2014-06-19 - 1:13 p.m.

The girls fantastic report cards came!

Almost all As with a couple of Bs in the mix for all of them. One straight As; one took 1rst place in a Math Competition; one won an award given to the top student in Chorus; one got a perfect score of 600 on the VA Standards of Learning SOL in Writing. A few high 500 scores on those. (I am one of the few who don't HATE SOLS! I mean I don't get what is the big deal? I think the MAIN problem is linking teacher's PAY to SCORES and things like REAL ESTATE VALUES being assessed in some communities by school rankings etc... But I digress a bit here on this topic. Main point is I LOVE getting SOL scores that make me proud but if my kids don't score high on them would honestly not be all that worried if they were doing their best!)

As reading end of year report cards I was delighted to learn two of my girls learned ASL this year! They never mentioned it to me! I taught them sign language a little bit as babies and have had the ASL Dictionary on my shelf and have shown them that when little so maybe it was familiar and not new and exiting to them. I FORGET it- and have lost the skill , so I think it WONDERFUL that two of them were taught it this year and in a final project told a story in ASL to class.

Is it petty of me to also note that the elementary school student was TARDY EIGHT TIMES in the THIRD QUARTER Of the year and that the truant officer didn't come after her DAD?

I laughed when I saw the attendance report as she biked through Fall and early winter but then when it got cold opted to STAY AT DAD'S and get a ride to school from him since I do not have a car. That would be during the THIRD QUARTER of the school year (JAN-MARCH)--- the one in which she was late a lot!

Once Spring was here and it warmed up she again came to me with her sisters one night a week and biked to school. It was a long winter so that did not happen until end of April or early May.She was late only 2X in the LAST Quarter of the year!

We actually so enjoy that morning bike ride!
Its been really fun. We sing stupid songs along the way like this one to the tune of "Thrift Shop", words of which change every time sung- Some mornings we are downright clever and others if Alexy asks me to sing I am struggling to think of a rhyme and sing whatever comes to mind:

Not gonna pop a tire
Wanna keep $20 in my pocket
Instead of paying
for a new tube

This bike's really awesome

I'm biking to my school
maybe look like a fool
with florescent clothes
as I'm riding
down the road

But safety is smart
And aint gonna pop a tire
cause I'm avoiding pot holes
Looking at the pavement
while I'm riding
Biking's really awesome

I wear florescent clothes
from head down to the toes
a helmet on my head
bell at hand
and flashing lights
so cars will yield the right

Not gonna pop a tire
or paying for gas in a car
getting exercise
feeling energized
Biking's really awesome

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