WE'RE GOING ON VACATION!

AMS Adolescent Community guides and Eliott in Chicago - April 2010

One year! Hard to believe but yes, it's been a year.
Here's the news:
the year was crazy - crazy busy, crazy tough in some ways and crazy fun in others...
it's OVER! the paperwork is in, the rooms are clean and we are going away

Eliott & Betty both had an amazing year. Betty really stepped up to the plate of being a High Schooler and Eliott is moving into the Junior year of a 2-year IB program which is challenging and exciting too.
For the last 2 weeks of the school year, Betty went to Naples, Florida to experience Marine Biology hands-on, while Eliott and I went to Oaxaca, Mexico to learn about and build eco-friendly and sustainable green architecture in a local community. We built a water cistern that can hold 10,000 litres of rainwater to sustain agriculture and human needs. It was awesome!

The kids are now in Austin until Tuesday and we meet in Newark to fly "home" for the summer. We have plans to stay in the Loire Valley area with my mother, visit our really good friends in Brittany, and take a road trip to southern Spain

When we return in August, I will be moving into faculty housing at MHS because I am going to be the Director of Residential Life as well as the French teacher next year - which means that I get to figure out how the boarding component of the Montessori High School looks. It will be a lot of work, but frankly, what isn't when you choose to be a Guide / Montessori teacher?

We'd love to hear about your summer plans and we wish you all the very best,
Françoise, Eliott & Betty

SNOW DAY SNOW DAY LA LALA LA LA LA!

SNOW DAY - FINALLY!!!
Now I see what it takes ... read below...
Here, we got about 6 inches last night and it's still falling fast & furious.

Issued by The National Weather Service

3:54 am EST, Fri., Feb. 26, 2010 - Cleveland, OH

... WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM EST THIS EVENING...

SNOW WILL CONTINUE TODAY... HEAVY AT TIMES. THE HEAVIEST SNOW WILL
 LIKELY OCCUR THIS MORNING. BY LATE THIS EVENING SNOWFALL TOTALS
WILL RANGE FROM 6 TO 15 INCHES WITH THE HIGHEST TOTALS OVER THE
HILLS IN THE SNOWBELT.

BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW WILL OCCUR AS NORTHWEST WINDS AVERAGE
20 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 30 MPH. VISIBILITIES WILL BE POOR... BELOW A FEW
HUNDRED FEET AT TIMES... MAINLY IN THE OPEN COUNTRYSIDE WHERE THE
DRIFTING SNOW WILL BE SIGNIFICANT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

DIFFICULT WINTER TRAVEL CAN BE EXPECTED... ESPECIALLY ON UNTREATED
 ROADS AND SECONDARY ROADS. USE EXTREME CAUTION.

WE'RE GOING SLEDDING!!!!! 
If I can dig the car out, that is. 
Love,
Françoise, Eliott & Betty

WINTER!!!

Here is our school in the snow!

We returned home in January after "Texmas" (Xmas in Texas!!!) to around a foot of snow that had mostly frozen and it was murder trying to dig out our driveway and the sidewalk.

Let me tell you about the pictures:

The first one is taken through the front window, you can see across the street to the house opposite us; notice the parking meter and you will guess where the road should be...

Next - the parking lot, same day but in the afternoon - snow AND sun together - I love it! I was SO happy all day because snow is beautiful!!!

Third - To the side of our school building, the open lot where we had our fall gathering and picnic! The house in the back is the dorm, where 27 students live, and the little structure to the bottom right of that is the straw bale house that some students built last summer.

Anyway - things I have learned about winter: the 10 winter commandments

1. Never laugh if you happen to notice your colleagues' long johns drooping below the bottom of their pants

2. If you really MUST laugh, first check your own attire for said oversight

3. Just because 6 inches of snow have fallen overnight and the snowplow didn't get to your street yet, that doesn't mean you have a snow day (this means no school for those who don't live in the US).

4. When you get in the car, sit sideways and tap your feet together to get rid of the snow on your boots. Otherwise your car gets REALLY messy.

5. Shovel your driveway ASAP - the snow isn't going away by itself and the next thing that awaits you is... MORE snow

6. One shovel per family is NOT enough - 1 per family member is more like it

7. NEVER go out in your slippers - they were named that for a reason

8. Wear ALL your winter clothes at the same time if you don't happen to have a large selection

9. Do not attempt to clean your windshield with wiper fluid - you just get a ton of frozen mess on top of the previous frozen mess

10. Looking cool is WAY less cool than feeling warm

What's the weather like in your home town? Are you jealous of life in Northeastern OHIO yet??? Wanna come visit??? No hurry - the snow will be around for at least 2 more months - then we get slush - can't wait to blog about that!

Love to all,

Françoise