Thought it was about time I got you up to speed.

This week has been spent in school for me. Preparing the classroom, planning and some training about finding your inner teacher which was interesting!
Yesterday was open house where the parents and kids can come to meet you. It went well I had 10 of my 16 children show up and they were very lovely. I had one or 2 families with no English, only Spanish, though the little girl in my class had great English. Maybe from watching TV? Anyways I’m very excited about having my own class again. I think it will be (and has been) hard work! All teaching is hard work but it is much more intensive and less broken up than at home. Ive been going to be at like 8pm and sleeping 12 hours on the weekend!
My schedule is like this:

7.00 – 7.15am Oral Language
7.15 News (on the TV we have closet circuit TV and the principal and children present the news.)
7.30 – calendar (days of the week etc)
7.40 – 8.25 – workshop – more play based activities kinda like Reception is most of the time in the UK.

8.25 – 8.55 Writing
8.55- 10am Math
10am – 10.20 Recess (on the playground outside – we have like an adventure playground)
10.20 – 10.50 Lunch (how early! And we eat with the children)
10.50 – 11.00 Accelerated reading (for those who need extra help)
11.05 – 11.45 Best time of the day is SPECIALS! The kids go to other teachers for Music, Media, Art, PE and computers. I only teach the basics unlike at home where you teach it all) This time I have to myself to breath!
11.50 – 12.40 Literacy
12.45 – 1.30 science/social studies
1.40 Home time – attempt to find which bus belongs to which child.

Wow I feel tired even writing that. Next week though we are not running it like that we are doing staggered entry by alphabet which I think will leave me with about 7 one day and 3 on another! Everyone comes in Friday

We were hoping to go to Uptown today as we haven’t been yet but since I have managed to develop a tummy bug we may not be able to. Maybe tomorrow on our anniversary, I just want to be better I am not having fun being ill! We think it may be from our pool as it’s the only thing we can come up with that Daniel has not done. We have eaten the same and lunch has been provided at school and no one else is sick. L

Daniel is keeping himself busy, we have discovered the library at the end of our road so he has been reading and using the net and also cooking dinner every night, As soon as I get paid we can apply for his work permit.

Our apartments are working out well e have only had one bug incident with a MASSIVE centipede. I was also followed by a very tiny kitten the other day (yes Bryher I did freak out a bit) and we saw a silly possum looking thing chasing ants! We have a lot of woods around our apartments. It is a great location, it is off one of the main roads in Charlotte which contains restaurants, gas stations, chemist, grocery stores a shoe shop (MUM it’s very cheap) and it takes me about 15 mins to get to school on the interstate.

Well I think I’ve waffled enough now,,,,
Love to you all
Katie (and Daniel)