Band concert and AR award

Ladybug and her friends

LaLadybug and "N"

Last night we attended Ladybug and "N's" Spring band concert. We enjoyed a spaghetti dinner beforehand (that actually wasn't half bad for cafeteria food) and then the concert. The 6th grade band performed 4 songs. The 7th and 8th grade band performed 2 songs. The Jazz band performed 2 songs and the Chorus sang 2 songs. Everyone did a great job. This will be Ladybug and "N's" last year in band as they have decided not to continue next year. They both love music and learning to play but unfortunately the band director has turned them off to wanting to stay on. I really could go on and on about the many different reasons they have decided this but we'll leave it on friendly terms. They just need to get through the next 6 days and they're good. Besides - I don't want my post to be negative!

Tater Tot and the Principal

She had him tell how many AR points he has and he proudly proclaimed 202!

This morning Tater Tot was on the morning announcements at school for reaching 200 AR points and I cannot even begin to put into words how excited he was. He earned a set of Spiderman Walkie-Talkies which he is very proud of. AR stands for Accelerated Reader. Basically what they do is read books and take computerized tests about the book that tests their comprehension of the story. Then, depending on the score made on the test they are awarded a certain amount of points or partial points as the case may be. The books are divided into ranges and the kids are tested at the beginning and end of the year to find their reading ranges. They then pick the books from the library in their range, read it and test on it. The majority of books that have been in Tater Tot's range throughout this year are (1/2) or .5 books - which means if he makes a 100 on the AR test he is awarded half a point. So, this means Tater Tot has had to read and test on well over 500 books this year to get to his 200 points.

WARNING: I take this moment to brag on my children!

Tater Tot's current reading range (just given to us last week) is a 2.5 to a 5.0 - which means he can read books ranging from a second grade level to a fifth grade level. That's crazy! But I'm proud of him for doing so well. He also scored VERY well on his Stanford 10 test (which is basically an FCAT or CTBS test for 1st graders). We don't have Ladybug's FCAT scores yet - and I'm hoping to get them before schools out. However - her teachers have recommended that she take honors reading and math classes next year! She has done so great in school this year and I'm glad her teachers are finally seeing her potential. I'm excited for her as well!

Oh, did I mention - 6 days of school left! Yippppeeee!!!!!!!