Riding The Firetruck

Lunchtime today was a parade downtown on the firetruck to celebrate the softball victory with the community and then a trip to the elementary school to ham it up with the elementary students!  How sweet it is!!

 Even Kutter got in on the action!

 Jr High students lined the street while the trucks took off to downtown.

 CHS students lined the street for the trucks coming back to the school.

 The Color Tile truck got in on the action as well.  What fun for the girls!!! 

Tonight there is a storm warning in effect for thunder and lightning.  I took a picture of the sky...it is like none I have ever seen around here before.  I got some rain on my lense so just ignore the rain drops.  Here's the sky right out the front door.

And here is sky, and rainbow, out the back door.

The thunder was LOUD a couple of times. 

Can't believe that tomorrow is JUNE!  This week at school should fly by.  Tomorrow is the senior's last day at school.  They will go half a day and then go through Bacalueriate practice in the afternoon before being cut loose from campus.  They go to Silverwood on their senior trip Thursday and then GRADUATE Friday!  I remember this time last year, Briar graduating.  Next year it is Paxton's turn.  Getting all the details ready for the big ceremony.

Briar had an interview this afternoon at Big 5 Sports in Kennewick.  He got the job!!  He turns all his paperwork in tomorrow.  Yeah!!!

STATE CHAMPION CONNELL EAGLES!!!!

Here they are!!  The 2011 Washington State Softball Champions!!! 

The path they took:  Game 1:  Connell 13  Chelan 9; Game 2:  Connell 10  Ridgefield 0; Game 3: Connell 7  Colville 6; Championship Game:  Connell 9  Onalaska 4

Wednesday...

Maci got a scholarship to Idaho State to be on their Track and Field team!  Way to go!!  Here she is in her new shirt.  She signed on Monday so the shirt was a day late, but she wore it today!  Doesn't she look great!  Love this picture because she still has her backpack on.  She was getting ready to do morning announcements when I made her pose for me.

Tonight we were at Pat's house for Wednesday group.  Here is a picture of her new, old, mantle that Mitzi and Leslie put up for her when they were up here a couple of weeks ago.  It rocks! 

And here's a picture of my grandma's window made into a mirror.  I just love it.  Pat is going to leave it to me when she is done with it.  Incredible and awesome!

This week is going so-so at school.  It definitely has turned up a notch with getting ready for graduation...NEXT week!  I can't believe it is this time of the year already.  The seniors picked walking partners on Monday and tomorrow will draw for their own seating.  I have been working on the program for graduation today.  Also worked on the scholarship insert for the program.  The Academic Awards Assembly was this morning.  I think Kate walked away with all of them....way to go Kate!

The softball team leaves tomorrow for Spokane.  They get to practice on the field that they will be playing on.  I am not leaving until Friday morning.

That's all for now.

Can You Say Random??

Here is my random posting for today....Monday, May 23rd!

• A parent called the school today asking about her son's LEAP presentation time tonight...today is the 23rd...the day I signed up to watch a classroom of LEAP presentations!  Totally slipped my mind.  Had a quick trip to town scheduled for after school, mainly to get MILK in the house since we have been out for 2 days, but that gets put on hold until tomorrow.  Maybe.
• Am extremely SORE today because I worked outside in the nice sun yesterday.  Can feel every muscle I have that I used yesterday but hadn't in quite some time!
• Got on-line this morning before leaving the house, to be late to my car pool place, to submit my monthly Department of Revenue report since it wouldn't take it yesterday and it's due like tomorrow!
• Got to start ALL OVER again on the master schedule at school.  BUT we did get one created.  Now we just have to get the sections enetered into the computer and then push the "auto schedule" button tomorrow and see just how many conflicts we can really come up with!  Wish us luck!!
• Watched LEAP presentations tonight and they were really good!  Everyone passed with flying colors!  Great job Maci, Kellie, Sandra, Rex, Crystal and Travis.
• Spent after school until presentation time getting caught up on all my monies since putting them all off due to scheduling last week and today.  Feels GOOD!
• The girls are going to play CHELAN Friday morning at 10:00 at Franklin Park.  Sweet avenge time for volleyball??  Hopefully! 
• Got home from the LEAP presentations tonight to find that my husband traded work at a house for a MOTORHOME!  Can't believe he did this without any communication with me.  Not too excited about this venture...but he promises that he is not going to have it in the way.  We'll see about that!!
• Left my phone at school tonight.  Not a good thing.
• Gotta find some airline tickets to San Antonio, Texas....for Brad's graduation next month.  Same time as my annual trip with the girls to the beach.  Of course.
• Feeling the coolness outside....is it ever going to warm up a bit???  Anyone???

We Are The Champions

District (and League) Champions.....Lady Connell Eagles!!!

Scheduling Woahs......

For everyone that thinks scheduling is easy...forget about it!  Every new school start or every semester break we always get kids in the office wanting to change "their" schedule because "someone" gave them a not-so-good one!  (We wonder who the "someone" is....just say it, I dare you!)  I am here to tell you that it is NO EASY TASK!!

Marcie and I have been working on the new master schedule for quite some time now.  The process is a long one, with many trials and tribulations. 

First we must get requests from the students and then enter those requests into the computer.  Then we have to go through the requests and make sure that those students with specific requirements (flunking a class, not having graduation requirements completed, credit deficiency, tri-tech or running start) have them worked into their requests (so they can graduate...on time!!).  After this is done then we look at the number of requests for each class and look at the teachers we are going to have and then look at the classes that the teachers are going to teach.  Once that is worked out we assign each teacher classes that they are going to teach (because 1 class time has to be a "prep" for them) and then compare those notes with the requests of the students.  We are now in the process of assigning the number of sections that we are going to have and make sure that the number of students to fill those sections are in sync (too many means we must look at alternates that the students have picked and start switching some classes around within the students requests). 

