Happy Friday, RISERS! I hope this week has been good to you. I know I say this at the end of every month, but, whew, where did April go? This weekend brings us to the beginning of May, which means we have roughly three weeks of school left before graduations commence. I hope you’ll savor the last bit of school year with your friends and teachers. I will certainly miss my colleagues and the students over the summer. Now that I work at school every day, however, I definitely have a new appreciation for summer vacation.
Quote of the week: “Nothing is particularly hard if you break it down into small jobs.” –Henry Ford
Television Show of the week: This week I want to transport you back to 2004 and the Nickelodeon program Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide. Aired for three seasons, it followed a middle school boy named Ned Bigby and his two best friends, Jennifer Mosely and Simon Nelson Cook (aka Cookie). It is a fun look at all of the different things middle schoolers experience and Ned’s “tips” on how to handle each situation. A few popular actors from the ’80s star as faculty members. The show teaches many good lessons and has a little fun along the way. I hope you’ll enjoy it!
Joke of the week: Why do math books look so sad? They are full of problems.
Nugget of Wisdom for the week: I don’t know about you, but this week at school, we finished the TNReady, or TCAP, achievement tests. I didn’t take them, but oh my, they were intense. Be sure to give yourself a pat on the back once you complete this testing. Remember, it isn’t a measure of how smart you are, but of how well you take a test. We are all better than the sum of our test scores, and we all have at least one thing we can do better than someone else.
It’s FRIDAY, so enjoy the weekend. Chances are you won’t have much homework. The weather is supposed to be nice, so get some fresh air and sunshine. The pool in our neighborhood has opened for the season. I have made it a personal goal to learn to swim a little better—or at least get in the water more than once or twice, like I normally do.
Take care and have a great week. Remember, you are most awesome and YOU ROCK!
Marion Rhines is a foster-turned-adoptive parent. She lives in Knoxville, Tenn., with her husband and five children. She has written and published two children’s books as well as two foster-care-themed novels. She has a Facebook blog, Tips from the FLIP Side, and enjoys working with children of all ages.
