Jenna: SCMS Awards Night

Jenna had her awards night for Snow Canyon Middle School tonight. I told her that I wanted her to go, especially since she had to miss it last year due to dance. All of the teachers get to choose one student for the 8th grade and one student for the 9th grade for an award in their field of study. Last year I didn't know that Jenna would be receiving any extra special awards (other than high GPA) and then she received the department award in history. It made me with we had gone! See that post HERE. 

This year there was another surprise. She almost didn't want to go to the awards ceremony tonight because she said she was probably just getting the award for high grades, which many students get. But we had a surprise this year also! Her Chinese teacher picked Jenna to receive the award for Chinese! So that was a fun surprise! We also got to see her friends sing the national anthem and she got to take pictures and hang out with her friends after the ceremony, so I think she was glad that I made her come, ha ha!! 

Jenna and Claire wore their matching dresses!! (Yes it was planned!) 

Clarissa got the award for Language Arts! 

Josh, Jr, Grace, Anna, Clarissa, Jenna, Brinkley 

Jenna had hung out with friends after the ceremony and it was too dark to take any pictures just of her with her award and so I made her take a couple more the next day before school! 

DNA Project

Jenna said that she would get five extra credit points if she got her DNA project turned in early (this Friday). I thought it would be way too stressful to even attempt it since it was her dance concert week with long rehearsals all week, plus three nights of performances. But she had all of the supplies and came home from her first performance and stayed up until 11:00 finishing up her DNA project all on her own and got it turned in and got 100% on it. Way to go, Jenna!! (I also like how it matches her shirt, ha ha)! 

Click HERE for Jaiden's DNA project her freshman year! I don't know if I have pictures of the other kids' projects! 

Jenna, Awards Night!

Jenna had dance last night and so she skipped out on the middle school awards' night. Come to find out that not only did she get the award for high grades, she was also awarded the departmental award for U.S. History for the 8th grade!! I wish we could have been there to hear her name called and see her get the award! Way to go, Jenna! 

Middle School Valentine's Dance

Jenna had her middle school Valentine's dance tonight. She and her friends make SUCH A BIG DEAL out of all of their school dances this, ha ha! Even though the dance is casual, they still get dressed up in dresses (and often wear each other's dresses), and go to one of the girls' houses (usually Caprina's house) and they all get ready together. Then Caprina's dad drives them the half mile to the dance in their enormous RV (the party bus) and the girls crank up the music and dance and sing at the top of their lungs. There had been a bunch of drama leading up to the dance with certain guys in their friend group asking certain girls in the friend group to the dance. When Jenna told me this I said, "Don't they know it is not a date dance?" Kind of weird. But as middle school relationships go, most of the kids "broke-up" before the dance anyway. But a few still went with the person who asked them. Several boys had hinted to Jenna that they (or their friend) wanted to ask her to be their Valentine, but she successfully squashed such attempts by saying that she didn't want a "Valentine" and was waiting until 16 for anything resembling relationships or dating. Good for her! The girls all had a great time before, during, and after the dance, and took a billion pictures, ha ha! 

 

Color Blast and Paint Party!!

The middle school had their "Color Blast" and the high school had their "Paint Party" the same night. Everyone had a great time! 

Jaiden's DNA Project

I am posting this after the fact, so I can't remember the details, but I do remember Jaiden leaving this to the last minute and being in tears and me staying up until midnight helping her with it. It ended up looking good though! 

SCMS Warrior Honor Evening

This morning I had a couple of interpreting jobs and then took a nap!  I picked up the kids from school and then Jenna had a fun "Un-birthday" party for Activity Days which included swimming at Sister Phillip's house. I wish I had known that it was her leader's actual birthday today so I could have sent Jenna with a gift for her!

I brought Jaiden and her friend to dance at 4:45 and then stayed at the studio and waited for her since Jaiden had to leave early for the Snow Canyon Middle School's Award's Night. Jaiden and Janelle were supposed to be at the school early in order to greet people and pass out programs. Jaiden and Janelle both received awards for achieving a 4.0 all year long and Janelle also received an award (like last year) for perfect attendance! Jaiden and Emily helped to pass out cookies afterwards as part of their Student Council responsibilities.

I was also really proud of my Miamaids tonight! Each department gave out a special award -- typically one to an eight grader and one to a ninth grader. Four of those awards came from my Miamaid class! Layla Purdy received the award for Language Arts (9th grade) and Jaymii Bonadurer received the award for Language Arts (8th grade). Gracie Newby received the Fine Arts award and Ruby Bolton received the award for Science! Way to go girls!!

Jared: SCMS Warrior Honor Evening

Jared's Awards Night was tonight but Jared didn't want to sit through a long ceremony.  I don't blame him.  They gave him his award the next day for achieving and maintaining a 4.0 GPA all year.  Way to go, Jared!

Back to School!! (August 12-18)

Janika is a Senior (I know, hard to believe isn't it?!) and started back to school today on Monday, August 12 at Tuacahn.  She only had to go in the afternoon because she is enrolled in concurrent enrollment at Dixie University and that doesn't start until next Monday.  I went with Jase to the High School and Jared to the Middle School for registration.  They got their locker combinations and we went to every classroom to make sure they would know where to find each of them when school started on Wednesday.  I think Jared was a little worried when he found out that he has to walk from the Middle School to the High School in order to go to his Chinese class.  He will have a difficult time making the trip in ten minutes! 

