Afterschooling?/ Weekly Wrap Up #2

 DJ, Kennede and Nia were home from school for two days this week. Not due to illness but a school related incident. Let me first by saying God is Good!! Last Friday DJ shared with me that a little boy in his class had a pocket knife. The little boy pulled the knife out and pointed it at his stomach. Not only did the little boy do this to DJ but to other students in his class as well. Another student let the substitute aware that the boy had a knife. DJ said he didn't tell because he was going to  figure this out on his own. The substitute  only confiscated the knife and did not tell anyone in the office about this knife. So Monday morning my husband goes to the school to speak with the principal and has DJ tell and show what the little boy was doing with the pocket knife. The principal says " I'll get this taken care of immediately". Well DJ comes home and says another person talked with him. The persons' title is Dean of Students. The person only talks with DJ and the little boy about this incident. The little boy who brought the knife to school denies it. Here is the problem. The little boy who brought the knife remained in school all day. DJ and this little boy were not at odds with each other, in fact they were teammates on the soccer team. This person who interviewed DJ and this boy in my opinion handled this wrong. The person made this a confrontational thing between DJ and the little boy. What about the other kids that this boy pulled his knife out on? Fast forward, my husband typed a letter to the school principal and the Dean of Students explaining our concerns about how this is being handled. To sum up the letter my husband stated how we feel this boy should be suspended if not expelled He brought a weapon to school. We don't get any type of response, our kids stay home.  O.K so I am praying how to move forward, and remain positive in this situation periodically negative thoughts come into  my head " Bad school, Bad school". I get in homeschooling mode by eve of the next day.  The problem with this is  My kids love going to school so I am really torn.  My children have been on a waiting list for the best school in Michigan forever, Yes I can say Michigan. This school has been featured on NBC Nightly News. So I say this is it, I am going to call them. If they tell me no, we are homeschooling until they can tell me yes, no more quick fixes here. I call them and guess what they have an opening for Seventh grade? Yeah for Michelle. Since Michelle is an sibiling this means that DJ and Ken move up on the waiting list to number 1 their original numbers were actually at number 14. This is a long time because people don't leave this school, they move away. Still it felt like a motivation. So I take Michelle with me who is kinda upset about this new school thing to go visit the school and do the proper paper work. Michelle was soooo happy, she was kinda hoping she could stay the rest of the day.  But we had to wait for the principal to call to do her entrance interview. I shared with the secretary about our urgency about getting her started, and she told me what I will have to do to report to the other school about DJ and Ken being homeschooled until their grades had opening.  Now it is Thursday at noon and the new school that I have been having lovely dreams about since I toured in 2007 has called to see if Michelle and my husband and I can come in for a interview at 1:00, are you kidding? We are there. So I am looking at my two younger children and they are happy but not really. They ask if they can come along I say yes. So we are in the interview everything is so perfect. Then the principal ask about DJ and Ken and said when she heard this story about the knife at school and how we couldn't send them back. Yup, she said she had to oversubscribe in their classrooms. Yes they are attending too!! Oh if you saw my kids faces, You would have thought it was Christmas. They got to see their classes. Touch the smartboards, see the teachers with the speakers on. The school is the best in Michigan for many reasons. Parent involvement at this school is at 100%.!!!   When we came back there was a letter from the principal of their old school. To sum it up, the substitute teacher left a note for the regular teacher about the knife. The substitute teachers' employer was made aware of how the substitute teacher handled the knife incident. The little boy did not get suspended. Great, a person may have lost their job, probably because of a cover up for the administration. A little boy and his parents don't get to learn a valuable lesson that might safe his life or someone elses', this is a shame! The lesson that my children learned is being safe is our top priority in this family and if you are not in a safe enviroment you must be removed from the enviroment immediately. DJs' statement about figuring this out on his own, was talked about and how he and the others if ever in a situation that was unsafe again, most yell out the most important word in the English dictionary NO! and if they are at school call home immediately. Now on to their fun lessons for the week.

                                                                     DJ

His favorite read of the week. This is a book with loads of information about dinosaurs from A-Z.

                                
                          A page from the inside of the book.
                                                                

                                                                          
DJ is still reading from his Magic Treehouse books that I posted about last week. He has read through to chapter six in The Knight at Dawn where Jack and Annie are entering the castle. He has read about The Middle Ages and The Age of Castles in the companion book Knights and Castles.

                                 Writing a letter to Santa.

                                     Digging for dinosaurs.

                   Painting his dinosaur he put together after digging for the bones.

                                   Nouns and Verbs sort.

                                    Adding double digits with the Stanp Game.

                                        Knobless Cylinders.

                            Watching for this volcanoe to erupt.

                            Knight three part cards.

                                     Hammering.

                                                                                     
                                                                           Ken
Ken has been enjoying reading her Magic Treehouse books as well. She has read up to chapter eight in A Ghost Tale for Christmas Time where Jack and Annie have met Charles Dickens. Charles Dickens really dosen't want to be bothered by Jack and Annie at this moment. In Rags and Riches she has completed chapter 2 where it talks about Charles Dickens childhood and how his father John Dickens had to go to debtors' prison.
                                                          
    Ken has also been reading this book. It is a pop up book of the story A Christmas Carol. She is now reading Stave One: Marley's Ghost.

                                                    
                            The inside of the book.

                                                                          
Ken requested some Latin work so I just gave her this workbook and the go to use the CD. She reviewed her greeting words, and family members.

                                       
                Using the small bead frame to solve a problem in the workbook.
          

Excavating rocks.

                                       Painting a flag of Austria.

                                       The Arithmatic Trinomial Cube.

                                                                              
                                                                             Michelle
                                    
                                              Michelle has been reading these books this week.
                         
She read dialogues from Tow Saywer, and Alice In Wonderland with this book.

                                                                                  
 In the Castle book she has learned about how the Masons help build castles, how thick the portcullis had to be, and how they built the Castle so no enemies can't  get in.                                        

                                                            
The Europe workbook she has completed pages 1-10 which cover the geography of  Europe and its' resources.                
                                    Europe map puzzle.

                                        
                              God is good all the time!!