We are on the home stretch of the school year, with only one week left! This past week was busy with end-of-the-year concerts and events, as well as the end of spring soccer. As fun as the activities are, we're all looking forward to having some unscheduled evenings in the coming weeks.
On Tuesday I got to help chaperone the 3rd graders on their field trip to the City Hall. They've been learning about city government and services, and finally got to see some of it in action. I think it was a little underwhelming in the end, but my van load agreed it was still better than having a regular day at school. They also tried to convince me to stop at the gas station for candy and ice cream, but I didn't think Mrs. A. would have appreciated that. Points to them for trying though!
Due to record-setting high temperatures, I did let Alex talk me into
frozen custard after school.
Jake's math teacher incentivized his class by offering a Cold Stone gift card to whoever had the greatest improvement on their state math test. He was surprised and VERY excited to win. Jake has his sights set on MIT...I told him to keep it up and maybe they'll give him a "gift card" for high test scores...
Tuesday night was Jake's spring orchestra concert. The middle school orchestra is combined 6th-8th grades, with an especially strong cello section. Despite the HOT gymnasium, they sounded wonderful.
That Cold Stone gift card was burning a hole in Jake's pocket, so we (and a lot of other sweaty concert-goers) stopped by after the concert.
Wednesday was the 6th Grade Track Meet at the local high school, where the kids each competed in 2-3 events. Jake chose long jump and high jump, both of which he practiced about three times. He told me, "I'm not very good, but long jump is fun anyway and I want to pole vault in the future so I have to learn high jump first." I was proud of him for his good attitude and effort. Jake has his dad's long-distance-runner build, but says he has a hard time getting the pacing down. Since it was about 92 degrees and humid, I don't think he was regretting his choice of events!
Afterward Bo and I met for a lunch date at Vinyl Taco. No pictures because we were too busy devouring our delicious food. Yum. We're going to have to go back weekly and try everything on the menu.
Thursday night was the final soccer game of the Spring season. Due to the late thaw, it was pushed back pretty far. Alex has really had fun playing and I think he's learned a lot as well (like keep both feet on the ground when throwing the ball in from the side). This was the first year they've had a referee and goalie, as well as played on bigger fields. He's looking forward to improving his skills with summer soccer, which starts in less than 2 weeks.
Go Team Newcastle! (short about 5 players here)
Thursday night was also Haley's Spring Orchestra Concert at the high school. She played in the Varsity Orchestra as a 1st violin this year, and auditioned and will play as a 2nd violin in the Concert Orchestra next year. They are getting seriously talented and playing some really neat pieces. They played Saint-Saëns' "Carnival of the Animals," for which Haley also narrated the introduction.
After our busy week we dove right into a busy weekend. I drove down to Fargo for a doctor's appointment on Friday afternoon and got to spend the rest of the evening shopping wherever I wanted for as long as I wanted (three garden centers and the book store), while Bo did taxi service for the kids. Jake got to play his new X-Wing game with friends at the game store, and Haley saw the new Hans Solo movie with friends. Saturday we headed to a local park for a church BBQ, followed by cleaning out the garage for our upcoming garage sale, before Haley headed off to a bonfire and the rest of us collapsed on the couch to watch Peter Rabbit. To say we're looking forward to having Monday off from work and school is an understatement! Happy Memorial Day!