My Mom and Dad arrived Monday night in order to spend the week with us and go see the shows at Tuacahn.  They brought a ton of food to share including lots of different kinds of fun cereal for the kids.  Monday night we had a nice dinner of crock-pot chicken and then Rick gave all of the kids Father's Blessings for FHE, which is a Back to School Tradition. The blessings were beautiful.  I am so grateful to be married to a worthy priesthood holder who can bless our family through the Priesthood of God!

Tuesday, Aug. 13, my mom and dad and I brought the five youngest kids to go see "Puss in Boots" at the movie theater with the punch pass our neighbor had given us.  I had a work appointment in the afternoon and Jase had his first Cross Country Meet.  My mom and dad brought Rick and I out to dinner at Texas Roadhouse and we all enjoyed that.   Then  mom and dad went to see "Thoroughly Modern Millie" at Tuacahn. 

Wednesday, August 14th was the first day of school for the rest of the kids.  As mentioned before, Janika is a Senior at Tuacahn.  Jase is a Sophomore at Snow Canyon High School, Jared is in 8th grade at Snow Canyon Middle School, Janelle is in the 5th grade at Arrowhead Elementary (which is the final year of elementary school here) with Mrs. Patton, Jaiden is in fourth grade with Mrs. Fuchs, and Josh is in second grade with Mrs. Goodman for the English portion of his day and Mrs. Lin for the Chinese portion of his day.  Jenna starts pre-school in September at the Washington County Pre-School.

Jase and Jared ride to school together since their schools are right by each other and they have a ride with our neighbor who drives to school.  Janika drives herself to school, and I bring the three elementary school kids to school along with our neighbor kids.  This morning Jenna stayed home with my mom and dad.  It took a while to find Josh's class since he is out in the portables for Chinese.

My mom had a hair appointment and then she and dad brought Jenna to the library so that I could get a little quiet time.  But it didn't last long since five minutes later Jase came in with three friends -- two girls and Ky.  He said that they were just here for lunch and he started pulling out the fixings for Nachos.  I thought, "I hope this is not going to be an everyday occurrence!"  My mom and dad went swimming with Jenna.

After school I brought Jaiden to dance.  The new dance schedule started this month and Jaiden decided to take Jazz/Hip Hop.  She wasn't too sure she liked it the first week but seems to like it now and wants to continue.  My mom and dad went to see "Mary Poppins" at Tuacahn.

Thursday morning (August 15) I got all of the kids off to school and then Jenna had playgroup.  I was busy working on my ASL curriculum.  I met my friend and she taught me how to use Dixie's Online System, Canvas.  After two hours with her I hurriedly ate dinner and then left for my faculty meeting at Dixie.  I went straight to a class after that and then picked up Jared from Parkour at 9:00 p.m.  Meanwhile back at home Rick fixed dinner for everyone and the kids went swimming with Grandma and Grandpa and Rick went to Back to School Night for the elementary school.  

Friday morning (August 16) mom and dad went to play tennis for a bit like they did on a couple of the other days they were here.  My mom and I went out for a quick lunch while dad tended Jenna.  Jenna had fun swimming with her Grandpa several times throughout the week!  I had scouts this afternoon.  My mom and dad came with Rick and I to our Stake High Priest's Social tonight.  It was a delicious meal and they even had yummy gluten free brownies!

Saturday morning (Aug. 17) my mom and dad headed back home and Rick and I went to an interpreter workshop called "Managing the Middle."  It was fun and we really enjoyed it!   Jase had another Cross Country meet this morning and beat his time and so he was happy.  Rick brought him out to lunch at the new Pirate Cove pizza place to celebrate while I brought Jenna to an assessment for the Upstart Program.  Jenna and I did a little school shopping afterwards.  In the evening Rick and I had an interpreting job together.  It was a busy but fun week!  Thanks, Mom and Dad, for coming and spending this week with us!

Sunday (Aug. 18) we watched Jase get set apart as Teacher's Quorum President at the end of the church and then had to wait for Janika to talk with the Bishop to submit the names of her counselors since she was just called at the Laurel President.   So we were 40 minutes late coming home and the kids were getting very restless and whiney!

Janika has been going to a missionary prep class at the Stake Center every Sunday evening and last Sunday parents were invited and so I went and Rick stayed home with the other kids and then the three oldest went to a back to school fireside.  Rick taught Janelle to do indexing and she has been doing that a little on Sundays.   So that is our week!

 

Janika's Song and Awards Night

Here is the song Janika sang at her NJHS banquet:  "Defying Gravity"

Tonight was the middle school's awards night.  It was a lot nicer than last year, which was held in the gym with many of the students in shorts and T-shirts.  This year they moved it to the High School Auditorium and the dress was semi-formal.  There were nice decorations including a red carpet for the students to enter the auditorium.  The band did a great job with the music!  Janika got an award for the High Honor Roll and also for achieving 100% on the end of level CRT test in Language Arts.