt....I need a shower....I will write more tomorrow....

Carpe Diem!

-Amy

Day 27

Academy starts tomorrow!!!! Got a lot to do....will write more tomorrow :)

Day 16

Every person you come in contact with has an impact on your life whether you realize it or not! The academy can have a maximum enrollment of 416 students. The academy staff will have an impact on 416 students.....who will then each have an impact on many others....now I'm not the best at math but the number that will be impacted is beyond calculation....pretty neat???....I think so!!!!!! Carpe Diem!!! Amy

Carpe Diem Academy International???

So....according to the blog statistics....there have been views in Germany and Russia....perhaps Carpe Diem Academy International will be in the near future? We will just have to wait and see :)

Sleepless Thoughts

The date on my computer says 3/11/12.....the date of the first day of the academy is 3/14/12....that is only 3 days away.......

So far, there have been a few tribulations....mainly my goof-ups so I could add humor in the sharing of them....

......but right now....behind all the excitement...there are a lot of "what ifs"......what if I forgot something...what if I didn't order enough supplies....or the right supplies...what if the schedule is a complete disaster....what if students don't show....what if students show and all the spots are filled....what if......what if.....what if.....

 

I know it can't all be perfect.....to be perfect, one has to be perfect........but I want it to be perfect for the students............but.........what if.........

Carpe Diem!

-Amy

Day 25

Well....secrets are sometimes best kept for a reason....to provide joy when someone is slightly stressed....you see...when I accepted this position, I didn't realize I would have the opportunity to go to the four seasons! Just kidding! Was only in Harrisburg, but we did experience the 4 seasons within 12 hours! Yesterday, it was 65 degrees and Sunny....today it was sunny....snowed...was windy....snowed....was sunny....snowed....and it continued...

The seasons are important because without them, there would be no change...through change, we grow and develop.....

This past week, I was able to hear many great presentations......one presenter in particular shared the following.....statistics are important....but it's the stories that really hit home and make an impact on how we feel and what we think. ....

On Wednesday, we will venture into the schools, meet the children, and begin to make that change....through this I hope to share with you stories rather than numbers and bullets....but before I do....I must share with you a few numbers/bullets.....

- Enrollment forms were sent home on Monday.

- Enrollment forms were returned throughout the week.

-3 of the 4 sites have waiting lists.... (I think the car almost went off the road when one of the Lead Teachers told us!)....makes me smile but sad at the same time...wish we could take them all!

This past Monday, was the Lead Teachers and Clinical Lead Teachers first day of work....Leanne and I kept in contact with them while we were away and can't say enough about how thrilled we are to have such a dedicated and energetic teachers!! What a difference they are going to make in the lives of the children!  THANK YOU Meaghan, Kathy, Kara, Janeale, Jennie, Nicholle, and Christina....YOU ARE THE BEST!

Happy Friday!

Carpe Diem!

-Amy

Day 24

I have the goose bumps as I sit here and blog. Enrollment forms were sent home on Monday....many parents have inquired about the academy. Today's phone calls are the reasons why I have goose bumps!

I have posted many times about how we are going to change the world.....but following the phone calls.....well......I think now.....we can say.....we are changing the world!

Parent, "This is great, thank you for doing this, my child is so excited...she wondered why it didn't start today."

Parent, "My child is so excited she said she is going to become so smart."

Parent, "This sounds like a great program, I wish my other children could participate."

 

The children, so eager to spend extra time at school....how can one say no to that?

So....data and budget and reporting may cause me to stress a little....but after talking to the parents and hearing their excitement and how excited their child is, it is all worth it....because....we are changing the world!

Carpe Diem!

-Amy

EXCITING NEWS

Have to share....can't wait to share....are you ready to hear?!?!? One of our sites has filled all their spots and has a waiting list!!!!!

Day 22

Day 22.....1,014 views.....AWESOME!!!!!!

Here it goes.....blogging....been up since 3am....but again....no complaints! A little less sleep in exchange for what we will be providing children in just 1 week....is all worth it!

We arrived in Harrisburg and spent the day beginning to learn the in and outs of the entire grant process....yes, the grant was written......yes, we were awarded $1.5 million......yes, we have ordered supplies, hired staff, met with principals, sent out brochures....but for this week we will be learning about the reporting requirements, etc....as Leanne often says....It's been and is going to be a steep learning curve....but all is good.... the brain needs to work.....the brain will work!

Speaking of brain....it needs to rest....will write more later....or tomorrow!

Carpe Diem

-Amy

Day 21

I have a smile on my face as I sit and write today's blog entry.....I always try to have a smile on my face....sometimes it is followed by a "lalalalala"...but the smile is there....how can one not smile??? By the time we have all 7 schools up and running, we will be providing approximately 416 children with a nutritious snack, engaging physical activity, a math and literacy block, and we will end the day with a hot dinner...I bet ya'll are smiling now!!!!!!!!

