We are in full renovation mode. The middle school administration wing has been dismantled, we are relocated into our new temporary office space, and the walls of the new middle school wing are tilted up and in place. I am also in renovation mode at home. We have gutted our entire living space except for [...]
When my kids were very young and in their early years of school, I drove them to and from school every day. I enjoyed meeting my mom friends as we waited outside our kids’ classrooms where we chatted as we built relationships, chased our toddlers, and rocked each other’s babies. Shocked The day came when my [...]
It was a star. A simple star…one that would be drawn on your hand when you arrived at school…or not. I remember waking up every morning. I didn’t care about my homework. I didn’t care about what we were going to do in school that day. I only cared about whether or not my hand [...]
True confession: I can’t sing and in spite of a few valiant attempts, I cannot play a musical instrument. Among other things I inherited from my mother is the inability to carry a tune. However, I also inherited a love of music from my father. I have discovered that the two are not incongruous and [...]
I had been waiting for it and somehow, I missed the call. For real? I emailed the City of Abbotsford awhile ago with some deep hopes of partnering with them on a “What’s in My Backyard?” project. A project—that post-Newcastle Island trip and amidst FSA writing in grade 7—was due to be presented at Presentations [...]
It suddenly felt like fall. For most of September, it was warm, with comfortable evenings even when it rained. Then suddenly, the nights got colder and we were into fall. The change happened all in an instant. Parent Stuff My life feels like that. The season has changed and it seems to have come very [...]
BY BETHANY BAKKER, GRADE 6 TEACHER My mom told me I wasn’t allowed to date anyone west of the Mississippi River. After all, I grew up in Wisconsin. I went to Dordt College in Iowa, met a guy from Chilliwack, got married, and moved to Canada a few years later. Now that I’ve lived here [...]
BY JUSTIN VERWOERD, EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANT When I started my job at ACS Middle, I thought it was perfect: work starts at 8:00 am, meal breaks at 10:30 am and 12 noon, and the weekly schedule is generally unchanging. I was cruising. The perfect job for me. Well, anyone who works at a school, has children, [...]
There is something really gratifying in running down a flying disk to score a point for your team. Just ask any of our middle school students who enjoy playing Ultimate during our lunch breaks. Ultimate is a fast paced game that is a hybrid cross of football, Frisbee and handball. One of the really cool [...]
