All of the kids made honor roll, are all plagued by the Murphy curse (talking to your neighbor) and they each had some significantly fun accomplishments....
Ian is getting all A's and is especially loving Cooking Class. For his final exam he had to cook 3 dishes in 50 minutes. He practiced over and over at home and never really came in under 50 minutes. We were worried (if you thought Billy had only 1 speed, you haven't met Ian. Not only does he only have 1 speed, its sloth like. But, he's incredible precise and the veggies he cuts up and his measurements are perfect). He made water chestnuts wrapped in bacon, kimbop and strawberry spinach salad. Part of the exam is inviting and serving a guest. Tom was the special invitee and was able to enjoy a lite mid day meal thanks to Chef Ian. Unfortunately, Ian didnt understand when Tom said he was allergic to nuts so he wasn't able to eat the salad (not sure if he didnt understand or was just being very literal and following the recipe to a tee - thats another Ian trait, he's a good direction follower). Great photos below:)
Jimmy is a mix of B/A's and it was fun to hear what his teachers had to say... They were all raving about his participation in class, the questions he asks, willingness to help, engaging other students, etc. He is naturally bright and curious and has an easy time with the course materials. Unfortunately, he can sometimes be distracted by less than ideal friend nonsense and doesnt always apply himself to his ability. There were themes of ... use your powers for good, double down on the hard work of homework and apply yourself a bit more. You are an exceptional student that is capable far above the mixed B/A's on your report card. He was asked to play drums in the upcoming choir concerts and he's thrilled. Plus his band teacher got him interested in drum line and gave him some youtube videos to watch. We are hoping this is the answer to "how to take music to the next level" - they are cool! (Chops, Inc - Minnesota Brass Indoor Percussion - Oregon, Wisc Shadow Armoda)
Kay is also a mix of B/A's and has made HUGE progress in language arts. Her teacher raved about the good choices she's making and the quality of her work. She is an engaged and curious learner and needs to be moving at all times in order to focus (as a kinetic learner she is going to have to figure out how to talk to teachers about this...). She is capable of better grades and will need to do a better job of remembering to hand in homework, especially when she gets to 9th grade. Her teachers also love her and are constantly surprised that she and Jimmy are siblings (not sure if thats the size or personality differences at play). Her gym teacher filmed her gymnastics routine and uses it to show other students what he means by different skills when he's teaching his gymnastics class.
Billy is our steady eddy A student. He is practical about homework and never procrastinates. He wonderful to have in class as he's calm, has good energy and loves to know how things work. He loves science and is really excited for the next unit. He loves to read but ... has a hard time getting his thoughts onto paper (he's a man of few words which could be an issue in 7th grade if he doesnt learn/practice this year). He also could be doing much more than he is and doesnt seem to be challenged. It would be good to get him in honors classes next year to see how high is high. He does need to watch his chatting with certain friends but thats a pretty rare occurrence and usually stops at the request of the teacher. He also had his 6th grade choir concert and it was the worlds fastest concert - 22 minutes. In fact, one of the other mom's went to the wrong school for the concert and missed the whole thing. They sang songs of peace and inclusion and they. were. awesome!
So,
Chef Ian
Strawberry Spinach Salad with Almonds - whoops
Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts
Kim bop
6th grade choir concert
Academic All Star!