The brochures and student enrollment forms were delivered!!! By 2:45, I had several phone calls inquiring about the Academy!

Today, we met with the Lead Teachers and Clinical Support Lead Teachers. Leanne led a great meeting...informative and motivational!!!  What a great team we have!!!

The other day, I asked the readers what they want to know about the academy...only one person has asked a question so far....here it is...

My sister-n-law asked: I already asked you this but I think others would like to know...how will students get into the academy?

            - The great thing is....the academy is open enrollment. Any student in K-2 who resides within the boundaries of one of the 7 schools are able to attend. However, each location has a specific number of spaces available, so it will be, "first come, first serve" basis during the enrollment period.

I know you have questions....so just ask! If a tour of my office didn't interest you...how about if you ask a question, I will bring you a souvenir back from Harrisburg!!

Speaking of....I need to go pack....4am departure will be here before you know it!

Carpe Diem!!

-Amy

What Do You Want To Know?

As of today, the blog has had 844 views. Many are reading....so, today I ask you....what do you want to know about the Carpe Diem Academy. Comment below and I will answer your questions during this week's daily blog postings.  

Carpe Diem!

-Amy

LOGO!!!!

Here is the Carpe Diem Academy logo....WE LOVE IT!!!  Do you?!?! (I was having difficulty posting from the original document so I took a picture of my screen with my phone and then transferred it...so it may not be as clear as the actual photo!)

Reflection

So....I normally don't post on the weekend....but...I think the adrenaline is flowing!  It is currently 12:15 AM and I have no desire to sleep!

On Monday, we will have our first Staff Meeting with our Lead Teachers and Clinical Lead Teachers. It's like the first back to school inservice meetings that would always take place in August.

I have worked for many administrators....6 in the past 7 year, to be exact. The ones that stick out are the ones that would do the "little things" to brighten our day....a sheet of stickers, a note in our mailbox, a positive comment, a walk through our classroom to see what was happening.....those are the administrators that made a difference...

.....I remember sitting through all my administration courses last year....we talked about data...we talked about budgets....we talked about law....but in between those important discussions, we talked about what makes an administrator succeed....words such as trust presence,  patience, trust, presence, encouragement, trust, presence, etc.....

....No I did not fall asleep....I had full intention in repeating the words trust and presence. If you can't trust the person you work for, than it is very difficult to be able to challenge yourself and find personal success. If the administrator is not present, than it is difficult to find importance in what you are doing....yes, what you are going is for the children....but in the long run you need someone to lead you.....

....Thankfully, since saying yes to working for the academy,  I have found that leadership ....and I knew it would be there!  But now...in about 36 hours.....I will need to provide leadership to several individuals. Am I nervous....yes....am I excited....yes....am I overwhelmed...yes....but it's all because I want to make sure I am the person that I always thought an administrator should be.....A leader who is present, who you can trust, who will challenge you.....sounds like a personal challenge....and I am up for it....let's start to change the world!!!

Carpe Diem

-Amy

Day 20

Well...hard to believe I have been on the job a month!!!!! 4 weeks ago I was saying good-bye to 24 first graders....and today, I was pushing a cart of banana boxes to my car! I don't recall that being in my job description....but I have to say I love the variety of opportunities I get to take part in!!!

 

Today was spent finalizing documents and putting together the staff handbooks. An updated handbook is key to keeping everyone on the same page! We wouldn't want any type of confusion with whether or not policies exist or not!

AND.....drum roll please.....the brochures have been printed!!! A VERY BIG THANK YOU to Steve P. and his colleagues in the Graphic Design office!!! We LOVE THEM!! And we appreciate their patience with our pickiness! Everything needs to be just right while we on our quest to change the world!

All for now....Happy Friday!!!

Carpe Diem!

-Amy

Day 19

Today was an "oopsy" kinda day! If you recall from yesterday's post, I printed the enrollment forms....well....today as I was counting out the forms for each school I realized I did not copy back to back....there is no excuse as to why I didn't...I just forgot...oops!

Not to worry....I will plant a tree...perhaps an apple or a pear would be nice!

But that wasn't the only oops....I thought we needed 600 brochures...but we need 800....oops!

Due to the "oopsies", I discovered where the campus printing center is located. For some reason, the path down the hallway reminded me of the tunnels that I would walk through when my brother attended RIT.

Picked up more supplies (I still don't understand why people are so confused when I say I am ordering for the Carpe Diem Academy...I mean...come on people...get with it!!!) ...o

Oh, wait! I finally joined Pinterest....I kept avoiding it because I didn't want to do the whole timeline thing on facebook....so I ended up creating a twitter account....perhaps I will start tweeting...twittering...whatever it's called...about the academy!

Let's see what tomorrow shall bring!

Carpe Diem!

-Amy