A fabulous Friday (from start to finish), a lazy Saturday, and wonderful Sunday

Friday afternoon I had a fabulous meeting with my principal and curriculum specialist about flexibility in planning and managing our Literacy program--Reading Street. I love it but there is soooo much they provide us, it can be overwhelming. [[ Read: 4 spelling pages, 4 grammar pages, a grammar transparency, Daily-Fix-Its, a story of the week, 3 leveled readers, centers, writing prompts, &a paired reading selection EACH week. ]] It can easily get overwhelming deciding what is most valuable and what can be passed over. Talking to them reassured me that the key to it all is quality over quantity and that I can easily continue my Literacy block ( discussion, leveled readers, center activities) into the Science/Social Studies block seeing as the story-of-the-week almost always incorporates a science or social studies theme. (Last week's "Boom Town" incorporated supply &demand, the Gold Rush, as well as jobs and businesses.) I felt great leaving School Friday.

A terrific night out at Bar Louies and CBS Scene for a friend's birthday got us home late Friday night and up early for a truly special book sale. It is held in the basement of a library in Newton and seems like a hidden gem. There is always a line at the door 30-45 minutes prior to the start. There are two separate entrances to the sale. (We strategically wait outside the one closest to the children's books and adult fiction.) =) I have always found great books for my students (and me!) at unbelieveable prices. ($2 for a Jodi Picoult? $4 for a set of 6 Judy Moody books--I'll take them!!) This time around I found so many great Social Studies books about the Wild West, 13 colonies, famous people in history, Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence. For my own leisure reading I picked up





... $1 a piece. =) =)


The library volunteers who run the book sale are so sweet--offering bags and assistance finding particular genres of books among the well-organized shelves. My only gripe with the sale is the other patrons. They are often impatient and, at times, even rude. We (my brave sisters and mom) have come to realize that some are dealers and others, just miserable folks who take the fun out of this "hidden gem" as they snap at you, mutter under their breath, or remain stationary when you politely say "excuse me." ::sigh:: But it is worth it and we return 3 times a year to this stuffy, cramped, at times unpleasant, rewarding, hole-in-the-wall "hidden gem."


On a quite separate and unrelated note, we finalllly purchased curtains for our living room. Black, lightweight, and long and I am in love. =) My handyman of a soon-to-be-hubby hung them already and they look fabulous.

(the website's product image)

Back to a bit more correcting, lesson planning, dessert :) and bedtime!