The next step is putting classes on the scheduling board that are placed because they have certain requirements, such as team-teaching, classroom sharing, special education, and building sharing.  Next single classes on the scheduling board, keeping in mind how many conflicts that these particular classes have with other single classes.  Once these classes are on the board they must stay there.  The next classes to add are the ones with 2 meeting patterns and then 3.  After these the board will be about 1/3 - 1/2 complete.  The next step is to add all the number of students, for each period, for each grade level.  This number must be compared with the total number of students per grade level.  We must make sure that every period has enough classes for the number of students in each grade level. Are we having fun yet????? 

We are at the step of making sure that each period has enough students for each grade level in it.  This step really stinks.  We have one period that doesn't have enough juniors and another one that has too many sophomores.  The freshman and the seniors are pretty much done, except when we go and try to accomodate for the juniors and sophomores.  At 3:00 this afternoon we decided enough was enough for the day and the week and will pick up where we left off Monday morning.

Oh, but we won't be done yet.  Once we have numbers even for everyone we go into the computer and add the sections to the classes as per the "scheduling board".   When this is complete we push the "auto schedule" button on the computer and presto it gives us schedules for everyone....or those that it can get to process.  We must then go and run reports to find out how many people are missing classes for a particular period.  When we get those names we can manually look at them and decide if something is massively wrong and go back to an earlier step, or if we have just a few it means hand scheduling those lucky students.

The point of all of this:  there's more than just YOU that goes into creating a master schedule for a high school.  Be glad you have classes!!!!!

District Game #1.....2 To Go!!

Here's Jan taking tickets to the game....

 Kaden and Bryce

 The pre-game meeting...

 The first pitch of the game

 the result:  Grayson with the catch and the first out of the game.

 Kate with a friend on first.

 Kate at bat.

 Pax at bat

 Pax scoring.

 Goldendale runner on third; the furthest they got tonight.

 Track stars watching from above.

 Defense.

 Ryan with sunflower seeds....in his mouth.

 Paxton scoring once again.

 Kate shutting down the competition. 

We win. 15-0 in 5.

He's In The Air Force Now

Here's Brad.....swearing in for the official time.   This was early this morning in Spokane.  He and 3 others were sworn into the Air Force.  Afterwards, they were taken to the airport where they were flown to San Antonio, Texas.....aka  Boot Camp.

We got a call from him tonight, around 9:30 p.m. our time, and he was on a bus leaving the airport, headed to the base.  LOTS of exciting times await him.  He sounded alert and ready for whatever is headed his way.  We are so proud of him. 

A New Driveway and More Clouds

Here's my dad in the dozer...coming up the hill on what will soon be our new driveway!  Thanks to him and brother, Jeff.  Not sure Jeff was too excited about the situation but he was a good sport, in front of me anyways.

A closer up of both the dozer and the road.

It looks a bit on the bumpy side here, but when I got home and saw it....it's magnificant!!

THANKS you two!!

We have had a weekend of storms and clouds....here's yesterday's sunset amongst all the beautiful clouds.

Just look at the orange and pink!!

What a spectacular canvas God paints for us.  We are so lucky!

Happy Sunday

Catchup From Tuesday To Saturday...

Here's Erica!

The girls getting ready for their game with Zillah.  Zillah is #1 on the west side of our league.  We 10 runned them.  The first inning we spent kind of not doing so great.  At the end of the 1st it was 2-2.  We 10 runned them by the 4th.

 Kutter and Callie Jenks.  The are SO cute!

 Packy sliding into home.

 Safe!

Kutter again.

Brad and Kyle.  Brad is getting ready to leave in just a couple of days.  Things are getting kind of sappy around here.

Kara, Emma and Mattie getting ready to watch some baseball.

Sean Murphy on the top of the dugout putting tires on the tarp to keep it from flying up in the wind.  What a nasty day for softball!

We took the opportunity to feed both the Warden softball team and the Burbank softball team today.  Mike brought his BBQ and we cooked up some hotdogs and hamburgers.  We should do this every year on our last game!

 Like this shot of the baseball getting hit to the outfield.

This is acutally a "G" and an "A" for Grandpa Andy.  It is by the on-deck circle.

Last home games mean senior recognition.  Here's Jess holding the roses for the moms.

The non-seniors ready to help honor the seniors.

Melissa and Kayla.

Kathryn and April

Shelley and Kate

Sara and Tyler

 Sean, Brenda and Carissa

Kate and Paxton

The game with Warden was a 10 run game.  The Burbank game was also.  Good days for the Lady Eagles.  They are the League Champions.  The District Tournament starts next Thursday at Connell.

Here are the Hawkins watching MarciAnne.

Both Jessica and Marie had on #11 sweatshirts so they stood next to each other and I took this picture.  Cute huh!

The Connell Eagle Softball Team

The boys all came out this afternoon with their families and we had dinner together.  Steven came up from Portland and cooked dinner:  fettucini.  He did well!

The slide.

Shooting.

Remington

Eric

Bradley

Kaylee

Kaylee and grandpa riding the bike.

I just love this picture of my flower pot by the back door!

Wrestling with gramps.

Cooking with Uncle Steven.

Cute aren't they!

Here comes the storm!!  Thunder, lighting, wind, rain....

It still hasn't stopped raining!  We are going to be one big puddle if it doesn't let up soon.