Ah, Summer "Vacation"

Within the first hour of the boys' summer vacation...
I commenced riding the broom and whipping the household of would-be couch potatoes into a veritable cleaning frenzy.

Tim has been manning the vacuum.
Jamie has been a sorting/picking-up maniac.
Jack has been, well, working his mouth and occasionally putting away some laundry.

The big victory of the day is that I made it to the Post Office and mailed five (see that, *5*) cards to Ben, an overdue 1st b-day box to my nephew Hal, and an overdue 1st b-day parcel to my niece Patty Ellie (whose shopping prowess -- she's a prodigy!-- has elevated her thusly to Patty status) plus returned a defective car charger before the 30-day deadline to Motorola. I am a SUPERSTAR!

Okay, I would have been a superstar had I not -- in my haste to complete the errand in the under half-hour allotted during Charlie's Preschool Language Group (group speech) and in my uber-excitement about snagging the sole automatic help-yourself package label dispenser machine -- stuck Baby Hal's parcel into the locking bin WITHOUT affixing the postage label. This brilliant maneuver cost me 10-minutes and the attention of a grumpy line as I had to flag down someone to find a management-level fellow to let me in...naturally, when he bloody-well got around to doing so. Any minutes saved in Do-It-Yourself Land were more than repaid in Fix-Your-Dumb-Mistakeville. Drat!

Now, just to bore those of you not related by blood (and perhaps even a few of those lucky folks as well), I present to you: Jamie's Abbreviated Report Card for 3rd Grade.


Reading in English
Word Analysis, Fluency, Vocabulary: Advanced
Reading Comprehension: Advanced
Literary Response/Analysis: Advanced

Writing in English
Writing Strategies: Proficient
Writing Applications: Proficient
Language Conventions: Proficient

Listening & Speaking in English
Listening/Speaking Strategies: Advanced
Speaking Applications: Proficient

Math Achievement
Number Sense & Operations: Proficient
Algebra & Functions: Proficient
Measurement & Geometry: N/A
Statistics, Data & Probability: N/A
Mathematical Reasoning: Proficient

History/Social Science: Proficient

Science
Physical: N/A
Life: Proficient (probably because of the dratted potato project)
Earth: N/A
Investigation & Experimentation: Advanced

Visual & Performing Arts: Proficient

P.E.: Proficient

Health: N/A

Citizenship
Respects people & property: Consistently (this is as good as it gets)
Shows interest in learning: Consistently
Prepares & Organizes: Sometimes (this is middle-of-the-road)
Completes assignments when due: Consistently

Comments:
Chooses to write independently; Expresses ideas clearly; Takes part in discussions; Volunteers often.

And the message from his teacher~

"Jamie, you have been a wonderful student to have in class this year. You are interested in learning - especially writing! Your journals are amazing - both for imagination and length. You are very good at expressing yourself in writing and verbally. I like the way you choose to read independently every morning - building on your reading skills. Keep up the reading this summer!

You are good at cooperating during class discussions. You do the "hard work of thinking." You have a very positive attitude which will help you to be successful in school and life.

Enjoy 4th grade. You are ready!"



Finished the day off with a Wal-Mart run. Lifestyles of the Desperately-Seeking Lunchboxes and Rash Guards for camp that begins tomorrow. Only partially successful although managed to spend $100.